Chapter Nine

Merihem

Merihem’s mouth had run away with him, or so it seemed. He wasn’t sure how he’d got painted into such a tight corner. Now he was in trouble because his blissful one was hightailing down the street.

What were you thinking? His demon roared and the next thing he knew, he was naked and running down the street chasing his little goat, who was fast on his feet. However, his legs were much shorter than Merihem’s demon.

I was trying to make amends for that woman taking advantage of Peni. That’s what I was thinking.

You weren’t thinking at all while mouthing off about him sitting pretty on your knee. Can’t you see he takes pride in what he does? You have to ask what he wants.

The roaring was deafening as the sound of brakes slamming and metal crunching was lost on his demon, who could see exactly where Peni ran to—Dakata’s house.

If he runs away, I’m going to cause a riot that will give the king a genuine reason to boot us to the darkest pits of hell.

Shut up and let me think.

Fuck no, if you think we’ll end up losing the one precious gift Fate has given us. You keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking.

Yeah, you’re making such a good impression. A bare-assed demon roaring for all his worth. That’ll work to make Peni want us.

The roaring ceased, but Merihem wasn’t sure if that was because they could see Peni skid to a stop at Dakata’s door and dart around the side of the building towards the window he used to get in and out unnoticed.

He didn’t get a chance to think what he should do as they watched Peni’s ass disappear through the open window. There was no way they could fit in there.

If we go in through the house, he’ll run out this way. If he knows we’re here, then he’s gonna go the other way.

The entire world knows where we are! How could they not? A big red assed demon with his cock slapping off his thigh, his horns glowing in the sunlight. No one would notice that, would they?

Sarcasm was all Merihem had in his panic. He didn’t want to lose the most precious gift he’d received. Hell no, but he’d got lost in how wonderful it was to have Peni so close to him. He could easily envision Peni being there with him—all the time. And maybe talking wasn’t his strong suit, but shouldn’t he get points for trying?

His demon rolled his eyes at him and punched a vast hole next to the window. Brick and dust flew as the wall crumbled like a sandcastle a random child had whacked with a spade.

Dakata’s gonna have our ass for this!

We’ll fix it. His demon side didn’t sound in the least bit concerned as he ducked in through the hole and gave the wide-eyed Peni a gentle smile. “Sorry for making such a dramatic entrance, but I was worried you’ll run before we had a chance to meet, officially.” His voice was deeper and smooth as damn silk. He offered his enormous hand to Peni. “Hi, I’m Merihem’s better half.”

Merihem gave a dramatic eye roll at his demon side.

“W-Well… I-I… W-Wow, you’re big.” Peni didn’t move as he eyed the hand that was bigger than his head.

His demon smiled widely. “Thank you, blissful one.”

The hand holding the book dropped to Peni’s side and his tiny shoulders sagged when he glanced at the hole, and then at the dirty floor. “You’ve made a mess. Who’s gonna clean that up now everyone is fired?”

Why does he keep focusing on cleaning?

Shut up and let me figure this out. You’ve already proven to be inept.

His demon lowered himself to the ground, uncaring that he sat on a pile of rubble. Peni watched the move but stayed right where he was. “What my human side was trying to do, and failing miserably at, was to explain that if you didn’t want to work from now on, you don’t have to. We would like to take care of you. Make you feel special.”

Merihem bristled. I didn’t fail.

Shut up. Look, he’s thinking.

Merihem couldn’t argue with his demon. Peni was giving them a thoughtful look. “So are you saying that you aren’t going to choose what I do…” he sucked on his lower lip, his gorgeous skin back to the pretty pink. “That you see that sitting on your knee looking”—he waved the book about, and Merihem grinned—“whatever you said.”

“Of course, the choice is yours.” The demon patted his bare thigh. “I won’t say that you sitting right here isn’t very appealing. I won’t lie. But you are free to choose what you want to do. No restrictions. We have more than enough to share with you, so that gives you options.”

“Options.” His brows were back tugging together and Merihem felt panic. His demon side held him back. Give him a chance to finish. “I’ve never had options before.” A very tiny curve of his lips and Merihem became enchanted. “What would that entail… my options, I mean.” He blushed, his gaze dropping to their lap before slipping away.

“Can I ask what you envisioned for yourself?”

