Chapter 36
Come on, Cullen! Just get in!” Irritation tinged the brat’s voice, drawing Leviathan’s attention for a split second. He looked up and out of the brat’s eyes and saw a dark haired boy shifting from foot to foot at the edge of the water.
Leviathan watched him for a long moment, his curiosity piqued.
The boy was clearly nervous, his hands balled into fists at his sides and the lightest of blushes on his cheeks as he gazed out at the lake full of other teens.
Moonlight glimmered on the rippling water and made the boy's skin glow as if he were made of snow.
Leviathan admired him for a few heartbeats before looking away, bored with the whiny voice of his host body as it told the boy to get in again.
He was always pressuring the brat to do something or other.
Always pushing and pushing, somewhat ignoring the way the black haired brat clung to his every word and would have done just about anything to keep his very new boyfriend happy.
Something about it didn't sit right with Leviathan, though he had seen this same outcome thousands of times and never been bothered by it before.
So why did he find his mental gaze flickering back to the brat as he began to pull his clothes off? The anxiety there…the hesitation…the way that Walker turned away as if he didn’t care if his boyfriend undressed in front of him… Something about it pissed him off.
Before another heartbeat passed in this frail mortal body, Leviathan flung his mind out, his thoughts stretching across the water and diving deep into the dark haired boy’s mind. The boy froze, his hands pausing on his belt, as if he’d sensed the intrusion. Though that was quite impossible.
Leviathan let his thoughts morph with the brat’s, let his mental voice shift and soften until it matched what the brat’s voice would sound like.
Don’t doubt yourself on behalf of these pathetic children.
He whispered into the boy’s head. They are inferior to you.
Show them your confidence so that they do not dare open their mouths again.
Because they had been teasing the brat–Cullen, was his name–mercilessly all night.
It was veiled behind false kindness, fake camaraderie, and Cullen knew it.
And, against his better judgment, Leviathan found himself feeling oddly defensive for the kid.
But his words had worked easily enough; Cullen had undressed and climbed into the icy water of the lake, his pale skin glowing as he moved across the water towards Walker, who was standing near several other boys, laughing about some stupid ass joke.
Leviathan remained in the brat’s head, searching through his thoughts curiously.
There was anxiety there. Hesitation. And excitement.
Excitement as he waded closer, coming quite close to his hosts’ body.
He could feel the brat’s smile, feel the way he shifted in the water, and feel his disappointment when Walker merely turned to give him a small smile before turning back to the other boys.
He felt the rejection in Cullen’s mind, felt the tightening in his chest, and found himself pushing more thoughts into his head.
Is that how you wish to be treated? He demanded of the brat. The human’s body tensed, as if he’d realized the words didn’t quite belong to him. Pushed into bad situations and ignored?
After a few long seconds, the black haired boy snapped his teeth together and shook his head. Leviathan felt a vicious thrill run through him.
He had never been able to just dive into another person's mind like that–not since he'd been sealed in these damn humans. For it to be happening so easily now…perhaps the control was slipping. After all this time. The thought made him damn near giddy.
The minutes passed and, for a bit, he simply watched. Watched the boy try–and fail–to get Walker’s attention. He watched the disappointment flick across Cullen’s face, watched the way the other boys snickered at his obvious desperation while Walker ignored him.
Why the brat had even invited Cullen here, Leviathan didn't understand.
He hardly liked the guy at all, despite the numerous dates they'd been on at this point.
And Walker must not have taken whatever they had very seriously at all, since his hand was curled lightly around the wrist of a girl with short brown hair, his eyes focused on her.
Leviathan ignored them both, diving back into Cullen’s head.
You didn't think he was actually interested in you?
He whispered into the brat's head. Cullen flinched.
Look at him drooling over her. Right in front of you.
He's got no respect for you. He'd meant the words to hurt, yes, but he hadn't expected the little tinge of rage he felt as he spoke them into his mind.
You should leave. He continued, ignoring the odd emotion in himself. You don't want to be here and he doesn't want you here.
Doubt burst through Cullen’s head. Leviathan smirked.
He already had such good control in his weak vessel, the angel blood in his veins nearly completely diluted to human blood…if he could hurt him this way, if he could snap that fragile little link that bound him to the others in his life…
Walk away. He ordered in the boy’s head. Leave him. Hurt him like he’s hurting you.
Cullen’s jaw clenched and he immediately turned for the bank of the lake, his shoulders tense and his heart pounding.
The sound drew his attention for a minute, his soul aching for that pure, unblemished heart that would taste so sweet–
He shook the thought away, watching silently from inside Cullen’s mind as he began to dress himself again.
“Hey!”
Cullen jolted at the word, and Leviathan quickly retreated back into Walker’s mind, lest he notice where Leviathan’s attention had been.
“Cullen, where are you going?” Walker called in shock.
Cullen did not stop, his eyes focused on the dark path that led back to the road as he hurried away. Leviathan fought a snicker as Walker scoffed and shook his head.
“He’s kind of a handful.” The girl standing beside him laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Yeah.” Walker sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He gave the girl a smooth smile and shifted a little closer. “I’ll talk to him later. For now, I want to stay with you.”
Something twinged in Leviathan’s chest. Some dull, nonsensical anger. He might have ignored it, might have pretended he’d never felt it at all, had Walker not let his hand shift forward to brush against the girl’s bare hip.
