by Joyee Flynn
“Tell me about Malachi while we wait, please,” I said to Reggie as he and Damian sat with me at the edge of the cave.
“I heard from the demon in charge, Eduardo, that Malachi’s mother had been pregnant when she became a demon,” Reggie explained, and I nodded for him to continue and as a sign of encouragement. “It seems she lost her mate and went mad. But after she became a demon, she wouldn’t hurt anyone else, just that one human I guess she accidentally killed. When she had Malachi, the demons thought she was like their messiah and that she could birth more demons to help in the war.
“They were wrong. It was a fluke because she was five months into the six month gestation period vampires have. Eduardo had tried to impregnate her by force and after months of trying unsuccessfully, killed her in rage. Some of the demons wanted Malachi killed because they saw him as a freak and a threat because he was half vampire. Eduardo ordered that no one could kill him, but that didn’t stop them from torturing him and keeping him hostage.”
“Why go through all of that?” Damian asked, and I was grateful since I’d been wondering the same thing. But after hearing what my mate had been through, I was having trouble finding my voice.
“It seemed Eduardo wanted Malachi to pay for what he saw as the sins of his mother. Plus, when they learned that Malachi was a sensitive, it just made their twisted games that much more fun for them. They figured they could never get someone with a soul to be like them, so they kept him as a pet. I witnessed them trying to have him drink from the humans, and he refused. It seemed like they used it as an excuse to beat the living shit out of him.”
“Have you ever heard of anyone being half demon?” I asked, still reeling from all of this.
“No, I’ve never even heard a legend or any hint of it,” Reggie answered, shaking his head. “I know the sun can hurt him, but other than that he’s more vampire than human. I think he was able to survive that last month in his demon mother’s dead body and that affected him. To me he’s a vampire that can’t tolerate sun and partially smells like a demon.”
“I agree,” Damian said, shocking me. I stared at him with wide eyes as he met my gaze. “He’s not evil, Victor. Not even close. He’s sweet and loving and just wants a chance at a normal life. I can’t see him hurting a fly much less being a demon. I think he’s a genetic fluke and should be treated as someone special, not part demon.”
“Thank you,” I whispered as I moved to hug my brother. “I agree, but your support means the world to me.”
“Our family will agree once they meet him,” Damian said softly as he patted my back. “After the initial shock of smelling him, I started to not even notice it. It’s not strong, and I can’t see anyone we love holding his birth against him, can you?”
“No, not now that we know the full story,” I agreed as I let him go.
It wasn’t much longer until the cavalry showed up and helped us get everyone out of the cave. We traded numbers with Reggie and told him where we were staying. He said if we needed anything before we left to please let him know. I realized we couldn’t fly commercial airlines with Malachi and the jets were still in Ireland. So we asked to borrow a SUV or truck so we could drive back to Virginia.
“It will be nice for him to get a chance to see some of the country on the way home,” Reggie had said with a gentle smile. Then we arranged for one of his guys to drop off the SUV and said our good-byes. I felt much better about everything after having talked with him and Damian. Especially now that the demons who knew about my mate were gone.
“I missed you,” Malachi exclaimed as he threw himself into my arms a few hours later when we got back to the hotel room. “Are you okay? Are they all dead? Did you rescue Reggie and everyone?”
“We’re fine, yes they are all dead, and Reggie says hello.” I chuckled at the ball of energy wrapped around me like a monkey. “I want to know how you’re feeling and if you ate?”
“I’m feeling much better, thank you,” he smiled widely at me. “I’ve actually never felt this good in my life! Yes, I ate all of my breakfast and just ordered some lunch for all of us a few minutes ago when I realized you should be back soon.”
“How did you do that when you can’t read, baby?” I asked sheepishly, not wanting him to feel bad, but curious as all get out.
“They have our records of orders,” Malachi answered with a wink. “I asked them to repeat the orders from dinner, but that I wanted a burger too instead of soup. It looked so good, and my stomach feels great, that I just wanted to try one. I hope that’s okay?”
“It’s wonderful, my love,” I replied, my eyes itching again but from joy this time. Something so small as ordering a burger from room service made my mate this happy after everything he’d been through. I felt how blessed I really was to have him be my mate. “We’ll eat and then you can help me shower.”
“Oh, I like that plan,” he purred as he snuggled against me when I waggled my eyebrows at him suggestively. Malachi glanced over at Damian before pressing his lips to my ear and whispered so my brother couldn’t hear him. “And I figured out the whole toilet thing. I realized you wouldn’t go in the corner like we did in the cave. So when I got up I figured it out and that paper that’s in that holder.”
“Yeah, it’s called toilet paper,” I replied closing my eyes. And just like that, my good mood was gone and I felt like an asshole. How could I have not thought to explain to him about the basics like using the fucking bathroom?
“Hey, you can’t think of everything,” Malachi said and gave me a soft kiss. I scrunched my eyebrows together and looked at him with the confusion I felt. How had he known what I was thinking? “I can feel that you’re upset and yelling at yourself.”
“I should have talked to you about it,” I replied as I made myself calm down so he didn’t have to feel my negative emotions.
