How to Love a Blue Demon

by Story, Sherrod

  “You’re serious. You’re talking about me like I really belong to you, like an object. Is that how men and women, I mean, male and female demons interact on your star? ‘Cause I gotta tell you, baby. That shit’s not gonna fly here. If you think for one fu –”

  Eyoen moved swiftly to bridge the distance between them. So swiftly the water in the tub surged up and over the sides.

  Cass instinctively hugged him back when he pulled her close. But when she tried to pull away she found herself trapped.

  “Eyoen –”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Cass sighed and let her face drop into his neck. She kissed him, licking at the water and inhaling deep to bring the scent of his skin into her nose. She rubbed her breasts against his chest and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  She tried to push herself back, not wanting to get caught up in his spell, but his arms tightened around her, and she sighed. “Your damn pheromones are getting on my nerves.”

  He leaned back, blinking absurdly long lashes and looking so soulful and sad she had to hold back a laugh.

  “Good grief. If this is the demon version of puppy dog eyes, I may never win an argument.”

  He grinned. “Then let’s not argue, my dear. Let’s make love instead.”

  He lifted her beneath the butt, obviously intending to slide in where he fit in.

  “No. We need to talk about this. You can’t say stuff like that to me. Not and mean it. I’m a grown woman, Eyoen. I don’t mind you bossing me around in bed, but this whole never touching another man thing is crazy. What about Boyd? What about Lucky? Did you forget my manager? And Natty. We work together all the time, and he’s not the only one.”

  Eyoen tensed at the mention of her friend and producer.

  “See? You’re like a petrified board now and all I did was mention a man’s name.” She tried to push away. “Let me go,” she ordered when he would have held on.

  He watched as she stepped out of the tub, water sluicing off her long brown body. She ignored the tingles that spread as he licked his lips, his eyes tracing the water droplets path as they leisurely rolled down her back and over the curve of her ass.

  “Cass, wait.”

  She wrapped herself in a towel and turned expectantly.

  “I understand that you are upset by my, display. My – jealousy. But I want to explain myself. Please give me a chance. I know I can make you understand and forgive me.”

  Cass sighed. “Get out of the tub before you turn into a prune.”

  “What is a prune?” Eyoen asked.

  She forced herself to turn away when he stood, water cascading down his tall muscular body. Jesus. No man should look that perfect, let alone be wet at the same time.

  “A dried fruit called a plum.” In her room she quickly threw on a sleep shirt, knowing she was vulnerable if she stayed naked.

  He appeared instantly, and she was happy to see he was wearing a pair of the low slung, black silk pajama bottoms she’d picked out for him.

  After they’d given Lee’s things away to charity, he’d been left with nothing, and she’d enjoyed shopping for him. She got a little thrill every time the dressing room curtain went back and he appeared, holding those big hands up and out at his sides as if to say, well? Don’t I look gorgeous? And he did, so much so the sales girl kept tapping at the door asking if she could help with anything until an irritated Cass snapped at her to beat it.

  Eyoen just grinned.

  Cass huffed indignantly. She was hot and bothered, and she needed to strip him out of his clothes, but didn’t want to give in. She didn’t trust the way she felt. So much had happened in such a short period of time. Suddenly she wanted to be alone. For the first time in her life she actually wanted to run away, but Cass didn’t run away from problems. She ran toward them. So she stayed, eyeballing her extremely tall, extremely handsome, extremely happy problem, and managed not to clout him over the head or toss him onto his back.

  “I could be a crazy jealous nut too, you know. Women aren’t exactly immune to you. But I trust you, even though we’ve been dating like five minutes, and you’re an alien.”

  “Demon.”

  “Whatever!”

  “I’m sorry, my dear. Please continue.”

  She huffed and yanked on the bottom of her shirt, a futile effort to cover herself. Nearly all of her thighs were exposed, and she saw him looking, which perversely made her want to lift the hem and show him everything.

  “You are driving me crazy. You say things that are completely nuts, and I still wanna lay down on the nearest flat surface with my legs wide open.”

  She left for the kitchen, hoping a cold drink might cool her blood enough to think clearly. She muttered as she rummaged in the refrigerator.

  “I guess they don’t have sexism or gender equality on your star, huh?”

  He shook his head. “We don’t need those things. No one is mistreated. No one wants to change how things are. We are content with our roles, and they are well established. The male takes care of the female and makes most of the decisions in the household. He works outside the home, and the female rules inside it. She uses the male’s credits, but she makes all of the domestic decisions and takes care of any offspring.”

  Cass just shook her head. It sounded like a postcard for the 1950s, only in blue. “And is that what you want for me?”

  “Not at all. That would not be right for you. Just as it is not right for some women on the star. For those uninterested in a more traditional domestic arrangement, they can freely choose a different,” he paused searching for the right word. “Career. Women take on all sorts of roles just as they do here on Earth. Like you. You are an artist. You must play music. It is your gift. You must share it.”

  Cass relaxed a little when he said that. He sounded so emphatic. That had to count for something. If she could just make him relax a bit they might be able to get over this.

