Chapter 7 Past
SEVEN
PAST
ARNICK
We'd been dating for a few months, and I'd had the time of my life. I'd never realized how fun humans could be, and Theo in particular was a delight to spend time with.
After our first date at the bowling alley, once he'd realized how utterly inexperienced I was—I'd had to lie and tell him I came from a pretty insular community and hadn't spent much time in the 'modern' world—he'd made it his mission to introduce me to all kinds of fun things humans did.
We'd gone to a paintball match, an arcade, an amusement park, a traveling circus a few towns over—that one had been wild—a farmer's market—the cupcakes made from the berries he'd bought there had been Afterworldly—and so many other places.
All the memories I'd made with him were burned into my mind, and I was eager to make even more. Which was why this was such a tough decision.
I'd been pushing it off for a while now, and this wasn't the first time Kym had talked to me about it, but he'd come over again to convince me, most likely at the insistence of my friends who'd already found their mates.
"So just to make sure I have this right, when demons were first created, part of our makeup included the inability to recognize our mates so we could focus on our jobs?" I asked, since I'd somehow missed that last time, and Kym nodded quickly, his amber eyes warm, his lips turned down in a frown.
"Yeah. But since they used dark magic to limit you, I can remove it so you can find your mate." Kym smiled brightly, but I couldn't share his enthusiasm.
Because what if I got rid of that magic, and it turned out Theo wasn't my mate? What would I do then?
I really liked him. I didn't want to break up with him, even if it would be unfair to keep dating him.
Or what if I found my mate in days, and I had to break up with Theo for them?
No, I couldn't do that.
"Do I have to? Can it wait?" I asked, and Kym's brows furrowed.
"You still want to wait?" he asked, and I could tell he couldn't make sense of my request. He'd been with his mate for years, and like every other mated person I knew, he couldn't be happier. Of course he couldn't understand why I'd choose this.
"Yeah."
"But what if your boyfriend is your mate? Don't you want to know?" he asked, and I sighed.
"I do, but the risk... It's too much. I like being with Theo, and I can't—I just can't."
Kym leaned over, placing his hand on my knee and squeezing softly. "It's okay. I understand. Just text me when you're ready, and I'll help. Okay?"
"Thanks."
Kym winked at me, then stood up. "Okay, I'm off. I'll tell your friends to take it easy on you. Take care."
"I will," I said as he disappeared, leaving behind just the barest hints of his magic. While dark magic always felt oily, Kym's magic felt like... like clouds or cotton candy. It filtered through the air instead of clinging to surfaces, and it was soft and sweet.
A knock at the door made me jump, and I glanced at the clock. Theo must be early. Thank fuck Kym was gone.
With a wave of my hand, the oven was on, with an almost-ready lasagna inside. I'd invited him over for dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day since he wasn't interested in doing anything fancy, and of course, I had no idea how to make any. Thankfully, I had my magic to assist me.
"Hey," I said as I opened the door and smiled at Theo, who looked amazing in a dark green sweater and brown pants. "Come on in. I made lasagna."
"Oooh, it smells delicious," Theo said as he removed his shoes, and I smiled, leading him to the living room.
"Thank you. Happy Valentine's Day, Theo."
Theo smiled, and I pulled him into a soft kiss. I'd gotten good at telling when he needed to breathe, and I pulled back just in time.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Arnick. Thanks for agreeing to keep things low-key."
"Of course." Valentine's Day was a human thing, and I was content to follow his lead.
"Do you want to eat now or later?" In answer, Theo's stomach growled loudly, and I chuckled. "Now it is."
"Sorry," he said with a sheepish grin. "The shop was busy today, so I only had a couple of cupcakes for lunch."
"If you don't take better care of yourself, I'll do it," I warned, and he laughed, though it hadn't been a joke. He'd find that out soon enough.
Theo followed me into the kitchen, and I quickly served us the piping-hot lasagna before grabbing us a couple of drinks—coke for me, beer for him, since human alcohol did nothing for me and tasted awful.
We took everything to the couch, and I started a movie—romance today, in honor of the day—before joining Theo, who was already digging into his food.
"Damn, this is good. I didn't know you could cook this well," he said, and I shrugged, not wanting to lie more than I already had to.
We ate as we watched, both of us smiling at every sweet moment. The movie certainly made things feel more Valentine-y.
After the movie was over, we took our plates to the kitchen and Theo insisted on helping me wash up. I usually used my magic, so it took me a moment to figure out how to do it, and another to magick up some soap when he wasn't looking.
When the kitchen was as clean as the day I'd moved in, we went back to the couch, and Theo turned to look at me, his teeth digging into his lower lip. "Can I stay the night?"
"Of course! I have a spare bedroom."
Theo blinked, then smiled soft and slow. "Or I could share your bed."
"You'd be more comf—oh!" I stopped blabbering as I realized what he was implying. "Um, yeah. You can sleep in my bed."
Grinning, he stood up and held his hand out to me. "Come on then."
As we walked across the living room, he turned to me, a cheeky smile on his face. "Of course, we don't have to sleep right away, do we?"
