18. Daniel #2
Chaol had protected him in Hell, but here, he was the one who was disadvantaged.
He had no friends or allies beyond Daniel’s own, and most of them probably wouldn’t claim him now that they knew about his connection to Amon.
His brother had been their enemy, and most of them didn’t trust him.
It wasn’t fair, and Daniel wanted to rage at them.
Was he lonely? Did he regret coming to the surface with Daniel?
He didn’t have to fight in Daniel’s battles.
He could have left Daniel to come to Earth and deal with the angel alone, but he hadn’t.
He deserved a chance to belong here as more than just Daniel’s partner.
He could have friends here. Family. A clan.
How did Daniel get him to see that? How did he get the others to accept him?
A solid punch to the solar plexus sent Daniel staggering, gasping for breath.
“Pay attention,” Draego said.
An animal growl tore from Daniel’s throat, but Draego rolled his eyes.
“If you want to intimidate me, you’ll have to do better than that. Now, you know how to draw your blade, and since you were a paladin, I know you can use it. So let’s start with your hellfire.”
That was easy. Daniel was already pissed off about the punch, worried that Chaol would pull away from him, anxious that his friends would one day hate what he’d done to himself.
It was all too easy to tap into those negative emotions.
The kernel of warmth in his chest ignited, and his body was engulfed in flame.
Draego calmly shook his head. “That’s not what I meant, but fine. Can you will it away as easily as you started it?”
Will it away? Why would he ever need to will it away?
The flame was his. It belonged to him, and he to it.
This was his most natural state of being.
The flames licked up into the air, five feet, ten feet above him.
It was an inferno, raging around him, feeding off the negative energy inside him.
He could burn it all down if he wanted to.
He could feel the power at his fingertips.
All he needed to do was push, and the flames would climb even higher, filling the world with ash.
Draego gestured at something with one hand, but Daniel didn’t turn. He closed his eyes, his mind drifting away in the heat and the power. He would never let it go, never make it stop. It felt too good, too right.
Arms encircled him, and Chaol’s familiar mouth pressed against his neck. “Make it stop, darkling. For me.”
For Chaol. He would do anything for Chaol. Kill for him. Die for him. Even snuff out the fire for him. He turned his head, nuzzling Chaol’s jaw.
Make it stop. Easier said than done. His emotions were volatile and untrustworthy.
It wasn’t as simple as closing a lid over them.
He inhaled, drinking in Chaol’s sweet scent.
It reminded him of blackberries, sweet and a little tart.
Calm swept over him, and he met Chaol’s dark eyes as it doused the hot kernel in his chest. The flames disappeared, leaving them in the watery, artificial glow of the street lights nearby.
Draego hummed. “I suggest you keep this one nearby until you’ve mastered the hellfire. He centers you.”
Chaol licked his lips, his gaze deep. “I’m not going anywhere.”
It was like he could read all of Daniel’s deepest, darkest fears. Daniel sagged in his arms. More than anything, he didn’t want Chaol to regret choosing him.
He was reluctant to let him go when Draego gestured for Chaol to step away.
“Stay close,” Draego instructed as Chaol backed away, dark eyes never leaving Daniel. “Just in case he needs you again.”
“Of course,” Chaol promised.
It was a struggle for Daniel to look away from him. “You have a human, don’t you?” he asked Draego as they reset across from each other.
Draego’s gaze darkened.
“I heard you tell Talon that they aren’t here at the Rink. How can you stand to be away from them?”
“I am very old,” Draego said. “I am nothing if not patient.”
“Do they know you?”
Draego flicked a hand through the air. “We aren’t discussing this.”
“Why not?”
“Because I said so.”
Daniel scowled. The kernel in his chest flared at his irritation. “If they’re still at the guild, they’re one of Sloan’s people.”
“Stop.”
“They won’t want you. They all hate demons.”
“Daniel,” Draego warned.
“Is that it?” The kernel burned hotter. “They hate you. You can’t get close to them because they’d want to kill you if you did. They hate demons and anyone who associates with them.”
