Page 72 of Devour

“I thought I told you not to come back here, hubs. Hard no, remember?” I tried not to sound angry at him—because really, I wasn’t—but in this relationship we did not dismiss a hard no. If Eli got here even a moment too soon, maybe that creep would’ve tried gutting my hubby like a fish. And that would’ve pissed me off. So much so, there wouldn’t have been anything left of the guy but bones and whatever I spit out after shredding him to bits.

Fear drifted off Eli in slow waves, which seemed understandable considering the circumstances and my appearance, but still kinda hurt—only a bitty bit. I didn’t blame the guy, but I liked to think after all this time, hubby and I had built a rapport with one another. I trusted him. He trusted me, right? He walked right over anyway and—oh, shit—he shook like a leaf while approaching me. Yet, not at all angry, which I also expected? And still smelling scared—also not like him? But then why was he hugging me?

“Your thoughts cut out mid-sentence,” Eli murmured in my ear. Then he squeezed me even tighter to him. “That’s never happened before.”

Oh, his god, hubs was worried. About me. Unreal.

“He slammed my head into the brick,” I said while gesturing to the back of my noggin.

Hubby pulled away and scowled, running a hand through my hair as if inspecting me. For injuries. How sweet. Despite that small reaction, I could sense the anger begin to swell and pour right off him. He was pissed someone tried to hurt me and was that ever hot.

“I’m okay, hubs.”

Took a lot more than that to kill me, obviously. Still, the realization that my very mortal hubby firmly believed his favorite immortal required his protection (which he would gladly provide) hit harder than expected. No one’s ever cared about me that much. Least of all someone who could actually get hurt in the process.

“Did you eat him, at least?” Eli asked.

I would’ve thought that much obvious, but I still flashed a wide, bloody grin and nodded my head.

Hubby’s lips twitched with that subtle smile I adored, and he cradled my chin while gazing back at me. Sheer and unfiltered affection both in expression and tone. “Very good.”

Mouthfeel. Usually used in relation to the texture of food, but I would apply it in this context, too. Even though I couldn’t see a difference, I could feel it, like a kernel stuck between my teeth. And like a chipped tooth which now felt off because of a slight change in shape, I couldn’t stop running my tongue across my teeth and fixating on what I could only describe as different. A difference in mouthfeel.

Ever since Rhory ate that creep from the bar last winter, something internal switched from off to on. Should that bloody mess have freaked me out? Probably. Yet, as soon as I verified my favorite vigilante demon reduced that monster to nothing and didn’t have a scratch on him to show for it, I felt… okay. Happy, even, to see Rhory so pleased with himself, then happier still when he showed me how much my approval meant to him.

Even though I should have been terrified, worrying how eventually Rhory would do that to me, or even feeling some sort of moral dilemma… none of that came. Aside from my initial relief, and after the ensuing amusement, eventually I settled on something else. Never in the entire time that I’d known Rhory had I ever wanted him so badly. Not only one part of him or in one way, but to have everything I had wanted with him for so long and knew I couldn’t have. I wanted him. And once that thought embedded in my mind, I found myself running my tongue over my top teeth. Ever since then, I often did it unconsciously. Other times deliberately, as if whatever felt different could be identified this time or (if necessary) dislodged. The compulsion didn’t fade with time. If anything, it kept getting worse.

You’re ridiculous, hubs. I already told you that your teeth aren’t any different.

Rhory had a way of strolling right in at some of the worst times. He didn’t need to knock these days to let me know he was on his way, and he had a standing invitation to let himself into my place. He showed up late tonight, and I was in my pajamas, but I still expected him. Even when Rhory disappeared during the day, he rarely spent a night away anymore. With one more glance in the bathroom mirror, I shut off the lights and left. Maybe Rhory was right. Everything looked the same.

“Hello, lover.” Rhory sprawled himself out on my bed while waiting for me.

I rolled my eyes. Look at him, trying to be funny and cute. Still his version of fully clothed, of course, in a cropped long-sleeve shirt, but paired with dark denim shorts and thick socks. Ones that went all the way up to leather garters on his thighs. And he’d finally gone back to red. I absolutely loved the red on him, almost as much as I loved—

Rhory smirked at me.

“Listen, we figured out a long time ago who had more mental fortitude. Don’t make me torture us both to teach you a lesson,” I warned.

Rhory pushed up on his hands while I approached, and the closer I got, something made me shudder like a sudden chill or an unexpected tickle. Weird. Still, I plopped on my bed beside him and—he smelled so good.

“Are you wearing cologne or something?” I asked, already scooting closer.

“What? No.” He laughed.

“Soap? Shampoo?”

“All the usual stuff, thanks.”

I pulled myself onto my knees, leaning closer and hoping maybe if I tried harder, I could identify that fragrance. And if I couldn’t, I would certainly enjoy trying. These days, I grasped at whatever brought me a semblance of pleasure with both hands. Which was exactly how my hands ended up on his shoulders.

“What are you doing?” Rhory slowly asked.

“You just—” Quick pause for a deep inhale. Even in the time it took me to form a semi-coherent response, the sweetness intensified, but not in an unpleasant way. “You smell—” Yep, one more should absolutely do it. Even better, when I nudged my nose near his neck, the aroma concentrated more around his clavicle.

“I smell?” Rhory chuckled.

“You smell… so good.” And that came out gravelly, even to me. What the heck? Oh, well. More important matters were at hand, and I needed to investigate right now.

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