Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

AZIEL

I felt stupid showing up at Declan's shop to ask for a relationship. I didn't do relationships. But Athena drilled it in my head that if I wanted things to get better, I had to trust in my mate. She wouldn't tell me how she knew Declan was my mate, and I wasn't entirely sure I believed her, but I was desperate for a change. And she promised he and Ollie wouldn't get hurt. She was sending reinforcements to put wards on Declan's shop, and there were a few charms in my pocket for him and Ollie to keep them safe.

I was worried about how this would turn out. Athena was a great oracle, and it was rare that her visions didn't pan out. But she couldn't control the future and she wasn't infallible. Declan, Ollie, and Dante's safety was my priority. I'd test the waters, but if it became too dangerous for any of them, I'd walk away. I wasn't going to put them at risk just for a chance to make my life better. I wasn't my uncle.

I could see how conflicted Declan was. He either didn't realize he was discriminating, or he was reconsidering it now that he knew other paranormals outside of the ones who attacked him. I'd be finding those little shits sometime in the future. I wasn't going to force Declan to open his shop to paranormals, but I got the feeling he would anyway. He didn't like the idea of being part of the problem for paranormals.

To distract him, and myself, since I was still raw after my discussion with Athena, I agreed to go upstairs. I wanted that feeling back, where my brain shut off to everything but pleasure. I needed it.

I liked how straightforward he was about it. There were no stupid games to get what we wanted. He offered, I accepted, and we were naked in his bed ten minutes later. I appreciated that about him.

His tongue tangled with mine, his body pinning me to the mattress despite the weight difference. I could overpower him, Athena said the submission bullshit didn't have anything to do with sex. I just… didn't want to. I'd never do this kind of thing again if things didn't work out with him. I wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. And I trusted Declan not to ridicule me about it.

His fingers were teasing over my hole when his phone went off. He looked irritated as he pushed up on one hand, twisting enough to grab it off the nightstand.

"Sorry. I gotta check it. It might be–" He rolled his eyes. "Yep. My parents are on their way." He tossed the phone back onto the nightstand. "We gotta make this quick. Shower sex?"

I didn't have a problem with that. I had to go pick up Dante from the farmer's market eventually anyway.

"Sure."

He grinned, rolling off me and snatching the lube and a condom out of his nightstand. I caught his wrist before he could walk away.

"You don't need that."

Looking at me over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I know I'm clean because it's been a while, and I was tested after the last guy, but I don't know you that well and–"

I shook my head quickly, sitting up. "It doesn't matter. Humans and demons can't share diseases. The government did plenty of research before the integration to make sure paranormals were safe crossing over. I can't even catch a cold."

His eyes bugged out slightly before he scowled. "Fuck, now I'm jealous. Last time I got sick, I was laid out on my ass for like a week. It's a pain in the ass trying to tattoo with a runny nose. "

Pushing to my feet, I plucked the condom out of his hand and tossed it back on the nightstand. He looked amused, and he didn't argue, tossing me the bottle of lube before leading me to the hall bath. His place wasn't huge, one big room with the living room and kitchen and a hall with one bedroom and one bathroom, but he was living alone. He didn't need much else. At least the ceilings were high enough that I didn't have to duck through door frames.

While he started the water, I leaned against the counter, watching his ass flex as he bent over. He straightened and flicked the water off his hands, turning to frown at me.

"If we didn't need them, why did you let me use one last night?"

I shrugged. "Didn't think we'd do this again. Figured it didn't matter."

"What changed your mind?"

The truth was on the tip of my tongue. I wondered what he'd say if I told him an oracle thought he was my mate. Or that he was the key to my future. It all sounded very… permanent, and I didn't think it'd go over well. One hookup doesn't make a relationship. And I wasn't going to guilt him into it. I figured fuck buddies was better than that right now.

"The piercings."

His eyebrows jumped up, a smug grin on his face. "Seriously?"

"Felt good," I replied nonchalantly. He didn't make fun of me for it, mostly chuckling to himself as he tested out the water and climbed into the tub. I followed him, glad he had a curtain and not one of those glass showers. Those were cramped for someone my size.

He let us both rinse off before pushing me against the wall. It came easier this time, giving in to him. I fought tooth and nail last time because I didn't want him to think I was weak. He didn't treat me like that, though. He made it clear more than once that it was my choice, and my giving in didn't make him better than me. Giving in to him wasn't what I was used to, and I wanted to feel that relief again.

