The Hand of Pestilence

by Charlie Richards

  Gaping, Aiden stared up at the horseman. “Really?”

  With a wink and a nod, Pestilence stated, “Yes, and you will also be able to communicate with us both telepathically, just as a standard vampire beloved would.”

  Aiden squealed with delight and shimmied a dance within their arms. “Thank you!” He threw his arms around Pestilence’s waist and wriggled a little more. Upon hearing both men’s chuckles, Aiden got ahold of himself, although he couldn’t stop grinning. “When will that develop?”

  Then Aiden squinted and stared hard at Pestilence. Can you hear me now?

  Pestilence’s brows shot up, and he rubbed at his temple.

  “That would be shouting, sweetheart,” Garrett told him, chuckling. “I’ll teach you.” Easing Aiden out of Pestilence’s arms, he added, “Didn’t you need to do something?”

  Grimacing, Pestilence nodded, and he stepped away. “Right.”

  Aiden finally noticed that Pestilence had already donned the clothes Garrett had removed... however long ago that was.

  “Wait,” Aiden cried. “Can we come?” He glanced at Garrett before refocusing on Pestilence. “Can we see your... home?”

  They wouldn’t be expected to stay in the bedroom all the time, right?

  Pestilence appeared surprised, but pleased. “Of course.” He waved toward the wardrobe. “Dress quickly, sweet chosen.” Smiling at Garrett, Pestilence added, “You are both welcome to join me or to simply explore.”

  Grinning, Aiden quickly found some clothes and yanked them on.

  Chapter Nine

  Garrett peered around his new home with interest. To his surprise, Pestilence had set up his realm as a sprawling estate. Unbonded demons lived in one of several wings in their own suite. Bonded demons were given a cottage on the back property, built to their specifications.

  There were ten large barn-like structures, but Pestilence explained they held training equipment—anything from fighting pits to educational centers. The demons had to learn not only how to spar but how to live in the human realm. They were taught how to use their magick, allowing them to hide their true features.

  Watching Pestilence direct another demon to finish Diderman’s assignment, Garrett felt a niggle of unease. He’d heard that the demon had been assigned the task of spreading a respiratory infection in a nursing home. It wasn’t the disease that bothered Garrett. He understood that it was their duty. Instead, Garrett didn’t like the fact that the nursing home was located in Philadelphia.

  “I’ve been expecting Diderman’s death for a while,” Pestilence commented after the demon who was charged with finishing his assignment had left. Sitting in a large chair, he rubbed the back of his neck.

  Aiden leaned his hip against Pestilence’s armrest. “Really?”

  Pestilence nodded as he wrapped his arms around Aiden. Drawing him onto his lap, he told them, “Diderman was over four hundred years old, but he still acted like he was under a century.” He sighed as he shook his head. “The demon enjoyed getting into mischief a little too much, so the fact that he found himself on the wrong side of another paranormal or magick user doesn’t surprise me.”

  As Aiden pressed kisses along the underside of Pestilence neck, Garrett smiled and rounded the desk. He watched the horseman sigh and tip his head back. Taking advantage, Garrett threaded his fingers through Pestilence’s hair and massaged his scalp.

  Humming, Pestilence relaxed under their ministration.

  “Wow,” Pestilence murmured, a look of pure bliss on his features. “And you were worried we weren’t compatible.”

  Garrett chuckled, smirking. “So, we’re living here.” He didn’t wait for confirmation. Instead, he asked, “Do we have jobs? Can we help in some way?”

  As far as Garrett had seen, everything ran like a well-oiled machine.

  “Well, you were a guard at your coven,” Pestilence began slowly. “Not much call for that here.” His smile held a wealth of concern. “Do you have any hobbies you’d be interested in focusing on? There’s no need to earn money here or anything.”

  “Can I train with your demons?” Garrett asked, cocking his head. “I can’t imagine sitting on my ass all day.”

  Aiden straightened on Pestilence’s lap, snickering. “Yeah. You’d go stir-crazy in no time.”

  Garrett nodded, grimacing. “Afraid so.”

