13. Talon
Chapter 13
Talon
After they cleaned up, Talon dragged Alex out of the apartment in search of sustenance. Now that he’d had a decent amount of sleep, he probably needed food, given that his fridge and pantry were, in a word, sparse .
If he’d known how badly Alex would deteriorate, he never would’ve left him alone.
A part of him wondered why Alex had deteriorated so. Did the human feel the same connection that Talon felt? Had he felt the same sense of loss during their time apart? The urge to go to Alex, to force his way into the space at Alex’s side, had been almost overwhelming. Only pure stubbornness, his determination to see Alex return of his own free will, had kept him away. The stark relief he’d felt at seeing Alex at In Extremis last night would’ve taken him out at the knees if he hadn’t already been sitting down. Having him in his arms again had felt like a dream.
He teleported them to Alex’s car, left in the mostly empty parking lot across the street from In Extremis. From there, he let Alex choose where they went. Money was no issue for one as old as Talon. He had more than he could spend in a dozen human lifetimes, and it accumulated quicker than he spent it.
The sun was hidden behind opaque white clouds, like an upside-down bowl. It was still bright enough for him to borrow a pair of sunglasses from Alex’s glove compartment, but only direct sunlight hurt. He could manage long enough to find some food.
They didn’t speak for a while, though Alex kept casting him curious glances. He let his human look his fill. Alex was in a strange position, to be sure. Belonging to a demon despite pledging his life to kill them. He’d dismissed Alex’s concerns about the guild before, but he couldn’t deny that it would be an issue at some point. If they found out about Alex and Talon’s relationship, there would be holy hell to pay. He’d just have to make sure Alex wasn’t the one who paid.
They stopped at a coffee shop, and Alex looked askance at Talon.
“Lead the way,” he said agreeably.
After they’d ordered—Alex a sandwich and soda and Talon a coffee—they found an empty booth, and when Alex sat down with his back to the wall, Talon sat beside him, rather than opposite.
Alex glanced at him. “You can’t feel me up in public, you know.”
Talon smirked. “We both know I could. But that’s not why I’m sitting here.”
“Then why—” He stopped, glancing at the empty side of the booth, and understanding dawned on his face. That side of the booth was bathed in sunlight that had finally broken through the clouds. “Should I sit on that side? I don’t mind.”
“No, this is fine.” He laid his arm across the back of the booth, sprawling in a way that lined their legs up from hip to knee. “Just eat. And then, if you want, we can go by the place where you found the mozgoran.”
Alex turned to look at him. “What? Why? I went back there a few days ago. He’s long gone.”
“If he’s still in the area, I may be able to sense him. It can’t hurt to let me poke around.”
Alex’s eyes darted around the room. It was midafternoon, so the lunch rush had already passed, and the shop was mostly empty. Then he stole in for a kiss. Talon inhaled, surprise and delight swirling headily inside him. No one here knew who they were, but the fact that Alex was still willing to be seen kissing him sent a thrill through him. Everyone would know they belonged together.
When they parted, Alex’s eyelids were heavy, and his ocean blue eyes lingered on Talon’s mouth, which pulled into a pleased smile.
“Eat, little bird,” he said softly. “Then we’ll look for your monster. And then I’ll take you home.”
“I drove,” Alex said, just as quiet.
“Then you can take me home.”
“To my place or yours?”
Talon shrugged. “Whichever, as long as you let me stay by your side.” He’d been deprived of Alex for too long, and he wasn’t ready to let him go yet. “Do you have guild duties tonight?”
“No. Drills tomorrow, though.” Alex picked up his sandwich and took a hearty bite.
“Drills?” Talon asked, watching the flex of his jaw as he chewed. Did this human look bad doing anything ?
“Mm-hm. It’s partly for team-building purposes, partly to keep us in fighting shape. Weight training, running, sparring.” He waved a dismissive hand, then gestured to the sunlight. “Is it true that sunlight hurts you?”
“It’s not… pleasant,” he admitted. “It’s like…” He slid a hand across the table and into the light, considering how best to describe the burning prickle it caused. “Holding your hand too close to an open flame, maybe. It won’t kill us, but we like to avoid it when we can.”
