Page 4 of Dead Air (Moon Murder Mysteries)

Three

T here was no such thing as Hell. At least, not a dedicated place, run by a single Devil.

Hell could be anywhere and everywhere all at once and demons did all they could to spread the darkness.

Miserable souls were easier to reap and Cenn’s job as a demon was to prevent souls from leaving their suffering, mortal coil and ascending to the glory of the Otherworld.

For a few chosen and heroic souls, the Otherworld was like Olympus or Elysium.

But the rest found a glorious, glowing eternity, acting as the light and source of life in the Otherworld.

Cenn was currently in his own hell as he crouched in the corner of Niall’s cabin, invisible and aching with hunger.

A soul had never looked more tempting and Niall was beautiful as he stripped off his clothes and danced while washing his silly plastic bags and his chipped, mismatched bowls.

He had been so adorable as he sprinkled granola on his dessert and giggled as he toasted it with a candle lighter he’d found on a hike.

His craftiness and independence amused Cenn and he found Niall’s resilience remarkable.

He wasn’t hiding because he had given up on mankind and he still wanted to help his fellow man, even if he didn’t always feel safe and secure around them.

Based on Niall’s performance reviews, he had never shirked his duties and had performed some impressive rescues single-handedly.

None of his friends and coworkers had a clue about his traumatic past or the scars he hid.

They didn’t know he was an excellent dancer either.

Silas Shelby had some pretty erotic fantasies about Niall, but they paled in comparison to reality.

He believed Niall was as sweet and innocent in the bedroom as he was on the trail, that Niall would be shocked if he knew the things Shelby had imagined.

A smile spread across Cenn’s invisible face as Niall stepped over the side of the tub and slowly lowered into steamy, lavender-scented water.

Shelby would be shocked if he knew what Niall was capable of.

What was he planning to do with that loofah?

There really was no telling and every evening with Niall had been a delightful experience.

He didn’t always get off and Cenn enjoyed the nights when Niall quietly read or sang to himself while tinkering with his box of unclaimed solar gadgets.

And while Niall’s tastes weren’t extreme or even that particularly shocking, the variety and frequency of his sexual activities were rather impressive for a single man in a cabin without electricity.

Cenn moved closer to the tub when Niall raised the wet loofah and rubbed it against his cheek, giggling as it brushed his ear. He scrubbed his neck and gasped. “You can bite but don’t leave a mark!”

A low purr rumbled from Niall as he dragged the loofah across his chest and there was a weak whimper when it swept and swirled into his armpit.

His eyes were shut and his teeth dug into his lower lip as Niall drew the rough sponge all over his abdomen.

He rose on his knees and held onto the edge as it cruised over the neatly trimmed hairs at the base of his cock and around, gently nuzzling his sac.

“Suck me!” he begged, squeezing and stroking his shaft with his other hand, the wet sliding sound carrying through the cabin and making Cenn thirsty.

Soon enough…

Cenn had never craved a human’s skin and mouth and cum this intensely but he could not rush.

The stakes were too high and Cenn wanted every advantage possible before he faced Niall.

He’d watched Niall for close to a month, learning everything he could but had found no other weaknesses to exploit.

Aside from his escape from Willoughby and his overactive libido, Niall’s conduct and character were unimpeachable.

He was a competent, stable, and otherwise well-adjusted person with nothing to be ashamed of.

If anyone was looking for the ideal gay mate, they would have hit the jackpot with Niall.

For a demon looking to barter for a soul, Niall Gilpatrick was a big problem.

Cenn had to take a few steps back and gird himself when Niall slid the loofah around his hip and along the cleft of his ass.

He bucked impatiently against it and his ragged keening taunted Cenn.

“Please eat my hole!”

The loofah was mashed against Niall’s ass and it was agonizing, watching him writhe as his cock dripped with bathwater and pre-cum.

“More!” Niall tugged his shaft, his frantic breaths as loud as thunder in the silent cabin. He dropped the loofah and searched the bottom of the tub before locating his glass dildo.

How did that get in there?

Cenn must have been distracted by Niall’s bare ass and his dancing and had missed when the glass dick was dropped into the tub.