“You can’t catch everything and really I was quite proud of myself for having figured it out,” he said as his face flushed. I gave him another kiss before lowering him to the ground when there was a knock at the door. Again I tipped the guy and got our lunch.
We ate quickly, Damian and I hungry from our rescue mission while Malachi seemed to just enjoy food. He moaned loudly as he took bite after bite of the burger and munched on the fries.
“Behave, baby,” I growled as he stared at me with wide eyes. “Eat as fast as you can without choking.”
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked, looking hesitant.
“No, I just like the sounds you’re making too much,” I answered as I moved one of his hands to my groin. He gasped when he felt my hard on and renewed his efforts to eat in record time.
“I’ll handle the courier from the blood bank and the SUV from Reggie.” Damian chuckled as I lifted Malachi over my shoulder the second he was done. I smiled at him in appreciation and then booked it to our bathroom with my squirming mate.
“So you like it when I moan while I eat?” He giggled as I turned the shower on.
“It seems I do.” I snickered as I set him down on his feet and made quick work of removing his clothes. His hands were undoing my pants at the same time his lips found mine. A moment later we were both completely naked as I walked him back into the shower stall, my lips never leaving his. “I’m going to make you feel so good, baby.”
“Yes, please,” he panted as I started stroking his cock. I was impressed that someone so small could have that much meat between his legs. “Oh, fuck, Victor, I’m on fire.”
“I’ve got you, sweet thing. Just let go and enjoy the ride,” I whispered in his ear before getting on my knees. “I think it’s time you experienced your first blow job.”
He looked down at me as he raised an eyebrow in question. Instead of answering, I licked the head of his cock. Malachi’s knees buckled as he cried out, and I caught him just in time. I helped hold him up against the wall of the shower as I swallowed him down.
“Oh fuck! I’ve never seen anyone do this,” Malachi exclaimed. I figured I’d
leave the explanation until after my baby was taken care of. I sucked on him as I ran my tongue over his slit before taking him back down my throat. He tasted like tart cherry wine, and it was like heaven. I moaned loudly as I cupped his sac. Malachi went stiff before crying out my name as he shot his seed.
“Because giving head is all about pleasing your partner,” I explained as I licked him clean. Then he slumped down against the wall and I pulled him into my lap. “That’s why you’ve never seen it before, baby. I was focused on nothing but making you come, and demons don’t know anything about loving another.”
“I want to do it to you when I can feel my body again,” he panted with a goofy grin on his face. I chuckled and gave him a kiss before reaching above us for the soap. I washed us both as he lay there in my arms like a wet noodle. But when I got to washing his pretty little ass, it seemed my mate could recover quite quickly.
“Have you ever seen two men have sex?” I asked, wanting to try something new with him but needing to check first.
“I’m not sure if what I saw was sex,” Malachi answered as he bit his bottom lip. “I saw Eduardo shove his dick into another man’s ass, but the man was screaming and crying for Eduardo to stop, that it hurt.”
“That was because Eduardo was raping the man.” I sighed, wanting to kill the demon all over again for what he’d made not only my baby, but others go through. “You said he raped women there, too, same can happen to a man. But like the kisses we share, when both people want it and it’s not done with malicious intent, it’s amazing.”
“I liked the kissing and the blow job you just gave me,” he said after a moment. “If you say I’ll like sex, I believe you.”
“Do you trust me to try something?”
“Of course, I trust you with all of me,” Malachi whispered and kissed me, running his tongue over my lips. I turned him to straddle my lap as I let him explore my mouth. My hands were still all soaped up and ran my fingers in between the cheeks of his ass. He gasped and shuddered when my index finger moved across his puckered hole. “I like that a lot.”
“There’s going to be some burning your first time having someone inside you,” I said gently as I kept rubbing my fingers around his hole. “You just have to breathe through it, and it will pass, okay?”
“Okay,” he replied, looking a little scared. I gave him a wink and kissed him, letting him take lead. He gasped beautifully as I pushed my finger into him when his hole had opened up for me. I moved it in and out of him slowly, trying to not scare him. Then after a few moments I angled my finger to rub over his prostate. He broke the kiss and cried out, staring at me with huge eyes.
“I really like that,” he panted as he held onto my shoulders tightly. “I want more, Victor.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Malachi,” I said softly. “I need to stretch you more before I can add another finger.”
“I liked the burning. I felt it in my balls,” Malachi moaned as he moved his hips against my hand. Believing what he said, I pushed in a second finger. “Oh fuck, two is better than one!”
“Come for me, my sexy little mate,” I growled possessively. I loved that I was getting this open, blissful response from him. He nodded before going stiff and shouting my name to the heavens. His cock exploded, and I reached down to stroke him in time with my fingers. My baby liked that, going wild in my lap as he rode his orgasm.
“Bite me,” he said, tilting his neck to the side. I couldn’t claim him. Demon blood was like acid and could burn us. I didn’t know what would happen if I drank from him when he was part demon. Instead I kissed him as he started to come down from his climax, slipping my fingers from his ass when he was spent.
Malachi was still gasping in my lap, trying to catch his breath while I reached up and grabbed the shampoo. I quickly finished cleaning both of us, lifting him into my arms and shutting off the shower when we were done. As I stepped out and grabbed towels, I realized he was quietly crying against me.
