Wicked Boy - 2. Chapter 2

The house was just as it always had been, an immutable stone block on the hillside, overlooking the rest of the centre circle and the huge sprawling mess of the palace. Kiaza had come through the portal on what he liked to think of as the south side of the circle, not that any such trivial direction existed on this plane, and walked towards his house, shedding scales. He scrubbed at his skin with the tips of his fingers, the digits without claws or nails, but smooth and rounded with tiny scales the size of pin heads, removing scales which were loose and grown dim with the general grime of being Upstairs.

It was a nice day in hell, the campfires shone bright above and the air was clouded with a soft cherry-ash flavoured smoke which moved in curls and coils like a Chinese painting. The air was dry and hot, like a late August day in the Arizona desert. Now that he was back Downstairs, Kiaza twisted some magic around his fingers, shedding his clothes and remaking them, dressing himself in an ankle length sarong, black with a deep slit up to one hip. He walked up to the house ignoring the path, an choosing instead to walk ankle deep in the flowing stream of lava, stepping out only to hop up on bits of flat basalt, enjoying the smooth and rough textures under the scaled soles on his feet. Being a snake, Kiaza had no toes, but kept his balance perfectly well on slim, pointed feet as he walked up to the main door of the house and waltzed in.

For one second it was as though nothing had changed. The house smelt the same, the tang in the air of fire, Tobias’s excellent and bizarre cooking, the scents of Zai, Kiorl, Sitka, Inai… and then the little snake noticed the difference just as a thin, pale and beautiful demon in nothing but a short loin cloth wandered from the main lounge towards the kitchen. The white and blushed skinned demon paused and turned to him on little ivory white hooves, pale horns poking through his blond hair.

“Can I help you?” It was a shock to find his voice so uniquely human and ordinary. “Sir?”

“I live here.” Kiaza hissed at the boy, annoyed that despite his small frame, the kid was taller than him. “Who are you?”

“Jahke.” The boy frowned. “I live here. Babe!” He glanced over his shoulder as he called out. “We have a visitor.”

“No one ever visits us.” A deep voice from the little den rumbled. “Do they?”

To Kiaza’s relief, Sitka appeared from the main lounge, with a small smile.

“Well I’ll be. And we all thought you were never coming back Downstairs.” Sitka wrapped an arm around the small, pale boy. “This is Kiaza. He used to live here. Kiaza this is Jahke, my mate.”

Kiaza blinked his inner lids quickly.

“What exactly do you mean, I used to live here?” His voice was icy. “I need a fire. Get me Kiorl.” Kiaza turned his back on them to enter the den, and stopped dead in the doorway. “What the fuck, is that? And why is it in my fire?”

Vruuaska lifted his great wedge shaped head and huffed a gout of flame in Kiaza’s general direction. He was sitting in the rather enlarged fireplace, wrapped around his lover, previously asleep against his fur.

“It can burn you to a cinder I’m sure.” Atoki didn’t bother opening his eyes to speak. “That was such a good dream dammit.”

To Kiaza, it was the last straw. He had not had the best of nights, confused and ruffled from what had transpired with Jeremiah, and now he was back in his own house and surrounded by strangers. The diminutive demon strode towards the fire, wrapped a hand around Atoki’s arm and yanked him from the fire.

“I am a major demon and you will afford me the respect I deserve!” Kiaza shouted through Vruuaska’s roar of anger. “You have no rights here!”

Atoki grinned and Kiaza found that his hand was suddenly hot, fire hot, then hotter, hot enough to be painful and he finally realised the boy from his grip with an anguished cry.

“Actually.” Atoki folded his arms and leant back against the fur of his now bipedal lover. “The Prince placed us here, and gave me protection as you can see. No one touches me and gets away with it.”

“Where is Kiorl?!” Kiaza fairly screamed.

“At the palace.” Sitka replied quickly.

“I am going to my room!”

“About that…” Sitka winced as he started the sentence, biting his lower lip. Kiaza took one look at him and screamed in rage.

*

“How did you let this happen?” Kiaza strode up and down the den in front of the fire, pausing only to plunge his hands into the flickering flames. “How could you let someone else move into my room?”

Kiorl sighed and ran his fingers through his electric blue streaked Mohawk. That had been a shock too, because the last time Kiaza had seen the demonic panther he had been wearing his hair super long, black and straight like liquid silk. Both of them knew that this was not what Kiaza had expected, nor what Kiorl wanted to do with his afternoon.

“You were gone a long time, even by our standards.” Kiorl smiled at his former friend. “A hundred years Kia, things changed.”

“You moved some brand new upstart into my room with a human is what changed!” Kiaza snapped.

“Nassau placed them.” Kiorl glared at his friend. “Vruuaska is a fine addition to the house and the circle in general. You two have more in common than you think, he is flame-born.”

“Why my room?”

