Page 4 of Controller's Obsession

But that was then, and this was now.Do you think he’ll go out again soon?Peni could hear the demon rampaging through the house. It was a wonder someone didn’t call the police for all the roaring going on.I’ve still got the study to clean, and it has to be close to four by now. I was looking forward to putting my feet up tonight and starting a new book.

You have to go in there and talk to him. He’s our mate.

There was that word again.

Peni sighed, although when a goat did that, it was more like a huff. A huff with a bit of lip flutter because goats could definitely be cute.Why do you keep calling him our mate?With his animal side, it was best to ask than assume. His goat form was tiny, but he was a determined beastie.

Because he is.

There was an example of the stubbornness. No explanation, just stating the most life-changing thing Peni could ever experience ever, as a fact.

I thought demons didn’t have mates. They don’t believe in them.

They don’t call them that, but they have to have them because that one is ours.

Cleaning fluids. His goat’s attitude had to be from working with too many cleaning fluids.Mate or not,Peni couldn’t even think about that right now,there’s a mushroom pasta waiting for us in our little chiller. It only needs five minutes in the microwave. And remember, I bought brownies for dessert. Plus, we have three new books from the library waiting for us. A perfect evening, in other words.

You wouldn’t be spending time with books or a mushroom pasta if you just went in to speak to our mate. Seriously, I want to see if I left hoof marks…

On his balls, I know.Peni was grateful he could have conversations with his animal half. Not all paranormals wereblessed like he was, and Peni was aware of how lonely his existence would be without his other half. It’s not like he had any friends. But he sometimes wondered who was in charge of their shared form.Do you think I could sneak back in there and grab my stuff from the kitchen?

Yes. Yes. Let’s go back inside and get your stuff.

Hmm. His goat was too eager.I’ll go on two feet so I can pick my things up.Peni decided he wouldn’t put it past his goat side to deliberately run up to the demon and pull a fainting act.

It’s called a swoon. You have to admit he’s swoon-worthy. He is. He is.

Peni shifted and then immediately glanced around. Shifter or not, he hated being naked outdoors. Or indoors. Or anywhere, really. He saw too much of that when he’d lived at home. Tiptoeing across the lawn, he opened the window into the basement and slipped inside. It was a bit of a jump down, but Peni was used to it.

Now, to work out where the demon was. Unlike the modern interior of the house, the stairs up into the main house were proper old and made of rickety wood. It was one of the reasons Peni believed that made him safe down in the space he’d created for himself. Anyone bigger than a hundred pounds would likely snap the wooden boards as soon as they stepped on them.

Making sure to avoid the boards that creaked, even under his weight, Peni crept up to the door and put his ear against it.In Dakata’s house, the door to the basement they’d hidden in another cupboard—a big one in the laundry that backed onto the kitchen. Perfect for Peni to sneak in and out of if the owner of the house came home unexpectedly. That had only happened the once, but Peni had been so grateful for his escape route.

He had to be careful stepping into the cupboard. He kept his bucket and mops in there, and they would make a noise if he knocked them over. Cupping his hands over his cock and balls, Peni leaned against the cupboard door. All he could hear was his heart pounding.Now is not the time to faint.

A door slamming made him jump. Except as he listened, Peni realized the demon had left the house.That’s my cue.Pushing open the cupboard door, Peni tiptoed in double time through the laundry and into the kitchen, so grateful to see his clothes in a heap on the floor.And my headphones, yes!

Grabbing up his things, Peni eyed the discarded cloth he’d been using to clean the counter. It wasn’t in his nature to leave it there, so he quickly scooped that up, too, whisking a clean cloth from the drawer and folding it, putting it on the edge of the kitchen sink. He threw the dirty one in the washtub in the laundry on his way back to the basement.

“I did it,” Peni whispered as he was finally behind the basement door again. He made his way carefully down the stairs, and then had a thought, and dashed back up the stairs and slid across the bolt. He didn’t like the idea of being locked in anywhere, but at least he’d have some warning if anyone was trying to get down to the patch of the basement he called home.

“Pasta and books. Pasta and books.” Peni liked to put on his small television that he’d got from a thrift shop in the evenings. He kept the sound low, especially if Dakata was home. But as his current demon problem had turned up when most people were at work, Peni didn’t dare risk it. “Let’s get this pasta cooked before he comes home.”

You should talk to him.

He’s not home,and Peni might have felt a bit smug. There was nothing his goat could expect him to do about that. With luck, by the time Dakata or that other big demon came back, Peni would be asleep, and in the morning, everything would be back to normal.

Please let everything go back to normal.

Chapter Three

Merihem

His mad tearing around the house had done nothing to calm his demon half, in fact, if anything, he was starting to stress the neighbors would call the cops and have him arrested. They stilldid that on earth, and Merihem did not want to be locked in a cage after everything else his day had brought him.

Calm the fuck down.

Find him.

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