Chapter Eighteen

Peni

“Was that the wrong way to describe a demon? Is it impolite to talk about a demon’s skin color?” Peni couldn’t work out why Merihem’s mood changed so quickly. It was almost like the dark cloud they’d sensed back at the crash site, but this time, Peni knew it wasn’t directed at him. No one who took the time to make a vegetarian meal for him would kill him before it was cooked. And that’s without the mate’s angle.

Merihem seemed to guess he’d overreacted as well when, in a gentler tone, he said, “I’m just surprised you’ve seen another demon. There are other demons in town. You met Scott earlier, and some of Dakata’s siblings work at Dakata’s company, but I didn’t think you’d seen any of them in their shifted form.”

“No. Just this other one apart from you.” Peni fiddled with his glass.

“Was he wearing pants? Were they a he? Or were your eyes subjected to lady parts?”

Now Merihem was teasing him, Peni could tell. “It was a him, and I couldn’t see his bottom half, not in demon form.”

“You still haven’t said where you saw him. Was he lurking around Dakata and Silas’s tree?”

Peni shook his head. “No. Nothing like that. Before I say anything, why did you get upset when I mentioned the black skin? Do you know a demon with black skin?”

“A few of them.”

Well, that wasn’t helpful. “Are you good friends with a demon with black skin and horns?”

“The only demon I’m good friends with is Dakata, and he doesn’t have black skin. Were the horns on the demon black, too?”

“Yes. Why would another demon have a problem with you being with me? How would anyone even know you and I had met?” Peni still felt as though he was only getting half the answers he needed. Merihem was being as evasive again, but Peni wanted some background before he went spouting off what he’d seen.

“Do you remember the lunch you and I enjoyed out together?”

“That was nice.” Peni sniffed appreciatively. “But what you have in the oven smells lovely, too.”

“Thank you, my blissful one.” Merihem’s smile changed the whole outlook of his face. “To answer your question, I thought… got an impression, if you can call it that, that someone was watching us.”

Peni gasped. “Someone from the demon realm? Why didn’t you say something?”

“I got distracted, little one, savoring the fact my blissful one wasn’t running from me and was actually sitting within arm’s reach.” Merihem showed his teeth. “And you are proving to be equally distracting right now, especially when you keep biting that bottom lip of yours. Please tell me when you saw the demon. It’s important. I need you to tell me every detail before you forget.”

Peni hadn’t even realized he was biting his bottom lip. “It’s not likely a face I’ll ever forget.” He looked up at his mate, focusing on the strength he could see in Merihem’s eyes. “The demon was driving the truck that hit us. When I looked out of the window. He looked right at me. He was hunched over the steering wheel like this.” Peni raised his hands into claws, so they were level with his chin.

“His eyes were black orbs, and I could see all of his teeth. He was laughing like a crazy person. The picture was so clear it was almost as though I could hear the cackling. He didn’t stop and wasn’t showing any hesitation at all the spilt second before. Then he slammed into the side of the taxi and just disappeared from out of the truck. Well, I think he did because my head hit the window and then it was lights out.”

Merihem was watching him so intently, but Peni would’ve had to have been blind not to notice the tension in his mate’s shoulders or the way Merihem was grinding his teeth. “I saw him afterward,” he added quickly. “In human form this time. I could tell because of the eyes and the grin. He was in the crowd of people who were watching us.” Peni shivered. “I thought he wanted to eat us, but not in the way you look at me sometimes.”

“That’s why you fainted.”

It wasn’t a question, but Peni nodded anyway. “I thought, if you believed we were in pain or in danger for any reason, then you’d do your zappy thing and get us out of there. It’s not like I could go running up to you with no clothes on. Not with all those people there.”

“No one sees you naked except me.” Merihem’s growl was comforting, letting Peni know some things hadn’t changed.

“That’s right, and see, that’s why we fainted, and that’s why we needed for you to get us back here, so I could tell you. But then you told me about Dakata and Silas and what happened when Wanda got taken. All I could think about was if you’d fought that demon then, in the street with all those people…”

“You were trying to protect me, even when you didn’t know my story, and yes, you did the right thing.” Merihem looked as if he was going to say more. The look between them was so intense, but the timer from the oven went off, and when Merihem turned away, the moment was lost.

The pasta was delicious. Peni particularly liked the way the cheese formed a crusty top, and the vegetables were all cooked just enough to still hold a bit of a crunch. He didn’t mind that Merihem didn’t seem to want to talk as they ate. He figured his mate had a lot on his mind.

Peni was much the same way. After the story Merihem had told him about how he was effectively under a form of punishment from his king, Peni was determined that before Merihem did anything against the demon with the maniacal laugh, he would have to get permission from his king first. It wouldn’t be what Peni would do. It definitely wasn’t anything any shifter would do, especially when it came to protecting a mate, but Peni was going to make sure that Merihem didn’t get himself into any more trouble than he was already in.