“It was empty, and it had the big fireplace.” Kiorl shrugged. Kiaza replied by dropping into the fire and sitting in the heart with his knees drawn up to his chest. “Don’t sulk Kia. Many at the palace thought you dead. To be gone for an hundred years is one thing, but to never hear a word from you at all? Just because you went off in a huff doesn’t mean that the world stopped turning.”

“Well where am I going to stay?” Kiaza tried to keep his tone as even as possible. He was not known for appearing weak in front of anyone, because being small, soft and innocent looking was no good if one also acted like a petulant child.

“You can have my room, I’ll stay at the palace.”

“I should come too, pay my respects now I am home.”

“No!” Kiorl stood and glowered at the other demon. “Do not go to the palace. I don’t think he’s forgiven you yet.”

“But-!”

“Kiaza!” Kiorl snarled. “We might both be major demons but I outrank you here at this house, in the Court of the King and the Prince, and we both know that I am stronger. Do not test me.” The panther relaxed, exhaling as his muscles again went slack. “Stay away from the palace my friend.”

“I’ve missed a lot then.”

“Yeah. Inai’s still here, but we banned him from eating people in the house.”

“Thank fuck for that.”

“And Shindae is as wonderfully irritating as ever. Go make friends with the new guys; I need to get back to the palace.”

Kiaza watched his friend depart and continued to sit in the fire, thinking about what Kiorl had said. Nassau was still angry with him, a hundred years later. No one could hold onto a grudge like the Prince of Hell. No doubt Kiorl was there now, placating their Lord as his anger blazed. If Nassau got really angry, they’d all know, because the sky would be suddenly dark, the campfires extinguished by the black clouds of Nassau’s rage.

He knew that his actions had been more than foolish: stupid, childish and downright cruel. But Kiaza had missed the old days, the time before Mattias, when the three of them were so often together. They had made a great trio, and Kiaza had never had more fun than when he was with Nassau and Kiorl. It was not the most pleasurable of times, but it was always fun. But then Nassau has gone and fallen in love, and then fate had twisted so that their Prince’s heart was shattered. Hindsight was a wonderful thing, and going to Nassau in the shape of his dead lover to trick him into bed had probably been the stupidest thing that Kiaza had ever done.

“Hello there, cold blooded one.” Kiaza looked up to see Shindae standing in the doorway, leaning against the jamb with one shoulder. “I heard you were back.”

“Somehow I don’t think anyone is very happy about it.” Kiaza stood and brushed ashes off his scales. He wound a length of fabric around his hips to make another sarong. “You look just the same old friend.”

Shindae grinned, white fangs stark against his black fire patterned skin and deep violet tongue.

“I grew a new branch.” He held out his left arm, where the main trail of fire split and wound in a double helix down to his wrist. “You look good. Your scales are greener.”

“It’s all the fresh air Upstairs.” Kiaza shrugged. “How come I never ran into you guys up there?”

Shindae sniggered.

“It’s not like you and I hang out at similar sorts of places Kiaza. Come on, Tobias’s is making dinner and you’d best come meet the rest of the house.” He sighed. “You need to make friends with Vru.”

“Why would I want to do a thing like that?” Kiaza replied archly.

“Because he’s made of fire an’ he’s warmer than I am. ‘Spect if you’re really nice he’ll give you a hug. Trust me, so worth it.”

Dinner always came together with a certain amount of fuss, fighting, and just a little bit of grace. Tobias somehow managed to create different dishes every day, made food which suited everyone, and was not above created specialised things for some of his housemates. Vruuaska had changed back into his feral shape in order to eat, as he often did, and Kiaza took the next seat along from the big ash-furred beast. The pale demon Jahke came to sit next to him.

“What’s for dinner Tobias?”

“Beef and potatoes.” The former human smiled. “But with spices.” He began sliding bowls across the table. “This’ll blow your brains out. There’s flatbread too.” A large wooden platter of woodchips and granite chunks was placed in front of Vruuaska. “Got your favourite, apple wood salad.” Tobias turned to Kiaza. “Here, you didn’t leave me a lot of time, but I got them.” Tobias pushed over what looked to be exactly like a carton of eggs. These were large, about the size of a fist, and had mottled grey, black and yellow shells. “Welcome back.”

“Hey Snakie.” Inai settled on his coils at the far end of the long breakfast bar which they used as their permanent table. “Aww, man. You got him Dire-Croc eggs? No fair, you never get them for me!”

“That’s because you left finger bones in the sink again.” Tobias replied with a shrug. “I’ve told you to stop heaving your remnants out in the kitchen.”

“So what is it you do?” Jahke asked with a small, shy smile. Kiaza hadn’t been able to believe that Sitka had finally settled down with someone, but he could see the pale young man’s appeal. He was so, innocent and tasty.

“Kiaza can be anyone he wants.” Sitka answered for him. “He’s a shape shifter, but in a very different way from Tobias or Vru.”

