Page 32 of Devour

Honestly surprised the water worked, but I supposed someone dumping water over one’s head, holy or secular, could break the concentration needed for nudging. Either that, or Bill really felt the need to cheat on his wife.

“Stop possessing my parishioners, and I won’t feel the need to intervene.”

Rhory rolled his eyes.

“I mean it. He’s married,” I said with emphasis. “It’s one thing for you not to know. Now you know. Don’t do it again.”

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.”

Outwardly, I smiled. Inwardly, I warned him I’d drag him out of here by the collar if necessary.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Rhory purred.

“You’re hungry.”

“I’m fine.” Not fine. Very clearly not fine. Growly and squirmy while his eyes raked across me with unfettered want, yet he refused to move from his stool.

I couldn’t figure out why he’d lie to me, and it only irritated me further. “Where have you been?” I finally asked him.

“Are you going to keep me on a leash?” Rhory cocked his head and smiled at me.

I’d attach it to your collar if I thought it would do any good.

Rhory shifted in his seat, and the only thing I could compare it to would be the wiggle a cat made before pouncing.

“Ready to cooperate?”

Furious nodding.

“Very good.”

I walked away without having to look back. Even if he didn’t know where I intended to go, he would tune in and find out. Rhory didn’t go the subtle route, and I heard him follow along only a few steps behind me.

Considering the crowd tonight, I opted for the second exit at the back of the building. Mostly dark, and since the staff parked their cars over here, also quiet. As soon as the door closed, I slipped a finger through the ring on his collar and yanked him so close our faces were almost touching.

Rhory’s eyelashes fluttered and a dreamy smile crossed his face. “You were worried.”

“Yes.” Even if I didn’t want to admit it.

“And you missed me.”

Also yes, but I wouldn’t confess that one out loud. Not having him around bothered me much more than I ever thought it would. Possibly because he was the one who up and disappeared on me. If he weren’t clinging to me now, I might not believe he cared at all. Then again, he still wanted to eat me. Why couldn’t I remind myself of that sooner?

Rhory brought his body closer, pressing me back against the cold exterior of the building and gripping my jacket with one hand. His movements seemed unusually indecisive, only that he didn’t want me getting away from him. That much has always been clear.

An eager gasp cut through the silence of the night before Rhory committed and leaned forward for a deep inhale. The cold air puffed like smoke around us once he finally exhaled. His grip on me loosened and his arms coiled around me like a hug. Then he just stood there and—oh, this was actually a hug. Standing there with him amid the darkness, doing and saying nothing, warmed my heart a smidge. While we leaned into each other, I slid my hand up the length of his back and stopped at his nape.

Rhory stayed put against me for another long inhale after that, which wasn’t exactly like him. Rhory leisurely paced himself as if at a Sunday dinner. Despite how content he appeared now, he never took his time and chewed, so to speak.

Rhory must’ve picked up on the last part of that thought because his nose grazed my neck while he mumbled into my shirt, “I wanna bite you so bad.”

Go ahead.

His teeth sunk into the fabric near the collar, not tear-out-a-literal-chunk hard or even enough to break skin, but I still felt it. Quite a bit. Rhory’s grip on me tightened with his next inhale, making me painfully aware of how easy him hurting me could be. Even though he could at any moment, I knew he wouldn’t. Not yet, at least. In a perverse way, that kept me safer than anyone else around him. I could never say never, but knowing when that moment would come made me invulnerable, for now.

And I’d never seen him so starved. Rhory pressed his entire body against mine and I slatted a thigh between his legs while Rhory thrust his hips forward in a continuous roll. He didn’t unhinge his jaw, and the pressure was just painful enough for me to not get any kind of pleasure from his movement, which was sort of the point. Even him rubbing himself against my bent leg wasn’t a sufficient distraction.

After one more steady inhale from him, I moved my hand up into his silky hair, which I missed threading through my fingers. Not as much as I missed him, though. And I had missed him, so much so, nothing felt right without him. Life had doomed me long before he came along and crashed into my existence. Didn’t matter that he would be the death of me. Didn’t matter if he made me want what I couldn’t have. I missed him from the moment he disappeared and craved his presence the entire time.

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