A little jolt of Leviathan’s power shot off into the dark, instantly finding one of the reptilian creatures hidden away under the murky water and giving it a swift order. The creature swam for them, quick as a whip in the current, and sank its teeth into Walker’s ass.
The boy let out a shrill scream and Leviathan laughed maliciously.
A small jolt shot through him as he woke, his eyes popping wide before falling on Cullen’s serene face, mere inches from his own.
His eyes flickered under those lovely pale lids, his lips parted in that way that had always made Leviathan want to kiss him.
Slowly, he brought his hand up, letting his thumb brush along the soft skin there.
A dream. A memory. One that he had forgotten about until now. One he had ignored because to admit what he’d done…to admit he’d felt angry on behalf of that human brat…
His thumb ran along Cullen’s cheek, his fingers tracing the shape of his jaw. Too human. This brat…he’d brought feelings to the surface of his soul that were far too human.
I like it here. I like you.
He smiled at the fuzzy memory, his fingertips running slowly down Cullen’s throat, pausing to feel the pulse there before moving lower, over the bare chest that was covered in light bite marks.
Too human, he repeated silently, his heart giving a gentle squeeze. Dumb. All of it. Every moment, every choice with this brat. But…
Worth it. He told himself as he drew the blanket a little lower, exposing Cullen’s well-muscled stomach.
Worth it to have…whatever this was with him.
Worth it to give up that part of himself that had always hated humans so viciously, to let that thing in his chest soften until it felt warm and fuzzy and made his very soul light up.
It was terrifying, this thing that had never happened to him before, this thing he had always said he never wanted.
This weakness he had been determined to never have, lest he end up like the handful of his foolish brothers over the past millenniums, those monstrosities that had fallen for those short-lived mortals…
But he understood it now.
Understood it in a terrifying, amazing kind of way.
He opened his mouth to say Cullen’s name, to wake him and show him exactly how happy he was that he was here with him. But Cullen’s eyes were already open, and his cheeks were red, as if he’d been holding his breath.
The last thing he had expected to wake up to was the pupil-less black eyes of Leviathan. But the light touch against his cheek had woken him, and he’d been frozen the moment he’d seen the unexpectedly soft look on Leviathan’s face as he’d traced the shape of his jaw.
Cullen had watched him move, his hand brushing down his throat and chest, his eyes following the slow movements.
He hadn’t moved a muscle, had been curious about what Leviathan was thinking, why he was touching him like this.
And then he’d caught the inflection in his mind, as if Leviathan had willingly pressed his thoughts into him, and Cullen had been shocked by how… affectionate they were.
He’d remained frozen, listening closely to Leviathan’s strangely open thoughts as he traced the lines of his body… And then Leviathan had finally looked up at him again and Cullen had found himself choked and breathless, as if he’d forgotten how to breathe.
I like it here. I like you.
The memory had him jolting up, yanking himself away from Leviathan’s grasp with a soft gasp. A harsh throb shot through his head, making him hiss and flinch, his hand going to his forehead. The demon lord smiled at him as he sat up, an expression in his eyes that was far too warm and comforting.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Cullen hissed, rubbing at his head. “Demons get hangovers?”
Leviathan snorted playfully. “Sometimes.”
He sighed in irritation, squeezing his eyes closed as memories from the night before began to flood him.
The party and the grotesque “food”. The way his head had spun after he’d drunk those sparkly drinks and the female demon that had cornered and touched him… Leviathan showing up the moment he’d called him, his dark eyes full of rage and an aura of death rolling off of him…
The wet sound of a scalp being torn away from bone and the overwhelming scent of blood that had settled throughout the room…
Something stirred in his belly and a different memory surfaced: his tongue meeting Leviathan’s through his blood coated fingers, the sweet taste of the dark liquid settling deep inside him and leaving him feeling hot and tense…
Disgust rolled through him, making him lower his hand to his lap.
Blood.
He’d gotten off to the taste of fucking blood.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
Why did the memory make him feel just as tense and needy as it had last night? And why wasn’t that terrible darkness taking over his mind? Why did it remain nothing more than a hovering shadow? Almost as if it had been him that had liked all those terrible things?
“I can heal it for you.” Leviathan murmured, reaching for his hand. “Give me your–”
“No.” He pulled away and quickly stumbled out of bed, pausing when his legs trembled.
The soreness in his body was nearly overwhelming, an unusual occurrence.
Perhaps Leviathan had made it a habit to heal him after each of their…
sessions. And simply forgotten to last night with the alcohol in this system.
Or whatever that strange drink had been.
He didn’t have the heart to ask right now.
“I’m okay.” He added quickly, seeing Leviathan’s surprise. “I just…need a shower.” He could feel the mess from last night still coating his skin. Sweat, cum and…blood. He flinched away from the knowledge and turned for the bathroom. “You should go to breakfast. I’ll only be a few minutes.”
There was a soft, unnatural breeze and then Leviathan’s arms were winding tightly around his waist, drawing him back against his body. “We’ll shower together.” He murmured in his ear.
“I…I’m not feeling up to…”
A wave of energy poured into him, rushing through his mind and body, erasing the pounding in his head and the aches in his body. Gratitude pulsed through him at the same time the irritation did that his wishes had been ignored again.
“I won’t touch you.” Leviathan promised softly, kissing the back of his neck. “Let’s shower and then we can go to breakfast.”
“Okay.” The word was little more than a whisper.