Page 16 of Caroled
He could lie and pretend that Tenrael had a normal human diet. Ten could eat, if he chose to; it wouldn’t harm him. He wouldn’t even need to excrete waste later, and exactly how that bit of magic worked, Charles didn’t want to know. But Tenrael said food tasted no better than sawdust, and besides, Charles didn’t like the idea of being dishonest with people who were inviting him into their home.
“He doesn’t eat anything.”
Ferencz paused for only the briefest moment. “Drink?”
“Nothing.”
“Well, he makes a cheap guest then. So, is everything going well so far?”
Tenrael had begun to strip, which was distracting, but Charles made an effort to focus. “Seems quiet.”
“Usually is, this time of year. March, now…. I don’t know what it is about that month, but everything weird comes crawling out of the woodwork, and they’re all up to no good. But December’s a piece of cake. It was nice of Tom to be so considerate with the timing of his fall.”
“Tell him thanks for me.”
“Tell him yourself, Charles. We’ll see you at seven o’clock two nights from now.”
Charles hung up the phone. Tenrael was naked, standing like a soldier at ease. “Do you wish me to take off the ring, Master?”
“Do whatever pleases you.”
Tenrael hesitated, his brow furrowed, and then let out a heavy sigh and removed the ring. His demonic features settled into place immediately, but his red eyes still looked troubled.
Although Charles was not a tender man, he found himself wanting to comfort Ten. He closed the space between them and cradled Tenrael’s cheek in his palm. It was a privilege to have such a powerful being lean into him, to tremble at his touch. “What’s wrong?” Charles surprised himself with the softness in his voice.
“That woman in the lobby… did you wish to have sex with her?”
That made Charles blink. “Dames don’t do it for me. I thought you knew that.”
“But what if she were a man?”
“Huh?” There was no way to parse Tenrael’s sentence so it made any sense.
“You did not ask me to come to your home. I arrived unbidden.”
“And I asked you to stay.”
“And because I did, you have not….” Tenrael seemed to steel himself. “Do you wish to have sex with men? Real humans, I mean, or at least beings who are not demons. Vampires are often very attractive, and so are many shifters, and they too could enjoy your… brutality.”
Maybe Charles should ask Townsend for information on whether some demons were insecure by nature—but he was fairly certain they weren’t. All the other ones Charles had met were proud and self-assured, sometimes even cocky. Tenrael had lost confidence, either from his time in captivity or from his time with Charles. Perhaps both.
“I don’t want a vampire or a shifter or anyone else. I was waiting for you, Ten. I just didn’t know it until you flew into my life. Anyone else would be a shadow compared to you.” This was another conversation they probably should have had some time ago. But it seemed easier to discuss these matters when away from their familiar home and usual routine.
“You want me.” A small smile had begun at the corners of Tenrael’s mouth.
“And only you. My heart will always be blind to anyone but you.” That was far more poetic than Charles would have thought himself capable of, but it made his demon’s eyes glow.
Tenrael wrapped his arms around Charles’s waist. “Then have me,” he rumbled.
And Charles did.
Ma’oz Tzur
Donne haddrunk several glasses of wine with dinner and, unlike Ferencz, displayed the effects of the alcohol. He sprawled limply on the couch, looking pleased with himself and being more talkative than usual, which seemed to amuse Ferencz. Charles didn’t mind, and Tenrael was fascinated, so it was good all around.
“I didn’t suspect when I first met him that I’d be finding myself a cook,” Donne said.
Ferencz—no, he’d insisted on being called Abe—reclined on the sofa too, supporting Thomas’s legs in his lap. He had a bottle of something he called slivovitz close at hand.
