Page 21 of Controller's Obsession

“Are you even listening to me?” Christa snapped, drawing his attention to the stunning woman, eyeing him funnily. “You’ve a dopey look on your face. What’s with you?”

She glanced at Scott who remained poised waiting for them to continue, nothing about his expression gave away his thoughts. “There’s something up with him, you see it?”

Scott remained silent.

Christa huffed, fluffing her hair. “Demons!”

“You do know you are one?” Merihem pointed out, amused. Then he got a sharp unexpected tug in the center of his chest. He gasped, and his demon side became alert.

Peni.

Peni.

They said together.

They were up and out of the chair so fast it fired back and hit the wall. Dust bloomed in the air, but in the blink of an eye, they were inside Dakata’s home.

His demon emerged as they stood and listened in the hallway, sensing where their blissful one was. Then they heard screeching, “I took your sorry ass in when no one else would even look at you, and this is how you repay me?” The sound of whacking followed, and then painful whimpers.

Naked, roaring, his demon in an absolute fury like they’d never experienced before—and that was saying something—they ran in the direction of the sounds.

Their eyes narrowed on the horror who dared to hit their blissful one with a large bag while he cowered in pain and fear on the floor. Any reason, calm or negotiation skills left for the demon realm as Merihem’s two halves were in total agreement. His enormous fist reached for the woman and with a muttering of an incantation—one he shouldn’t use because he was no longer Controller, but he couldn’t give two flying fucks right then—hesent her to hell. Death was too easy for her when he could see the bruises forming right in front of his eyes on Peni’s pale skin.

“You came,” Peni whisper-sobbed.

Their hands were shaking with the adrenaline and the need to punch something. They took a breath, then another before they could get their lips to work. “Always,” he rasped.

Peni bleated and jumped up and on him. The unexpected move had them land hard on their tailbone to catch him. He nestled his face right into the crook of Merihem’s demon's neck, kissing the bounding pulse rocketing against the skin. “You came,” he said again, hot breath brushing over his sensitive skin that burned from the rage. “No one’s ever protected me before.” His tiny arms clutched at his neck. Awe, it came at them in a massive dollop and would have knocked them right back onto their ass if they’d been standing when the hot lips repeatedly kissed his neck.

A lump developed in Merihem’s throat at the emotions Peni wasn’t shy about sharing. The anger drained away as he held on to their blissful one, inhaling the scent of cleaning products and Peni’s sweet smell. “I’ll always come. Nothing would stop me, not even death.”

Peni shuddered, and the lips stilled. “No talk of death, okay?” His head popped back and the bruising and swelling to the left eye, along with the mark on his cheek, brought back the fury. “What did you do to Mrs. Danials?”

Merihem growled at thoughts of going to Hell and—

“Oh, dear, what did you do?” Peni’s work-roughened palms slid from around his neck to cup his cheeks. “She was awful, no doubt… but…”

“Awful. She hit my blissful one.” His finger trembled—and he had no shame about that when it came to Peni—while he traced the delicate, puffy skin by his teary eye. “Awful doesn’t even come close to what she is.” Except Merihem wasn’t going to say what he thought aloud, his little goat didn’t need to hear those obscenities.

“She was upset you fired her,” Peni explained as they wiped a tear off his cheek. “It’s all my fault.”

With their heart slamming against their ribs at the glistening eyes, they came forward, and their forehead’s touched. The size difference made it hard not to overpower Peni, but they tried. “She deserved it. Because she is nothing but a thief and a liar. She took advantage of you. You are not to take the blame for that.”

Peni got that thoughtful expression, the one that said he was thinking before answering, so they waited and took comfort from the closeness.

We should never have left him. See, my idea about him sitting on our lap would have prevented this from happening.

Shut up.

His demon side was struggling to not agree, Merihem felt it.We need to find a solution to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Agreed.

“You’re right. She had no right to hit me.” Peni’s smooth forehead rubbed against theirs. They got a hard blast of feels at the gesture. “But you didn’t answer my question. What did you do with her?” His eyes searched Merihem’s, looking for what they weren’t sure.

“Sent her to hell so she can join those who enjoy playing hard and loose with their thoughts and fists. See how she enjoys that.”

He bleat-squealed, and Merihem’s demon grinned widely at the approval of their goat.

---