It had Cenn’s undivided attention as Niall lifted it to his lips and covered it in slow, greedy licks.

He sucked on the head and pushed it in and out of his mouth, moaning as he jerked himself faster.

Was Cenn being mocked? He didn’t appreciate the irony and cast the tape player a caustic glare as “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars played.

There was a long, throaty moan as cum leaked from his fist but Niall continued to suck and gag around the dildo.

He grabbed the edge of the tub again and Cenn hurried along the wall to the other corner so he could see as Niall reached behind him.

A wavering moan filled the room and Cenn forbade himself from getting any closer, afraid he’d break and maul Niall as the end of the dildo pushed into his ass.

“That’s it, lumberdaddy! Split me open like a dirty little log!”

Indeed.

Thankfully, Niall had given Cenn a virtual checklist and a map to follow to his heart and his loins. But if Cenn was being completely transparent, he wasn’t entirely sure if he was demon enough to fulfill Niall’s carnal needs.

“Harder!” he ordered as the hand with the dildo worked in and out of Niall’s hole.

He was fast and rough with himself, spitting out his own cache of soft swear words.

He muttered things like “sugar” and “flick” and “heck,” blushing as if he’d said “shit” and “fuck” and “hell” and making Cenn melt for his precious Niall.

“Oh, flick, flick, flick!” Niall squeaked out as he came again, dropping onto his knees and slumping over the side of the tub.

Instead of scooping him up and carrying him to bed, Cenn bided his time as Niall gave his hair and his limbs a quick scrub with his homemade soap and rinsed.

Cenn watched from his corner while Niall rose and stumbled out of the tub, wrapping himself in an old terry robe before crashing onto his bed.

Niall opened a dog-eared copy of A Psalm For The Wild-Built— a cherished gift from DeeDee—but gave up and turned down the camping lamp on his bedside table after a few minutes.

“I’ve had enough adventure for one night,” he mumbled drowsily, chuckling softly as he plumped up his pillow and gave his shoulders one last wiggle, letting his thoughts settle.

His conscience was clear and light so it wasn’t long before Niall drifted off to sleep, a contented smile curving his lips.

He looked so happy and warm, tempting Cenn to finally touch him.

The gentle snores that wafted from Niall’s lips lured Cenn closer and he listened for a hint of his dreams. Chirping birds and a rain-swollen creek could be heard faintly as Niall hummed and mumbled about a family of skunks and a mama bear and her adorable cubs.

“Sleep…” Cenn whispered as softly as a breeze, lulling Niall deeper into his peaceful, pastoral dream. “Sleep and let your soul be at ease.”

One day, if Cenn prevailed, he would relieve Niall of that precious, perfect soul. It would be a terrible shame and would probably haunt Cenn in ways he had yet to fathom. But Cenn had made a deal and Hugh Dùbhghlas’s evil, ugly soul was too big and powerful to leave for a lesser demon to take.

Cenn would have them both, but he would handle Niall with great care and give him as much pleasure and joy as possible before the end.

Not because Cenn was enthralled with the beautiful and ridiculously wholesome human, mind you, but because Niall didn’t deserve to be a pawn in a mystical feud.

It was only right that Niall should have a little fun and experience something like love before his soul was condemned to an eternity of damnation and torment.

He might have been a demon, but Cenn didn’t like it when innocent mortals were collateral damage.

Those unbartered, unblemished souls were destined for the Otherworld, adding to the radiant peace and lighting the way for other good souls.

Once a soul reached the Otherworld, it was out of Cenn’s reach forever.

His hand hovered over Niall’s cheek but Cenn didn’t dare touch him yet.

He coveted all souls the way bees craved and collected nectar.

But once Cenn touched a soul, it imprinted upon him and he would never be able to rest until it was his.

Once he touched Niall, there was no going back.

Nothing would suffice unless Cenn owned every particle of Niall’s body and his soul.

Every new target became an obsession until Cenn got what he wanted. But for the first time in his entire existence as a demon, Cenn was vulnerable and sensed that he could fail. Because of a soft-spoken forest ranger who dreamed about birds, skunks, and baby bears, no less.