How to Love a Blue Demon

by Story, Sherrod

  “Whatchu’ want to eat?” she called from the kitchen.

  You, he wanted to answer.

  “I’ma make chili. That’ll be easy. Why don’t you nap until it’s ready? Then after you eat, we’ll give you a bath?”

  It sounded wonderful, and he told her so.

  “Po’ thing,” she whispered. “That cab did you wrong. Even your voice sounds different.”

  He stared at her in surprise, then obligingly let his eyes close as her fingertips danced over his lids. To his disgust he fell asleep, only waking when she returned to the room with a bowl of delicious smelling stew.

  “I used chicken instead of ground beef,” she told him. “That’s all was thawed out. But you don’t mind, with your healthy eatin’ self,” she chuckled, helping him to sit up before she placed a tray over his lap.

  “It smells wonderful,” he told her, wondering how on the star he would muster the strength to eat, though his belly was rumbling terribly.

  But he needn’t have worried. Cass began to feed him herself. All he had to do was open his mouth and chew, and that was about all he was capable of.

  As she fed him dinner he could see her confusion. She was nervous and couldn’t seem to settle her gaze. He caught several searching glances she threw his way. She didn’t understand the feelings she had for him. Sure he was injured; her mother hen instincts were in force, but the desire to see him leave her was gone, and she had no idea why.

  He breathed deep as he chewed, taking her arousal deep into his nose. It wasn’t a strong scent like a flower at mid-day, this was the freshest bud just beginning to open. If he had been a bee he’d have hovered and dipped into her petals until he was drunk.

  He wanted so badly to explain it to her. Wanted to say, it’s not Lee you’re attracted to, it’s me. My body is releasing a scent that makes you want me because I want you, and because I love you it’s even stronger. But that wouldn’t make any sense. She wasn’t ready. She didn’t even know there was something that she was unaware of.

  “Full?” she asked when she raised the spoon again and he shook his head. She continued to sit at his side, eating the rest of the chili from his bowl. Then she held the glass of 7UP to his lips, and he drank his fill, his eyes never leaving hers. The sight of her slight, sexy grin filled him more than the food.

  “You need the toilet?” She helped him to his feet and walked him there, more of his weight leaning on her than he could help.

  He was grateful she was a tall, strong woman. But he hated this feeling of weakness. It was completely foreign, but the arousal he felt building was familiar. He could feel his cock pressing against his pants, knew she would see it when she pulled them down, and there was nothing he could do. Eyoen, who came from a culture were sex of all kinds was as normal as breathing, was ashamed of his – borrowed – body for the first time in his life.

  But Cass just laughed when she noticed his erection. She was gentle as she freed him from his boxers.

  “I see one piece on you ain’t tired,” she teased.

  “I’m sorry, my dear,” he said softly, sagging onto the toilet seat.

  She looked at him strangely, and he wondered what he’d said wrong, but didn’t have a chance to ask before she left to give him privacy.

  He did the necessary, and after washing his hands managed to leave the bathroom unaided, though he was breathing audibly and sweat had popped out on his brow.

  “Bed,” she said firmly, and quickly installed him in bed, stripped off his clothes, and pulled the covers to his chest. She went into the en suite and returned with a warm cloth which she used to wash his face and neck. She even wiped his teeth.

  “You’ll feel better tomorrow after a good long sleep,” she told him, leaning forward to give him a kiss.

  She brushed against his erection as she did so, and stared down at the tented covers for a moment before she slipped her hand beneath them.

  He shivered happily as her hand wrapped around his cock. His breath hitched in his chest as she began a firm, fast stroke. His eyes closed, his head fell back, and he moaned as the orgasm rose. It couldn’t have lasted more than a minute or two. He really ought to be embarrassed, but he felt too sated to give a thought to performance anxiety.

  “Kiss me,” he whispered, when it was over and she’d rinsed the towel with warm water and cleaned him again. He was already half asleep. “Kiss me,” he said again. And she did.