  “But I cannot stand these other men around you.”

  Or maybe not.

  “I don’t know how to explain it, but every time one of them gets near you, I can see the lust in their eyes. I can smell it when they reach for you. Even your old friends, men you feel only affection for would fuck you without question if you gave them an opportunity. I don’t think you realize just how seductive and lovely you are, my dear.”

  “You’re reading their thoughts?”

  “Their thoughts, their body language, their desires, their fantasies.” He shuddered. “They batter me until I fear I will lose control and destroy them.”

  Yikes. “Baby, that shit sounds horrible. But I’m afraid it’s on you to cool out. Can’t you block their thoughts somehow? Because I gotta tell you. All men are like that, and I’m not ugly. I’m also a star, and I’m tall, and I got big tits and a lot of money. There will always be men around me.”

  He bristled and she held up a hand.

  “But that doesn’t mean I want them.”

  She reached in as the refrigerator began to hum from having its door open too long and pulled out a beer. She twisted off the cap and took a long pull.

  “Ever since, Lee, well, since he’d been gone, and you revealed yourself to me?” She shook her head and tipped more beer down her throat. “I can’t seem to stop wanting you. It’s kinda making me nuts.” She glared at him.

  “I haven’t practiced in days. Haven’t written a word. I’ve barely answered my phone or an email. This is my down time, but this is ridiculous. I can’t see anything but you. I smell you, I wanna fuck. I see you, I want to bend myself over whatever’s handy with my ass in the air like a – ” she sighed and rubbed her forehead wearily. “It’s exhausting fighting this constant desire for you. And then you act like a neanderthal on top of it? I wish you’d turn those goddamn pheromones off!”

  Eyoen smiled slightly. “It’s not my pheromones making you act this way, my love.”

  Cass swung around to face him. Love? Great. Let’s throw another spark-prone log on the fire. S
he emptied the bottle down her throat and reached for another one.

  Eyoen stepped forward and took the beer from her, put it back in the frig and shut the door. Cass let him; she didn’t really want it. She just wanted to keep her hands busy so she wouldn’t reach for him. He took her hands and wrapped them around his waist, pulling her close until her head nestled against his shoulder and his hand covered the back of her neck.

  “What you feel is honest desire.”

  Cass shook her head even as she snuggled closer. “No. It’s that demon hoo-doo you got goin’ on. It’s gotta be.”

  “No,” he chuckled.

  “You said the pheromones would arouse me more.”

  “Yes. I said they enhanced what was already there. But they manufacture nothing. They prompt nothing. They are merely the icing on an already thickly frosted cake. What you feel for me is strong, and it’s growing stronger. I know you’ve never felt this way before.”

  He could say that again.

  “You’ve never felt this way before.”

  “Ha ha. Very funny. Do they have comedians on Cyanus?”

  Eyoen laughed softly. “No, we don’t. Our idea of humor is different, and don’t try to distract me. I don’t want you to be afraid of what we share. It’s common for mated pairs to exhibit an intense joining. It’s not unlike your falling in love. But what we share is more. It’s,” he faltered. “It’s biblical. It’s intense, and there’s not much either one of us will be able to do to control it.”

  “So you’re saying I just have to put up with you being a jealous asshole? And beating me on the side of the road while fucking me over the hood of the car?”

  “It was the trunk,” he said, deadpan. “And I didn’t beat you. A few taps on that lush bottom of yours, nothing more. And you liked it all. Every stroke.”

  She could feel his erection nudging her belly and couldn’t bring herself to deny it.

  “Will you at least try to work on the jealousy, Eyoen?”

  He sighed, staring into her eyes for a long, eloquent moment that suggested it would be nearly impossible. “Yes, my dear. I will try. But you must do something for me.”

  “What?”

  He gave her the puppy dog eyes again.

  “Don’t be too angry with me if I fail?”

  Cass laughed softly. “Who taught you that facial expression anyway?”

  He grinned, rubbing himself against her. “I saw a man do it on the street, and it seemed very effective. Is it working on you?”

  “Never you mind, you demon.”

  The next two weeks were some of the happiest of both their lives. Cass was shocked at how little time they spent apart, and even more shocked that it didn’t bother her a bit. They even grocery shopped together, and she had a great time introducing him to different foods. She was surprised to find that he liked cooking, often taking over and producing food as tasty as anything she made.

  Housework was a snap when he was around since he did everything by magic, which meant everything was practically perfect. They exercised together, and no matter how far Cass ran, Eyoen kept pace effortlessly, and literally never broke a sweat. Apparently demon physiology required that he expend quite a bit more energy before he got winded or tired. This was a boon since after a run, when she was sweaty and tired, he’d wash her in the shower and massage her body until she either fell asleep or the tiredness fell away and they made love.

  They had sex a lot. Several times a day in fact, and Cass was amazed at his stamina and hers.

  “I’ve never had this much sex before, and my body doesn’t seem to mind the constant, you know.”

  He frowned, confused.

  “You know, sometimes when a woman has too much sex, she’ll get a little, you know, sick or sore.”

