Page 70 of Devour

Maybe, but that icky feeling I sometimes got from being rendered defunct only partially explained the pit forming in my gut. This was more than watching some guy leaning closer and talking to Rhory over at the bar. The other guy bothered me, but not without cause. If only they could hear what I had, they’d agree with me.

My favorite demon might have lived longer than documented existence, but he looked like a perpetual twenty-something. And admittedly, he acted like one, too. Which meant he went from appearing the oldest in our group to now the youngest, but no one commented on his anti-aging ability. Must be impressive genes.

The silver fox at the bar should not be flirting with what appeared to be a drunk and alone twenty-something, but that didn’t encompass what bothered me. From the moment he walked in, something about him, or how he acted, caught Rhory’s attention. Something that elicited a negative physical response, even from me. Rhory left us to go to the bar only moments after the older guy arrived. That made me even more uneasy. The snippets of their conversation I caught while listening did nothing to make that unease go away.

Can you hear what this guy is thinking?

Yes, but also no. I couldn’t tune into people’s minds like Rhory could, but I could hear Rhory thinking about whatever he heard while reading someone else’s. And yes, eavesdropping on others through Rhory’s thoughts was a convoluted process at best, but that seemed to be the case with everything we did. Knowing what this guy wanted and how he planned to fulfill those wants did not help my nerves.

Don’t follow me outside, hubs. Rhory got up from the bar with a smile, but instead of returning to our table, he went toward the exit for the parking lot.

Why?

Trust me.

Once again, not about trusting Rhory. Didn’t trust the other guy. Less than five minutes later, the silver fox stalked away from the bar and headed for the same exit.

He’s following you.

I know. Oh, so growly.

Well, now that I knew what was about to happen, I didn’t want to know any more. Still, I couldn’t find it in me to tune out yet.

I don’t have a good feeling about him, Rhory.

You shouldn’t. He’s not a good person.

That made me pause and reevaluate the situation, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. So, I stated the obvious instead, hoping not to appear too desperate.

If you’re hungry, we can go home.

Soon. Not yet.

Then I’m coming to get you. I don’t trust him. I moved to leave my seat.

Hard NO.

Wow. That might be the first time I ever heard Rhory sound… I didn’t know. So much unlike himself. Almost like me. Almost worried.

Stop fretting, lovely. Little Red Riding Hood needed protecting, not the big, bad wolf.

Not worried. I was worried.

I’m not going to fuck him.

Less irate, but still significantly worried.

I’m going to eat him.

* * *

RHORY

Oh, hubs was jealous. Not that I enjoyed turning him into a green-eyed monster, but did I ever find it amusing whenever it happened. He didn’t like me ditching him and going solo.

As soon as we entered the bar that night, I caught a whiff of something I could not resist. My favorite part of humans was their weirdness. Some liked the smell of gas stations, skunks, or smoke. Others gagged at the scent of tea, vanilla, or pine. To put it more concisely, some liked what most of them considered pleasant, others liked what should stink, and vice versa. We were the same way.

From the moment I met Eli, he had me drooling, and I still considered his essence better than anything in existence, but pleasantly so. As for this guy at the bar, he should reek from the unease he inspired. And that made him exactly the kind of person I enjoyed eating when the opportunity presented. Not that I was picky. Eli was one of the best people I knew, and I’d still eat him in a heartbeat if he let me. But this guy… this one I would undoubtedly enjoy consuming.

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