  ******

  Billions of miles and an entirely new species away, King Carlow smiled with satisfaction as he watched his youngest son’s human lover take care of him.

  This was what he’d wanted. His elder councilmen might argue that he’d sent Eyoen away to protect him, or to protect them, but this was why he’d sent his boy away. He’d wanted Eyoen to experience the gentle touch and loving hand of his woman. A woman he loved, who loved him. He liked this Cass. His son didn’t know it, but the King had watched the woman who’d captured his son’s attention almost as closely as Eyoen himself. He’d watched her be kind to strangers, patient when others in others in her position might be impatient, and firm when those around her tried to insist on a course of action that she did not agree with.

  What he saw in her, the strength and integrity she’d shown over and over, that more than her beauty or even her talent was enough to convince him to grant his child permission to travel across planets to be with her. Not that there was a great risk in space travel, not even for distances as great as Earth. Certainly there was always the possibility that something could go wrong, though in a more than half a millennium nothing ever had. But it was worth the risk to know that his son was experiencing what he had centuries before when he’d first began courting his wife.

  Cass actually reminded him of his wife, a fact he’d shared with his beloved, who had chuckled happily as they watched their son’s inamorata going about her business through a seer.

  “Does Eyoen love her as much as you love me?” Queen Siri teased, lifting her beautiful blue face for the kiss she knew was imminent.

  Never one to disappoint, the King left his wife gasping and flushed, pressed fully against his body with yearning in her bright, lavender eyes.

  “That would be impossible,” he told her. “But I think he might be giving it a good try.”

  The Queen turned to look into the seer again, and the King wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head as they watched. “Are you disappointed that he did not fall for a Cyani chit?”

  “You know better, my King. I care nothing for ethnicity so long as this Cass loves our son the way he should be loved.” She paused to watch the object of their discussion patiently allow her much smaller friend Priti to bully her in and out of a mélange of dresses in a shop dressing room. “I think she will. And I know my boy is capable of our kind of love,” she said, her lovely voice just the slightest bit arrogant. Carlow grinned. His Queen was nothing if not confident of her brood’s many fine qualities. “I think she will be just what he needs.”

  “I think you’re right,” said the King, before he waved the seer dark and turned his attention to a seduction of his own.

  Chapter six

  “How is he?” Priti asked. She and Cass were in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Boyd was off running errands, and Lee was still asleep, or so they thought.

  He’d awakened the moment Cass had rolled out of their bed. He was quite put out that he’d actually slept through his first night with her. But he felt great. In his sleep his body’s healing ability had surged merrily ahead without a care for human timetables, and when he slid from the bed, the mirror showed him a visage awash in multicolored bruises that should have taken days to surface. Most of his cuts were completely closed, though he left the bandages on to disguise it. He was also plagued by an unnatural stiffness in his limbs. He stretched to relieve it as he listened to the conversation going on in the kitchen.

  “He was exhausted last night. But he said he felt alright. The doctor gave me a li
st of warning signs to watch out for as long as my arm, but I memorized it and he hasn’t shown any signs of complications. But,” she paused, and he watched in his mind’s eye as she cracked eggs into a bowl.

  “What?”

  She shrugged as she began to beat the eggs. “He acts different. Talks different. Even the timber of his voice sounds different.”

  “Well, he did get knocked crazy by a taxi. His noodle’s probably still scrambled from hitting the damn street.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Cass said, but she didn’t sound so sure.

  “She is smarter than we anticipated, sire,” Rierdane said. He’d been listening to the conversation too.

  No, he corrected his servant. I’ve always known she was smart. Though I had hoped for more time to get to know her before I told her the truth.

  Rierdane snorted. “I don’t think you’re going to get it. She may well figure things out before you have a chance to tell her.”

  Eyoen doubted that. The truth was too outlandish, but he would have to work fast to gain her trust and her love. Otherwise her confusion might drive a wedge between them.

