Chapter 3 Present
THREE
PRESENT
ARNICK
"I wish one of those assholes would show up in my city so I have something to do. I'm bored," Jeska whined, making me chuckle. He, along with Mort and Kor, lived in New York, and like the other demons here, he hadn't found his mate either.
Technically, I didn't belong in this group any longer, but I hadn't told anyone that I knew Theo was my mate. I wanted to tell Theo first. He deserved that much, especially after all the lies—of omission and otherwise—I'd told him.
"You live in New York. How can you be bored?' Xin asked as they leaned back in their chair. We were in their apartment, which used to be Eshim's apartment before he moved to a different town to be closer to his mate.
"I've seen everything there is to see," Jeska said, rolling his piercing blue eyes.
"Not everything," Mort said with a smug grin, leaning over to pat Jeska's bald head like an older brother might. "I found this underground club. It's full of supes, and some of them ladies can get creative, if you catch my drift."
"Everyone knows what you mean, you sex-obsessed maniac."
"Hey! I was an incubus in my previous life, remember?" Mort protested, his reddish-brown eyes wide with fake innocence.
"Guys? Can we talk about why we're here?
" Ajax interrupted, his voice dry and a mite strained.
I would describe Ajax as... straitlaced.
While he was a demon like the rest of us, he was all about following the rules and doing our duty.
The only reason he'd deigned to join these get-togethers was because he'd been worried we might do something drastic—or against the rules—in an attempt to find our mates.
"Ajax is right. We need to talk about Prue," Xin said, and I sighed.
"She's what, the fourth one of us to move on to Afterworld?" I asked, and Jeska hummed.
Afterworld was the final resting place of all souls who weren't evil, and they stayed there until it was time for their rebirth.
Us demons could move on to Afterworld at any time, but once we did, we would no longer be demons.
Our souls would revert to the people we'd been in our human life, before we'd taken up the job of a demon, and we could live out the rest of our existence in a perfect world designed for us.
A lot of demons had moved on after we'd essentially become jobless when Underworld—the place where we'd tortured evil souls—was shut down, but some of us had stayed, not quite ready to give up the power and life that came with being a demon.
"Yeah, she is. Before her, there was Anami two months ago, and Kyren and Tov went together a month before that. I get it, though. After spending the last few centuries together, it's hard to live apart, to be surrounded by humans and unable to even take your true form."
"That's true," Xin agreed. Their lips pressed in a thin line. "But we need to make sure her area isn't left unguarded. We'll have to split it and merge it into our areas."
"Arnick and Pythor are closest, Eshim and Lux after that," Ajax concluded after doing some mapping in his head.
"I'll tell the others."
"Good. Now, have you talked to Kym yet?"
Wincing, I shook my head, wondering when I'd get to stop lying. As soon as I tell Theo the truth.
Jeska shook his head, giving me a pitying look. "You need to find out, one way or the other. It's not fair to either of you this way."
"I know. I'm just... scared," I admitted, which wasn't a lie. "What if he is my mate, but the truth is too much for him? What if he feels betrayed and doesn't want to be with me anymore? Just because he was my mate, it wouldn't guarantee that he'd be able to look past all the lying."
"This might be a topic more suited for the mated guys," Mort mused. "They've actually been through crap like this. Ask Eshim. I think his mate struggled with it a little. Or Lux."
I nodded, not quite sure I would do it. I had a feeling they might figure out the truth a lot more easily than these guys.
My phone buzzed, and I checked to find a message from Theo, asking if I'd be dropping by the coffee shop for lunch. It was something I'd started doing a few weeks into our relationship, and it was part of our daily routine now.
"Gotta go. I'm having lunch with Theo."
"Don't forget to tell the others about Prue's area."
"Yeah. I'll skip Pythor for now though. He's dealing with some stuff with his mate," I said, and the others nodded.
"Good idea. And Arnick?" Xin asked as I stood up, and I looked at them.
"Yeah?"
"Talk to Kym," they said, and I sighed, then nodded.
Using my magic, I teleported to that alley I'd appeared in all those months ago, and made my way to Cozy Cuppa, eager to see Theo's face again. As much as the uncertainty over telling him the truth was driving me nuts, seeing him always made me feel better.
The bell jingled as I walked in, and Jade waved at me from behind the counter, then stuck her head into the back.
"Theooo! Your lover is here."
Chuckling, I walked over to the counter just as a red-faced Theo came out of the back, smacking Jade's arm as he passed her.
"Hey, now. That's workplace harassment," she said as she jumped out of the way, and Theo rolled his eyes before stepping up in front of me, the counter between us.
"Hey, Arnick. What are you in the mood for today?"
I eyed the display cases, my eyes latching onto the chocolate-covered donuts. They looked delicious.
"The chocolate-glazed donuts?" Theo asked, no doubt noticing my preoccupation, and I nodded quickly.