Still taller than Peni, his demon maintained eye contact by craning his neck. It wasn’t really comfortable, but as Peni hadn’t attempted to flee, they remained as they were.

Back to chewing the lower lip, the one Merihem was desperate to taste, Peni eyed them thoughtfully. The plump lip popped out. “I love books… all books. The library is my most favorite place. I enjoy cleaning, too. It’s orderly. I like order. My father had so many orgies at the house, making things always messy with… stuff everywhere .”

And we’re back to the orgies!

Give over, weren’t you listening? He didn’t want any part in them.

Alright, keep your hair on. So what does he mean by stuff?

How would I know? And be quiet. Can’t you see we’re making progress? I want a kiss too!

“So working in a library would suit you?” The head shake confused them. “You don’t want that?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want that. You need a degree in Library Science to work in a library.”

Really?

Oh, that plan of yours just fell flat. Look how sad he looks now. Merihem felt like they were taking steps back and forth, then side to side, and it was making him feel dizzy.

I’ve got it. “Do you want to go to college?”

The slow blink Peni gave them was adorable. “I can’t afford that.”

His demon offered his hand once more and smiled softly, or at least tried. “You are our blissful one—mate, that I believe means the same thing.” A small nod. “What we have is yours. You can afford to do anything you want.” He wiggled his fingers. “Anything. That includes college or staying in our home and cleaning, reading, and doing whatever you do to fill your day. Or the option of coming with us and sitting with us, that’s there, too. But from this moment forward, the choice is yours to have. We hope you’ll choose us because we’ll cherish you for the rest of eternity.”

Peni’s pretty colored cheeks came with parted lips and a dazed expression. The hand remained in the air. They waited.

Does he believe us?

Of course he does, mates and blissful ones don’t tell lies to each other. So once we’ve cleaned up the mess you made. You’ll need to explain why you’re really here, in the human realm.

The rough pads of his fingers sliding against their skin stopped the internal conversation. His demon side didn’t so much as move a muscle as Peni inched closer, his palm sliding against theirs. The roughness sent tingles to parts of them that made it hard to stay on track—at least for Merihem.

“You won’t force me to pick something I don’t want?” he asked seriously.

They nodded. “Never. The choice is yours.” His demon and Merihem were in total agreement.

Peni made a small sound that sounded like a cough and a bleat.

His goat’s happy. You did it.

Were you in doubt?

“I like sitting on your lap… just so you know, only I wouldn’t want to do that all the time.” Peni gave them a shy look from under his eyelashes, inching a little closer. “But before I do that again, could you put some pants on?”

One thought resolved that issue. “Do you want to sit on my lap now? Cuddle me? I was a little worried earlier we’d lose you, so a cuddle would be lovely.”

Lovely? What…

There was the tiniest hesitation before Peni’s fingers clung to Merihem’s demon’s hand, and he allowed them to guide him down onto their thighs. His little arms tried to reach up around their neck to give them a hug. He huffed in pure frustration and wriggled, making Merihem curse and his demon side moan, their body heating.

“You’re huge,” Peni panted and then shifted his legs so that they were now facing each other, him straddling their lap.

Oh, to the Demon King.

His hands slide around their rib cage, and Peni nestled right in, shuffling his ass to remove the gap between them. He snuffled and bleated before he murmured, “Is this okay?”

“Y-Yep.”

Is that all you’ve got?

He’s hugging us. He’s touching us.

Like I can miss that.

Roughened palms ran up their skin, not far, as his arms were too short, but it was amazing. It wasn’t all about the tingles of desire that came with the touch, no it was the act. The gentle way Peni held him offered something Merihem had never asked for in his long life: affection. The simplicity of it captured his heart as it beat that much harder.

Peni’s head tilted back to glance up. “Your heart’s racing. Are you okay?” His brows pinched.

“I am overwhelmed.” They answered honestly, his demon had never been a game player.

His plump lips parted, and for the longest moment, they stared at each other. Emotions swirled in the depths of Peni’s eyes. His demon lowered his head until their lips were nearly touching. Soft breaths caressed their skin as they held still, waiting for Peni to decide what he wanted.

Then everything faded away. The gentle touch of skin on skin was all there was. The merest of touches that made Merihem’s world shrink to the most important thing in the universe—Peni.