Chapter 195

Chapter 195: Chapter 195

Dulce woke up alone; aware that Kath’tan was in the Hells, he expected it, rising to get ready for the day.

There was little to get ready for, it was another gray morning, the icy rain giving way to a gloom that was even colder than the rain.

He didn’t have to pay a visit to Miss Moira for a few more days so he could only make his way to the leisure room.

Asael was already seated with a book, the Shadow Demon looked up at him when he walked in. "Where is Kath’tan?"

"In the Hells." Dulce approached, feeling much better after seeing someone else that morning. "What are you reading?" He asked curiously.

Asael had recently tried out reading because he did and the Demon seemed to enjoy it... or not. Dulce couldn’t say, it was like with fishing, but Asael was content and that was all that mattered.

"A book on poultry care," Asael said calmly, "It is mind-numbingly boring."

Dulce laughed lightly at that, "I would say you could stop reading but there is little else to do..." He had walked close enough to peer into the book the Demon held, dense lines neatly printed on the page.

So Asael easily caught him by his waist, moving the book to the side so he could sit the Vampire on his legs. "I could think of something to do."

Dulce held onto Asael’s arm, caught off guard. He was seated side-straddle on the Shadow Demon, the powerful arm around his waist pressing him up close.

He looked up with genuine interest, his silver blue eyes clear enough to rival the snow outside. "What is that?"

Asael wasn’t derailed by the Vampire’s naivety, tossing the book over a shoulder to replace the boring piece of literature with the Vampire’s striking face. His fingers sank into his voluminous pale hair, guiding him closer.

Dulce’s lashes fluttered when their lips met, his eyes widening when the door slammed open, Ruoxi making his appearance in the noisiest way possible.

Asael paused but he didn’t pull back, his eyes flicking over to the Incubus who took a look at the scene and grinned, striding over without care.

He pulled back, black bleeding into his eyes despite his composed expression, his hold around Dulce’s waist easing.

"I couldn’t find you in your room," Ruoxi barreled right on, treating the Shadow Demon as part of the furniture.

"You were looking for me?" Dulce turned his attention to the Incubus, "Kath’tan had to leave for the Hells," He explained politely.

Often, after he fed, he woke up to the Fiend next to him and because Kath’tan always slept in, he also had to do the same, entangled in the other’s arms.

The morning progressed slowly, the silence peaceful. Asael calmly returned to his book, the wind picking up outside.

Although they hadn’t bothered with breakfast, a servant brought tea and warm biscuits late in the morning.

And by late afternoon as it started to rain again, Ruoxi was fast asleep. He had dragged Dulce to the rug by the fire so that he could use the Vampire’s legs as a pillow.

Asael was halfway through his book now but the darkness staining his gray eyes had yet to recede.

On the ground, Ruoxi was in a stellar mood. He had been too occupied last time to properly notice, but now he had confirmed it. He wouldn’t have taken the dark-faced Shadow Demon to be a prude.

Interrupting hadn’t even been out of spite, it was simply entertaining.

Ruoxi rolled over to his side, tightly wrapping the Vampire’s slender waist with his arms, his face pressed against his middle. He was laying close to the fireplace crackling with rich-scented cherry wood, yet all he could smell was the cold, floral scent that clung to Dulce.

Dulce had a little smile on his delicate features as he lightly prodded the fire, the red embers hypnotizing. Winter had never been so pleasant.

Dinner was pleasant as always and unable to sleep, Dulce returned to the leisure room. Asael’s presence wasn’t surprising because the Shadow Demon couldn’t sleep either, Ruoxi joining them.

By the end of the second day, Dulce found himself thinking more and more about how their current lifestyle must be monotonous for the Demons.

Neither one complained though, but in Kath’tan’s absence, it was surprisingly silent.

Ruoxi rarely bothered to verbally taunt Asael because the Shadow Demon was no fun, Kath’tan was the perfect recipient of his antics. The Fiend was a walking ball of explosion, he merely needed the lightest of nudges to get a reaction out of him.

Dulce was used to such an uneventful life, he preferred it even, he had been beyond happy to return to his cottage in the meadows. But at the end of the third day, as it was raining for the umpteenth day in a row and Kath’tan was yet to return, he couldn’t help but blurt out.

"Dewmire must be so gloomy, we could go somewhere warmer when Kath’tan returns, perhaps the south."

"I have no complaints about where I am currently," Ruoxi said cheekily.

He had placed Dulce between his legs on the rug by the fireplace, wrapping himself around the Vampire.

Asael shot him a cutting look, one that the Incubus pretended not to see. He had about gone through a bookshelf’s worth of books, but he was also not interested in leaving the cottage.

It was evident Dulce was having a pleasant time in the cottage despite the cold weather. It was strange to spend his days lazing around without urgency or the threat of danger, but he had yet to grow bored with it so he didn’t mind it.

Ruoxi ended up falling asleep wrapped around Dulce, his face tucked in the Vampire’s neck, his long hair swept to the side. And the Vampire humored him, letting him sleep peacefully until the early hours of the morning.

The leisure room was soon deserted as daylight crept up, no one to witness the dying embers of the hearth, a half-finished book discarded on a side table.