16. Luke
Chapter 16
Luke
Malachi’s apartment was spacious. The door opened into a short hallway that became a large living space. The kitchen was to the immediate right, with warm wooden cabinets, marble counters, and stainless steel appliances. The walls were made of exposed brick, and there were two matte black, steel pillars in the living room that extended up to the twenty foot ceiling, which was also black and had exposed black ductwork. A large television hung on one wall with a brown leather sofa positioned in front of it, on an oriental rug that was cream, slate blue, and red. Behind the sofa was a dining table with four chairs. It was all… warmer than Luke expected. The far wall was made of glass and had a tastefully decorated balcony beyond it.
Malachi flicked on a light, and a trio of pendant lights bloomed to life above the spacious kitchen island.
“We’ve been living in my pocket-sized apartment when you were hiding this place twenty minutes away?”
Malachi opened his mouth to refute that, but nothing came out. “I wasn’t… hiding it, per se. I just like your apartment.”
“What? Why?” He barely even had anything in his apartment. It was a utilitarian means to an end. He needed a place to sleep, shower, and store things. Only recently had it begun to feel anything remotely like a home.
“Because it’s yours,” he said, like that should be obvious.
Luke softened, drawing him in for a kiss. “Okay, we’re here. What is it I may or may not like?”
“Well, that would be in the bedroom.”
“Then lead the way.”
Malachi hummed, narrowing his eyes at Luke as he led him through the living room and into the short hallway on the right, by the television. The doorway immediately to the left was the master bedroom. There was a sprawling bed with a wrought-iron frame at the head and foot. There was another glass wall across the room, and the balcony extended to this room, as well.
He led Luke to an ornate wooden chest at the foot of the bed. “Okay, like I said, if you’re not interested, we don’t have to use any of this, okay?”
He opened the chest, and Luke… stared. It was filled with toys. Leather straps, buckles, dildos and vibrators of all shapes and sizes. There were many things he didn’t even recognize—metal things, things with D-rings and loops, things with openings of different sizes—and heat flushed through him like he had a fever.
“That is… much more in line with what I expected to find in your apartment. Is that a whip ?”
Malachi snorted. “I’m not some sort of deviant. And yes, it is.”
“You’re not a deviant? ”
“No. I don’t leave this stuff just laying around. I keep it all put in a secure place like a normal person would.” He beamed, like he was proud of himself.
“Is this… Have you used this stuff yourself? Or on other people?”
“No. Well, yes and no. The straps and restraints, those are all fine for multi-partner use. Anything that requires, ah, insertion—that stuff gets replaced after each new partner. So a lot of what you’re seeing there has never been used on anyone else.”
“Oh, okay.” That was somewhat reassuring.
Malachi eased closer, kissing a line up his neck like he had in the VIP hall at the club. “You asked what was in the private rooms. I told you I would show you. This is a small taste of what you’d find in most of those rooms. If you’re interested in trying some of it, I’m happy to guide you through it. I didn’t know how you’d feel about being restrained, so I thought I’d show you here, where you might feel safer and less exposed, and let you decide.”
How did he feel about being restrained? Being forced to give up all control, to be completely at Malachi’s mercy? He was so used to being in control, relying on no one. How would it feel to… surrender?
Malachi was studying the emotions on his face intently. “That doesn’t look like a no.”
“It’s… not a no,” he agreed hesitantly. “But I also don’t know where to start. This is… a lot.”
Malachi took his face in both hands, cradling him gently. “Do you trust me?”
Luke licked his lips. Why was his mouth suddenly so dry? “I do. I really, really do.”
Malachi beamed. “Good. Then don’t worry about a thing. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I won’t push you further than I think you can handle, and if you need me to stop, just say so. We often try to think of safe-words in these scenarios, but I think this time a simple ‘stop’ will suffice.”
Luke nodded, blowing out a breath. Malachi kissed his neck, slow and sensual, and Luke’s cock took notice.
“All you need to do is get naked and sit in the middle of the bed on your knees. And I swear, I will make you feel so good .”
Luke shivered. “Okay.”
He expected Malachi to help him undress, but instead he stepped back to watch. Already, he felt more exposed than ever, and he was glad Malachi had thought to experiment with this stuff here rather than at the club. Luke peeled his clothes off self-consciously, his skin burning under Malachi’s crimson gaze. When he was completely naked, he clambered onto the bed.
