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He traces a line on my cheek below the gauze bandage with the tip of one of his clawed fingernails, wordlessly explaining what he means by ‘this.’
“I… uh.” I squirm against him. Not to get away, because I really don’t want to do that. More because I’m far too warm, and I shouldn’t be getting turned on just from having Caelan grope me a little. This is going to be so awkward when Elias gets back, but I really don’t want him to stop.
Also, I don’t exactly know how to answer his question.
“I ain’t gonna judge,” Caelan prompts, seeing my hesitation.
“I’ve thought about it,” I admit. “You. And the knife. What it’d be like if you cut me…”
“Oh, I like you,” Caelan purrs. “Tell me more.”
He rolls my nipple beneath his thumb, and I can’t hold back a moan. “Not too deep, but just. Pressing the blade against my throat until it draws the slightest hint of blood, o-or trailing the tip over me—”
I cut off abruptly, nearly jumping out of my skin as the car door opens. Caelan reacts far quicker, removing his hands in an instant and reclining back against his seat like a picture of innocence.
Except for his shit-eating grin.
Elias levels a glower at him. “Why do I ever trust you with anything?”
Somehow that statement, the fact that Eliasknows,only makes my face flush even brighter. He makes no further comment, though, just settles in the back seat to join the two of us, opening the box of wound closure strips he’s acquired.
“Come here,” Elias says, and I shuffle closer to allow him to inspect my cheek.
His touch feels soothing against my overheated face. He seems to run several degrees cooler than a normal person, but I kind of like that. He’s gentle as he removes the medical tape and gauze, careful not to pull on the wound, and frowns.
“Is it okay?” I ask. I haven’t seen the extent of the damage yet, after all.
“Yes. The bleeding has stopped. It needs another clean, though.” He sighs. “I should have bought wipes as well.”
“Psh. Give her here,” Caelan says. He turns my face to him, thumb tracing over the line of the cut before he leans in and licks it clean.
“Caelan!” I splutter in protest. But he’s insistent, and the feeling of his tongue lapping the edge of the cut issomething.It sends a flash of heat to my gut, and fuck, that’s not helping this whole situation. I bite my lip to hold back any embarrassing noises.
“That’s hardly sanitary,” Elias says. Notably only after Caelan is finished.
It really isn’t, but Caelan clearly doesn’t give a shit. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. It would be unsafe and utterly foolish for any normal person to pull a stunt like that, but do demons have to worry about blood-borne infections? Probably not.
I don’t trust myself to make any comment, so I allow Elias to dab disinfectant over the wound. He carefully presses the edges together and sticks the closure strips over it, ensuring it stays neat and secure.
“Better?” he asks.
I nod. Definitely better than having the chunky, blood-soaked gauze stuck to my face.
“Good. Now, I believe we promised you dinner. To make up for the inconvenience of… all this.” He lightly brushes his fingers over my injured cheek again, and I shiver at the touch. “Where would you like to eat?”
“I really don’t mind. It’s not like I know any restaurants around here.” It’s such a shitty answer, and I regret it the moment the words leave my mouth.
“Don’t do anywhere too fuckin’ fancy,” Caelan complains. “I hate the stuck-up douchebags at those places.”
“Yes. I recall having to hold you back from clawing the eyes out of several people next to us the last time I tried to take you somewhere nice,” Elias says dryly as if it’s a common occurrence and nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
“Whatever. They were staring too much.”
Which is—horrifying, honestly, but somehow there’s something morbidly humorous in the way he makes the statement so casually. I can’t help but laugh despite myself. Then some of the other implications sink in. “So, I guess you do this often, then? Take fans out?”
I was expecting as much. This must be some sort of groupie thing. There’s no other explanation.
“No,” Elias says, and I blink in surprise. “We have, in the past, but it gets wearisome having to maintain a human façade consistently throughout such interactions.”