Alex tracked his hand to his coffee cup, which he lifted to his lips.
“Tell me more. You can teleport. Halflings can’t do that.”
“Leviathans can,” he said with a cheeky smirk.
“Yes, and what else? Teleporting, dreamwalking…”
“The teleporting can be tiring to do. The wards on your apartment, for example, weren’t strong enough to keep me out, but they would keep out a halfling and most of the nasty things you like to hunt. We can also move things, telekinetically, but it takes a lot of effort.”
“Seriously?” Alex asked curiously. “Show me. Move something.”
Talon smiled indulgently, focusing on Alex’s plate. A moment later it jumped as though someone had hit the underside of the table, drawing a surprised bark of laughter from Alex.
“Wow, that’s awesome. Are there others like you? Other leviathans?”
“Of course. Not many here in LA. If you stick around, you may meet them.”
“Do you have to eat? Sleep?”
“Yes. We are technically living creatures, though we don’t have to eat or sleep as often or as much as humans. We can go a long time without them. We usually keep pretty normal sleep hours, though, if only to pass the time. Otherwise we have far too much time on our hands, which gets boring.”
Alex glanced at him, his mouth full and his pretty eyes bright with mirth.
“I would’ve thought you learned all about this kind of stuff in your demon studies. Doesn’t the guild have classes on us?”
“Yes, but it’s more basic than that. We aren’t studying your physiology. We study the names of demons, what their powers are, how to kill them. There’s an extensive history lesson where we study old battle logs so we can understand how to fight certain demons if we cross them.” He frowned. “But there’s very little about leviathans in our archives. Makes me wonder how much more they’ve gotten wrong.”
“Hopefully a lot,” Talon said bluntly. “We’re not exactly forthcoming about what all we can do, and that’s for a reason. It’s good for us if the paladins have some of their information wrong. Safer.”
Alex chewed thoughtfully for a little while, then leveled Talon with a contemplative look. “Has anything like this ever happened before, that you know of?”
“Anything like…”
“This.” He gestured between them. “Us. As far as I know, no paladin has ever befriended a demon before, much less…” he blushed prettily, “more than that.”
A part of him longed to tease, but it was an intriguing question. Talon angled his head, considering. “Not that I know of. But I do wonder…”
Alex polished off the last of his sandwich. “What?”
Talon leaned in. “Do you feel it, too? This tie between us? Like I’ve got a hook planted in your chest and you can’t get away? Did you feel my absence this past week as keenly as I felt yours?”
As he spoke, Alex’s expression went soft and vulnerable, his eyes distant. For a moment, he didn’t respond, as though debating internally, and finally, he breathed, “Yes.”
Triumph roared through Talon.
Alex licked his lips, continuing softly. “I told myself I was just tired. But that didn’t explain why the nightmares had gotten so much worse in the first place. I could still function before I met you. But after… It felt like a punishment, because I was forcing myself to stay away from you.” He frowned. “I don’t want to rely on anyone the way I’ve come to rely on you—and for something as crucial as sleep .”
Talon wanted the opposite, wanted Alex to rely on him for all things, but he understood the drive for independence. “We’ll experiment tonight, hm? I’ll stay by your side but not enter your dreams. Maybe my presence will be enough. Maybe the fact that we’ve reconciled will allow you to rest.”
Alex looked discomfited. “I’d like that, thank you. And I hope so.”
“Or maybe after you kill the mozgoran, you’ll finally be at peace and the nightmares will end on their own.”
Alex looked away, leaning closer as though taking comfort in Talon’s closeness. Unable to resist, Talon pressed a kiss to the side of his head.
“Ready to go?”
Alex nodded.
“Good. Let’s hunt a demon, then.”
The closer they got to the old factory, the tenser Alex became. By the time the car came to a halt outside the building, his knuckles were white on the steering wheel. Talon eyed him carefully for a moment before he reached for his seatbelt.
“Would you like to wait here while I look around?”
Alex blinked at him in surprise. “No. No, I want to go in with you.”
