Page 9 of Pity the Living, Not the Dead

“Yes, I’m not one for wasted space or separation of areas. Quite the opposite from England, where every room is its own with walls and a door.” When I designed this home, I made sure every square inch had a purpose and the view wasn’t blocked by unnecessary drywall.

“Something smells wonderful,” Liam said, breathing in the heavenly scents.

“Thank you. That would be dinner.” I turned the oven off, removing everything I had warming in there when I left to pick him up.

“You just keep amazing me, Elijah.” He smiled.

I winked, causing a blush to cover his cheeks. “I aim to please.” I went to the iPad on the counter, selected the music app, and chose the artist Andrea Bocelli to play through the piped-in surround sound. His powerful voice filled the space as I closed my eyes, allowing him to calm the unease I was experiencing at Liam’s presence in my private residence.This is right, Elijah. You can feel it in your bones.

“Can I help with anything?” Liam’s voice drew me back.

I placed my lips to his. “Why don’t you pour the wine? We can eat before we finish the rest of the tour.” The table was already set. I filled the plates, setting one on each placemat.

“Please,” I gestured to Liam’s plate, “dig in.”

“My god, Elijah. This food is divine,” Liam moaned as he sampled each of my creations. The sensual sounds had my cock twitching.

“Ahem.” I cleared my throat and then my mind of the erotic musings his pleasurable moans triggered. “Thank you.”

“Your investments must do very well,” Liam said, taking a sip of his wine, “given your house and car collection.”

“I’ve made wise decisions over the years.”

As soon as Liam finished eating, he got up and gathered the dishes. “Thank you for dinner.”

‘You are very welcome, but you don’t need to clean up. I can get this later.”

“You cooked. I clean. That’s the deal.” Liam’s reply left no room for argument. “That’s the rule at our house. Mom cooks, the kids clean.” I didn’t argue but assisted with the domestic endeavor, working alongside Liam as we placed the dishes in the dishwasher.

“Come.” I extended my hand to him when we finished. “I’m Elijah, and I’ll be your personal tour guide tonight. As you can see, the kitchen leads into the dining and living areas.” Liam’s shy giggle made my foolish attempt at humor more than worth it. “With a flick of your wrist,” I said, sliding the wall of glass open to the exterior, “you gain more space, thus bringing the outside in. Our outdoor area has a stunning view of the mountainside.” I was rather proud of this feature. The minimal lighting I had installed was just enough to give one a glimpse in the dark of night. The woodland creatures that resided outside the walls separating man from animal were numerous. Nights such as this one, when I had no time to go into town to dine, I would partake in hunting the plentiful wildlife. I treated the animals with the same respect I did humans, with every intent to not take a life in order to sustain mine.

“Elijah, this is amazing. Is that a deer I see?” he asked, excitedly pointing at a pair of eyes covertly watching us from between the pines.

“That it is, love. The animal population in this area is plentiful.” Liam shivered beside me. “Are you cold? Let’s go back inside.”

We continued our pilgrimage up to the second floor. The upstairs rooms were split by a central catwalk. One side held three spare rooms, while the other was the master suite. Why I insisted upon having extra bedrooms I couldn’t tell you. “This is my room,” I said as he entered my private bed chamber. There was another bedroom downstairs that mirrored the master but with slightly less square footage.

“This is the size of an average house, Elijah.”

Unable to hold back any longer, I threw caution to the wind, advancing on him as he stood in my darkened, windowless room, eyeing it curiously. This wing of the house was built into the mountainside, with only one way in or out and no chance for daylight to find its way in. The single wall that separated the rest of the house from it was reinforced with seven inches of Kevlar and its door was the same. Full protection while I slept. It was, in essence, a panic room. A door hidden in the back of my closet led to a security room where I could see intruders inside the house or out on the property via a wall of monitors. Triggers and cameras were strategically located across the acreage to set off silent alarms, all of which were tied into apps on the many electronic devices I owned. There were even enough emergency provisions stored inside a refrigerator in there to sustain me for well over a month.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you hated the sun.” Liam turned, and there I stood. “How, how’d you get this close so quietly? So…stealthily?”

“There are many things you don’t know about me, Liam, and might not understand,” I whispered in his ear. His heart rate sped up, a beautiful sound only I could hear.

“Are you afraid of me, Liam?”

He struck a defiant pose, but I knew otherwise. His pounding pulse gave him away. He was terrified.

“No, no,” he shakily replied.

“You should be.”

“How did you? Why did you?” I stumbled, taking a step back, but Elijah stayed right beside me. His steady hand gripped my forearm, holding me in place before I hit the floor.

“What are you thinking, Liam? Tell me.” Elijah growled and I trembled.

“Whoareyou?” I asked, not sure I really wanted to hear the answer.

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