I, a demon with perfect balance, stumbled, and Theo chuckled, the sound warm and teasing and full of heat.
THEO
I'd waited as long as I could, but I couldn't anymore. I'd wanted to make sure that our relationship was built on emotions and conversations, not sex, so I hadn't suggested it, and neither had he, which had just made my fondness grow.
But now? I really, really wanted to see him naked, and what better day to do this than Valentine's Day?
Arnick flicked the lights on, and I looked around his room, my brows furrowing at what I saw.
His walls were a dark blue color, and lined with bland landscape paintings similar to the ones in the living room.
The bed was covered in blue-and-white sheets, two simple lamps standing on the black laminate nightstands on either side of the bed.
The only spot of bright color in the room was Arnick's orange shirt thrown over the back of a dark brown wooden chair.
Even the rug on the floor was navy blue, and the kind you couldn't walk on with bare feet.
His bedroom didn't look like his, and I wondered why that was.
It'd been more than a month since he moved to town, and while he'd told me he didn't have many belongings—what with the cult-like community he'd lived in—surely he'd bought some things since moving here?
Arnick pulled me into him, and I turned my attention away from his room, focusing on the only thing here that truly mattered: him.
He kissed me the way he always did, like I was the center of his world, or someone to be worshipped.
Nobody else had ever treated me the way he did, and he made me wonder if I'd spent my whole life settling for men who didn't give a fuck about me.
We moved to the bed without pulling apart, and Arnick somehow removed my sweater without stopping our kiss. I didn't have enough brain power to think about how as he reached for my pants, his fingers deft as he unbuttoned it and pulled it—and my underwear—off.
"You too. I want to feel your skin against mine," I said, and he grunted into my mouth, then bit my lower lip before pulling back and shedding his clothes with a speed that left me as breathless as the kiss had.
"Fuck," I mumbled as I raked my eyes over his skin, taking in the firm muscles, the soft nubs of his nipples, his happy trail leading to a proudly upright cock.
Joining him on my knees, I reached for him as he jerked me close, his hands tight on my asscheeks as he slammed his lips against mine, his kiss a lot less worshiping and a lot more devouring this time. It was like I was one of my chocolate cupcakes, and he just couldn't get enough of me.
I sucked on his tongue, moaning as I felt his hand around my cock. He gave me a testing stroke, and I pushed into his hand.
His cock pressed against my abdomen, and I reached for him, curling my hand around his length. His skin was hot and silky, the head of his cock covered in precum, and I stroked his length, squeezing gently.
"Fuck, Theo," Arnick muttered against my lips, and I smiled as I pulled back, meeting his gaze as I caught my breath.
Our gazes stayed locked as we stroked each other, a million unsaid words passing between us. I'd never felt so close, so connected to someone as I did to Arnick.
I'd had cocks in my ass and had my cock in other men's asses, and yet I'd never felt as tethered to any of them as I did with Arnick.
It was like... like my soul recognized his, as cheesy as that sounded.
I felt like I belonged with Arnick, like I was safe with him, like he saw me, heard me, cared for me just the way I was.
Electricity sparked through me as he continued jerking me off, and I could feel my orgasm inching closer. I twisted my wrist as I stroked his cock, wanting him to come with me.
Arnick leaned forward, pulling me into another kiss as his free hand massaged my ass, his lips moving over mine as his tongue slid into my mouth like it belonged there.
I gasped out as Arnick suddenly fell back, but he held me in place as we went horizontal, my body falling over his like a blanket, trapping our cocks in between.
Grunting, I pushed up on my elbows, and Arnick wrapped his hand around both our lengths.
His other hand slid up into my hair, and he tugged me lower.
He bit my lower lip, then kissed away the pain, dancing his lips over mine.
He scraped his teeth along my jaw, and I groaned, thrusting into his hand.
"Fuck." His eyes met mine, the blue nothing more than a ring around his dark pupils. For a moment, I thought they were glowing, but then he blinked and I realized it must've been the way the light hit them.
Pleasure burst through me out of nowhere, erasing all thoughts in my head as my arms wobbled and I lost my balance, falling on top of Arnick. I came into his hand, covering our bellies with my cum as he kept going, stroking my cock along with his.
"Too much. Too much!" I whined, but with another stroke he joined me, his body spasming under mine as he came, his cum hot against my skin. He kept coming, and I forced myself up on an elbow, watching as his cum trickled over his side and onto the sheets.
Running my finger through a streak, I stuck it in my mouth, and hummed at the salty taste.
Arnick swore, then jerked me closer, slamming his lips against mine and pushing his tongue into my mouth. He groaned as he licked into my mouth and tasted himself on my tongue, and I hummed.
After how well we'd gotten along, I'd wondered if the sex would be where we wouldn't work, where we'd find out we weren't so perfect for each other after all.
And yet I'd never had better sex than this, and Arnick had once again proven himself to be the best boyfriend I'd ever had.
I wasn't the praying type, but as Arnick pulled back and started talking about cleaning up, I prayed that nothing would ever change that.
"I think I like Valentine's Day," Arnick mumbled, and I chuckled.
"I like it too."