Page 20 of Devour

“True,” he confirmed. “And it wouldn’t work out even if we did, which would also ruin the friendship.”

“Yeah, you’re both tops, so that relationship would’ve been a bitch to maintain.”

“Is this your attempt at comforting me?” He tried his very best to sound annoyed, but the amusement rang loud and clear.

“More or less. You can always count on me to state the obvious, mostly because I already know what everyone is thinking. Oversharing is my specialty.”

He hummed. Tried to sound annoyed again. Not annoyed. “Do you feel better, at least?”

I nodded.

“Not a total loss, then.”

Well, I’d befriended a demon. Had to admit, I did not see that one coming—not in a million years. To call Rhory a demon wasn’t exactly fair, though. Did he function like a traditional demon? Somewhat, yes. He fed off people, and his methods were questionable at best. Yet, by his own admission, he existed as an entity outside of any religion and he was no more good nor evil than any other living creature. Did he have some semblance of morality? Yes. He understood and respected consent. He prided himself on being honest—to fault. And from what I could see, he never went out of his way to cause harm. If anything, he frequently sought to do the exact opposite. And while his sense of self-control seemed minuscule in comparison to mine, he possessed some.

Like any other human, Rhory had wants, instead of being entirely driven by animalistic needs. The more I got to know him, the more my interest peaked. Imagine the getting-to-know-you phase of a new relationship, but instead of inquiring about another person’s likes and dislikes, I attempted to learn about a being that existed outside of humanity’s realm of knowledge.

Rhory could be deceptively human, so much so I often forgot he wasn’t. From what I saw, he looked human, but admittedly, I only ever saw him clothed. Or I should say, mostly clothed. His sense of style remained steadfast all year long, meaning he didn’t let something as simple as the weather determine his clothing choices. Rhory being Rhory, he didn’t feel the need to spare details whenever I asked.

“Don’t you ever get cold?” I asked, lingering on his choice of clothing, or lack thereof. Perhaps the first of many questions I’d asked him last winter when he showed up at my door with more skin exposed than covered. The man was single-handedly trying to bring back the male crop top trend. Snow be damned.

“Not really. Wouldn’t say I’m immune to cold or heat but not as sensitive as you. I’m almost always warm.”

Clearly, some physiological differences. Next question. “What about pain?”

A very obvious “duh” expression met with a matching gesture of his hand.

“Also at a higher tolerance?”

“Probably? But that varies from person to person, too.”

“What could kill you?” Not that I would use that to my advantage, but I remained considerably vulnerable in comparison. Rhory had assured me previously that humans carried a built-in defense mechanism, and much like most of evolution, our fear kept us alive. Since fear tainted a feed, it kept his kind from bingeing us like at a buffet. My fascination outweighed my fear, and I liked to think Rhory indulged me in exchange for me doing the same for him.

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be talking to you.” A very fangy grin spread across his face.

“What can’t kill you?”

“Almost everything that can kill you.”

For someone who loved to over-share, Rhory could be frustratingly vague when he desired. While annoying, I supposed I would get bored if he made things too easy for me. Being a brat was part of his charm.

“How do you afford anything?” I asked another time, when I noticed he never seemed to work or have any commitments.

“Budgeting, I guess? I don’t have many expenses.”

“Your prophylactic expenditure must be astronomical,” I teased.

“Immune to human diseases. And I mean all human diseases.” His smile only emphasized his words.

“Demon diseases?”

“No such thing.” He shrugged. “Don’t really spend time together to spread any. Or maybe we’re just naturally antiseptic.”

“So, no demonic STDs?” I laughed.

“We don’t have sex with each other,” he quickly dismissed with a hearty laugh.

“Like as a matter of principle or…?”

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