“Face the headboard,” Malachi instructed.
He obeyed, taking a fortifying breath as he made himself comfortable on his knees. He smoothed his hands up and down his thighs while, behind him, Malachi rummaged around in the chest. The jingling of chains set his blood on fire, and his cock jerked, hardening fully.
Something small hit the bed beside him, and he glanced down to see a brand new bottle of lube.
“Oh God,” he breathed. The anticipation was killing him. What was Malachi getting?
Malachi chuckled, a sinister sound that shouldn’t have him squirming with want. “Oh, treasure, the things I’m gonna do to you. You have no idea how good you can feel.”
“Mal,” he whined.
The bed dipped, and a shiver went down his spine. Malachi kissed the space behind his ear, trailing down the curve of his neck and across his shoulder. His hands curled around his wrist, securing a soft, padded leather cuff. He gave the other side the same treatment, distracting Luke with kisses and gentle nips as he attached the second cuff.
“Okay?” Malachi asked.
“Yes,” he breathed.
The cuffs weren’t attached to anything yet, and he was relaxed until he felt another cuff encircle his left ankle. A bolt of heat burned through him, and he inhaled slow and deep. He shifted aside so Malachi could get the cuff around his right ankle.
“You’re so good for me,” Malachi said, kissing his shoulder. “You feeling okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Don’t hesitate to tell me if you need to stop.”
“You haven’t done anything yet,” Luke said with a huff.
“So impatient,” Malachi teased. “Here.”
He tugged Luke’s right wrist down to his ankle, and with a click, he was ensnared. His wrist and ankle cuffs were attached to each other. A low noise left him as Malachi did the same with his left.
“There,” Malachi breathed in his ear, his hands roaming Luke’s body. “Now you’re all mine.”
“Mal,” Luke said, shimmying. He leaned backward, letting his head fall back on Malachi’s shoulder.
“That’s it, baby,” Malachi said, one hand fitting gently around his throat. The other teased his nipple, flicking until the bud was hard and sensitive. Then he shifted his grip, giving the other the same treatment. “Just open yourself up for me. Let me take care of you. ”
The snap of the bottle cap seemed loud in the silence of the bedroom, and Luke’s breath froze in his chest.
“Relax, treasure.” His free hand slid around Luke and took his hard length in a slick hand, stroking slowly as his other hand found his entrance, massaging firmly but not pressing inside.
It went on like that for long enough that Luke writhed, jerking his hips forward to meet Malachi’s fist, urging him to go faster. But Malachi refused, keeping his pace maddeningly slow. One finger breached his hole, and then a second one. He whimpered, rocking back on them.
“Patience,” Malachi breathed, biting his shoulder. Luke forced his body to still, to obey. He was not in charge right now, Malachi was. That was the whole point of this exercise. Letting go of his tightly wound control.
“When you’re more comfortable with this,” Malachi said, his breath tickling Luke’s ear, “I have this bar I’d love to see you wear.”
Luke tried to focus on the words and not the slick sensation of his hands. “B-Bar?”
“Mm-hm. It has cuffs on it. It goes between your ankles, spreads your legs wide. I could even attach your wrist cuffs to it. You’d be totally immobilized, open and vulnerable for me.”
Luke moaned. “Please, Mal, please.”
“What do you need, treasure?”
Luke shivered, his body hot and cold with desire. “More, I need more.”
“I’ll give you more in time, baby. Be patient with me. I don’t want this to be too fast for you. I want you to marinate in these good feelings. Let the pleasure sink into your bones. Let your mind float. I’ll be right here the whole time. ”
Luke tried to obey, turning his mind inward on the sensations rather than the overwhelming urge to come and come now . When those fingers found his prostate, the hand around his cock disappeared. His cock jerked longingly at its sudden absence. He was achingly hard.
When the fingers disappeared, too, he mewled. Malachi didn’t go far, though. The lube snapped open again, and Luke arched, already preparing to bear down for Malachi’s cock.
But it wasn’t his cock at all. It was room temperature silicone, pressing gently past the first ring of muscle.