When he wrapped his fist around my cock, I groaned, thrusting against his palm. He tightened his grip, almost like a punishment, and I grunted, stilling my hips. He started again once I did, teasing me with slow pumps of my cock. Too slow for me, but whenever I tried taking over and fucking his hand, he stopped.

"I thought we were in a hurry," I growled .

He chuckled. "We are. This would go a lot faster if you stopped trying to take control. Relax, baby. I'll take care of you."

My chest tightened to the point of pain and I had to shut my eyes to hide my reaction. It was too close to what Athena predicted. That Declan would take care of me. She didn't mean in this context, but it hurt to hope. A part of me wanted her to be wrong, so I wouldn't have to drag this innocent man and his family into my shit. The rest wanted her to be wrong because I didn't want to risk experiencing something I could lose if my uncle found out.

Declan somehow always knew when I wasn't in the room with him. He leaned forward, biting down on my nipple just hard enough to send a shockwave down to my cock. I groaned, dropping my chin so I could watch him better.

"There you are. Welcome back."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

"Just wanna make sure you don't miss the show," he smirked.

"The wha–"

When I wasn't paying attention, he'd covered his palm in lube. Wrapping his slick hand around my cock, he coated me in it, then fisted both of us in one hand and thrust. My head flew back on a gasp, the slickness and the glide of his piercings making a damn joke of all my previous jerk off sessions combined. He rutted against me, dragging those piercings along my length, his hand keeping a tight squeeze on both our cocks together. It was so fucking hot, I felt like we went right from foreplay to on the edge without any time in the middle to enjoy it. It was too damn fast. I wanted to drag it out, to take our time, but time wasn't a luxury we had and I needed to come.

"Declan…"

He hummed, his cock shuttling against mine as he picked up speed. When he wrapped his other hand around us, covering us both completely, I lost it, making a mess over our cocks and his hands. He groaned and when I finally opened my eyes to look at him, he was glued to the view, his teeth bared and a fierce look on his face. He thrust against my sensitive cock, revving me up for another round. Demons needed almost no recovery time before we were ready to go again. I was ready for more, about to suggest he get off in my ass, but pounding at the door caught both our attention.

"Fuck," he growled, his grip loosening.

Before he could step out of the shower and walk away, I sank to my knees and swallowed him. He shouted in response, his hips thrusting slowly at first before he took control completely. He grabbed my horns, sending waves of pleasure down my spine, and used my mouth to get himself off. And I fucking let him.

It didn't take long before I felt him tense. When I flicked my gaze up, he shot me a look. It was part warning, part begging for me to finish him off. Even in control, he made me feel like his equal. I sucked harder and his cum flooded my mouth less than a second later. He threw his head back, letting out a quiet groan. His hips kept moving in little jerks until his cock stopped twitching and he finally stepped away. He didn't get a chance to come down from the high before someone pounded on his door again. He scowled.

"Shit. Hate to ditch you, but–"

"Go. I'm gonna get dressed and go meet Dante. The babysitter has him working with her at the farmer's market, and I don't want him causing trouble."

Declan snorted. "I could see that happening. Okay, cool. See you later?"

The boys still had plans to play, so yeah, I'd be back later. I dipped my chin to acknowledge him and he climbed out of the tub without a word. He surprised me when he spun around, pressing a quick kiss against my lips, but he disappeared before I could respond.

Befuddled, I rinsed off and hopped out, listening as I toweled off. They ingrained it in me at this point to listen in to conversations around me, and I didn't feel ashamed about it.

"Hey, buddy! You ready for a fun week?"

"Yeah! I brought my controller. Can we play right now?"

Declan chuckled, but the sound was a little off. Tense. I tipped my head, trying to figure out why, when someone else spoke.

"We told you we were coming. You couldn't put some pants on before now?" a woman complained.

"Sorry. I was in the shower."

"We texted you twenty minutes ago! "

"Alright, alright. I'll go get dressed. Relax. It's not like I'm going to taint anyone just because I haven't gotten dressed yet."

"Taint people with what?" Ollie asked. I was wondering the same question. And while Ollie wasn't going to get an answer, the woman screeching at him that it wasn't his business, I could ask Declan myself. I teleported to his room to avoid flashing a little kid in the hallway, popping up right as Declan closed the door. He jumped, scowling at me.

"That's fucking annoying," he growled under his breath. I ignored that.

"Taint people with what?"

He sighed, heading to his closet to grab some clothes. "My gayness. My parents are homophobic. If they didn't need a babysitter, they wouldn't want anything to do with me."