  Pestilence hummed. “If you’re working out with the demons, I’ll need to assign one of my older ones to you, so you know who’d be a fair competition.” The horseman must have scented Garrett’s confusion, for he told him, “Once everyone knows who you are, none of my demons would try to hurt you on purpose. With that said, the older a demon becomes, the more powerful he becomes.” He stared at Garrett earnestly. “I would never want you injured by accident.”

  Holding Pestilence’s gaze, Garrett nodded in understanding. “I’ll give it some thought.” Then another idea formed, and he commented, “You know, over a hundred and fifty years ago, I worked as a blacksmith for our coven.” Garrett winked. “Who shoes you and your brothers’ horses?”

  Chuckling, Pestilence grinned at him. “Our horses are magickally bound to us, so no shoes and no hoof trimming.” Cocking his head, he narrowed his eyes. “However, if you were a blacksmith, I bet you occasionally made weapons. You could dabble in our forge, making blades and such for my demons.”

  Garrett grinned, excitement filling him. “Nice!”

  Pestilence focused on Aiden. “What about you, sweet chosen?”

  Aiden snickered, his green eyes shining. “Would my Kindle work in this realm?”

  Barking a laugh, Garrett drew Pestilence’s attention. He grinned at their new lover. “If Kindle works here, Garrett would very happily sit around all day reading and eating gumdrops.”

  “Love to read, do you?” Pestilence focused on Aiden with a smile. After their human smiled, he asked, “What are gumdrops?”

  Garrett laughed again. “When we slip into the coven to get our things, we’ll stop somewhere and get some.” Then he sobered. “Oh, I guess you never did say if we could sneak in and out of there.”

  Oh, well. It’s just stuff. I would have liked to say good-bye to a few of my friends, though.

  Pestilence hummed softly. “I can get you in and out without anyone knowing... unless there’s surveillance in your individual rooms.”

  “You know, if I had a phone,” Garrett began, thinking quickly. “I could contact Daniel or Tristan. They would bring us some of our stuff, if I asked.”

  “Do you trust them?” Pestilence asked curiously.

  Garrett nodded. “We grew up together. They’ve been my best friends for nearly two hundred years.”

  “You’re gonna miss them, huh?” Aiden murmured, reaching over the back of the chair and grabbing his wrist.

  “Yeah,” Garrett admitted.

  “But not for a few more centuries,” Pestilence countered, smiling at him. “Ask them to change covens. Then they could hang with you whenever you wished.” He shrugged his shoulder as his smile turned wry. “Well, within reason.”

  “You’d take us to the human realm to hang with them on occasion?” Garrett grinned. He hadn’t thought of that. “And what do you mean, a few more centuries?”

  Pestilence cleared his throat and shifted restlessly for a second. His cheeks took on a pinkish hue, and Garrett smelled his slight embarrassment.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Garrett asked, confused at Pestilence’s reaction.

  Meeting Garrett’s gaze, Pestilence told him, “I’d hoped you intended to stay with me long term. That means, well”—he cleared his throat again—”forever.”

  “Forever?” Aiden squeaked. “How’s that possible?”

  Rubbing his hand up and down Aiden’s back, Pestilence told him, “I was created by the gods when the realms were formed and humans and paranormals were born.” He shrugged. “I’ve always been here, and I always will be.”

  “You
can’t die?” Aiden asked, clearly shocked.

  Pestilence’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yes, I can die, but the gods just bring me back.”

  “It’s happened?” Garrett’s gut clenched at that knowledge.

  Holding up two fingers, Pestilence told them, “Over the course of the many millennia I’ve been around, I’ve been decapitated twice. Once by Death, and once by War.”

  “Holy shit,” Aiden squeaked. “Why?”

  While Pestilence’s eyes held no malice—in fact, they danced with mirth—he told them, “We were at war with each other. We don’t pull that shit anymore.” He broke into laughter. “Damn, the gods were angry at us. Nothing like a goddess telling a group of fifteen-hundred-year-old creations that they’re acting like children.”

  Garrett shook his head as he thrust his free hand through his own hair. “Damn. Which goddess was that?”

  Pestilence appeared thoughtful. “Hmmm... Aphrodite.”

