Anael kept his head down as the waitress put the food on the table with a cheery smile. Remembering how his actions had been misconstrued the last time he and Zagan shared a table, he didn’t want anything to go wrong this time. There was a part of him that couldn’t believe Zagan came back to him. It’s not as though he had a lot to do with the fated mates of the paranormal world. They never needed a push in the right direction. One sniff and they were all over each other like a rash.
Much like Anael would love to do to Zagan. But it seemed his demon was doing his best to act like a gentleman and Anael would respect that too. For now, he kept his head down so as not to attract attention to himself. As he’d explained to Raziel, a long time ago it seemed, angels couldn’t help but attract attention. They were beings of the light.
“You don’t have to do that, you know.” Zagan’s quiet deep voice intruded on Anael’s negotiations with his pasta. Startled, he dropped his fork and looked up.
“Do what? I’m not doing anything.” Anael had made sure of that. He could never know if someone took his being friendly as flirting, but he wasn’t taking the risk. Not tonight. He picked up his fork and plastered a smile on his face.
“You’re nervous and edgy,” Zagan explained around a mouthful of salad. “You’re not looking at anyone. That’s not like you. I love the friendly smile you usually wear.”
“You do? But….” Looking at his plate would keep him out of trouble. But it was really hard to enjoy himself with Raziel’s admonishments ringing in his ears.
“We’re mates, right?” Zagan’s voice compelled him to look up. At this rate he was going to get a crick in his neck. “You can tell me anything. Has someone said something to you….?”
“Raziel thought I was flirting with the waiter the last time we went to dinner,” Anael confessed. “I wasn’t, that wasn’t my intention.” Now he felt like an idiot. “That night I was so overwhelmed at meeting you. I wanted to make a good impression. I didn’t want you to think I was one of your casual pickups and I was just trying to be friendly to the waiter because his heart had been broken. I could feel his pain and it wasn’t as though he had another thread coming from his heart, so I knew it could be ages before he met his match. It was the only way I knew to make him feel better.”
“Your smiles seem to do that to people,” Zagan agreed. “I imagine a lot of people get the wrong idea about you. But I would bet my throne you’re not the type to screw around and not just because you’re a being of the light.”
“We don’t do that anyway,” Anael’s cheeks were hot. “How much of what Jared was saying did you hear?”
“That bozo at the club?”
Anael nodded.
“Enough to know he was completely under the wrong impression. These men you left the club with, how many of them wrinkled your sheets?”
“None of them.” Anael hastily swallowed his last mouthful. Laying his fork on the plate, he pushed it to one side. “A lot of people who go to that club are lonely. Oh sure, you have the hen parties and the stag do’s and the after work crowd, but late at night, you can see some men and they sit alone for hours. They’re on the fringes watching everyone else having a good time. Some of them prefer to be alone but for others…they’re so sad and their soul calls to me so strongly. I just want them to feel wanted for one night.”
“What do you do with them?”
Anael couldn’t see any judgment on Zagan’s face. If anything, he looked genuinely interested. Praying his words wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass, Anael explained about the late night coffee shops, wandering the streets with his new friends; watching the sunrise atop high buildings and basically just being a listening post. That’s all he ever wanted to be for the humans he came into contact with. It could never be long term. He always explained it was just for one night, but through the course of his talks with so many sad people, he was always able to send them on their way in the morning with a smile and a feeling of purpose. It didn’t take sex to do that.
“You are simply amazing,” Zagan said with a small smile as the waitress came and cleared their plates. “Just the check please,” he added with a wink that made the waitress blush as she scurried away. “You do realize I have never done anything remotely altruistic in my life. It’s not the way I was made.”
“But we’re not meant to be the same,” Anael’s smile outshone the lighting. “We’re meant to fit together like puzzle pieces.” Taking a chance, Anael reached out, picking up Zagan’s hand and threading their fingers together. “See. If my fingers were as big as yours, we wouldn’t fit. By fitting together, we help create a larger part of the bigger picture. It’s important in any relationship that we have the freedom to be true to our own nature. Although….” Shocked by his daring, Anael wasn’t sure if he should ask his next question.
Zagan’s facial hair was soft against his fingers as the demon kissed his knuckles. “Fidelity, right? That’s what you were going to ask? Something my kind aren’t known for.”
“I…er….” Anael’s cheeks felt so hot and he was sure he had two bright red patches on his face. When he tried to pull his hand away, Zagan wouldn’t let him.
