Eighteen
Gabriel
Xin had so many tattoos.
For some reason, I hadn't expected that at all.
There was a small crown, a black dog—Hella, I presumed—small patterns, and what looked to me—but probably weren't—like random designs.
The one that caught my eye, though, was the tattoo on their chest, right over their heart.
"How did you..." I mumbled as I reached up to trace the violin, and the musical symbols over it signifying it was being played.
Xin hadn't known I played until this evening. How did they already have a tattoo of it?
With a chuckle, Xin glanced down at their torso, and a bare spot on their belly suddenly had my face tattooed on it.
I stared in shock, then started laughing. "Take it off."
"Tattoos are permanent," they quipped, but then did as I'd asked.
The fact that they could apply and remove any tattoo they wanted didn't take away from the fact that they'd added the violin over their heart in the least.
I traced the design one more time before pressing my palm flat on their chest, feeling their heart beating against my skin.
They leaned down and kissed me, and I moaned as I kissed them back, wrapping a leg around theirs to pull them closer.
My hand moved to their hair, and I gave it a gentle tug, making them pull back.
"Can I untie it?" I asked, tracing one of the braids that covered their head, and they nodded.
Gender had never played a role in my attraction to someone, but long hair? Definitely. Hair long enough to run my fingers through, to hold, to tug, to fall around us like a curtain... I loved it.
And Xin's hair? It was glorious.
They hadn't used a hair tie, so it was easy to find the last twist that undid the bun, making all their slim braids fall forward.
"Let me," they murmured, and the braids unwound on their own, leaving their hair in slightly wavy tresses, the ends brushing my chest. Damn, their hair would probably reach their waist at this length.
Feeling like I was touching a higher being—which I supposed I was in a way—I reached up and carefully carded my fingers through their hair, humming at how silky the strands were.
Xin watched me with twinkling eyes, apparently surprised by my fascination.
"You like my hair, Gabriel?" they asked, and I shivered at the way my name rolled over their tongue.
Like wasn't a strong enough word to describe what I felt, but I nodded as I sank my fingers deeper into their hair and used my grip to pull them back in.
A soft moan left their lips, and I bit them as I pulled them into a kiss, our bare chests brushing together as our lips and tongues danced.
How could this be the first night we'd spent together when I felt like I'd always known them? Was this what the mate bond felt like?
I slid my free hand lower, groaning when I came across their pants. Who the fuck thought inventing pants was a good idea? Xin should never have to wear pants. Ever.
Xin's lips curved against mine, and then suddenly, they were gone. Our pants and underwear had disappeared with a poof, leaving our bare bodies pressed together.
I could feel Xin's desire against my leg, and I slid it between their legs, pressing up into them to hear their moan again.
Xin bit my lower lip in retaliation, and I groaned into their mouth, the sting making my pleasure all the more heightened.
"I want to be inside you," I mumbled against their lips, and they gasped before pulling back to meet my gaze.
"Is that so?"
I nodded, my fingers still tangled in their hair while the other rested gently against their hip.
"Will it be my turn next time?" they asked with a raised brow, and my cock twitched at the question.
Swallowing hard, I nodded, and they grinned.
Then they braced their knees on either side of me and rose up, making my eyes widen.
"Wait! Don't you need prep?"
They smiled, then shook their head, and then the head of my cock was pressing against their asshole, slick with magic lube. Fuck, that was handy.
My lips parted in a soundless gasp as the head of my cock slipped past the tight ring of Xin's hold, their channel just as hot as the rest of them.
Xin lowered their head to brush their lips against mine, and I arched my hips, pumping up into them.
"No, no," they murmured as they grabbed my hip, pinning me to the bed. "Let me."
They moved over me, their hair brushing against my chest as they rode me, their pale brown eyes gleaming with desire. No one had ever looked at me like they did, like I was their whole world.
I wasn't a lucky man. I'd lost my parents so long ago I barely remembered them, and then I'd lost my brother too, the only other family I'd had.
What if I lost Xin too? They were here to capture dark souls and an even more dangerous demon. What if they got hurt? What if they died?
The utter terror came out of nowhere, and I didn't even realize I'd stopped being present until I felt hot palms on my cheeks, and my vision cleared enough to meet the soft eyes watching me with concern.
"Gabriel?"
I blinked rapidly, trying to get my heart back under control. Where had that fear come from?
We'd had such a good date, and now we were in bed, and I was letting stupid fears get the best of me when I should've been focusing on the gorgeous being hovering over me.
"Sorry. I'm okay," I rasped out. My throat felt tight, like there was an invisible hand wrapped around it.
Xin's brows furrowed, and they leaned closer, resting their forehead against mine. "You don't need to hide from me, Gabriel. Tell me what's wrong."
My breath hitched at the softness of their voice, at the care with which they cradled my face. It had been so long since someone had been so gentle with me.
"It's nothing. I'm being an idiot. I ruined the moment, didn't I?"
Xin
I could tell it wasn't nothing, but it was also clear he wasn't ready to talk about it. Yet.
I didn't push. Instead, I slowly rocked my hips up and down, making Gabriel gasp.
"Did you?" I asked with a smirk, and he groaned as I picked up speed, riding him so hard he'd soon forget whatever was worrying him.
His fingers were completely tangled in my hair, and he used his grip to pull me into another kiss, his lips soft and wet and perfect against mine.