  “Ooookay,” Aiden mumbled.

  They both grinned at their human.

  “Soooo,” Garrett began, getting them back on track. “We’re going to be around awhile. Huh?”

  Donning a hopeful expression, Pestilence glanced between them. “I’d like that.”

  “So would we,” Aiden claimed, answering for both of them.

  Garrett nodded, surprised at how quickly he’d come to care for Pestilence.

  Grinning, Pestilence pulled Aiden into a deep kiss.

  Watching the pair, Garrett reached down and gripped his hardening cock behind the fly of his jeans. He suddenly knew exactly what Aiden must have felt a while ago. His lovers making out was damn hot.

  Pestilence broke the kiss and groaned. “Can I give you all a tour later?” he asked, his soft tenor having turned gruff.

  “Hell, yeah,” Garrett confirmed, helping the pair to their feet.

  After the tour a day later, Pestilence explained that human technology didn’t work in the demon realm.

  “No Kindle?” Aiden sighed dramatically. “I guess I’ll have to read the old fashion way. I’ll set up a PO box to have my books delivered to.”

  “Sorry, my sweet chosen,” Pestilence rumbled, wrapping him up from behind. He pressed a kiss to his temple before murmuring, “I’ll have a demon take you somewhere to order more and pick them up whenever you wish.”

  Aiden grinned over his shoulder at him, accepting a kiss in the process.

  Garret chuckled at his lovers’ antics. “So, think we’ll pass out again when we pass through this?” They were heading toward the mists.

  Pestilence released Aiden so they could start moving again. The horseman walked beside them, and a couple of demons trailed them. They had their own duties to perform, so once they reached the human realm, they would go their own way.

  “Most likely,” Pestilence admitted, glancing between them with a smile. “But it won’t always be like that.”

  Garrett enjoyed seeing Pestilence smile. From the comments some of the demons made, he hadn’t had much to smile about for... well, a long time. The demons appeared to like the change, too.

  It seemed they appreciated seeing their master happy.

  “Come here,” Pestilence urged, wrapping an arm around each of their waists. “Let’s go find a phone to call your friends.”

  “Ready,” Aiden claimed.

  After Garrett said the same, Pestilence did... something. His head swam, and black spots danced across his vision. He felt himself sway, then press heavily against a slender, wiry frame.

  “You’re okay,” Pestilence crooned. “It’ll pass quickly.”

  Garrett blinked once, twice. Then the spots began to clear. His mind started to unfog, and he managed to get his feet under him.

  “Wow,” Garrett muttered, shaking his head. “That felt weird.”

  Straightening in Pestilence’s hold, Garrett noticed Aiden was still out. His head rested on their horseman’s chest, and his strong arm around his waist held him up. His expression appeared peaceful. Reaching over, Garrett rubbed his hand up and down Aiden’s back.

  “You weren’t out long,” Pestilence told him. While he eased his grip on Garrett, he didn’t let him go. “Just a few seconds, really.”

  Garrett nodded. “Good.” Glancing around, he recognized the area. “Secluded park. Nice.”

  Pestilence chuckled. “Can’t have anyone seeing us pop in and out.”

  “Good point.” Garrett focused on Aiden again. “How long do you think he’ll be out?”

  With a shrug, Pestilence explained, “It’s different for everyone, although humans normally take longer to get used to it than paranormals.”

  Garrett hummed. “Well, want me to track down a phone while we wait for Aiden to rouse?”

  “I don’t want you far from me,” Pestilence told him possessively, even as he released his waist. Then he bent and slid his free arm under Aiden’s knees. “I’ll follow you. We’ll be invisible to everyone but you.”

  “Oh, am I immune to your glamour now, too?”

  Pestilence nodded.

  “Wow.”

  Garrett started forward, moving toward the jogging trails. If he was lucky, he could bum a phone off someone. Being a vampire, he could even force the issue if need be.

  Fortunately, that didn’t end up being the case.

  Spotting a young woman jogging, Garrett waved and offered her a charming smile. “Hey, ma’am?” he called, seeing as she was wearing earbuds.

  The lady paused and pulled them from her ears. “Hi.” Openly perusing him, she asked, “Can I help you?”

