Page 37 of Controller's Obsession

Peni looked at the hand, and then down at Merihem’s naked… legs. Yes, it was the legs. Nothing else to see, nope, nope, nope. Peni wasn’t going to get distracted. He was just looking at the legs. He waited. His mate was intuitive.

“Peni? Peni. Did you have more questions?” Nope, not intuitive. Confused.

Tapping his toe on the soft rug under his foot, which didn’t make the necessary noise he needed, Peni sighed instead. If his eyes were lasers, Merihem’s legs would have holes in them.

“What are you looking at?” Merihem looked down in the same direction as Peni’s gaze. “Did I miss a bit of cum? No. I got it all. What’s wrong with my legs?”

“Really? What’s wrong with them?” Peni glared at his mate’s face. “I can see them.” He waited, but Merihem was still looking at him with that sweet, confused expression that only a ruggedly handsome man could give. “If I can see your legs, then other people can see your legs.”

“I’m going to be in demon form when I speak to the king,” Merihem said slowly.

“And your demon form is going to be wearing pants when he stands in front of other people who have eyes, I assume?”

Peni could see the “no” hovering on Merihem’s tongue, but then his mate straightened and sighed. “It will likely be unbearably uncomfortable, but my demon will wear pants while we’re out. Just for you,” he added, clearly thinking Peni wouldn’t get the point.

“Thank you. You do that, and then we’ll go.” Time for a smile. Merihem didn’t need to know Peni was terrified of meeting a royal person—a royal demon. Nope. If his demon could overcome the habits of a lifetime and wear pants, Peni could bury his fear and meet the personage with his head held high.

The demon realm wasn’t what Peni expected. For one thing, he was glad Merihem had magicked him up a coat. Looking around the bleak hall, with its super high ceilings and the tall columns made of gray stone—a color theme—that was everywhere Peni looked. “Is this a castle?”

“It is Asmodeus’s waiting room. I suppose you would call it a castle on the earth realm.” Merihem was in his demon form, and Peni had to bend his neck back even further than usual to see his demon’s face.

“They don’t believe in chairs?” Peni dropped the demon’s finger he’d been holding and turned in a full circle. There wasn’t a single table or chair anywhere. There also weren’t any pictures or windows. Just stone as far as the eye could see. Everything felt big, gray, and harsh. The only break in the stone walls and columns was a set of giant black curved doors that were covered in elaborate carvings depicting scenes Peni didn’t want to examine too closely. They reminded him of activities he’d gotten forced to see when he lived at home.

“Our king doesn’t like for his demons to think this is a place they can just hang out and spend time in. He values his privacy and only sees demons for important matters.”

“Were we meant to make an appointment?” Peni couldn’t hear anything except his own heartbeat.

“Asmodeus knows we’re here.” The demon’s chuckle was so much deeper than Merihem’s, but Peni felt there was a touch of nervousness there as well. He curled his hand around Merihem’s finger again, giving it a comforting squeeze.

“Is there…” A bleat fell out unbidden as the huge doors slammed open. The demon standing there filled the doorway—he was that big. His horns were longer than Merihem’s, his shoulders wider, his legs stronger, and yes, Asmodeus was wearing pants. But the lighting glistened on the demon’s chest muscles, causing them to shimmer like Peni imagined dragon skin might do.

“Merihem and personage. Interesting. Enter.”

A demon of few words. Peni could appreciate that. He bit his own tongue, not wanting to suddenly start rambling—something he was prone to do when he was nervous. Everything about Asmodeus was intimidating.

As he strode across the floor, Peni noticed the bigger demon was graceful. There was no lumbering in those strides. Asmodeus turned and sat on a golden throne that had deep red cushions, likely there to stop the royal butt from falling asleep during meetings.

“Sit.” He waved a finger at a couple of chairs that suddenly appeared in front of the stage the throne was on.

“Many thanks, sir.” Merihem’s demon bowed his head, and then a large hand ushered Peni towards the seats. Peni perched himself on the edge of the hard wood—no cushions for visitors, he noticed, although Merihem remained standing.

“Sir, Gebre has caused grievance against my blissful one, and I have come to seek permission to deal with him in accordance with our laws.”

The words were strong and respectful, but rather than ask questions or anything, which Peni thought a king might do, Asmodeus chuckled.

“You are that intent on your vengeance, you don’t think to introduce me to the person by your side first?”

Merihem clearly wasn’t expecting that. “Sir, my apologies. I did not wish to waste any of your valuable time. This is Peni, a pygmy goat shifter and my blissful one. We have claimed each other.”

“I’m aware.” Asmodeus got up, came down the steps, and knelt in front of Peni’s chair, studying him intently. Up close, the man’s power was overpowering, yet Peni didn’t feel there was any threat coming from the demon.At least my goats claimed now and not trying to lick those horns.Although his cheeks flushed as Asmodeus chuckled again.My gods, can he read my thoughts?

“How did you and my demon meet, little one?”

Glancing up at Merihem’s demon—his demon wasn’t showing any emotion—Peni looked back at the king. “I was cleaning Mr. Dakata’s house, Your Kingship, and Merihem came to stay. He chased me around the kitchen and my goat told me we were mates.”

“Ah, yes. Something I learned recently. Shifters refer to their blissful ones as mates, don’t they?”

Peni nodded. It was difficult to meet Asmodeus’s eyes. “Merihem explained the words might be different, but the bonds are the same.”

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