I'd never imagined kissing could feel like this. Gabriel's lips were sweet and refreshing, and they made me feel alive again. For a moment, my heart beat because of him, and not the magic that kept the illusion going.
The way my demon friends had talked about sex with their mates had always sounded like exaggeration to me. Surely, sex couldn't feel that life-altering? It was just sex. Right?
Wrong. My friends were right.
Sex with Gabriel was without a doubt a life-changing event.
Pulling back to give him a moment to breathe, I moved my lips to his cheek, then his ear, tracing the lobe with my tongue before sucking it into my mouth.
Gabriel arched up into me with a moan, and I pressed him into the mattress, holding him in place as he writhed against me.
When I came here for our date tonight, I'd had no plans of taking Gabriel to bed. Just going on a date with him had been enough.
But when Gabriel invited me in, when it was clear he wanted more, I lost my cool completely. How could I not?
After all that time spent together, Gabriel had finally started opening up to me. He'd accepted his attraction to me, accepted my demon magic, accepted me. How could I not give him everything he asked for?
"Xin," he moaned as he trembled under me, and I raised my head to meet his dark gaze.
"Close?"
Gabriel nodded quickly, and I smiled. I wanted to watch him fall apart, wanted to see what he looked like when he came.
I sat up, making his cock sink even deeper into me, and he groaned my name, his voice breaking midway. He made such delicious sounds.
I rode him hard, chasing his climax more than my own, my eyes trained on his face, cataloging every twitch of his skin.
"I'm coming!" Gabriel warned, and I pushed down hard, taking him deep as he would go as he shouted my name and filled me with his release, his head thrown back, eyes screwed shut, and lips parted to let out strained pants as he shuddered under me.
I rocked over him slowly, draining the last drops of cum from him, before covering his body with mine.
With his free hand, he reached down between my legs even as he panted against my ear. I was already close to the edge, and his fingers expertly pushed me over. I bit down on the pillow beside his head as I came, releasing a shout into it as my hand tightened over Gabriel's hip.
"Stop, stop," I mumbled shakily when I grew too sensitive, and Gabriel slowly pulled his hand away.
We lay there like that for quite a few minutes, Gabriel catching his breath and me trying to get my brain back online.
When I felt like I could function normally, I pushed myself off Gabriel, falling onto the mattress beside him.
A cloud of feathers rose up as my head hit the pillow, and I realized I'd bitten through the cover earlier.
Gabriel sputtered a laugh, then spat out the feather that landed in his mouth, which made me chuckle too. I fixed the pillow with a wave of my hand, then turned to face Gabriel as he did the same.
We gazed at each other as the smile on Gabriel's face slowly disappeared, reminding me of his racing heart earlier. Would he be willing to talk about it now?
Gabriel reached for my face, then chuckled as he held up his hand, fingers still tangled in my hair. I didn't like people touching my hair. That was why I always kept it in a bun.
Obviously, that didn't apply to Gabriel, especially because I'd seen the way his eyes had lit up when I'd unwound the braids. He really liked my hair.
I took his hands between mine, and slowly pulled away the strands of my hair until he was free. He gave me a small smile, then placed the hand on my cheek, his fingers warm and soft.
"Is sex always like that for demons?" he asked after a moment, and I raised a brow at him, unable to resist the urge to tease him a little.
"Like what?"
He narrowed his eyes, then waved his hand in the air. "You know? So... so... all-consuming," he settled on finally, and I thought that was a great way to put it.
"Not at all," I answered easily, shuffling forward so there was no space between us. It meant we had to bend our necks a little to lock eyes, but I didn't care. I needed to be close to him, and I could tell he felt the same.
I ran my palm up and down his side, and he sighed as his eyes fluttered shut for a moment, as if the gentle touch was overwhelming to him. Was it? I knew he'd hooked up with people before, but he'd said he hadn't been in a serious relationship.
Did that mean he'd never just lain in bed with someone, sharing soft words and softer touches? Because if that was the case, I had a lot of time to make up for.
"It's because it's you and me. We fit together," I said, and his lips curved, as if the thought pleased him. It certainly pleased me.
"Because of the mate bond?"
"Maybe. But I like to believe it's because we got to know each other, because I trust you and you trust me. Oh, and because I think you're delectable."
Gabriel chuckled, the sound warm and bright in the dimly lit room, and I hoped he had a reason to stop smiling.
"You're not so bad yourself."
A loud growl stopped me just as I was about to ask him about that moment of panic earlier, and it took me a second—and Gabriel's cheek flushing a deep red—to realize the sound came from his stomach.
He pulled his hand back to cover his own face, and I took a hold of his wrist, tugging it away from his face with a chuckle. "I suppose you did burn quite a few calories," I joked, making him groan. "Come on, tell me what you'd like to eat."
Gabriel peered up at me, his cheeks still red under his stubble, then sighed. "Maybe some pizza? With extra cheese and pepperoni."
"Coming right up," I said as I sat up, and Gabriel quickly followed suit, pulling a sheet over our laps.
I snapped my fingers, and a medium-sized pizza box appeared on the bed beside Gabriel, the scent of cheese and warm bread quickly filling the air as his stomach growled again.
"I fucking love demon magic," Gabriel said as he pulled the box into his lap, and I smiled.