“What is that?” he asked as it pressed against that bundle of nerves with eerie accuracy.
“A butt plug,” Malachi said matter-of-factly. “It’s a special one, though.”
“Oh?” He circled his hips curiously. Precum leaked from his cock. He’d never been this full outside of actual, penetrative sex before. It was overwhelming.
Malachi’s arms encircled him, mouthing at his shoulder. He held a little black remote in his right hand. There were two buttons on it, in the shape of an up arrow and a down arrow, and he brandished it in front of Luke. “See this?”
“Yeees,” Luke said slowly.
“If I tap this button—” He tapped the up button, and the plug vibrated. Luke’s body gave a jolt, and Malachi chuckled warmly. “It does that!”
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” Luke said mindlessly, his eyes rolling back in his head.
“Ah, good, it’s pressing right where it needs to be.”
“Malachi—Mal, please, it’s too much.”
Malachi gripped his hair and turned his head, licking into his mouth and sliding their tongues together. “You know what to say to make it stop.”
“Hnf, hnf, hnf,” Luke groaned, his hips rocking uselessly back and forth. He didn’t want to make it stop. This was perfect. Yes, he was riding the edge of too much and not enough, but he’d never felt so wholly attended to. Malachi’s focused attention on Luke’s pleasure was like a drug, and he couldn’t get enough of it.
“Mm, I could get off just watching you like this, at my mercy and loving it.”
Luke had never felt anything like this. It felt too intense and also not enough. He needed stimulation on his cock—a hand, a mouth, anything .
“Please, please touch me,” he begged.
“Not yet, baby.” Malachi stood on the mattress. At some point, he’d shed his clothing. He padded around Luke and stood with a foot planted on either side of his knees. “I want you to get me off first, and then I’ll get you off.”
Luke didn’t have to be told twice. Malachi’s hard length bobbed right in front of his face, and he lunged toward it like a starving man, wrapping his lips around the tip and working his way down, bobbing back and forth and spreading his saliva down his length. He was determined to make it good, determined to take every inch. It took him a few tries to open his throat and quiet his inconvenient gag reflex, but soon he pressed deeper, taking Malachi all the way to the root. He couldn’t breathe, but who needed air when there was Malachi?
“Oh, Luke, you’re incredible,” he purred, gripping Luke’s hair. “Snap your fingers if you need to stop, baby, okay?”
Luke moaned in agreement as Malachi pressed deeper, fucking himself until Luke’s throat convulsed. But just as he’d promised, he never pushed more than Luke could take. He pulled out to let him breathe. Luke never felt choked, never felt that spike of fearful adrenaline that would have had him fighting. Malachi knew what he could take and gave him exactly that. Everything went hazy and dreamlike around the edges. He was safe here, safe and wanted and cared for. He floated, just as Malachi had said. Nothing here would harm him, Malachi would be sure of it. He could simply focus on the suction of his mouth, the glide of skin against his tongue, the press of it down his throat.
Quiet moans left his nose, his hips working restlessly. His cock was leaking onto his thigh. When Malachi’s moans reached a fever pitch, Luke redoubled his efforts, bobbing his head hungrily and sucking hard, teasing the underside with his tongue.
“Oh, fuck, fuck, I’m coming,” Malachi warned.
His cock jerked, and Luke swallowed his salty seed, suckling him clean.
“Ah, Luke ,” Malachi gasped. He so rarely said Luke’s name. He blinked up at him, feeling dazed. His lips were numb and slick with saliva, his chest heaving, his eyes heavy-lidded. Commander Sloan could walk through the door right now, and Luke didn’t think he’d care. “You’re such a good boy. You’re so good for me.”
His brain felt stuffed with cotton, and a shiver of delight went through him at the praise. Malachi smiled, dropped to his knees in front of him. His hands were gentle, combing through Luke’s hair, wiping the tears from his face and the saliva from his mouth. When he pressed Luke backward, he barely felt it, rolling onto his back with his knees up and his legs spread, still trapped in his restraints. The plug still buzzed against his core. He circled his hips experimentally. It wasn’t hitting quite as well in this position, but it was still pleasant.