Talon nodded, reaching for Alex’s hand and drawing it to his mouth. He kissed the scarred knuckles softly. “You know I’ll protect you, right?”
Alex smiled faintly. “You know I’m a warrior, right?”
He nipped the skin with his teeth, and Alex’s smile widened. “This is different for you, and you know it.”
The happy smile faded, and Alex nodded bleakly. “Yeah. You’re right. But I’m not waiting here. I want to face this thing head-on.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed his door open, arching a brow as though to say, see?
Talon followed him to the building, squinting in the dappled sunlight. The door was unlocked, and Alex opened it without fanfare.
The scent of old blood and sickly-sweet decay hit him first. His nose wrinkled as he pushed his borrowed sunglasses atop his head. It was a faint scent, likely undetectable to a human.
“When did you say you last came by here?” he asked.
“Five days ago. Why?”
Talon’s mouth tightened in distaste. “There’s something dead here. Maybe on one of the upper floors. Did you check those out?”
Alex blinked. “No, I didn’t, actually. I found the mozgoran in the production room at the end of the hall and chased it outside. I didn’t even get a chance to look at the rest of the building.”
“Let’s go there first and then work our way up the floors. Whatever it is, it’s been here for a while, and it’s not going anywhere.”
Alex paled. “Are you saying there’s a dead body up there? And I just missed it ? They could have family looking for them. If I’d been able to kill the demon, maybe I could’ve prevented?—”
Talon clapped a hand over his mouth. Alex’s brows twitched—disapproving or pleading, Talon didn’t know. Either way, he didn’t push Talon away.
“Relax,” Talon said. “We don’t know that it’s a human. And whatever it is, it’s been dead a lot longer than a week. There’s nothing you could’ve done. Don’t do that holy guilt thing you Catholics do.” He slid his hand from Alex’s mouth, pausing to stroke his stubbled cheek. A kiss would be nice, but he didn’t want to do something so nice in a place so unpleasant. “Come on.” He took Alex’s hand, tangling their fingers together and tugging him down the hall.
In the detritus of the production floor, Alex pulled him past stacks of cardboard and forgotten machinery.
“I saw it over here,” he said, pointing. “It took off running this way and ran outside through that door there.”
There was a faint trace of sulfur in the air. Not all demons smelled of it, but some of the lesser demons, the ones more prone to wallowing in the muck, so to speak, had the distinctive scent of Hell on them. Talon couldn’t hide the wrinkle of his nose as he followed the scent toward the door, dragging Alex along with him.
“I chased it out here, but I didn’t see where it went,” Alex continued.
Talon hummed, following his nose. Too far from the door, the scent disappeared into sun-warmed pavement, car exhaust from the road nearby, and fresh greenery from the brush growing up around the rusted fence. He backtracked toward the building, his gaze trailing up the brick wall to an open window on the third floor.
Alex followed his gaze, shielding his eyes with his free hand. “What?”
“It didn’t disappear into the night,” Talon said. “You ran outside, and it climbed up the wall while your back was turned. It probably went in through the window up there, hid until you were gone, and then left.”
Alex shivered despite the heat of the afternoon sun. “It was right behind me? Why didn’t it attack?”
“Because you’re a paladin,” Talon said simply. “In a fight, you’d win. You have holy weapons and special training. It’s an animal, little bird. You’re the apex predator between the two of you. Easier to slink away and disappear than to face you and risk losing.”
Alex looked doubtful. “Even if it could’ve taken me by surprise while my back was turned?”
Talon nodded seriously. “Mozgorans aren’t in-your-face aggressive. They’re more like vultures. Yes, they stalk and hunt their preferred prey—in this case, families of five who don’t know how to protect themselves from demons—but they won’t fight unless they know they can win. Sneaking into a house and killing their prey poses little threat. Most humans don’t have weapons that can truly harm a demon. Guns and blades can’t really hurt us. But a paladin, you have weapons and knowledge that pose a real risk. Therefore, it’s not worth it. Come on.” He tugged Alex toward the door. “Let’s get this over with. The smell leaves something to be desired.”