  He heard her coming down the hall and got back in the bed to wait for her. It wouldn’t do to appear too healthy too soon. Besides, he liked having her take care of him, and in bed he’d have a better chance of stealing a few kisses.

  She opened the door quietly and smiled when she saw that he was awake.

  “Hey, doll. How you feelin’?”

  “Good,” he rasped.

  “You look like a Technicolor bruise,” she laughed. “That’s a good sign, but we’ll have to hide you from Paulette. She sees that pretty mug of yours banged up like this she may have an episode.”

  Paulette. He remembered the name from his hospital room. He searched his memories and came up with a tiny woman with a cloud of frizzy brown curls. She worked for him as some kind of broker.

  “I gotta photo shoot today. You comin’?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t miss the chance to see you work.”

  She looked at him strangely again, and he silently cursed the limitations of the human body. Were he in his right state, he could simply read her mind and understand exactly what those looks she kept giving him actually meant. But encased as he was in his host, his powers were muted.

  “You sure you feel up to it? It’s gonna be pretty boring. A lot of sitting around, as you know. Though there will be places for you to rest comfortably.”

  “It’s fine.” He’d happily stand on one leg on a spiked board if it meant he could be with her.

  She shrugged. “Well, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. Need help in the shower?” He shook his head. He’d love to enjoy the new sensation of having her hands rubbing soap all over his wet, naked body, but he didn’t want her to examine his healed wounds too closely and wonder. “Sure?” He pretended to reconsider and she laughed. “OK, fast ass. Clean up and come to the table.”

  Eyoen showered quickly – he grinned when he heard her hovering outside the door; she told Priti she was standing guard in case he got dizzy or fell – and opened a few drawers until he found where she’d unpacked his clothes. Thanks to hours watching The Box he was able to dress himself without incident in a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. There was nothing to be done about the bruises decorating his face and both arms.

  Priti and Boyd were sitting with Cass when he entered the kitchen.

  “Hey, man,” Boyd said. “How you doin’?”

  “Very good. And you?”

  “Straight, man. Glad to see you on your feet, but sit down and have some breakfast.”

  Cass fixed his plate, and he eyed the scrambled eggs, bacon and sliced tomatoes with interest. She offered him a plate filled with toasted bread and he took a piece.

  “Here,” she gave him a small jar that read apricot cherry jam on the label. “I brought your favorite from home.”

  “Thank you, my dear.”

  He caught a look Cass threw Priti, and realized that again he’d done something to draw attention to himself. But what in those four simple words was strange? Carefully he spread the jam on his bread and watching the others, gently peppered and salted his eggs.

  “What does it taste like?” Rierdane asked curiously. “The fluffy yellow food comes from an animal called a chicken. And the bacon from a flightless bird called a turkey.”

  I shouldn’t have added salt to the eggs, he told his servant, resisting the urge to wrinkle his nose. But the bacon is good, kind of smoky and crispy. I’ll bring some home for you.

  “Lani’s doing the shoot?” Priti asked.

  Eyoen searched his memories and recalled that Lani was a stylist, someone who put together clothing and jewelry. She was also very beautiful, tall and busty like his Cass, but with a lighter skin shade and long, straight hair.

  Cass nodded. “Yep. And Natty called. He’s in town workin’. He told me to come by later to hear how they mastered the new single.” She hopped down from her stool. “I’ll shower real quick, and I’ll be ready to go.”

  Boyd drove them to a house about an hour away. He whistled as they entered a gated community. “Shit, girl. I’ve seen some nice shit since I been workin’ for you, but this takes the cake!”

  Cass grinned. “I know, right?”

  The photo shoot was being held inside a grand, beautifully restored old mansion. There were at least a half dozen cars parked in the driveway. The front door opened as soon as they arrived, and Lani waved.

  “What’s up?” she cried, throwing herself in Cass’ arms.

  They embraced for a long moment.