“That’s it, just lie back and let the sensations take you.” Fingers teased his nipples, and he parted his legs further, making space for Malachi between them. “My good boy.” Lips kissed down his chest and stomach, nosing the coarse hair there. His teeth scraped just inside Luke’s hip, followed by a sharp sucking sensation. “I’ve wanted to make a mark on you for so long.”
He slid his hands up Luke’s thighs, and one hand found the base of the plug, tugging in a way that had Luke whining, arching, as the vibration found its target once again. His cock leaked onto his stomach.
“There we go.”
“Mal,” he whimpered.
“Yeah, baby?” He was kissing his way across Luke’s pelvis, never quite getting close enough to his cock to give him any relief.
“Please, I want to come.”
“Do you?” Wet, sucking heat swallowed him down, and Luke cried out at the suddenness of it. Malachi didn’t stop until his nose pressed against skin. His throat tightened around Luke, squeezing him like a vise, and Luke was a boneless puddle of liquid pleasure, his legs falling apart as Malachi bobbed his head long and deep, taking him from root to tip each time.
His sac tightened, liquid heat boiling through him as he rocketed toward his orgasm. His body strung tight—and Malachi pulled off his cock, his fingers cinching tight around the base to ward it off.
Luke bucked. “No, Mal, fuck .”
Malachi sputtered out a laugh. “I’ve never heard you say fuck before.”
“Please just fuck me, please .”
One hand tugged on the plug, gently working it from his hole. He groaned when it came free with a wet sound. Malachi turned the vibration off and tossed it aside.
“You want me to fuck you?” he simpered, leaning over him. “Just like this? Restrained and at my mercy?”
“Yes yes yes,” he chanted. “Hold me down, fill me up, want you. I want you to be all I can see, all I can feel.”
Malachi growled, inhuman and low. He pressed the fat head of his cock against Luke’s hole and then remembered the lube, reaching for it impatiently and drizzling it carelessly on both his cock and Luke’s sac and hole. When he pressed inside, Luke groaned with relief. He’d be lucky not to come instantly, given how long he’d already teetered on the brink.
Malachi seemed to know it—of course he did. He worked his hips with brutal efficiency, pounding into Luke’s ready and all too willing body. Luke gripped his own ankles for lack of anything else to grab on to, and Malachi wrapped a lube-slick hand around his cock. Luke sobbed with relief, doing his best to work his hips in time with Malachi’s rhythm.
“Please, please, I’m—” He broke off, sucking down a breath and screaming as he came, splashing his own chest and stomach with a ridiculous amount of seed. He shuddered, fighting against his restraints for the first time as his body convulsed wildly, and Malachi continued to pound into him. Strong fingers gripped his hips bruisingly tight as Malachi came a second time, grinding into him so hard that Luke’s hips left the bed .
He barely noticed Malachi unhooking his wrists from his ankles and guiding his legs and arms out to stretch the sore muscles. He didn’t even realize his eyes were closed until Malachi kissed each eyelid, one after the other.
“You still with me, treasure?”
“No.”
“No?” Amusement laced the question.
“You killed me.”
Malachi chuckled. “It was only a little death.”
“No, no, that was at least a moderately-sized death.”
“Moderately-sized? You flatter me.” His hands swept up and down Luke’s arms. “How do you feel?”
He paused to consider his answer. “Fuzzy. Pleasantly fuzzy.”
“Fuzzy is good. Come here.” He manhandled Luke up and oriented him toward the head of the bed, guiding him to lay between Malachi’s parted legs. He barely noticed he was still wearing the wrist and ankle cuffs, resting his head on Malachi’s chest with a dreamy sigh.
Malachi leaned over, rummaging in the side table drawer and coming out with a packet of wet wipes.
“Handy,” Luke murmured.
“Mm. Here, let me clean you up.” He tenderly cleaned the cum from Luke’s chest, stomach, and softened cock. “Spread ‘em, treasure.”
Luke snorted out a laugh, letting Malachi clean between his legs. “Thanks.”
He tossed the wipe away and pulled the blankets over them both, wrapping his arms around Luke. “Just float, baby. I’ll be right here when you come back down.”
Luke sighed in contentment. “‘Kay.”
After a morning of training drills and spars with some other paladins, Luke made his way to the cafeteria in the admin building for lunch. He’d prefer to go home, which was exactly why he needed to stay. He used to eat most of his meals here, and he needed to stick to his normal routine, no matter how much he’d rather rush home to be with Malachi.