The building was silent as they made their way up the dusty staircase, nothing but the whisper of wind through broken windows to remind them that the rest of the world awaited them outside this ruin. The second floor held offices, and a quick pass through revealed nothing of note.
On the third floor, however, they found an empty conference room—and a nest.
Shredded fabric was piled in the corner, buzzing with flies. Now, Alex put a hand over his nose and mouth with a groan. Blood and viscera was mixed into the material. Tufts of tawny hair were barely visible amongst the gory debris.
“Animals,” Talon said, inching just close enough to verify. “The demon’s been eating animals here. Or… playing with them, maybe. I see no evidence of human bodies, little bird.”
Alex’s eyes closed with relief.
“Come on.” He ushered Alex out of the room.
“Will it come back to this nest?” Alex asked as they reached the stairs.
Talon shook his head. “No. It was discovered. It’ll move somewhere else, build a new nest.”
“Great,” Alex muttered.
Neither of them spoke again until they were outside. Beside the car, Alex threw his arms around Talon’s neck.
“Thank you for coming. Thank you for— thank you .”
Their bodies slotted together, and Talon sighed into it, wrapping his arms around Alex and tucking his head in the curve of Alex’s neck, inhaling the scent of salt, soap, and linen. The faintest trace of decay clung to them both, but it was distant, unimportant.
“Always, little bird,” he said, shuddering with the intensity of his own feelings. He greedily cherished every scrap of attention and affection Alex gave him, and none of it was enough to satisfy him. He wasn’t sure anything would ever be enough to sate this all-consuming need he felt for this human. Meeting Alex had completely altered the course of his life, he was certain. He would never be the same.
They tumbled into Alex’s bathroom together sometime later, as the sun was falling toward the horizon outside and the low hum of the air conditioner thrummed in the walls. Talon pressed Alex against the wall, slanting their mouths together until the human was moaning and arching against him. His fingers scrabbled with the fabric of Alex’s shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing it away.
“You—have to let go of me if you want me to turn on the shower,” Alex said, turning his head and groaning when Talon latched onto the pale column of his throat.
“Bath,” Talon murmured.
“What?”
“Bath,” he said again. He sank his teeth into the muscle of Alex’s shoulder, moving his head back and forth like a dog with a toy might, wanting desperately to leave a mark on Alex’s pretty body. Alex whined, his fingers tightening on Talon’s waist, like he wasn’t sure whether to reel him in or push him away.
“Ow,” Alex complained.
Talon raised his head, his mouth coming off Alex’s skin with a pop , and observed his work. He hadn’t broken the skin, but the impression of his teeth would result in a beautiful bruise. He met Alex’s eyes to find the human pouting.
“Kiss it better,” Alex said, poking him in the ribs.
Talon smiled, drawing him into another deep kiss, tangling their tongues together until Alex’s hips hitched, his hardness evident through his jeans.
“Okay,” Talon said, moving away. “Bath.”
“Bath, really? I can’t remember the last time I had a bath.”
“We’re not in a hurry. Fill it up.”
Alex shrugged agreeably, turning on the water. While it filled, Talon stripped off his clothing. He didn’t have anything else to wear here, but he could always teleport back to his apartment—or borrow something of Alex’s. He was slightly taller than the human but probably not enough to make a difference.
When he was bare, he curled around Alex, loosening the button and zipper on his jeans. Alex chuckled, leaning back against him.
“You want to borrow some clothes when we get out?”
“You don’t think we’ll just stay naked for the rest of the night?” Talon teased, slipping hand inside Alex’s underwear to cup his rapidly hardening length.
Alex laughed breathlessly. “Okay, point taken.”
Together they watched the bath slowly fill, Talon teasing just enough to keep Alex hard and twitching in his palm, his thumb grazing the head of Alex’s plump cock. When they deemed the water high enough, Alex sat on the bath’s edge and removed his boots and jeans, then turned and lowered himself into the water with a hiss.
“Little hot,” he said.
Talon slipped in behind Alex and drew him between his legs. He melted against Talon with a sigh, his hands falling under the water to rest on Talon’s thighs.