“Really?” Jahke seemed surprised. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

“You should know by now.” Kiaza stood, concentrating on the pretty blue eyed demon. “That anything is possible.” He blinked, and let his flesh start to slide into his new shape. Jahke was taller than him, the cloven hooves were slightly strange and the growing of the two little horns only fractionally painful, but when Kiaza opened his bright green eyes, they were the only thing that distinguished him from the young demon.

“Wow.” Atoki, sitting on Vruuaska’s other side, gaped at the reflected image of his friend. “That’s amazing.”

“Like Sitka said.” He spoke in Jahke’s voice. “I can be anyone, whenever I like.”

Jahke seemed mesmerized by him, like a mouse in the gaze of a cobra, and stared slack jawed and wide eyed that the image of himself. Kiaza could hear his heart pounding in his chest, their very closeness enough to strip his mind of other thought. Kiaza reached out and put one slim finger under the boy’s jaw, tilting up his chin and bringing their faces closer. Jahke blushed the most wonderful rose pink, and Kiaza saw yet another reason why Sitka had chosen to keep him.

“Damn, that’s hot.” Sitka’s voice was full of multilayers tones, all of them overlaid by lust.

“Babe?” Jahke didn’t take his eyes from Kiaza in his body as he spoke. “Please?”

“Yes.”

“Can it wait until after dinner?” Tobias implored, but no one was listening. “Never mind. Go to the den.”

Kiaza took Jahke’s hand and led him away, knowing that they were followed. Perhaps putting on a show might be just what he needed to cure himself of the strange burning sensation that still haunted his mind and his loins. By now, he shouldn’t have even been able to remember that there had even been a boy, let alone remember his name. But the memory of Jeremiah made his head spin dangerously. But now was not the time for that, because Jahke stood in the front of the fireplace, looking exactly like a boy who needed to be kissed.

Sitka took a seat on one of the rather worn sofa’s. Shindae reclined across the room, and if he had be bothered to listen, Kiaza would have heard Zai pleading with his lover for permission to go and watch too. He turned to Jahke using the boy’s own smile and pulled him close as they kissed. Jahke was good, and he hadn’t hung around demons this long with being delicious as his only skill. The boy wrapped his fingers into Kiaza’s hair and ravaged his mouth. Kiaza missed his forked tongue, but one sideways glance at their audience told him all he needed to know about how they looked together.

Jahke pressed against him, both of them already hard under their thin clothes. Wearing the same shape, they stripped each other and Kiaza wrapped his hand around Jahke’s lovely rose pink erection. The boy groaned against him, opening up against his mouth. Kiaza couldn’t work out what the boy was more enamoured by: the idea of being watched or the idea of making out with himself. The shape shifter decided that he didn’t care all that much, and with a couple of little shoves had the young demon pinned back against the wall next to the fire place.

While Kiaza always took the leading and controlling role in whatever he did, he did not often do it from the dominant physical position. It was a nice change to run his fingers down Jahke’s body, feel the young demon shiver in desire and submit to him, his thighs trembling in anticipation and need. Kiaza used one knee to open the boy up, one hand on his hip, the other braced against the stone wall. Keeping his balance on delicate cloven hooves was something he had to think about. Kiaza grinned in a decidedly wicked manner and knocked Jahke sideways against an abandoned chaise. The boy lay exposed, his crotch presented upwards, slim rose coloured cock pulsing and begging for attention. Kiaza dropped to his knees and wrapped borrowed lips around the young demon’s erection and allowed him to feel what it would be like to give a blowjob to himself.

Heat built up in the room, half a dozen panting breaths, the warmth of the fire, the keening damp moans of Jahke as Kiaza worked over his length, sucking and licking, nipping here and there with sharp teeth. Kiaza could hear the reflected heartbeats in the room, taste on the air the scent of lust and desire, and Sitka’s burning animal need to pull his mate close and drink his blood. But he would wait, they all would, until it was over. Kiaza wouldn’t need to use his power on Jahke, couldn’t if he wanted to remain alive, and did not wish to ruin him. He only meant to strip his mind of the memory of Jeremiah.

Kiaza wiped his thumb over his tongue and pressed his hand between Jahke’s thighs, finding his rosebud entrance and pushing in without warning. The boy whimpered, practically mewling, his cock bouncing against his flat abdomen, leaving little shiny damp splats of pre-come on his alabaster skin. Kiaza worked into him long enough to blur the edges of his own vision with desire, and he withdrew his hand with a soft pop. It was like the noise flicked a switch, and the tension of desire jumped up.

Sitka sat motionless on the sofa, eyes burning black, barely breathing, whereas both Inai and Shindae were stroking themselves in what had been a rather lazy manner up until this point. Kiorl was back, wafting in from the palace while no one was looking, and sat in his throne, looking deeply amused, his tabard doing very little to conceal his erection. Now that was something Kiaza truly missed.

He spread Jahke’s thighs and ploughed on into the young demon’s steaming hot body. Fuck, it was good to be home.