Page 32 of My Saintly Demon

Mike rises with his cup, placing it in the sink next to us. “Once you two get sorted this morning, find me in my room. X can show you where it is. If you’re going to stay here, you’ll need to know a few things.”

Before either of us can answer, he vanishes.

“I’ll never get used to that,” Charles says as he stirs sugar into his coffee. “So, X, did you have a good night?”

“Not as good as you, but I sure did.”

Charles pauses and glances at me.

“He watched us. Outside.”

Charles flushes and looks away. “Uh, sorry about that.”

Laughing, X rises and with a wave of his hand, he makes the remaining items on the table reappear on the kitchen counter.

“Don’t be. I’m going to put dinner on in the slow cooker. You two can go about your business.”

I motion for Charles to follow me to the sitting room off the kitchen, and we settle onto a love seat near the largest stone fireplace ever created. Once seated, I wiggle and stretch to scratch a persistent itch on my back.

“Can you scratch my back? I just can’t get the right spot and it’s been irritating me all morning.”

Charles sets his cup down, and with both hands, he chases after the itch. It feels good but yet never quite goes away.

“Maybe it’s the soap from the shower and you have sensitive skin?”

“Could be. I’m sensitive apparently, so might as well have sensitive skin to match.”

There’s a heavy silence sitting with us and Charles fiddles with the hem of his shirt. My back still itches but I ignore it, focusing on Charles, and with a finger I tilt his chin towards me. His green eyes are stormy, like he has his own internal battle going on, just like I do.

“Before we go see Mike, I need to say something.”

He nods, licking his lips, and my gaze focuses on how they shine with saliva.

“I laid awake last night after we fucked on the patio. There were a lot of things I had to sort. One of them was why I was claiming you when I knew I only had seven days.”

“Five now,” he whispers.

“Right. Five more days of casual sex for you because you’re discovering all these things about yourself. Five more days of me hoping you drink less and don’t smoke too much because it lowers your inhibitions. Five more days of me having to watch other men hit on you. Five more days of me not knowing…” I pause, licking my suddenly dry lips. “Of me knowing I only have days and not years.”

“Dave, I… I don't even know what’s happening to me. I woke up because I had sex with someone who grows horns and I liked it. I loved being naked outside!” He laughs and pulls his head back, gazing down at his trembling fingers. “I felt guilty for the first time last night that I.. that I broke my vows to be this person who wallows in whatever debasing acts possible. I felt free, but I also felt trapped. Because I can’t go back, Dave. And you’ll be gone in five days. I can’t move forward past your time with me. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”

When he raises his eyes to mine, I can’t meet them.

Because I don’t know what to do either.

The handbook mentions nothing about what happens if you’re the one choosing not to return.

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

CHARLES

Mike’s room is a suite, much like the one Dave and I are sharing. A bed to one side with a sitting area on the other and a large ensuite with a walk-in closet. The door was open, and he called for us to enter after Dave lightly tapped on the door.

After our conversation in the sitting room, neither of us knew what we should say and instead of trying to work out what it all meant for us, we wordlessly agreed to get over to Mike’s room instead.

“So, Mike, I’m thankful for your hospitality, but if me being here is an issue, I can leave. X mentioned humans aren’t welcome when we arrived and I don’t want to upset anything.”

Mike leans forward, elbows on his knees, and sighs.

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