In Flames - 16. Chapter 16

Atoki woke to the scent of burnt paper. There was a soft popping noise, the breaking of timber fibres in a fire, heat like a hug, and distinct feeling that he was not alone. He opened one eye to find himself staring at Vruuaska in profile as the demon blew on, and thus set fire too, a collection of items that were becoming his dinner. He was on one of the chaises in the rec room, he was comfy, warm, safe. Atoki rubbed his wrist almost without thinking. He was immortal.

Immortal.

You’re going to have to live with what Aris did to you for thousands of years. Atoki was horrified by the thought. He clamped his hand over his mouth, his whole body suddenly shaking at the idea. Then Vruuaska turned to look at him, eyes smiling softly.

You’re going to get to love him forever. Atoki took a breath, and felt his nerves stop quaking. The urge to throw up receded. He sat up, letting the thick quilt fall away.

“You got the quilt,” his squished the fluff, feeling the soft shape of the feathers under the cotton, “Duck down? Goose?”

“I don’t know,” Vruuaska smiled at him, “It was the most expensive one I could find.”

Atoki got up, wrapped the quilt around his shoulders, and snuggled himself into the space between Vruuaska’s giant paws. He liked it there, sheltered by the lion-like frame, tucking his legs up to make himself smaller.

“Did Kiorl tell you what happened?”

“Some of it,” The big horned demon scowled and blew flame onto a log with enough heat to turn it into cinders, “I don’t think I want to know the rest. I don’t like the idea of him still being alive. I know, I know,” he said quickly, before Atoki had a chance to even start his argument, “To challenge him is certain death. I am not leaving you like that.” Vruuaska wrapped a huge paw around him and Atoki settled back into the thick fur with a contented sigh.

“I’m immortal.”

“Yes you are. Are you OK with that Nami?”

Atoki considered the question for a moment, then tilted his head back and kissed the underside of his demon’s muzzle softly. A small thought, one he recognised as being deeply human, wondered why he didn’t seem to mind that his lover was sometimes beast-shaped. Vruuaska was just as attractive to him whether he walked on four paws or two. That was something to explore in the future.

“Yes. I feel happy. I get to be with you, Always.”

His reply was a nuzzle, a purr like an avalanche and the sudden brightness in the room as Vruuaska’s eyes burned brighter.

“I suddenly get the feeling you’re not as hungry as you were five minutes ago?” Atoki turned to his lover, grabbed his horns and brought his head down for a kiss. Vruuaska melted in his arms, shifted until Atoki was flat on his back, the big demon leaning over him, resting on his elbows. Vruuaska ground his hips into the boy’s crotch. “So you did miss me then?”

Vruuaska growled low, grinning like a happy cat should. Atoki kissed him like he was drowning, exploring the demon’s mouth with his tongue. Kissing Vruuaska felt like being home, the demon covering him with his body, the heat that built where their skin pressed together like the stoking of a fire lit up every nerve he had until they were both a wound up knot of arousal and wanting.

Atoki struggled out of his clothes, distracted from the task by running his fingers over the hidden ridges of Vruuaska muscles as he stroked the big demons chest. Vruuaska snarled and tore at the grey silk tunic, tilting his head to lick and kiss the exposed skin. Atoki panted and whined, wrapped his hands around the base of the demon’s horns and whimpered as Vruuaska continued to head south.

“Oh fucking hell…” Atoki growled as Vruuaska enveloped him in a heat akin to being inside a furnace. Everything seemed to explode behind his eyes, the fire around his wrist felt like a line of hot wire digging into his skin and somehow it hurt and caused ever muscle he had to contract and tense. There was no time for a warning, just an overwhelming layer of sensation building into an orgasm that blew every nerve he had wide open.

And there was Vruuaska, the heart of the demon set aglow with fire and heat, right in front of him as though he could reach out and touch it, take it in his hands and hold the love that they shared. Vruuaska met his gaze, hovered in front of his face, smiling in a way that Atoki recognised and loved.

They went upstairs. Atoki didn’t have to say anything to the demon that burned bright like a flame in the darkness of space, whose shape was both outlined with clarity and indistinguishable like smoke. The fire shrouded them, it was them, and Atoki was made of flame just as hot as Vruuaska’s own heart fire. They were burning up, breaking down and even as Atoki slammed his hips into his lover’s body, they were being made anew.

To stoke a fire you need fuel, heat, oxygen. The fire that build up in the nothing-space between the two lovers was powered with sweat and smoke, panting breaths of moisture, the heat of bodies sliding against each other, snapping, snarling, growling, panting, a counterpoint of high pitched moans and whimpers as Vruuaska thrashed underneath him, the snapping and clicking of teeth. Nothing existed outside the fire where the pair coupled together, ground inside and against each other until there was nothing but fire and pleasure and love. It was longer than an eon, less than a day. And when it was over Atoki wondered how he had never known before, how he had never before seen how much Vruuaska loved him. There was heat and colour and potential in everything.

They wrapped around each other, an interlocking shape of two figures, tied around each other as though one couldn’t exist without the other. Atoki found a hand, identified it as his own, wrapped his fingers around the base of Vruuaska’s horn and settled down. The demon let out a soft puff of ash, sighed, and Atoki followed him into sleep.

*

Kiorl sat with his arms folded on the bar, watching as Tobias moved around the kitchen. Every time he came near Zai, the older demon caught him, kissed him, they chatted at each other. Tobias threw utensils at his lover when he put his fingers in the saucepan. Zai laughed it off, and smiled like he was thinking dirty things. Jahke sat snuggled up in Sitka’s lap, stroking his mate’s hair, fiddling with his newest book, flipping the pages idly, not really reading as Sitka whispered not-so-sweet nothing’s into his ear. The new boys were upstairs, completely wrapped up in each other. You could feel the heat from their fire coming through the ceiling.

Kiorl sighed and placed his muzzle on his arms. It was time to admit it, even if just to himself and every fucking empath he lived with.

He was jealous.