  “Damn, you look good, girl.”

  “Me,” Lani said. “You! I wish I could get that lazy ass daughter of mine to work out like you do.”

  Cass laughed. “Shut up. Lola’s perfect and you know it.”

  Lani sniffed smugly. “Leo wanted to come, but I said no. He’d be in the way, hanging around your neck like a collar.”

  “Fine as that little boy of yours is? I wouldn’t mind a bit.”

  Lani laughed. “He’s gonna die when I tell him you said that. Lola insisted on helping me pick out your clothes,” she said. “Good to see you again, Lee.”

  He grinned and carefully kissed the cheek she offered. Rierdane had hastily warned him not to move too quickly out of respect for his injuries.

  Priti whistled as they walked further into the house. Eyoen understood. Accustomed as he was to grand estates – at home his palace was bigger than the entire gated community they were currently in – the house was still impressive. It was beautifully decorated. A slender man walked toward them two girls trailing him.

  “Cassie, darling!”

  “Hey, Paulie.”

  Eyoen bristled when the man shoved both hands into Cass’ hair.

  “I love the natural, chickie, but have you given up conditioner?”

  Cass laughed. “Fuck you. Where’s Niomi?”

  “Here.”

  Eyoen turned and found another beautiful woman walking down a spiral staircase toward them. This one was built along the same lines as Lani, only more slender, paler, and she had a head full of long shiny black corkscrew curls. She was holding a camera.

  They embraced, and Niomi kissed Cass on both cheeks and then one of his. “We’re gonna break the shoot into four different sets. Bath, library, garden and bedroom. And if we have time, I’d love to get a few shots of you in the kitchen.”

  “I found this cream painters’ smock, girl,” Lani said, rolling her eyes. “Niomi promised if we have time you gon’ do that nude.”

  Cass raised her brows.

  “Well, wearing the apron,” Lani amended.

  Eyoen’s eyes widened as he listened. These pictures were going to be interesting.

  “Cass? We’re ready for you,” a fat Asian woman said, motioning her forward with a large roll of brushes. “You’re completely bare, right?”

  Cass nodded. “Just a little lotion on the face and hands.” />
  And so it began. It was controlled chaos. Paulie worked on Cass’ hair, while the Asian lady, Patty, worked on her face and another girl rubbed a lovely scented cream into every inch of her skin. When Lani screeched about ruined silk Cass was covered with an army of blotting papers until the high gloss shine faded to a resonant glow.

  Niomi shot pictures constantly, a pale girl with fiery red hair trailing her with three cameras hanging from various straps on her body. And as she worked she told Cass about the vision she had for the shoot.

  “It’s gonna be sexy, but we’re going for a shock treatment between utterly feminine and edgy rocker. We’ll have guitars here and there to reinforce who you are, but you’re not gonna give me the traditional poses. For instance, in the garden you’ll be wearing a beautiful gown and jewels, fingers and toes beautifully painted, but I want you to smell the flowers in one frame, and then destroy hand fulls of them in another. And I want you to grin happily while you do it. Then, in frame three we’ll show you pensively rubbing the crushed petals all over your face and chest. Finally we see you carelessly let the flowers fall from your hand to the ground before you walk over them. See what I mean?”

  Cass nodded.

  Niomi grinned. “I wanted a shot where we see the dress on the ground with your beautifully shod foot grinding flower petals into the material, but your girl won’t sacrifice the dress.”

  Lani snorted. “Over my dead body you’ll do that gown like that. I borrowed the shit anyway.”

  “Bitch!” Paulie suddenly yelled.

  “No,” Patty said, backing away as he turned an alarming shade of red and turned on her in a fury. “It was an accident, Paulie.”

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” he cried, stomping in a circle around Cass.

  “What?” said that lady, accepting grapes from an assistant no one had bothered to introduce.

  Paulie showed her a slightly bruised flower. Patty had accidentally touched one of the petals with her creamy hands.