“This is something we should talk about in private, don’t you agree?”
Anael managed a nod. But he did notice that throughout the bill paying, the walk out of the restaurant and right up until they got to a bright shiny black mustang with flames on the hood, the demon never once let go of his hand.
/~/~/~/~/
Zagan felt as though he could conquer the world with Anael by his side. He wouldn’t of course. Lesser demons had tried and it was far more trouble than it was worth. But as he drove his mate to his human home, unwilling to let Anael anywhere near the underworld before he was claimed, his heart was lighter. Damn, he was almost singing and unlike Botis, he had a lovely voice. But he stayed quiet during the short drive, content to simply be in Anael’s presence. His mate hadn’t once mentioned his callous behavior, or tried to make him feel bad and after more years than he could count dealing with duplicitous demons, it was a nice feeling. Relaxing even.
With no idea how the evening was going to go, although Zagan knew how he’d like it to, he didn’t put the car in the garage, but rather left it parked in the sweeping driveway. He didn’t have human friends and even his closest demon companions didn’t know about his mansion. He liked its pristine and classic lines and didn’t see the point in cluttering the décor with people.
“You have a lovely home,” Anael said quietly, as he stepped out of the car. “How many of you live here?”
“Just me,” Zagan admitted unlocking the door and shepherding his mate inside. “I need somewhere for me, you know? Hell can get really busy and I’d never share my address with a pickup. It’s nice to have somewhere to come where I don’t have to watch my back.”
“I never thought about what it must be like being a demon.” Anael wandered through the giant hall and poked his head around the door to the living room. “Angels can be snotty, well some of them, especially with me, but they aren’t out to knock my head off or anything like that.”
Pushing the living room door open wider, Zagan led Anael to the large fitted bar. It was the only dark piece of furniture in the room. The deeply stained walnut slab was almost black and his range of bottles and glasses gleamed in contrast. “What can I get you?” Zagan slipped behind the bar while Anael perched on a stool. “As you can see, I have almost every liquor known to man. If I don’t have it, I can click it up for you.”
“Small neat whiskey is fine, thank you.” Anael’s smile was shy and sweet and so different than anything Zagan usually had thrown his way, he almost dropped the bottle. Recovering quickly, he splashed his most expensive spirits into two tumblers and then rested his elbows on the wood. It was a position he was comfortable with.
“Before this gets awkward,” he said, watching Anael’s throat work as the angel took a sip, “I should address this question of fidelity you wanted to ask about but didn’t.”
“Do you have mind reading skills?” Anael placed the glass carefully on the nearest coaster.
Zagan laughed. “No, my sweet angel, but when faced with someone as innocent as you, it wasn’t hard to guess what was tripping your tongue. Fidelity, or rather my being faithful to you will be important with us going forward, I imagine.”
“I know you’ve been with more people than I can count,” Anael’s nails tapped lightly on his glass. “I understand it’s part of demon culture.” The angel tilted his chin. “It’s your heart that I want to hold. If…if…if being with you means I have to accept you…busy doing what demons do….”
“Sweetheart, you can’t even say it,” Zagan laughed as he gently clasped Anael’s hand in his. “No, no,” he added when Anael’s lips parted again. “I’m not being mean, but if you can’t say it then I highly doubt you’re going to be able to accept me doing it. And that’s fine. If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t had anyone touching my dick since we met.”
“But that was a week ago.” From the shock in Anael’s eyes Zagan had to wonder just what angels thought demons did all day. Okay, well maybe they were more on point than they realized.
“The only time I’ve touched it is to piss or when I am thinking of you.” Anael’s face was such a touching shade of pink and risking a rebuff, Zagan reached up slowly and brushed his angel’s hair from his face. His curls were as soft as they looked. “If I thought for a second I would hurt you, I would have stayed away.”
“Is that what happened when you left? Did you just need time?”
Zagan opened his mouth and nothing came out. That’s right, Botis has the same problem with Raziel. No lying. “I thought I could live without you,” he said going with a modicum of truth. “I have a position to retain; one based on strength and a harsh reputation I’ve worked long and hard to maintain. At heart I am the selfish beast you angels believe me to be. But I find, when I think of you, and that has been damn near every minute since the last time we met, none of that seems important if I can have you in my life.”
“Does that mean you’ll claim me?” Faced with the hope in Anael’s eyes, Zagan knew there was only one answer.
“Only if you claim me in return.”