He closed his eyes, safe in Knight’s presence, and finally fell asleep.
FOUR
“Whatisa rabbit, by the way?” was the first thing to greet Saint when his alarm jolted him out of sleep a few hours later.
“What?” Saint said grumpily, glaring at the demon in his bed, before realisingthere was a demon in his bed.
Knight was speaking again before he could spiral into a full-blown panic. “A rabbit,” Knight said, lips quirked. “I’m assuming it must be some kind of prey?”
Saint grunted in response, grabbing his phone to check the time and if he had any notifications. There were messages from the WhatsApp group chat—Arehjia’s Secret Queers, they called themselves—and private messages from Teresa, most of them funny memes she’d found online. His sour mood lifted a little as he replied to them. Her last message made his breath stop.
It was an address and an invitation. No extra messages pleading for his attendance accompanied it this time, Teresa more than used to Saint’s rejections. In fact, he already had his thumbs poised to type in said automatic rejection, but for some reason, his fingers refused to make contact with the screen.
He felt Knight’s bemused gaze on him from the corner of his eye but didn’t currently have the capacity to deal with the demonright now. He locked his phone and dropped it, then forced himself out of bed and straight to the bathroom.
Underneath the lukewarm spray of the shower, he let himself have his little panic as he remembered what he’d done last night. He must’ve been more tired than he’d thought because reality was setting in now.
There was a demon in his bed. A seven—eight?—foot tall demon, with wings and horns and a tail and deep, purple skin.
And he’d made a deal with said demon. At least he hadn’t sold his soul. Saint swallowed down a hysterical laugh. Then he remembered what hehadsold and felt his lips tingle and his dick twitch.
Shit, why had he agreed to that kiss? How could he have been so weak? Most of his life, he’d wanted—but he’d never let himself. At first, too scared because he’d been living under his parents’ roof, and then too busy and too stressed once he finally managed to escape.
You’re still scared.
Saint ignored the voice because it couldn’t be right. Over ten years ago, just a little before he’d left his parents’ home for Uni, he couldn’t eventhinkthe word “sex” without breaking out into a cold sweat. He’d been made to believe that anything that had to do with it—thinking about it, doing it, getting pleasure from it—would make him a disgusting reprobate. So when he’d thought maybe he could pretend to be all the things his parents wanted by dating “modest”, non-queer women—even the word “queer” had threatened to give him hives—he’d been so repressed he couldn’t so much aslookat them with any sort of intent without feeling like he was doing something shameful.
When he’d moved to Arehjia, after years spent torturously deconstructing his beliefs, he’d been determined to be free. Telling himself it took baby steps, he’d started an anonymous account online with the aim to use it as a diary slash therapy.He’d talked about his strict, zealous upbringing and how he was trying so hard to heal. He hadn’t expected to go viral—he hadn’t expected to be noticedat all—the other queer folk of Arehjia relating hard to his ramblings and flocking to him like sheep despite his anonymity. It was how he’d met his best friend; he still couldn’t believehe, of all people, had inspired her to live her own truth.
So no, Saint wasn’t afraid anymore, he was just … cautious. Once Knight helped him get rid ofthem, once he finally moved into a bigger place and felt more secure, then—then.
He hated that he sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
He turned his thoughts to how good it had felt to be trulytouched last night, the firm, warm press of Knight’s big hand on his hip, the other tenderly cupping his head like he was something to be savoured, cherished—to be wanted so obviously and overwhelmingly it had probably ruined him for anyone else.
The all-consuming way Knight had kissed him, exploring his mouth like he’d been a man drowning of thirst who’d finally found a sip of God’s own nectar.
He thought of what might have happened if he hadn’t yanked himself out of Knight’s arms, if Knight would have eventually made love to him right there on his bedroom floor. Trailed bruising kisses down his throat. Touched and caressed him all over with those warm hands. Enveloped him in his wings as he filled him up so good it would make his toes curl.
Saint turned the water from lukewarm to biting cold.
When he exited the bathroom, he felt self-conscious as he clutched the towel wrapped around his waist. His wardrobe was on the left adjacent wall from the bathroom, his bed in front of him.
Knight was sitting where he’d left him, a perpetual smirk on those full, pale purple lips. His legs were crossed, yoga-style,his hands wrapped around his ankles. Fuck, his wings were magnificent.
And he was staring—slowly, obviously, and hungrily—at Saint’s half-naked body. Saint’s nipples tingled, to his horror and betrayal.
“Do you mind?” he said, squaring his shoulders and making a “turn around” gesture.
“Not at all,” Knight said. His wings gently undulated, lifting him a few feet off the bed, then he neatly spun around mid-air, the movements so effortless—so unintentionallysensualSaint felt his dick threatening to rise despite its cold beating in the shower.
“So, a rabbit?” Knight prompted as Saint quickly began to moisturise.
“What?”
“A rabbit,” Knight repeated slowly. “What is it?”
“Oh.” Saint frowned. “Yes. It is some kind of prey. I’ll show you a picture in a bit.”