  Garrett heard Pestilence growl in his mind.

  Relax. I’m yours. He gave his lover mental assurance.

  Hell, yeah, you are.

  Continuing to smile at the woman, Garrett easily convinced her to hand over her phone. He had to think a second before he recalled Daniel’s phone number.

  “Who is this?”

  Garrett smirked upon hearing Daniel’s non-greeting. “This is Garrett.”

  “Holy fuck! Garrett,” Daniel barked. “Where the fuck have you been? Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in? Master Condor is pissed.”

  “Yeah, I figured as much. I need your help.” Garrett hesitated, then stated, “But don’t if it’s going to get you into trouble with Condor.”

  “Fuck that,” Daniel replied belligerently. “Whatever you need, me and Tristan are there for ya, buddy. What’s up?”

  Garrett explained what he and Aiden needed from their rooms and picked a time and place to meet.

  “Can I reach you at this number?” Daniel asked as Garrett was saying good-bye.

  “No. Sorry.”

  “I’ll pick you up some burners.”

  After thanking Daniel once more, Garrett hung up and thanked the lady for her phone while handing it back to her.

  Chapter Ten

  Pestilence settled in the chair, glancing around the pub. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d sat down for a meal in the human realm.

  Bet that will change.

  He couldn’t say he minded.

  “Hello, gentlemen. I’m Diana, and I’ll be your waitress this evening.” Diana glanced around at them all. Her gaze fell on Aiden, and she smiled a little wider. “Can I start you with some drinks or an appetizer?”

  “Oh, yes, please,” Aiden replied, smiling at her. “May I have a glass of your house merlot, please?”

  “Good choice,” Diana claimed, grinning. “What appetizer?”

  Pestilence could tell Aiden was completely oblivious to the woman’s attraction. Noticing the way Garrett reached over and took Aiden’s hand while grabbing the appetizer card from the rack in the middle, he knew the vampire hadn’t missed it, though. Smirking, Pestilence placed his own arm over the back of Aiden’s chair and played with his shaggy, sandy-blond hair.

  “Let’s see what you have,” Garrett commented, glancing over the card. It was the wine list s
ide, and he tapped his forefinger on it. “They have Troon’s Druid Fluid, sweetheart. Would you prefer that?”

  Aiden’s green eyes lit up. “Really?” He smiled at Diana. “Can I have that instead, please?”

  Diana nodded, nibbling her bottom lip. “Of course.”

  Pestilence could scent her disappointment, but he couldn’t give a shit.

  Huh. Never been jealously possessive before. Interesting sensation.

  “I’ll take that house merlot,” Pestilence told her. He didn’t know anything about human wines, but if it had been good enough for Aiden, he would be happy to try it.

  “Of course,” Diana replied. She turned back to Garrett. “And for you, sir?”

  Garrett hummed, then told her, “I’ll take a bottle of Amberbock.” As their waitress nodded, jotting on the pad, Garrett added, “And we’ll take an order of your boneless hot wings, some potato skins, and jalapeno poppers.”

  Diana continued to nod and scribble.

  Pestilence pointed at two men who’d walked through the front door a few seconds before. They’d been looking around and were now headed their way. He tensed as he asked, “Are those your friends, Garrett?”

  Garrett looked in the direction he pointed and smiled. “Yeah.” He released Aiden’s hand and rose to his feet. “Hey, guys.”

  Gritting his teeth, Pestilence watched Garrett offer both men a hand-shake and hug.

  He didn’t realize he was growling until Aiden squeezed his thigh and spoke into his mind. Stop it. They really are just friends. Never even fooled around together when they were younger.

  How do you know? Pestilence mentally winced at the irritation even in his mental voice.

  Aiden laughed in his mind. Ask him about it later.

  Pestilence unclenched his jaw and blew out a slow breath, calming his pulse.

  “And what can I get you, gentlemen?” Diana asked after the men sat down.

  The blond grabbed the card Garrett had left on the table. “Let’s see.”

  Evidently, the light-brown haired vampire wasn’t nearly so picky... or he’d been there before. “I’ll take whatever Michelob you have on tap.”