Page 39 of Unholy

“Not yet. A few of them were on the fence.”

“I think we should. They’re abominations anyway. Just because they keep to themselves doesn’t mean we should let them live. They’re still demons. They do terrible things.”

“That was Sloan’s argument, too. A lot of them agreedwith him, but he has to have a unanimous decision for that kind of strike. I doubt he’ll let it go, though. All he has to do is wear down the holdouts, and then it’s bye-bye halflings.”

Crap. He really needed to talk to Malachi. And maybe find a way to get a warning to Hawk.

The scentof cooking food hit him as he keyed open his apartment door. Luke smiled to himself as he rounded the kitchen doorway and found Malachi standing at the stove with a spatula in hand and something bubbling in a pot. He liked to feed Luke, and he was a surprisingly adept cook for someone who rarely had to eat. Luke was going to get fat if he kept this up.

He curled around Malachi’s back, and the demon turned his head with a delighted hum.

“Hello to you, too, treasure,” he murmured, angling his head back for a kiss that lingered. “Hungry?”

“Mm-hm. You spoil me.” He kissed a lazy trail down Malachi’s neck, his hands sweeping up and down the flat plane of his chest and stomach.

“That’s the plan,” Malachi agreed. “You’re sweaty.”

“Trained some today.” He sighed heavily. “And we need to talk about something I overheard, but I’d like to shower first.”

Malachi shot him a lascivious smirk. “Want company?”

Luke trailed his hand down, cupping Malachi’s groin. His head fell back on Luke’s shoulder with a quiet moan. The bulge in his tight black jeans grew as Luke rubbed him through the denim. His free hand slipped in the gaping side of Malachi’s cutoff T-shirt to pinch one nipple.

“I wouldn’t turn it down, as long as the food won’t burn.”

“Oh, how convenient, it’s practically done,” Malachi said, turning off the stove and taking the pan off the heat.

Luke laughed, leading Malachi to the bathroom. They traded languid kisses and undressed each other as the water heated up. Under the hot spray, Malachi worked the soap across Luke’s body, massaging his fingers into sore muscles and working the kinks from his shoulders. Luke, in turn, took great care in shampooing and conditioning Malachi’s glossy black hair, running his fingers through the smooth strands.

When Malachi kissed him, it felt like coming home. He pressed Luke against the cool shower wall as the water rained down on them, slipping a leg between his and rocking together. Luke clung to him, gasping between slick kisses as Malachi slowly led him toward his orgasm. Those red eyes looked triumphant when he came with a cry, shuddering through it. He leaned in for a kiss and bit Malachi’s lip painfully hard, chuckling when Malachi’s hot seed splashed on his stomach in response.

“No fair,” Malachi whined. “You know all my secrets now.”

“A demon liking a little pain with his pleasure is no secret, Mal,” Luke said, reaching over and shutting the water off. “And it’s nice knowing I can push the pain button to make you come whenever I want.”

“I want to say that’s cheating. What’s your orgasm button?” Malachi asked, handing Luke a towel and grabbing another for himself.

“You,” Luke said with a playful scoff. “You are my orgasm button.”

“Flatterer,” Malachi said, drawing him in for a kiss. “Go get dressed. I’ll get the food ready, and then you can ruin my evening with whatever news you have from Anti-Fun HQ.”

Luke sputtered out a laugh as he left the bathroom. “Shut up.”

He dressed in a comfortable pair of old joggers and a maroon T-shirt, and by the time he finished, Malachi had a plate waiting for him at the breakfast bar. He stood on the opposite side with an amber bottle in hand.

“All right, tell me your troubles,” Malachi said.

Luke speared some noodles with his fork and took a bite, groaning at the taste. Satisfaction filled Malachi’s gaze at the sound. He shared what he and Isaac overheard in the locker room between bites and sips of ice water.

“Well, that’s not good,” Malachi remarked when he’d finished. “Do you think they’ll do it?”

“Those guys seemed to think so. If Sloan keeps pushing it, the council will give in. It’ll be a massacre.”

Malachi tilted his head. “For both sides, most likely. What do you know about the—well, you’d know them as black-eyed halflings?”

Luke shrugged. “We know they’re stronger for some reason.”

“Because they were never human,” Malachi said. “They’re not even halflings, not really. They’re called leviathans. And you’ve got at least two who frequent In Extremis. Talon and another who comes by occasionally, Shadrach. They’re powerful. They’ve gotten lumped in with the halflings because they look human, but they’re anything but.”

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