Heat flushed through him when he thought of the demon. Surrendering to him had been… incredible. He’d never felt so safe, so wanted and… loved. Could demons love? Malachi certainly treated him like he did. Maybe it wasn’t traditional love, but did that matter? Luke could never have a traditional life, knowing the things he did. He didn’t want the partner-and-kids-and-picket-fence life. How could he bring helpless children into the world, knowing what horrors lurked in the shadows? He didn’t want to raise children to be warriors like him, never wanted to see scars on young faces. Perhaps other paladins felt the need to pass on the demon-fighting legacy, but not him. He couldn’t do that to a child, knowing he was raising them to be hurt, to struggle, to face untold horrors. He couldn’t turn his back on the things he knew, but that didn’t mean he had to subject an innocent to it, as well.
He picked morosely at his food, his head propped up on his fist. If he felt this way about it all, maybe it was time to consider stepping back. It would be safer for both him and Malachi if he wasn’t active in the guild anymore. They would have no reason to scrutinize him if he retired. No one would bat an eye at his decision. He’d avoided rejoining a squad since he lost his last one. Maxwell had even floated the idea of early retirement before finally approving him for the field once more—which Luke had pushed for at the time, because he thought it was what he wanted. He didn’t have anything else pulling him from the fight except his injuries. Now he had Malachi.
A figure plopped down beside him, and he turned in surprise. He recognized the man, with his long, chocolate curls tied back in a messy bun and warm brown eyes that seemed somehow both too knowing and uncertain. He had no lunch plate, just a cup of black coffee. Luke wracked his brain for a name.
“You look familiar, have we spoken before?” Luke asked.
“Ira,” the man supplied. “And no, we haven’t.”
“Are you a paladin?”
“No.” The uncertainty vanished as he met Luke’s eyes. “Prophet.”
A prickle of unease went down his spine. God, the prophets. They could see things no one else could. What good was it to hide his relationship with Malachi when the prophets could see it at any time? All it would take was one random vision, and both their lives were over.
“Relax,” Ira said. His voice was level and soothing. “I mean you no harm.”
Luke swallowed hard, turning to stare blindly at his plate. Act normal , he thought desperately. He didn’t know what Ira knew yet. There was no reason to panic.
“I can’t be seen eating while I’m here,” Ira said lowly, his tone conversational. His fingers slowly turned his coffee cup, the black liquid sloshing gently as he fidgeted with it. “I need them to think I’m trying to force a vision, because I haven’t logged one since Hawk was banished. ”
Luke dared to glance over. Yes, he’d heard that fasting was one way prophets spurred visions. Ira was telling him he was basically lying to the guild right now, pretending that he was attempting to have a vision when he really wasn’t. It was an olive branch, and it settled Luke’s nerves. Ira was confessing to him that he also had secrets. By sharing one of them with Luke, he was putting them on even footing.
“So why haven’t you logged any?” he asked.
“Because I fear many people would die if I logged the things I’d been seeing.” His gaze swept across the crowd. No one was near enough to overhear them. Warm sunlight filtered in through the stained glass windows on their left.
Luke met Ira’s eyes. “What kinds of things?”
“Demons. And humans. Together.” Ira’s cheeks darkened, and Luke flushed in response. Exactly what intimate things had Ira seen? Had he seen Luke and Malachi together? Part of him wanted to ask. The rest of him thought he was probably better off living in ignorance. The bigger question was…
“Why wouldn’t you report something like that?”
Ira’s gaze flitted away, and Luke suddenly understood. He couldn’t report it without implicating himself, because he’d seen himself with a demon.
Ira cleared his throat. “There are… some things I can’t share. Telling any of you would risk changing things. I have only a small piece of the puzzle so far. It’s like… looking at a tapestry in the dark with only a flashlight. I can only see a small portion at a time.”
“You haven’t told me anything ,” Luke pointed out.
Ira winced. “I know. I just wanted you to know…” He glanced around again. He’d make a poor covert operative, ac ting this suspicious. “You’re not alone. And you won’t be the last.”
He stood and wandered away before Luke could ask what that meant. He wouldn’t be the last what ?