Page 57 of Unleashing Mayhem
“You think it makes me a bad person,” Matty guessed.
“No, Matteo. I think it makes you human. You’re not a damsel in distress, and you’re not a lost little boy. You’re a grown man, and you have the desires of one. You wouldn’t be the first to lust after power.”
Matty frowned, wondering if he should be offended. “That’s not a very flattering picture.”
Kai shrugged. “Because I imagine it’s not the whole picture, is it? How does his soul feel to you?”
Matty considered the dark presence inside him, that pulsing vortex that was so strange and so familiar at the same time.
“Strong,” he said after a moment, aware that maybe that specific adjective wasn’t helping his case. “And…mysterious. And comforting.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “It’s like—like it’s no wonder I was so scared before, or that life felt so hard. It’s a miracle I was surviving at all, with such a vital piece of me missing.”
Kai let out another long, weary sigh, then slapped his thighs before standing. “He’s not the mate I would have chosen foryou, but it’s done. I’m glad you finally feel safe, Matteo. Between you and Nix…” He let out a mirthless laugh. “Well, I’m no matchmaker.”
“Whowouldyou have chosen for me?” Matty asked, curious despite himself.
“Some steady human, I suppose.” Kai placed his hands on his hips, looking out into the distance again as he considered. “An accountant named Benjamin, perhaps.”
Matty couldn’t help his peal of laughter. “What on earth would I do with an accountant named Benjamin?”
“Probably nothing, I see now.” Kai tilted his head toward the back door. “Come, little chick. Let’s rescue Sascha from your terrifying mate.”
17
Matty
Matty hadn’t realized he’d gotten used to having the house all to himself until suddenly it was full again.
In reality, Matty hadn’t even had an entire week on his own before Nightmare had appeared, but so much had changed since then that it felt like ages ago since he’d had housemates to contend with.
So it was an odd sort of relief to be wrapped in a fuzzy blanket on his own bed, cuddled up to his demon asScreamplayed on the TV Sascha had gotten for him.
Nightmare was half-reclined against the headboard, and Matty was lying on his side, resting his head on Nightmare’s stomach.
And they were alone. Finally.
Although, first they’d had to kick Chaos out of Matty’s bedroom—apparently he’d sneaked in and hidden under the bed. Nightmare had found him immediately and tossed him out, despite his screeching protests. (“But a nightmare demonmating is incredibly rare! You’re depriving me of novel entertainment!”)
Nightmare hadn’t even tried to paralyze the mischievous demon, so maybe he was just as worn out from company as Matty was.
Things had been…tense between Nightmare and the other residents. Not terrible, but not exactly a light and fluffy reunion either.
“Is it really so rare?” Matty asked now, thinking back to what Chaos had said. “A nightmare demon bonding with a mate?”
“Mm,” Nightmare confirmed. “We are not ones for the touch of others.”
“But you likemytouch?” Matty clarified.
“Yes, sweet,” Nightmare rasped, his voice a little rougher than usual.
It was a good thing Nightmare liked Matty’s touch, because Matty had been groping Nightmare pretty shamelessly for the last twenty minutes. He’d meant to be on better behavior—there were so many people around, and Matty wasn’t really any good at staying quiet when he and Nightmare got intimate—but his cuddling position made it so easy to fondle. And it wasfun. Nightmare’s cock was kind of like an erotic stress ball, hardening or twitching depending on how Matty brushed or kneaded it. And he got special pleasure in finding the spongy head and massaging it through Nightmare’s pants, listening to Nightmare’s breaths quicken above him.
It was hard to stick to just fondling though.
Now Matty worked on undoing the ties of Nightmare’s pants, plucking and rearranging the fabric until Nightmare’s cock was mostly freed. It was fully hard now, the black veins bulging. Maybe Matty really had been teasing him.
“Are you having fun, sweet?” Nightmare asked, amusement lacing his roughened tone.
“Yeah.” Matty craned his head up to catch a glimpse of Nightmare’s glowing white eyes. “Are you?”
