Page 46 of Inferno
“Of course,” Yorin said, without protest, but Nerik thought he saw a hint of disappointment on the man’s face. That could just have been his own pride trying to bolster itself, though. Yorin slid out of bed, meandering about to gather their discarded clothing. Wanting to take advantage of even the smallest silver lining, Nerik sat there, watching his naked form move about the room.
Yorin returned to the bedside and handed Nerik his clothes… and from the blush on his face, he hadn’t missed the fact that he was being watched.
“Do you want to come to my house for dinner tonight?” Nerik asked, sliding out of bed and into his trousers. “I should be home by about four o’clock, if everything goes smoothly.”
Yorin brightened for a moment, before schooling his features into a studious frown. “If you’re sure that’s okay. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
Nerik slipped his shirt over his head, watching as Yorin stepped into his trousers. “Is that your way of saying you’ve seen enough of me today?”
“No, not at all,” Yorin said, quickly enough that Nerik believed him. “I’m just aware that it’s been a hectic few days for you. You might want to take a break and relax. Unwind a bit.”
Feeling bold, Nerik stepped up close to Yorin, aware that the taller man had yet to put his shirt on. He cupped a hand over Yorin’s cock, gratified when he jumped a little. “The most interesting method of unwinding involves you being there,” he said, and for the fifth time that afternoon, Yorin flushed bright red.
“Right then. Well, I suppose I’ll come for dinner, then.”
“Awesome.” Nerik grinned, then the smile faded as he remembered another important detail. “Uh, just one thing to keep in mind… Zandro’s going to be there. He’s the fire-dog you saw yesterday.” At Yorin’s blank expression, Nerik added, “A fire-dog is what humans call a hellhound.” The fact that Zandro was still at his house was something of a conundrum. He’d told the dog to leave, right after Yorin had hightailed it out of the forest, concerned that he’d be sending a team of warriors to kill him. There was no point in Zandro getting caught up in the carnage. But the stubborn dog had insisted on staying. After a quick round of introductions, Zandro had firmly stated that since Nerik had risked his life to help Zandro, then the least Zandro could do was stay and offer him some moral support. As stupid as the strategy had been, Nerik was grateful for the company, nonetheless.
Yorin’s eyebrows rose at the news. “It’s staying at your house?”
“He, not it,” Nerik corrected him gently. “And yes. This is one of the things that’s going to be an ongoing shock for you. There’s a hell of a lot that you don’t know about Chalandros and its people, and a lot of it is not what you would expect. What you call hellhounds, we call fire-dogs. But they’re not dogs like the ones humans keep as pets. They’re sapient. And they’re telepathic. They can understand everything you say, and they communicate by projecting words into other people’s heads.”
Yorin stared at Nerik, a frown slowly deepening on his face as he thought about that. “Is he going to mind me being there?” he asked finally.
Nerik’s eyebrows rose in almost comical surprise. “That’swhere you decided to go with this?”
“Well, I’m human,” Yorin said, sounding rather defensive. “He might not want a human around. Especially if he thought I was going to report you to the warriors last night.”
“Gods above…” Still with his feet bare, Nerik sat down on the edge of the bed and scrubbed his hands through his hair. “You are the most incredible man I’ve ever met. I just told you a hellhound is going to be having dinner with us. You could be railing against being stuck in a house with another demon. You could be ranting about how dangerous he is. I mean, fire-dogs can set fire to things just as easily as infernals can. But you’re worried aboutwhether the dog is going to like you? You’re the most…” Nerik stood up, completely at a loss for words, and wrapped his arms around Yorin. Yorin returned the hug, but tentatively, and Nerik got the impression he was thoroughly confused.
“You’re amazing,” Nerik said, when he drew back. “Thank you. Thank you so much for being so incredibly wonderful.”
Yorin smiled. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but that doesn’t answer the question. Is… Sorry, what was his name?”
“Zandro.”
“Is Zandro going to be upset about me being there?”
“Not if I give him the heads up first,” Nerik said. “He’s wary about humans because he understands that most of them would try to kill him. But if I explain that you’re not a threat, he should be fine. And if he’s not, I can always send him to stay with someone else for the afternoon.”
“Okay. I suppose I’ll have to trust your judgement on that one.”
“Then again, I might have to send him away anyway. Or maybe just outside. It wouldn’t do for him to be interrupting our ‘private time’.”
“Good grief,” Yorin said, finally reaching for his shirt and pulling it on. “Now that’s all I’m going to be thinking about; whether or not a sapient dog knows that we’re sleeping together.”
“Fun times,” Nerik said, completely unapologetic as he pulled on his boots. He gave Yorin a quick peck on the cheek. “So I’ll see you tonight, then.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The road out to Nerik’s house was rapidly becoming familiar. This was the fifth time in a week that Yorin had been out this way. “Hello?” he called loudly, as he approached Nerik’s gate. He’d left home at about four o’clock, having finally managed to put in some work on the week’s orders, in the midst of a very disjointed afternoon. Not that he was complaining on that count. His skin was still tingling from Nerik’s touch, his groin warm and satisfied – though not so much that he couldn’t enjoy a second attempt this evening.
“Anyone home?” he called again, when there was no reply. It wasn’t so much to alert Nerik to his presence, as Zandro. Yorin believed Nerik’s word that the dog wasn’t dangerous, at least to those he considered a friend, but Yorin was inclined to give him plenty of warning that he was coming. He’d also braced himself for another minor shock, after having seen Nerik’s real body this morning. Being so close to a fire-dog would likely be just as unnerving.
Finally, the front door to Nerik’s cottage opened, and he came trotting down the steps, looking as delectable as always, in worn buckskin trousers and a faded shirt. “Hey there. Come on in,” Nerik said to him, waving him forward. Yorin cautiously opened the gate and headed up the garden path. “Is Zandro around?” he asked, checking over the garden with a quick glance.
“Yeah, he went out for a bit of a walk. He was cooped up inside for most of the morning while I was in town. Hey, Zandro!” he called, then stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled.
“Is it safe for him to be out in the forest?” Yorin asked, suddenly concerned for the creature – which was odd, given that just yesterday, he’d been far more concerned about being attacked or set on fire. “What if one of the warriors sees him?”