Page 4 of Dead Air
“More!” Niall tugged his shaft, his frantic breaths as loud as thunder in the silent cabin. He dropped the loofah and searched the bottom of the tub before locating his glass dildo.
How did that get in there?
Cenn must have been distracted by Niall’s bare ass and his dancing and had missed when the glass dick was dropped into the tub. It had Cenn’s undivided attention as Niall lifted it to his lips and covered it in slow, greedy licks. He sucked on the head and pushed it in and out of his mouth, moaning as he jerked himself faster.
Was Cenn being mocked? He didn’t appreciate the irony and cast the tape player a caustic glare as “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars played.
There was a long, throaty moan as cum leaked from his fist but Niall continued to suck and gag around the dildo. He grabbed the edge of the tub again and Cenn hurried along the wall to the other corner so he could see as Niall reached behind him. A wavering moan filled the room and Cenn forbade himself from getting any closer, afraid he’d break and maul Niall as the end of the dildo pushed into his ass.
“That’s it, lumberdaddy! Split me open like a dirty little log!”
Indeed.
Thankfully, Niall had given Cenn a virtual checklist and a map to follow to his heart and his loins. But if Cenn was being completely transparent, he wasn’t entirely sure if he was demonenoughto fulfill Niall’s carnal needs.
“Harder!”he ordered as the hand with the dildo worked in and out of Niall’s hole. He was fast and rough with himself, spitting out his own cache of soft swear words. He muttered things like “sugar” and “flick” and “heck,” blushing as if he’d said “shit” and “fuck” and “hell” and making Cenn melt for his precious Niall.
“Oh, flick, flick, flick!” Niall squeaked out as he came again, dropping onto his knees and slumping over the side of the tub.
Instead of scooping him up and carrying him to bed, Cenn bided his time as Niall gave his hair and his limbs a quick scrub with his homemade soap and rinsed. Cenn watched from his corner while Niall rose and stumbled out of the tub, wrapping himself in an old terry robe before crashing onto his bed. Niall opened a dog-eared copy ofA Psalm For The Wild-Built—a cherished gift from DeeDee—but gave up and turned down the camping lamp on his bedside table after a few minutes.
“I’ve had enough adventure for one night,” he mumbled drowsily, chuckling softly as he plumped up his pillow and gave his shoulders one last wiggle, letting his thoughts settle.
His conscience was clear and light so it wasn’t long before Niall drifted off to sleep, a contented smile curving his lips. He looked so happy and warm, tempting Cenn to finally touch him. The gentle snores that wafted from Niall’s lips lured Cenn closer and he listened for a hint of his dreams. Chirping birds and a rain-swollen creek could be heard faintly as Niall hummed and mumbled about a family of skunks and a mama bear and her adorable cubs.
“Sleep…” Cenn whispered as softly as a breeze, lulling Niall deeper into his peaceful, pastoral dream. “Sleep and let your soul be at ease.”
One day, if Cenn prevailed, he would relieve Niall of that precious, perfect soul. It would be a terrible shame and would probably haunt Cenn in ways he had yet to fathom. But Cenn had made a deal and Hugh Dùbhghlas’s evil, ugly soul was too big and powerful to leave for a lesser demon to take.
Cenn would have them both, but he would handle Niall with great care and give him as much pleasure and joy as possible before the end. Not because Cenn was enthralled with the beautiful and ridiculously wholesome human, mind you, but because Niall didn’t deserve to be a pawn in a mystical feud. It was only right that Niall should have a little fun and experience something like love before his soul was condemned to an eternity of damnation and torment.
He might have been a demon, but Cenn didn’t like it when innocent mortals were collateral damage. Those unbartered, unblemished souls were destined for the Otherworld, adding to the radiant peace and lighting the way for other good souls. Once a soul reached the Otherworld, it was out of Cenn’s reach forever.
His hand hovered over Niall’s cheek but Cenn didn’t dare touch him yet. He coveted all souls the way bees craved and collected nectar. But once Cenn touched a soul, it imprinted upon him and he would never be able to rest until it was his. Once he touched Niall, there was no going back. Nothing would suffice unless Cenn owned every particle of Niall’s body and his soul.
Every new target became an obsession until Cenn got what he wanted. But for the first time in his entire existence as a demon, Cenn was vulnerable and sensed thathecould fail. Because of a soft-spoken forest ranger who dreamed about birds, skunks, and baby bears, no less.
Four
The sound of the phone ringing stirred Niall from a beautiful dream. He was enjoying a picnic in the small meadow on the Upper West Ridge with a sexy, bearded stranger. Reluctantly, Niall forced his eyes open and rolled from the bed, jogging to the phone hanging by the door. He picked up the receiver, coughing to clear his throat.
“This is Summit 2.”
“Heya, Niall! It’s DeeDee. Just wanted to let you know that some volunteers are headed up your way and are planning to set up camp just west of you, at Blue Sky Vista.”
“I’m getting new neighbors?” Niall cheered. His section of the park was still closed because it wasn’t unusual to have snow in April and chilly temperatures through March. Some sections of the trail were icy or needed more maintenance than Niall could handle on his own. Teams of three or four volunteers were permitted to hike and camp different parts of closed trails, helping to clear obstacles and inspect facilities for a weekend at a time. “I’ll keep an eye out for them.”
“Awesome. Oh, I almost forgot! You’ve got another new neighbor. He came in yesterday afternoon, a few hours after youwere here. His name is Dr. Curn and one of the universities got a permit for him to study our salamanders for a few months. He’s supposed to be setting up shop just below you, in the glade by marker 172.”
“I know that spot. And I just put out some ‘Sensitive Resources’ signs a few days ago because I found some salamanders after the last storm. I’ll swing by and see if I can help.”
“You do that!” DeeDee said, a little too insistently for Niall’s comfort.
“Okay… I will?”
“Make sure you call and let us know howthatgoes.”
“Why? Is he weird? Am I going to want to disinfect the forest after he leaves?”
