Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Chapter 127

Dulce returned to his cabin a few hours later, no longer so drained that he remained unconscious for several hours. He held his waistcoat in one hand, his hair disheveled, his face flushed.

He slowed down after he stepped into his room, not expecting to find Caedos seated by the edge of his bed. It was late, most of the guests on the ship fast asleep.

"Were you waiting long?" He asked quietly, hanging his waistcoat over a chair. Nighttime was a great time to use the bathhouse on the ship.

Caedos watched the Vampire silently move around, he smelled of flowers and arousal, it made his jaw tense. "No." He answered simply, he hadn’t been expecting his return tonight, knowing that he was asleep in the Incubus’ cabin.

"I need to use the bathhouse, will you be here when I return?" Dulce asked hopefully.

"Yes."

That was enough to have him hurrying out of his cabin, a quick bath later and he returned in a fresh change of clothes, the scent of salt water and clean soap clinging to his skin.

Caedos had his eyes closed when Dulce returned, pretending to be asleep. His patience was already fraying thin and it had only been about a fortnight since he agreed to wait till his return.

Unaware of the Hellhound’s pretense, Dulce tiptoed around, gingerly sitting on a chair with a book. There was no fireplace but this was also satisfying... he had read endless books through the nights, it had been incredibly lonely.

-+-

The journey wasn’t as peaceful this time, storms frequent, although none as terrible as the storm they passed through on their initial journey to the east.

A week into their journey, they finally got a cloudless day, the sun beaming down, warming up the chill of the morning.

Dulce was in his cabin, closing up his book as the first rays of sunshine came filtering through the cabin windows. He glanced to the side, at the Hellhound still fast asleep on his bed.

He rose to his feet with a gentle smile, pleased by this. How terrible that he only knew how to live in the present, unable to feel the ache of Caedos’ absence until the Demon was gone.

He walked over to the cabin window to stare out at the sea, tempted to go above deck and feel the sun directly on his skin. Perhaps he could ask the others if they wanted to visit the deck, he glanced over his shoulder at the Demon on his bed, surprised to find Caedos half-sitting.

"Caedos, you’re up. Do you want to go to the deck?" He asked eagerly.

The Hellhound got off the bed, his short hair sticking out. "Sure."

"I wonder if Kath’tan and Ruoxi are awake yet?" Dulce muttered as he started for the door.

Despite his interest in inviting the others, he didn’t go to their cabins, instead he went right up to the deck.

Caedos walked behind the Vampire, staring at him intently like he was saving each moment in his memories.

The deck was teeming with guests who shared similar ideas, after days of cold rains and needing to stay below deck, they were eager to get the sun on their skin again.

Dulce turned his face to the sky when they stopped at their now familiar spot by the banisters overlooking the ocean. His hair was down, a faint flush stubbornly clinging to his previously pale features.

"I’ll leave today," Caedos broke the silence after watching the Vampire bask in the sun like a flower unfurling its petals.

The past few days had been him seeking the right time to leave - the hope kept him waiting, hope that if he spent more time around Dulce, he would have enough of the Vampire with him that it would be a fraction easier to leave.

Dulce froze, the faint color on his skin that the sun had warmed and made more prominent fading. "Do you want your summons undone?" He asked after a small pause to collect himself.

"No," Caedos said without hesitation, turning around to walk off.

Although Dulce knew that this moment was coming, it had happened so suddenly that he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. He remained by the banister until the tall Demon went below deck, a distant look in his eyes as he turned to the sea.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Kath’tan until the Demon was right behind him.

"Your Hellhound is gone," He said quietly, intently watching Dulce.

Dulce found a smile for him, "He said he’ll return."

"You don’t believe that," Kath’tan said in turn, leaning against the banister, the wind ruffling his tousled dress shirt.

"He’s inexperienced, there’s so much more out there than accompanying an old Vampire." Dulce said without self-judgment.

Kath’tan stared down at the Vampire with an inscrutable expression, "Did he let you undo his summons?" He asked in an odd tone.

Dulce frowned, while the inevitability of losing his companions was something he had long made peace with, it was rather difficult to get them to agree to have their binding contract undone. "No.

Kath’tan said nothing else to that, his response in his silence. Even he was no better - it was easy to agree to leave when a solution was finally found to his permanent bond but he didn’t want a solution.

Ruoxi joined them shortly, the Demon had a languid air around him, and easily able to pass for a striking albeit tall human, he made no attempt to limit perception of him, drawing the attention of everyone on deck.

He sauntered over to Dulce, his hair loosely bound. "Your precious Hellhound left, if you’re sad I can take you to Huayuan for some moonberries."

Dulce smiled easier now, "I don’t think I should." He demurred, the blue pigment had only just fully faded from his skin.

Kath’tan looked the Incubus over, aware that Ruoxi was vying for them all to leave. "He’s coming back." He said shortly, popping the Incubus’ bubble.

Ruoxi pretended not to hear him, "Can I sleep in your cabin now?" He asked shamelessly, right away filling the open space.