“Malachi, what’s wrong?”
“You don’t want me!” He cried out and tried to pull away from me.
“What are you talking about?” I gasped as I held him firmly but gently. He wouldn’t stop fighting, so I plopped him down on the counter and pushed myself between his legs as I held onto his shoulders. “The proof how much I want you is pushing against your stomach, Malachi.”
“B–but y–you wouldn’t b–bite me.” Malachi sniffled as he stared at my hard cock. “So you want me like Eduardo wanted those people, but you don’t want me enough to mate?”
“No!” I snarled loudly, invading his space until our noses were touching. “Don’t you ever compare me to that monster, ever, Malachi. I want you forever, and I told you I’ve accepted our mating. I can’t bite you!”
“Why not?” he whispered as he shook, and I realized it was from fear. There were lots of feelings I wanted to invoke from my mate, but fear was not one of them. I took several deep breaths before kissing him passionately, thrusting my tongue in his mouth. He moaned loudly as he submitted to me and we wrapped around each other. I kissed him for several minutes before air became necessary.
“Demon blood burns us like acid, Malachi,” I said gently as I gasped for air. “I don’t know what drinking from you could do to me considering you’re either part demon or you have some of their blood, okay? I want you, baby. I think I’ve proven I’m nothing like Eduardo, and it hurt that you would even think we were alike.”
“I didn’t mean it like you’d rape me,” Malachi replied with tears in his eyes. “That wasn’t what I was trying to say. I meant how he’d just fuck people and move on. He was a sex addict and never cared about anyone besides how to use them to get his rocks off.”
“Still, even with that description, do you really think I’m anything like that?”
“No, no, you’re not,” he said firmly as he shook his head. “I wasn’t thinking, I’m sorry. I just meant you don’t want me more than for sex. Though that’s not even fair, since I never saw him care if the person he was with came like you do for me.”
“I want you forever, Malachi,” I whispered as my eyes started to itch again. “I don’t want you just for sex or to use you. I want to hold you in my arms every night and wake up with you still there every morning for the rest of our lives. I want to take care of you and show you everything the world has to offer. I think I need you as much as you need me, baby.”
“Really?” Malachi asked, his eyebrows shooting up on his forehead. “How could you need me?”
“You make me feel things I’ve never felt before,” I answered honestly. “And you can ask Damian, I’m not a patient person. I’m probably the most impatient, demanding man ever. But with you, I want to be patient and help you. I don’t want to be demanding or overbearing with you. I just want to love you.”
“I’m sorry I doubted you,” he said as he hugged me tightly.
“We’ve known each other for almost two days, baby. We’re going to have misunderstandings even after we’ve been mated for decades. I’m just glad we talked it out and handled it so you didn’t keep thinking I didn’t want you.”
“Can I please you now?”
I moaned as his small hands wrapped around my cock. In a flash I had him back up off the counter and raced to the bed. I fell onto my back, letting us bounce on the mattress as we laughed. Then I opened myself up to his exploring hands, mouth, and tongue. And as he did everything to me I’d done to him in the shower, I realized I wasn’t just opening up my body to him. Malachi was slowly starting to own my heart.
Chapter 5
We headed out as soon as nightfall descended. Before it was safe to take Malachi outside, I’d gone with Damian to return my rental car and transfer everything to the SUV Reggie loaned us. It would take about ten hours to make the drive home to the Marius compound if we drove straight through the night and only made a few stops. We had more than enough blood for the trip from the courier and had grabbed some snacks and drinks.
I took the first leg of the drive while Malachi and Damian napped. It gave me time to process everything that had happened. We called Mother and told her we’d be home before morning. Damian had called the Council while I’d been busy with Malachi and told him we’d completed the mission.
Just thinking about my mate had me smiling like a loon. He was so open and honest. Even the way he confronted me about his fears earlier. Most people would have kept it bottled inside and let their doubts eat at them. But not my mate, oh no, he said something right away. I thought that was an admirable quality, especially since it was one I’d never had.
Damian was right when he said I wasn’t a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. Though with Malachi, I wanted to be. I needed to be everything he’d ever wanted or dreamed of. That was a new feeling for me. Sure, I’d dated before, but nothing serious. I was more likely to have a fuck buddy than a boyfriend or girlfriend. I’d never really cared about the equipment on my partner as long as they didn’t demand much from me in the way of a relationship.
I was still nervous about bringing my mate home and how he would be accepted by everyone. I mean, it’s not every day a warrior is mated to someone who’s part demon. Honestly, I can’t imagine it’s ever happened before. But the way Damian was reacting to the news and my mate gave me hope that it wouldn’t be too bad.
After about three hours, I needed to stretch and put gas in the vehicle. I woke up my road trip companions as I pulled off the expressway. Malachi took everything in with complete awe as I glanced at him in the review mirror.
“Let’s hit the head,” I said as I threw the car in park. I ran my credit card at the pump and got the gas flowing before I walked over and took my mate’s hand.
“Why would you want to hit your head?” he asked, staring at me like I’d grown a third eye.
