Chapter Ten

Peni

It was Monday morning. The demon, Merihem, was back at work, and Peni was cleaning, headphones on, music blaring in his ears. Merihem’s demon hadn’t wanted to go, but Peni was quietly persuasive. “I need time to think about our next steps,” he said firmly, buoyed by the weekend’s events.

The hole in the wall of the basement had been fixed. Apparently, demons could just think things, and they happened, which Peni thought was rather cool.

The rest of Saturday and all of Sunday, the demon followed Peni around the house, zapping up food when Peni mentioned he was hungry and doing more listening than talking, which went a long way to helping Peni feel a little less crowded, even if physically he was. He still got the idea the demon was hiding something from him, but then he reasoned if he had trust issues, it was only fair to allow the demon his as well.

Their one point of contention was when Peni went to sleep downstairs on Saturday night. The demon absolutely did not want him in the basement, and they made grumbled threats of creating another hole in the wall. To keep the structural integrity of Dakata’s house intact, Peni agreed to sleep on the couch in the living room.

It was no surprise that the demon was half-wedged in the same space when he woke up. The demon’s skin was surprisingly warm. Sunday night he got the demon to lie down first, and then he snuggled in beside him. It was the best sleep he’d ever had. Those huge arms and wide chest were amazing. Better than any pillow, although he’d never say that aloud.

Merihem himself emerged on Monday morning, looking a bit sheepish and also very smart and confident in his suit. “You should let me stay with you. I’m not trying to force you to do something you don’t want to do, but what if something happens while I’m away?”

“I’ve been cleaning the house for four months, and no one has ever come here during the day except you. Now off you go,” Peni felt like a housewife, shooing his mate out the door.

“I’ll be back at lunchtime.” Merihem was dragging his feet. “I’ll take you out somewhere nice for lunch.”

“Thank you, dear.” Peni smiled up at him and accepted the kiss offered, although he could feel how badly both man and demon wanted more. “Have a nice day.”

Closing the door, Peni sighed, although it wasn’t with relief. How weird is it that I miss him already, and he’s barely down the road? No. No. This won’t do. Monday is clean the kitchen day. Let’s get on with it.

His goat, who’d been remarkably quiet over the weekend, piped up less than half an hour after Merihem had gone. You sent our mate out into the world horny and without any relief. That’s not what a good mate does. What if he finds someone else to polish his schlong?

Then he’s not our mate, in which case we won’t care. Peni applied some cream cleaner to the counter, humming along with his music. Mates don’t cheat on each other.

But still… that cock is a thing of beauty.

You only saw the demon dick, and I can’t see that fitting inside this body anytime soon. My stomach would get pushed out of my throat.

It wasn’t that Peni hadn’t thought about it, over the long hours the demon had been following him around. He knew the lore about shifter mates, even if his father didn’t believe in what he called “nonsense.” Spunk, spit, and a bite would cement them together, and it didn’t make any difference that Peni shared his spirit with a goat rather than a wolf or a bear. The rules were still the same.

What had helped, and Peni was cross with himself for even thinking it, was that the demon wouldn’t let Merihem come through. “He talks shit and upsets you,” the demon grumped the one time Peni asked about it. “He needs to listen to understand your needs.”

Which had been a sweet thought. Peni sighed. It was funny because, in the book he had been reading, it was the demon who was the rampaging asshole who didn’t care about anyone or anything. But aside from the one little rampage at Saturday’s lunch, Merihem’s demon genuinely seemed to care.

The issue was with the act of sex itself. Peni had never done it, never even got close. But from what he’d seen numerous times when he’d lived at home, sex was violent and noisy. There was very little caring involved, and above all, it was messy. Peni shuddered as a picture flicked into his mind. Some things could never be unseen, and he’d seen his father waving his cock around, sticking it into more holes than a hedgehog had prickles.

Focus on the task at hand. Peni used wide circular motions with his cloth to wipe off most of the cream cleaner, and then, with a second softer cloth, he buffed the counter until it shined.

I genuinely don’t believe it would be like that with our mate. The goat wasn’t as strident as he usually was. He’d seen the trauma Peni went through, and while he talked like a randy sailor most of the time, their bond was deep. His kisses are nice, and he’s remarkably controlled considering he spent all weekend with a rock-hard dick.

So did I most of the time. Peni could be honest with himself, if no one else. It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that I’m scared. What if…

“You good-for-nothing piece of shit. You stole my job from me.” Peni ducked as a hand came out of nowhere, knocking his headphones clear off his head.

“Mrs. Danials.” Peni backed up, clutching his cloth to his chest as he faced five-foot-ten worth of fury in a blue and white dress. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Florida.”

“Yes, you thought that didn’t you, you slimy piece of shit. And you thought you could slink your sexy ass up against that fucking demon, telling lies about me and getting me fired. You stole my job!”

“I haven’t talked to Mr. Dakata.” Peni’s back was hard against the stove, but the woman was still coming towards him. “I did what you said. I only worked between eight and four when Mr. Dakata was at work. I’ve never spoken to him. I haven’t.”

“Then how come I had a lawyer fella turning up at my sister’s house over the weekend, no less?” Mrs. Danial’s face twisted with rage. “Serving me papers. Embarrassing me in front of my family. Accusing me of theft! I never stole anything from nobody.”

“But… but…” Peni shook his head so hard his brain rattled. “I didn’t do anything. I was just cleaning—”

“Cleaning, my ass. Did you get tired of scrubbing floors for a living and thought you would weasel your way into the demon’s bed? Sucking cock as a sideline now, you little whore?”

“I haven’t said anything. I haven’t lied.” Peni ducked as a huge bag came towards his head.

“I gave you a chance.” The bag connected, and Peni’s goat bleated as pain shot down his neck. “I took you off the streets.” Another whack. “I took your sorry ass in when no one else would even look at you, and this is how you repay me?”

The whacks were coming hard and fast. Peni wouldn’t hit back. He’d never hit a woman, but as he crouched down, trying to protect his head and stomach, Mrs. Danials was relentless. All he could think as the woman used him as a punching bag, was would she kick him out of the house before Merihem came back for lunch, or was she going to leave his dead ass on the kitchen floor? How can I call him… Would he even come when I didn’t have sex with him?

A demon roar reverberated around the kitchen, rattling the pots and the windows.

He came…