Companionable silence reigned between them, and neither of them seemed to be in a hurry to wash up and get out. Talon couldn’t remember the last time he’d lazed in a bath, alone or with someone. For many years, he’d languished in solitude. When he’d first come to Earth, he’d partaken in all the joys of the flesh, but after a while, they lost their allure. He’d grown bored. But everything with Alex felt novel. The simple act of touch set him aflame. Even now, his hands roamed Alex’s leanly muscled body, exploring without real purpose, just enjoying the sensation of Alex’s skin under his palms.
Alex’s chest expanded as though he was about to speak, but nothing came out. His fingertips tickled Talon’s thighs softly.
“Speak your mind, little bird.”
“I… I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.” He turned his head, angling so he could look up at Talon.
“Other shoe?”
“Yeah, like,” he looked sheepish, “like this is all some ploy to torment a paladin and you don’t mean any of this.”
Talon hummed, curling his arms around Alex’s middle. The narrow tub was almost too small for two grown men. Alex couldn’t straighten his legs out, and Talon’s movements were rather limited, his legs trapped between Alex’s and the sides of the tub. There were certainly worse places to be trapped.
Part of him was soothed by Alex’s suspicion. It meant he didn’t realize how far gone Talon truly was. How truly and completely he meant it when he said he would do anything for him. “Oh? And yet you’re here, naked and in my arms.”
Alex nodded, leaning back against him once more. “Yeah. That’s because the bigger part of me doesn’t care. You promise me all these pretty things, that you’ll do the things even the guild won’t do. You say you’ll be there for me in ways no one has ever been. Maybe it’s a lie, but it’s what I want.” His voice trembled, as though his throat had gone tight.
Talon leaned in, pressing a kiss to his temple. “I would never lie to you, little bird.”
Alex huffed out a laugh, whispering, “That’s exactly what a lying demon would say.”
Fingers stroking Alex’s cheek, he said, “Truthfully, you’re partly right. I do have an agenda, but I’ve already told you what it is. I want you to be mine. I want you to leave the guild, because they would never condone you being here with me like this. You can’t belong to them and to me, and I am selfish. I want to tie you to the bed and never let you go, feed you all your favorite things and make you come again and again and give you everything you want so you never even think about leaving. Wanting you means enticing you to stay. I can’t force you. I have to make you want to.”
Alex gave a little shiver, and if possible, melted even further against Talon’s chest. His cheek and neck were rosy. Talon reached for the shampoo, giving it a sniff before he squirted some into his palm and guided Alex into straightening. As he threaded slick hands into his human’s hair, he pondered over this new experience. He’d never washed someone else’s hair before. There was never any point. He had no emotional connection to any of the passing bodies he’d sought pleasure with in the past. They were just nameless, faceless vessels there to provide what he wanted.
Touching Alex was, pardon his pun, a religious experience. It was bliss. The way Alex’s head tipped back with a breathy sigh, vulnerable and open for Talon’s admiration. He rinsed using the washcloth to squeeze water over Alex’s head, watching the suds trickle down his back to pool in the water between their bodies. When he was done, Alex let out a quiet huff of contented laughter and leaned back against him.
“There,” Talon murmured, hooking his chin over Alex’s shoulder, “now you don’t smell like death anymore.”
“Did I?” Alex asked with some surprise.
“Kind of. It lingered, probably in our clothing.”
“Demons have sensitive noses?”
“This one does.” He chuckled, letting his hands drift. There was a trail of dark hair leading down Alex’s stomach, and the crease of his hip was ticklish, based on the way Alex squirmed.
His other hand, flat on Alex’s stomach, slid down his body until he brushed the base of his cock with the side of his hand. He was hard—had been hard since they’d started kissing by the door—and now he sighed in relief as Talon took him in hand. But he didn’t firm his grip. He used his fingertips instead, lazily tracing the silken length from tip to base and back up.
“Talon,” Alex groaned plaintively.
“There’s no hurry, little bird. I want to learn every inch of you.”
“Here? Now?”
“Maybe.” Talon smiled, though Alex couldn’t see it. “Are you in a rush?”
“Well, kind of.”
