Page 29 of Demons in My Bed
My pencil skated over the paper as I thought back to those days. It had been so long ago that some of the details were lost to me now, while others were stamped in my mind like it was just yesterday—like the fact that our parents had been so embarrassed by my aversion to doing things that “normal young males” enjoyed. We’d grown up wealthy. Incredibly so, and with that came certain expectations. Our parents had been big into appearances.
When our powers manifested at age seventeen, and it turned out we were both capable of shapeshifting and voice mimicry, I thought for sure that would get them off my ass, but it only made it worse. Shapeshifting was a highly sought-after skill in the realm, and the monarchy often tried to recruit as many shifters as possible. Shifters made excellent spies, for obvious reasons.
“Thank you for the invitation, Your Majesty,” my father said, bowing to King Thane. We all followed suit.
The king waved him off, standing from the throne. “Thank you for bringing your boys here to meet me on such short notice. The stars have truly blessed your family by bestowing such gifts upon your sons.”
My mother smiled. “Yes, they certainly did. When we learned of their capabilities, we knew right away they’d be great assets to the crown.”
A door opened somewhere in the throne room, and we all turned our attention to the man who was striding toward us down the long, red carpet. He had a full head of dark hair and equally dark eyes that seemed to hold the kinds of secrets you hoped to never learn.
King Thane raised a brow at the newcomer. “So good of you to join me! Come, meet this lovely family who brought their sons to answer our search for shifters and mimics.”
The king’s brother finally reached us, and he lifted Mother’s hand, kissing her knuckles. “Welcome to Naryian, ma’am.” He turned and took Father’s hand in a strong shake. “Thank you for coming—I trust your journey was safe? We can never be too careful these days.”
“Aye,” Father responded. “Safe and sound. Though it did take a bit of time and the winds were not on our side.”
The king’s brother chuckled, clapping Father on the back. “Of course. These storms lately have been unprecedented. Let’s get you situated in your quarters. We have several masseuses and some hot springs that will work wonders on those muscles.”
Our parents were nodding eagerly. We were already well-off, but this was a huge move up in society for them. Being here in the castle, with the king of all people… Well, Mother would probably mark this as the best day of her life, topping even the birth of her sons.
“Shifters and voice mimics? Quite the combination,” the king’s brother said, stepping in front of me now. His dark eyes slid down my face to my feet and back. He paused, and Tal cleared his throat.
Oh right. Respond.
“Felix,” I blurted out, and I could swear I heard Mother groan. “Forgive me, sir. I meant to say ‘My name is Felix and it’s nice to meet you.’”
“I knew what you meant, don’t worry.” He smiled, and his features softened, making his dark eyes lighten a bit. “Well, Felix, it’s nice to meet you too.” He stuck out his hand, and I slipped mine into his. Before I could blink, he had moved on to Talon.
“I’m sorry,” I piped up, earning myself a discreet jab in the kidney from my father. “I didn’t catch your name?”
King Thane bellowed a laugh, and the dark-haired male smiled at me once more. Only this time, it wasn’t soft. It didn’t lighten those eyes. No, this one chilled me to the fucking bone. It’s why animals should never smile, especially not the scary ones. Wolves, bears, dragons…
“I’m Asrael.”
“Fuck,” I growled, dropping my sketch pad on the end table. This wasn’t going to work. I ran my hands through my hair and made up my mind.Fuck it.
I threw on some black joggers and a long-sleeved, black T-shirt, before slipping my feet into my neon green Converse, which had some splashes of paint across the tops. They were worn and comfortable, and best of all, my body recognized that feeling of relief. Like hugging an old friend or happily settling into a routine, because no matter how disorganized you were, sometimes you needed that little taste ofpredictabilityto keep yourself grounded.
Anytime I put these shoes on, it meant I was going to paint. I flung open the coat closet and grabbed my equally broken-in, dark gray backpack, which was covered in patches and pins that I liked to collect from all over.
The best thing about painting—aside from the rush I got from scaling buildings and bridges—was the fact that I was able to completely blackout. Nothing could reach me when I was working on a piece, and that sounded like the perfect fucking distraction right now.
Chapter ten
Iwassuspendedinthat glorious moment between sleep and wakefulness, where your dreams feel like reality but you’re left without the pressures of real life to sully your hopes.
The chill of the snow was giving way to the warmth of being wrapped up in a nest of blankets. The gentle swaying of the branch I was perched on melted away, and my eyes fluttered open, revealing a room that I didn’t recognize. Blinking, I tried to clear my mind and focus my vision. That swaying I’d felt moments before was starting again, and my eyes popped open wide when my brain fully came back online. Gasping, I flipped over and came face to face with a grinning red-haired demon.
“Top o’ the mornin’ to ya, Bun-Bun,” Talon greeted, flexing his hips again, causing my body to sway once more. Was he… micro-dry humping me?
“Talon!” I shoved his bare chest. “What are you doing?”
“No need for violence this early in the day.” He propped both hands under his head and stared at me innocently. “I came up here last night and was pleasantly surprised to find you passed out in big Mishy’s bed, all sweet and snoring.”
“I don’t snore.”
“Anywho, Mish is still in his man cave, and what kind of gentle-demon would I be if I left you alone in such a big bed?”