  Discussions of yeast infections and UTIs seemed a little too raw, even considering some of the sexual shenanigans they’d gotten up to. Just that morning he’d fucked her over a bench in the park. He’d thrown up one of his shields, and when her eyes weren’t rolling up into the back of her head, she watched people walking by as though she wasn’t panting like a dog and writhing all over a large blue man’s cock.

  Eyoen scowled. “You don’t have to worry about anything like that ever. As long as you are in close proximity to me, your health will remain perfect.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “My energy is very strong, and because you are my sole priority, it’s all focused on you.”

  When she had to attend meetings he either tagged along and sat listening attentively or he’d wait somewhere nearby. If there were men there he always insisted, very politely of course, on sticking around. She just rolled her eyes and let him.

  She’d watched a few times to see what he would do when she shook a man’s hand or on one occasion when an old acquaintance gave her a hug, but aside from a tight jaw, two large, balled fists and some rather beautiful, if alarming, eye color changes, he managed to keep his cool. For which she thanked him later.

  When she played in her studio he sat quietly and futzed around on the Internet. He told her his investments continued to do well, and he’d made progress on his spa. He’d decided to open one after he massaged Priti and then Boyd, and they were effusively grateful.

  Priti – who looked even prettier once Eyoen cleaned her out – was ecstatic when she discovered she’d lost five pounds, and they all got to feel her belly when the baby began to kick cheerfully.

  “If you can stand pushing shit out of people all day long you could make a killing,” she laughed. “You’d be surprised how many people have trouble going to the bathroom.”

  Actually he wouldn’t. Eyoen could sense human illness or discomfort. If he walked beside someone he knew if their knees were hurting or if an old injury had started to ache. Sometimes he’d brush up against people just to soothe their pain. Cass looked suspicious when a succession of old ladies fawned over him. But she laughed when she realized they weren’t just ogling his tall, fit body and supermodel handsome face. They were happy because when he touched them, their gout, migraines, joint pain and sundry inflammations eased or vanished entirely. There may have been some ogling too.

  If she was otherwise occupied in the house, on the phone or working with Lucky or Tommy, he’d take Bullet for a walk. The dog adored him since he could roughhouse with him without risking an injury. When Bullet got too frisky and yanked his pants leg or growled, Eyoen just laughed and tossed the animal gently onto his back and rubbed him until he fell into a contented, panting heap.

  He took the attention they received from the media in stride. He could care less that he was a target for the paparazzi. They would never find out any information about him, he assured her. And they didn’t. But speculation was rampant, and some of the stories were so wild and crazy they laughed over them. One paper said he was an exile from a foreign country off the coast of Switzerland. Picking up what he’d said about opening a spa the night of the club opening, another said he was a fitness guru from Morocco, and one web site insisted that he was prince of a small Middle Eastern country and wildly rich from oil money.

  “That’s closest to the truth than anything.” He told her his family did own most of Cyanus’ fuel sources, and he was a prince of the realm.

  “Well, now that you’ve been linked with me, it’s open season, my friend.”

  Eyoen just laughed. “Your paparazzi could never love stars as much as the average demon fawns over a royal. You will see.”

  Cass frowned at his back as he walked away. She would?

  Chapter ten

  “My King?”

  Carlow’s eyes opened slowly. He wanted to call out to the Queen, but he was so tired he couldn’t muster the energy to open his mouth.

  “My King. Are you here?”

  I am here, my dear.

  Ah. There you are.

  “My stars!” she gasped, seeing him lying prone on his back on the floor of his throne room and rushed to his side. “Are you, ill, my dear? Should
I call a healer? Where does it hurt?”

  Everywhere, but he smiled at her. “I’m not hurt, beloved. Merely tired and taking advantage of this cool floor.”

  The heat in the room had risen measurably along with his emotions. Which meant either he stripped naked, never a good idea with a palace full of servants, or lay down on the tiles to catch his breath.

  “You sound tired,” his wife whispered, lying beside him and taking his large hand in her much smaller one. She let her energy flow freely into him, and he breathed deep, immediately feeling better.

  “Thank you, my Queen.”

  “You’re exhausted fighting those horrible demons.”

  It was true, a statement that required no answer.

  “I just don’t understand that little –.” She said a very unqueenlike word comparing Unjel to the Cyani version of a vulture. “He’s a grasping, horrible, cowardly menace. I hope you find him soon, Carlow.”

  “I will.”

  “What will you do with him?”

  “He will be tried and convicted and likely sentenced to death for attempting to overthrow the monarchy.”

  She sighed. She understood the need for the harsh punishment. No one this bold and dangerous could receive leniency. It would be tantamount to issuing an invitation to any miscreant in the heavens to think that Cyanus was weak and ripe for plucking. But she was deeply saddened. She could remember when Unjel had been charming. There had always been something off about him, but he had once been their friend, had played with her children when they were small.

  “You can’t take much more of this,” she said after awhile.

  “I’m much stronger than I look, my dear,” he laughed, his energy returning faster given proximity to his mate.