Page 11 of The Death God
Gregory didn’t touch him, but he could feel the heat of him against his back. Then he ran his other hand over all the sliding latches and door chains. “Want to lock them?” His voice was a rumble next to his ear. A big lump blocked his throat, preventing him from speaking, so he shook his head instead.
“We need to talk about this.”
Talk about what? Gregory had refused to so much as look at him for two months, but now he wanted something. Maybe he wanted that blowjob. He’d turned him down before, but not convincingly, and now he was back. It was a small price to pay to not have to worry about being thrown out on the streets. Deep down, he didn’t think they’d throw him out, or he didn’t think Rufus would, at least. Gregory was a bit more unpredictable. But maybe regular blowjobs would loosen him up some. Or maybe it was payback for Thanatos having swallowed his blood.
Either way, he believed he could live with blowjobs as long as they didn’t get too rough.
On the other hand, Gregory could probably get laid wherever he went. Why would he want Thanatos? Convenience, perhaps. He didn’t have to leave the house to find Thanatos.
“Stop it. I don’t have the best sense of smell in the world, but even I can pick up on panic when I scent it.” He was quiet for a few seconds. “I need you not to panic.”
Thanatos made a short, strangled sound beyond his control. Need him not to panic. Was this panic? He thought he was being pretty resourceful at the moment, not frozen in terror. But it was easier said than done to not get sucked under.
“I won’t hurt you. You need to get it into your head.” He moved away, and Thanatos took a calming breath but didn’t speak.
“Look, we’re gonna live here together. We have to be able to have a conversation, be in the same room without you going all…” There was a rustling of clothes which made Thanatos suspect he made a hand gesture. He turned around so he could watch him.
“You don’t panic when Rufus is in the same room as you.” There was something accusing in his tone that made Thanatos want to placate him before it could grow into something more dangerous, but sometimes people didn’t want to be placated. They wanted to yell and shout and hit. Thanatos believed he got more of it than the others did, most likely because he was always the bearer of bad news. People believed they wanted to know how they’d die, but they didn’t, and they wanted to punish him for making them realize it.
“I’m no scarier than he is. Less scary. He’s Rufus the Dead, grown men pee their pants when they hear about him.”
Thanatos snorted. Rufus might be a well-known assassin, and Thanatos was sure he could be scary, but seeing him dote on Jaki made him a hell of a lot less scary than Gregory.
Gregory was gorgeous, and he knew it. His slightly curly hair gave him a look of innocence. Combined with his high cheekbones and generous lips, he could tempt anyone he wanted to.
He’d seen him flirt with Minerva, for the fun of it, and he had no doubt Gregory was the vampire equivalence of a black widow. He’d lure his prey into his net only to devour them when he’d had his fun.
Rufus was a more you-get-what-you-see kind of guy, and Thanatos appreciated it.
“You snort? You think I’m more dangerous than Rufus?”
“A lot more.”
“What? Why?” He made a face. “I mean, I’m a vampire, so I can be as dangerous as he is, but most people don’t see it.”
“Most people are idiots.”
Gregory barked a laugh. “Right you are, gorgeous.”
Thanatos winced, which had Gregory chuckling, and a glint came to life in his eyes.
“No! Out of my room.” He yanked the door open and gestured for Gregory to leave. Perhaps not the smartest thing to do, but he still had the image of a black widow in his mind.
“What?” Gregory looked stunned.
“Go. If you don’t want me to smell of panic every time you’re near me, then you’ll respect my wishes, and I want you to leave now.” Thanatos’ heart sped up as Gregory watched him.
“What happened?”
Gesturing toward the hallway again, Thanatos more or less hid behind the door.
“I’ll go but tell me what I did.”
Thanatos waved for him to exit, and he went to stand right in the doorway, preventing him from closing the door.
“Tell me.”
“You got the glint in your eye.”
