Page 32 of By Mistake

"Stop thinking so much over there," Shimari said from the other side of Andrus, who was between them again exactly as he should be. "Do I need to fuck you before you're finally exhausted enough to turn off that spinning mind of yours?"

Oresti laughed. "Do what you like, but I won't be getting it up again for a few hours."

Shimari snickered. "Maybe I'll wait until you're asleep, see how long it takes you to wake up and realize you're being fucked."

Andrus made a strangled noise between them, and from the look on his face, he'd just learned something new.

"Maybe I'll fuck him while he's asleep instead," Shimari said smugly.

"Shut up," Andrus groused. "Let me sleep. None of that the rest of the night, you reprobates. Maybe the two of you can do whatever you want whenever you want with whomever you want, but I'm out of practice, and my ass has had enough for one night."

Shimari said nothing, but his smirk remained firmly in place.

Oresti wasn't surprised in the slightest when Andrus fell fast asleep just moments later. When he started snoring softly, because of course he did that just as charmingly as everything else, Oresti said, "So are there any real threats against him? For being with me?"

"There is a woman with gold hair done up in a lot of braids all woven and interlocking. She wears the kind of poison ring that was popular back when Sendrus and Kolik summoned me, and she has regarded him with genuine hostility."

"Lady Mai-Falla, noted," Oresti said, not surprised in the slightest. "Who else?

By the time Shimari was done, he had seven people who would need to be watched closely simply because they were mad at Andrus for being with Oresti.

People were so fucking stupid . That was in addition to all the harm Farthing would enact the moment opportunity was presented.

The only thing keeping Andrus alive on that front was that Farthing would never be able to get past all the various protections in the house without him.

Little did Farthing know, those protections were greater now and demon-made. He would never possess Andrus's house or anything within it.

He'd never get his own demon either.

Unfortunately, being backed into a corner made men dangerous, and men like Farthing were that much worse.

"I'll appoint guards, overt and covert, and relay your suspicions to my sister and father as well. With all that on top of the protection you already provide, he should be safe."

"What about you?" Shimari asked.

"I'm a prince; that's generally protection enough. If not, well, I have bodyguards and Greivs, and now you, though if you have to choose between us, choose him."

Shimari scoffed. "I am the demon that demons fear. If the situation is as dire as that, let me off my leash and you will see what I can do, even when pulled in multiple directions."

"Hopefully it won't come to that. Now let me sleep, and wake us up in a few hours however you so like."

"Sleep, then, noble prince. I'll keep watch."

Oresti kissed him goodnight, then did precisely that.

He stirred a few hours later, driven awake by a grumbling stomach, and found he was alone in bed. A quick sweep of the room revealed no Shimari, but there was a beautiful, moon-bathed apparition on the balcony, half-swallowed by a too-large dressing robe.

Throwing back the blankets, he strode naked to the balcony. "I know you have twenty of your own dressing robes now," he said, pulling Andrus close and kissing him softly. "What are you doing awake?"

"Got hungry. To judge by the sound of your stomach, the same problem woke you."

Oresti grinned. "What did you request from the kitchen? Is there enough for me to steal some?"

Andrus stared at him, brow furrowed. "I didn't request anything. It's nearly midnight. Breakfast is only like six or so hours away."

"Andi…" Oresti held his shoulders, pushing beneath the dressing robe, thumbs running softly over his skin.

Then he slid them up to cup his face, thumbs stroking those too-delicate cheekbones.

"Beloved, you do not have to go hungry anymore.

The royal kitchens are always open, though only the small one operates at night and on a limited menu.

Back home, your staff are paid more than enough to do whatever you want whenever you want.

You are ice-cold to the touch. Go enjoy the fire, and I will get food ordered.

Is there anything in particular you want? "

"I have no idea what limited menu means, Your Highness. Something sweet."

"It shall be done." He led the way inside and went to grab his own dressing robe before stoking up the fire. "Where is Shimari?"

"He wanted to prowl around now that it was late at night, 'see what people really get up to,' and he seemed far too excited about it. I think our demon might be a gossipmonger."

"That does not surprise me remotely. You never did say why you're wearing my dressing robe. Not that I ever mind seeing you in my things."

"I just wanted yours," Andrus said, cheeks flushing. "It's heavier and warmer, and it smells like your cologne."

Oresti smiled, kissed him, and then finally actually went to see about food.

By the time it arrived a little while later, Shimari had returned, padding into the room like a little shadow, and shifting back to his human form as he reached them.

Watching him shift was strange, though not because of the shifting itself.

It was because in that moment of in-between, when he was no real shape at all, there was a flickering on the edge of things, as though glimpsing something through a heavy fog, and the glimpse he caught was of a looming figure with blood-red eyes and an enormous scythe, wearing darkness like an old cloak.

"Learn anything interesting?" Oresti asked as he gave Andrus a truly impressive mountain of cake with coffee to cut the richness.

Shimari sprawled in an extra-wide, plush chair like he still thought he was a cat. "The woman with extremely dark skin, almost a true black, with vivid red-brown eyes…"

"Lady Waterson, she's the wife of a nothing-baron who never leaves his country estate, and the mistress of the Queler ambassador."

"Well, she's also fucking a pretty girl who I think is the daughter of a different ambassador. Winsome thing, almost translucent skin and hair the same. Not albino, though, just naturally ghost pale."

Oresti sighed. "Stepdaughter of Ambassador Jin from Saltmoore.

His wife is having an affair too, I think.

I mean, around this place who isn't? But the wife is sleeping with Mai-Falla, the poison ring woman.

And Mai-Falla is supposed to be getting engaged this year, and her likely-promised is sleeping with her bastard half-sister.

I think. If you really want the dirty details of the night court, you'll have to gossip with Latasha. "

"I think I will, if she doesn't mind gossiping with a mere personal assistant."

"My sister knows who has all the real information in the palace, and it's not the spoiled rotten nobles who can't even get dressed without assistance. Nobody sees staff, and staff sees everything. There is wine here for you, if you want it."

"Thank you," Shimari said, taking bottle and glass from him.

"How is your cake?"

Andrus looked happier than Oresti had ever seen him, like a child seeing…

well, cake…for the first time. "I've never had anything like this.

My mother would make these little sort-of tart things sometimes when fruit was on the verge of going bad and so was really cheap, but that was normally only at the very end of the season when the vendors just wanted to be rid of it to move on to the new season.

Those were my favorite times of year, when we could afford something nice.

I didn't know you could get cakes so fluffy and with so much frosting. The cost of the sugar alone would be…"

Oresti would never stop aching over the life Andrus had led until now.

He always donated so much of his own funds to helping people, but clearly it still was not enough, or perhaps some reviews needed to be done.

Then again, Andrus was a special case, specifically ostracized and tormented because of Farthing.

He could not wait to put that man where he belonged. Patience was crucial, but he really fucking hated it.

"His time is coming soon, pet," Shimari said, eyes glittering, wavering between green and red. "Speaking of which, his wife is fucking his personal assistant."

Oresti rolled his eyes.

His own food was simply a pile of rice and meat fried up nicely, generally taken from the day's leftovers. It was one of his favorite late-night meals, frequently enjoyed after a long night of arresting killers or running down people who could tell him where the killer was hiding.

When the food was done, Shimari looked at them with more heat than the fire that bathed them all in its flickering glow. "So, Your Highness, do you want to fuck me while I fuck him?"

"I want that very, very much."

"I'm not doing anything," Andrus said, "not after all that cake. Put me down!"

Chuckling, playfully slapping the ass right beside his face where he'd slung Andrus over his shoulder, Oresti carried him back to the bedroom with Shimari leading the way.