“That was truly delicious, thank you.” Peni pushed aside his empty plate with a grateful sigh. “My belly is completely full. You’re an amazing cook.”

Merihem was pleased. It showed in his smile, and the warmth of his eyes.

“I’ll get up and do the dishes in a minute,” Peni promised. “I just want to take a moment and enjoy this food settling in my gut.”

“This house has a dishwasher,” Merihem reminded him. Peni knew that, but he’d never used it. Then Merihem added, “You should know, I heard a lot of what you told Silas earlier today, when you and he went for your walk.”

“You heard all that?” Peni wanted to sink under the table. “Did Dakata hear about it, too?” Oh, my gods, if he did, then I’m never visiting the forest again.

Merihem shook his head. “No. Dakata was focusing on what his blissful one was saying, the same way I was focusing on you. It’s not like we’ve got supersonic hearing. We were eavesdropping so I could check in on you, mentally. You know to make sure you were comfortable being out with someone you’d just met.”

“That’s why you didn’t kick up a fuss when Silas suggested we go out for a walk. You already knew you could monitor me from afar.” Peni rubbed his hands over his face. I have to face this. He looked Merihem in the eyes. “Well, now you know what a mess I am. You’re this virile studly demon, and you got stuck with a nervous… a nervous goat. And what does it say about me when my goat is more sexually adventurous than I am?”

“You have issues.” Merihem shrugged. “I can’t confess to knowing what that feels like, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to laugh at you for it. Except I have to know this. It’s important for us going forward. Has anyone physically or sexually abused you?”

“Only my eyes and my ears, and when I think about it, my nose having to smell all that…” Peni shuddered. “I grew up in a household where sex was something my father did every single day. He never cared who saw him. He and his many partners would go at it in the living room, in the kitchen. No surface was ever clean. And when I got older, he thought I’d join in. Him and his friends, male and female. They used to laugh at me when I just wanted to hide in my room.”

Looking down at the clean counter, Peni ran his finger across it. “That’s why I enjoy working here. It’s quiet, peaceful and clean. Mr. Dakata never brought partners home, he was barely ever here.”

“But that’s not the only reason you’re not a fan of sex, though, is it? Because it dirties up the countertops.”

“And the living room couches, chairs, the dining room table—my dad’s spunk was everywhere. I had to go outside just to get away from the smell.” Peni sighed and then said in a quiet voice. “No, that’s not all that bothered me. It was the acts themselves. Everything I saw. No one seemed to care about each other. It was all rough, with a lot of yelling, and shoving, and slapping skin, and hair pulling. My dad’s partners seemed to enjoy it. They were always laughing afterward. But none of them cared about each other—not my father, his friends, or the people they were playing with. Surely, if someone wants to get naked with someone else, then shouldn’t they care about each other first?”

“I’m probably not the right person to ask. I like being naked because I can’t stand how clothes feel on my skin. Cloth chaffs my bits and makes me feel restricted, and that’s in either form.”

“That’s not going to get you out of wearing pants when we’re out of the house.” Peni shook his finger at his mate. “Get some harem pants or something similar, so your balls bob about with gay abandon if you have to. But if people can’t see me naked, then they can’t see you with no clothes on either.”

“I will do my best to remember.” Reaching across, Merihem took his hand. “I’m also not the best person to talk to when it comes to caring for the people I’ve had sex with in the past, but I know I care deeply about you already. What I know is that there are so many ways two people who do care for each other can get off with each other—it can be a truly pleasurable experience with none of the penetration or hair pulling that you witnessed.”

Frowning, Peni asked. “You mean you don’t want to penetrate me?” Perhaps I have gotten this all wrong. Except no. Merihem was shaking his head.

“I want that, yes. More than you could ever know. But it would be no fun for me if you weren’t ready, if you were doing something because you thought you had to, just to make me happy. The thing is we could start small, get used to being naked together and find a way that brings us both an orgasm without anything too intrusive. It could be on a bed… or the kitchen counter, if you prefer.”

“Not the counter.” Peni shook his head wildly. “I just mentioned that to Silas because I would relax better if it were clean before, you know, we did anything else.”

“I can arrange that.” Grinning widely, Merihem got up and stacked the dishes they’d used all along one arm and took them over to the kitchen bench. “Can I just stack them in the sink for now, or do I have to rinse them and put them in the dishwasher?”

It was in that moment that Peni lost his heart to his demon. No one had ever wanted to clean for him before. While he knew he wasn’t ready for the heavy sex stuff he’d seen growing up, Merihem was really easy to look at naked. I hope he thinks the same about me, Peni thought as he said boldly, “I’ll do the dishes later. I’m not promising anything, but maybe as it’s getting late, we could try this bed stuff.”