He laughed, low and easy. “Then you need me to teach you patience. The anticipation is as good as the act itself.” He pressed his thumb to the rim of the cock head, massaging in small, firm circles, then used his index finger to do the same to the underside. His own hardness was trapped between their bodies, present but not insistent yet.
“Talon,” he breathed, reverent and pleading, and Talon wanted to hear his name spoken like that again.
Alex’s head fell back against his shoulder, his knees rising further out of the water as he spread his legs. His fingers probed at their sides, trying to slip between their bodies. Talon hummed in disapproval, planting a hand flat on Alex’s chest to pin him against Talon’s front, using the ridges of his fingers to massage the head of Alex’s cock with maddening slowness.
“I can feel you,” Alex gasped. “Let me touch you.”
“No.” Talon grinned at Alex’s answering whine, feeling more powerful here than ever before, with this human willingly surrendering in his arms.
“ Oh , Talon, yeah, just like that. Don’t stop, please don’t stop.” Words failed him, and his beautiful moans filled the air.
But Talon did stop, and Alex’s tragic cry rang out as Talon left him on the edge, unfulfilled.
“Come here,” Talon said, hooking his hands under Alex’s thighs and lifting him.
“Wh-What are you doing?” Alex grabbed onto the edges of the tub as Talon guided him into his lap, driving his neglected cock into the crease of Alex’s ass and drawing a gasp from them both.
Talon leaned up, mouthing at the red bruise his teeth had left behind on Alex’s shoulder. “Can we do this? Can I lay you out on the bed and work myself inside you? Fill you up?” An inhuman sound was building in his chest, making his voice rattle. “I want to make your body learn the shape of me, leave my mark behind.”
Alex whimpered. With a splash, one of his hands dove under the water to take himself in hand, his thighs flexing as he worked himself back on Talon’s cock. Talon gripped his hips, aiding and guiding him, taking some of his weight so he didn’t overwork himself.
“Please, please, yeah,” Alex moaned, tipping back to kiss Talon sloppily, pressing his tongue into Talon’s mouth and whining through his nose as his back arched. He came with a cry, grinding down hard on Talon, who saw spots as he spilled between them, water sloshing around them as they quivered through the aftershocks together.
When they’d caught their breath, Alex said, “We came in the bathwater.”
Talon barked out a laugh. “Hit the drain, then. Time to get out.”
Alex climbed out first, fetching towels for them both. He eyed Talon as they dried off, the drain gurgling behind them.
“We can, but just so you know, I’ve never… done that before.”
Talon blinked, trying to catch up. “Can what? Done what?”
Alex smiled, but his cheeks were rosy with embarrassment. “What you said in the bath about—being inside me.”
“Oh.” He understood. Alex was admitting something here. “Oh, little bird, that’s…” The prospect of being Alex’s first—his only , if Talon had his way—was very satisfying.
But Alex winced. “Bad?”
“No. No . It’s good. Very good.” He drew his towel around Alex, using it to reel him in. “I will show you everything I know. I’ll make you feel so good. And,” he heard his own voice go a little high as he spoke the next part, because this was a new stance for him, “if you want to wait a while, that’s fine, too. It doesn’t have to be tonight. Whenever you’re ready, okay?”
Alex nodded, then tilted his head, squinting at him. “You look weird. Why do you look weird?”
He shook his head quickly. “I’m not. I’m fine.”
“Talon.”
He wanted Alex to trust him, so lying would push him away. Better to just be honest. “You’ve never done that , but I’ve never done this .”
“‘This’ being…”
“I’ve never wanted to wait until someone was ready. I’m a demon. I’m selfish by nature. But I want you to… want me . Which means I need to be careful with you. Kind to you. So you’ll be mine.”
Alex smiled softly. He pressed closer, wrapping his arms around Talon and tucking his chin over Talon’s shoulder. “It doesn’t make any sense, but I think I am yours, Tal.”
A small kernel of warmth and light took root in Talon’s heart. There was sand under his feet and sunlight on his face, here in Alex’s arms. For the first time, he was whole, and he hadn’t even realized he was missing something until he found it.
“I hope so,” he whispered. “And I hope you let me be yours.”