Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Chapter 207

Caedos glanced down at the Vampire immersed in water, despite the flush to his skin, he was still pale, like a marble statue brought to life. The clear water emphasized that.

"There’s no need," He turned down the offer.

Having Dulce pressed up against him while they were submerged in water was a rather dangerous venture.

Dulce curled up in the bath, the sensation of trickling between his thighs causing a faint flush over his shoulders. "Then you should go clean up," He suggested, no longer drowsy.

Caedos seriously considered it for a moment, some distance from Dulce, and a splash of cold water would prove incredibly helpful right then. But they were no longer summoner and contracted Demon, they had exchanged mating bites.

"I can clean up after," He said seriously, lowering himself to the side of the bathtub. "I should help my mate clean up."

Dulce was made aware of the tender spot on his neck at that, he curiously reached up to touch the bite, sucking in a sharp breath at the sensation it elicited.

He leaned closer to Caedos, slowly coming to terms with the fact that the Demon might have magically bound him in turn. "I’m sure I can figure it out myself," He pushed back with little resistance, not wanting to trouble him.

Caedos didn’t say anything more, instead, he gently held Dulce’s face to pull him in for a kiss, and while the Vampire was distracted, his other hand slipped into the water.

The steam of the bath made tendrils of Dulce’s hair stick to his flushed face, shivering when fingers teased at the entrance to his sensitized hole. He clung to the edge of the tub, pleasure strumming through his already overstimulated nerve ends.

Caedos’ hold was gentle, but he didn’t let go, drinking down Dulce’s moans as he meticulously cleaned him out. After it was over, Dulce fell against him, pliant and breathless.

Faint shudders wracked through the Vampire as he clung to him, arms wrapped around his neck. Caedos was beyond pleased with this outcome, wrapping Dulce up in a thick cotton robe after cleaning him up.

He was wet from the bath he hadn’t participated in, and despite wearing nothing but unbuttoned, low-slung pants, he looked far from cold.

Dulce’s bed was a mess, so Caedos simply walked past it, taking the Vampire to his own room.

"I can walk just fine," Dulce was quick to mention as they stepped out of his room.

The hallway wasn’t empty, just as they stepped out, so did Kath’tan from the other end. The Fiend wore a black scowl, and a short distance behind him was an unimpressed Asael.

"Is it already time for dinner?" Dulce paid attention to them as soon as he caught sight of them.

"Not for a few more hours," Asael was the one to reply, heading to his room.

Their farce of a card game had abruptly come to an end when Kath’tan suddenly shot to his feet with carnage in his eyes. There had been very few times Asael had seen the Fiend truly angry, and he would rather Dulce wasn’t at the receiving end of it.

Because even though Caedos was his target, Dulce would put himself in harm’s way to prevent either Demon from getting hurt.

He stepped into his room to the sight of a very unpleasant presence.

"Are all assassins cold-blooded and without passion?" Ruoxi struck up a conversation as soon as he stepped in.

The infuriating Incubus was lounging by the fireplace like it was his room.

Asael noted that despite his usual lightly taunting words, golden flames burned in his eyes. The Incubus was also in a terrible mood, and he couldn’t be more uninterested in being an outlet for his upset.

"You’re in the wrong room," He pointed out mildly.

He didn’t care for the other Demon’s notions of him, he was simply logical. If he couldn’t tolerate Dulce’s other summoned Demons, he would have long gone.

Alternatively, if it weren’t for Dulce’s sake, he would have gotten rid of the other Demons. Anger was futile, they were all equally important to the Vampire, and seeing as he wouldn’t allow them go for each other’s throats, they could only either tolerate or leave.

Ruoxi tutted in disappointment, "How lucky, to be so passionless."

Asael watched the Demon grouse on with no intention of leaving and decided to play him at his own game. "Why are you so distraught? Aren’t all Cubi frivolous lovers?"

Something snapped behind the Demon’s eyes, it made Asael tense up. His instincts were sharp, and the Incubus made no effort to hide the killing intent that bled into his eyes.

Ruoxi rose to his feet with a forlorn sigh, "As I said, you’re no fun." He muttered in further disappointment, although he looked primed to cross the distance and cut him down.

Asael watched him walk past and head out. He wasn’t surprised by the Incubus’ intent; they were all obstacles in each other’s paths. Rather, he disliked how troublesome an actual altercation with the Demon would be.

-+-

Kath’tan also headed to his room without a single word, pacing across the length of the room. It had begun to grow dark outside, the sun completely hidden behind heavy gray clouds.

His lack of control bespoke weakness, even though Caedos was a thousand years old, the Hellhound had barely existed for a year, yet even he had an effortless command of matters in the bedroom.

He paced until dinner time and yet had no solution to his pressing problem. A timid knock on his door broke him out of his dark thoughts, his feet carrying him to the door before his tumultuous thoughts settled.

Dulce was on the other side of the door, the Vampire’s clear blue eyes were staring up at him. He was in a sweater, a soft gray reminiscent of snow at twilight.

The marks on his neck were delicately painted on, it was hard to conflate the bitten bruises with the hellish beast who had left them behind. His searching eyes easily caught sight of a strange mark among the others.

"What is this?" He asked with a frown, reaching out to touch it at the same time that he spoke.

Dulce had been about to invite the Demon for dinner; they had been awaiting his presence for a while. He had started to worry that Kath’tan had returned to the Hells again, so he was pleased when the door opened.

He gasped at the gentle pressure against his mating bite, instinctively holding Kath’tan’s wrist even though he made no effort to pull it away. He had gotten a good look at it in the mirror, and it was a little similar to the tattoos that banded around Caedos’ arm.

Thin lines of fire were engraved in his skin, much like the bite marks that he would soon come to learn would never fade.

Kath’tan’s expression grew grave, the strange mark on the Vampire’s skin burned him but he didn’t pull away, tolerating the heat. "Does it hurt?"

Dulce stepped back to remove the pressure against the sensitive bite, his eyes misting over. "It doesn’t. On the contrary," He added in a quieter voice. "It’s time for dinner."

Kath’tan dropped his hand and stepped out of the room at Dulce’s lead, but he didn’t take his eyes off the mark, irked by the sight of it without knowing anything about it.

"You kept us waiting," Ruoxi grumbled as soon as they arrived at the dining room. The Demon was still in a terrible mood, yet he had been surprisingly tame at dinner.

Kath’tan ignored him, his attention taken up by something far more important.

Dinner was mostly quiet, Dulce’s obvious good mood brightening up the table. The Vampire had his pale hair tied back for the first time in weeks, the smile in his eyes unmistakable.

He had only hoped to have a Hellhound in his cottage, but now he had more than enough company. For a short while, he forgot that they would have to leave eventually, unabashedly living in the present.

"I’ll be paying a visit to Miss Moira tomorrow," He broke the tense silence, "Our lessons are coming to an end, she says I’m fit to pass the entrance examinations with my current proficiency."

Caedos didn’t have the faintest clue what the Vampire was speaking about, but he didn’t ask, knowing he would find out soon. He was focused on his plate, Dulce had unconsciously given him a cut of meat from his own plate, even though there was more than enough on the table.

Kath’tan’s already sour mood worsened even further, meanwhile, the deep groove at the center of Ruoxi’s brows lightened.

Another’s misery was the perfect solution to the Incubus’ displeasure.

Moira had gushed endlessly about how Dulce was a natural prodigy, urging him to focus more on the magical arts.

But Dulce had no interest in magic, it would only bring trouble his way. He was merely learning enough to remedy his mistakes and then he would return to his peaceful life.