“Then what do you imagine they would do if they saw you?” Draego countered.
His voice was deceptively smooth. “One of their own who went to Hell and willingly damned his own soul. How easily you decided to throw away everything they’d taught you, and why?
Because you were too afraid to go into the light? To be alone?”
Afraid. Defensive words clogged in his throat, because yes, he’d been afraid. Afraid to leave his brother behind. Afraid of what awaited him on the other side. Afraid of taking that step by himself. He’d latched onto the first sign of hope and refused to let go.
Draego tore him from his thoughts, gesturing toward Daniel’s own body. “There. You see?”
Daniel looked down. Flames licked up his arms. Just his arms. He lifted a hand, watching the fire in awe. He hadn’t even felt it ignite.
“You can control how it appears, how it behaves. It doesn’t have to consume you.”
“But I didn’t do this.”
“You did,” Draego said. “You were annoyed, but not overwhelmed by it. Now you just have to master it.”
Daniel swallowed. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place to talk about your human.” The flames died out, and Daniel blinked down at his hands in surprise.
Draego inclined his head. “I allowed it, because I could feel the heat growing inside you.”
“You could?” Daniel didn’t know how he felt about that.
“Yes. You can do the same. Watch.”
Daniel studied Draego as he lifted his head.
Just before hellfire engulfed him, Daniel felt it.
The heat grew around Draego. It was almost an aura, like the shimmering heat on pavement on a hot day.
He felt the heat before the flames appeared, and the kernel inside him seemed to vibrate with excitement in response, eager to ignite and join its brother.
Draego’s flames faded, and Daniel asked, “Why does that happen? How is it we can feel each other’s power?”
“Hellfire is not just a power. It’s a real, tangible thing that resides in Hell.
We aren’t creating something new. We’re summoning something that already exists.
You feel it like a shifting electrical current.
You and I, we’re just outlets for the hellfire, so naturally, we can feel when the current changes.
” Draego straightened. “Now, you know you can summon the hellfire without being consumed by it. Let me show you how to control it this time.”
Daniel nodded. He still had a lot to learn, and letting his temper get the better of him was only going to slow them down.
When Daniel was human, he ate a lot. A rigorous training program with the guild meant he was always hungry.
Protein shakes and bars sufficed when he just needed something for an energy boost, but when he wasn’t actively training, he ate.
He liked food. He liked going to Julian’s for cookouts, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to put away three or four burgers.
He wasn’t the only one who ate like that, either.
Paladins were heavily physical people, with lots of cardio and strength training.
He knew hunger. He knew intimately well what it felt like for his stomach to ache with emptiness. Cravings were common, and he was constantly chasing whatever would satisfy him.
Now, he didn’t crave food. He craved Chaol. Even when he was balls deep inside him, listening to the quiet, desperate sounds Chaol made as their bodies rutted together, it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t get close enough. There was a gnawing ache inside him every moment they weren’t touching.
Dawn was a weak, gray glow behind the black-out curtains in their bedroom, and new sheets graced the bed, already damp with sweat and cum.
They were on their sides, Daniel with one arm under Chaol’s head and curling loosely around his neck.
The other stripped Chaol’s cock lazily. He’d lost count of how many times they’d both come already, and it still wasn’t enough.
He couldn’t stop. Neither of them could.
One of Chaol’s legs was lifted, draped back over Daniel’s.
He rocked back on Daniel’s length, quiet moans broken when he’d duck his head to bite down on Daniel’s forearm.
Blood was smeared on his skin there, and on Chaol’s shoulders and neck.
He didn’t want to train with Draego again tonight or go off to fight an angel.
He just wanted to keep doing this. Was this what the others felt?
How did they handle it, knowing they had a human who couldn’t take everything they wanted to give?
Daniel didn’t know what he would do if he had to be gentler with Chaol, careful with his teeth or nails.
If he had to wait for his bite marks to heal before he could make more, he might go insane.
If Chaol’s refractory period didn’t match his own, he’d lose his mind waiting until he could be inside him again.