"And a chicken sandwich?" he suggested. He was always doing that, making sure I ate something healthy along with the sugary delights.
Not that I needed to. The sugar didn't harm me, and the healthy food didn't help.
But they were all yummy, so I didn't mind eating them all.
THEO
I took a break so I could eat lunch with Arnick, leaving Jade to take care of everything. She'd already had her lunch, which meant I could take my time with my boyfriend.
"Did you have fun with your friends?" I asked, and Arnick nodded, his mouth full of donut.
I'd met a few of his friends over the months, but I didn't really know them very well.
Like Arnick, they could be a little strange sometimes, but they seemed to be good people.
I'd even been chatting with one of his friends, a sweet woman named Elva, who was studying to be a pastry chef.
She wanted to open her own bakery one day, and we mostly talked about baking. It was fun.
"It was nice to see them all," Arnick said once he'd swallowed, smiling softly. "They can drive me crazy sometimes, but they're good friends."
"I know what you mean," I said, eyeing Jade as she flitted from one side of the counter to the other.
I didn't have many friends, but Jade and I had been close ever since she started working here.
We were both a little rough around the edges, and while others might find us rude or unfriendly, we got each other.
We chatted about our day as we ate, then made plans to have a movie night this evening. We did those at least once a week, and I loved curling up on Arnick's chest and munching popcorn together as we watched our chosen film.
Arnick's phone buzzed, and he stuffed the rest of his donut into his mouth as he checked it, his brows furrowing as he texted back.
"Everything okay?" I asked, and his gaze flicked to mine. He stared at me for a moment before nodding, and I wondered what that was about.
He put his phone away before I could ask anything, and I let it go, not wanting to get suspicious over nothing.
Arnick wasn't like the men I'd dated before him. He was sweet, and he was good. I needed to stop trying to find something wrong and just be with him.
Once we'd finished our lunch, I carried the dishes to the back, not noticing Arnick was following me until he hugged me from behind, pressing me against the sink. I almost dropped the dishes before carefully placing them in the sink.
Grabbing my hips, Arnick turned me around, and I glanced up at him, meeting his sky blue eyes. He was a few inches taller than me, just enough that I had to push up on my toes to kiss him.
His lips curved against mine before he kissed me back, running the tip of his tongue over my lips. He pulled me in closer, his cock stiff against my hip as mine hardened in response.
Arnick's tongue licked into my mouth as his palms slid to my ass, squeezing my asscheeks as he pressed me firmly against him.
I moaned into his mouth, then jerked away, panting as I tried to catch my breath. Pushing him back, I shook my head, then waved toward the small office at the back where I did my paperwork.
"The customers will hear us. Come on."
Taking his hand, I pulled him to the office, shutting the door behind him. I turned to him, and he pushed me into the door, kissing me again, his lips hungry as they devoured mine.
Arnick stepped back, his blue eyes dark with desire as he sank to his knees in front of me.
With deft fingers, he unbuttoned my jeans and slid them low enough to pull my hard cock out.
He hummed, then leaned forward and sucked the head of my cock into his mouth, the tip of his tongue pressing against my hole.
I bit my wrist to keep from moaning loudly the way I desperately wanted to, and Arnick glanced up at me, looking mighty pleased with himself.
He worked me expertly, his lips moving up and down my length before he took me all the way in, his throat squeezing around my length.
"Fuck!" I gasped out, dropping my hand to his silky hair. I needed something to hold on to before I floated away like a freaking balloon.
Arnick moved faster, his palms massaging my ass as he bobbed over my length, taking it to the back of his throat with every thrust as I panted.
My climax came out of nowhere, barreling through me with so much force that I fell forward, holding onto his shoulders to keep myself from falling as he continued sucking my brains out through my dick.
When I didn't have any more cum left, he pushed me up with one hand as he sat back, then pulled me into his lap, seating me sideways on his thighs.
I gazed up at him through bleary eyes, feeling sated, warm, and so damned relaxed.
His erection pressed against my ass, and I shifted my weight, rubbing against it.
Arnick groaned, then stopped me with a hand on my hip.
"I want to make you feel good too," I murmured, and he smiled, then placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.
"You did. But you have to get back to work, so we can continue this later."
I frowned, and he kissed my pursed lips, then patted my hip. "I'm fine, I promise. I'll just go home and take a really long shower."
"Are you sure?" I asked as I stood up, and he nodded, following after me. Reaching for me, he tucked me back in, then straightened my clothes.
He kissed me again, then slid his fingers through my hair. "There. You look presentable now. Go ahead. I'll be out in a minute," he said, eyeing his bulge.
With a laugh, I kissed him one last time, then made my way to the front, where Jade gave me a knowing look.
Arnick came out of the back a few minutes later, and after one last kiss, he left. When I went into the back to clean up the dishes from the lunch rush, I found them already washed and dried. Had Arnick done that?
I'd remember to thank him properly tonight then.