Page 24 of King’s Obsession (Obsessions #5)
Dougal
“You were reading my thoughts, weren’t you?” Dougal smiled at his mate, sitting across the elegant table from him after they’d finished a sumptuous meal. At that moment, Asmodeus never looked so handsome, especially when he blushed.
“You were… wistful, so I paid attention,” Asmodeus said gently, wiping his lips and setting his napkin on the table.
“I… I know our mating, claiming, blissful one experience, or whatever you want to call it, wasn’t typical.
You were right in your thoughts. For all the centuries we’ve known each other, I never courted you, we have never dated until tonight.
There’s so much we still don’t know about each other, and yet we’re having a child together. ”
Asmodeus was rubbing his belly, and Dougal wondered if he knew how often he did that.
“Confessed we love each other—that’s a huge improvement,” he said with a chuckle.
“There was so often over the centuries where I felt I was nothing more than a casual fuck to you. No, no, don’t be upset about me saying that,” Dougal added quickly as Asmodeus’s face fell.
“We’re well past that, and I know—I definitely know how much you love me now—and look at all this.
” He waved at the remains of their meal.
“You still have the ability to surprise me after all this time. There are not many couples that can say that about each other.”
“I can’t say I’ve got any experience with dating. I don’t recall seeing much of it in the demon realm.” Asmodeus leaned back and winced, rubbing down the left side of his belly. “My parents weren’t a very good example of a happily bonded pair.”
“What was it like for you growing up?” One of the things that Dougal had been curious about was his demon king as a child. “Were you a rascal child always getting into mischief, or were you the quiet soul who enjoyed reading and doing artistic pursuits?”
Asmodeus snorted. “My parents absolutely hated each other—it was an arranged bonding, something my grandfather pushed them into because, in his words, my mother had acceptable genetics to provide a future king. She did that when she gave birth to me, and then she shut herself off in a remote part of the realm and refused to have anything to do with my father again.”
Dougal’s heart lurched. “That must’ve been so difficult for you as a kid.”
“Not really.” Asmodeus rubbed over his belly again, his eyes watching his hands, which Dougal could admit was a hypnotizing act.
“If you don’t know any different, then as far as I understood, my upbringing was normal.
I had nannies until I could walk, and then I was expected to follow my father around and learn how to be king.
All of my education, what I learned about life and how to rule, came from my father. ”
“I know there’s a couch in this house. Let’s find it and sit awhile.” Going around the table, Dougal helped Asmodeus to his feet, noting another wince. “Settle, petal,” he said softly, rubbing over Asmodeus’s lump. “Give your daddy a chance to digest his meal.”
Asmodeus sighed. “They respond to you.” His eyes closed for a moment, and he leaned on Dougal’s shoulder.
“Let’s find that couch. I find there’s something magical about this space and would love to hang onto our date night a while longer.
That’s when a couple talk about things, isn’t it?
Before they get to the sexy side of the evening. ”
“Hon, the last time I dated, my people were living in caves, and the closest we got to talking was a grunt followed by a shoulder slap. If the slapped person didn’t fall over, it was considered a successful date.
” Dougal led Asmodeus to a couch, that fortunately, wasn’t too low to the ground, helping his mate ease into a comfortable position and encouraging the demon king to put his feet up.
When Asmodeus was as comfortable as he was going to get, Dougal wedged himself into the small space left, resting one arm over Asmodeus’s shoulder, and his free hand on his mate’s belly.
“It’s one of the reasons I’m worried about the baby,” Asmodeus confided, and Dougal realized he was talking about his upbringing. “You saw the mess with the diaper episode. I have no clue about even basic care elements for a baby.”
“A lot of it is commonsense, hon. They cry when they are hungry, have a wet bum, or are getting over tired. So, when the little one starts crying, you run through the checklist—are they fed, are they dry? If the answer to both is yes, then they probably have trapped wind, so pop them up on your shoulder and gently rub their back. I have had some experience with little ones, although it was a long time ago.”
Dougal chuckled at Asmodeus’s wide-eyed stare.
“I came from a big family—there were six of us kids and then there were cousins, and as I got older, there were nieces and nephews. So back in the day, I was used to being around little ones. Everyone in our clan pitched in, changing diapers when needed, and feeding the mouths that were at our respective homes when it was mealtimes. The little ones all knew who their parents were, and yes, some of them were little scammers, turning up at one home for dinner, and then heading to have a second meal at their own, but it was all fun.”
“That sounds idyllic,” Asmodeus murmured. Dougal noticed his eyes were closed. “Why did you leave the clan if you were all so close?”
“It’s what male trolls do, my wonderful mate. The females in our clan would bring their mates home when they found them, but males were expected to step out, create their own territories, usually as far away from the home base as possible, so they could start their own clan.”
Leaning to one side, Asmodeus looked at him under furrowed brows. “You didn’t start a clan, you started a forest.”
“I didn’t start this forest. There were maybe a half a dozen seedlings that were here when I stumbled across this place.
Gods, I was so weary by that point.” Dougal leaned into his mate, remembering that time.
“I was, I suppose you could call me an overachiever. When my dad sent me off with a bundle of food in my fur pack and a trusty knife, he told me to wander until my heart found a home. I have no idea how long I traveled back then, but I think what I was looking for wasn’t a home as such, but for something or someone to need me. ”
“And I suppose the trees here told you they needed you.” Asmodeus sniggered. “Did you talk to trees during your whole trip, or were these ones special?”
“I’ve communed with living things my whole life, it’s my gift.
” Dougal was surprised Asmodeus didn’t know that, but then it was one of the many things they’d never discussed.
“It was handy when I was roaming the wilderness alone because in a sense, I was never alone. But you’re right.
When I got here, the trees encouraged me to stay and rest a while, and over time, they shared their vision.
I realized I was meant to be here. Of course, I didn’t know about the secret demon portal at the time, but that was just the dew on the leaves, as far as I was concerned. ”
“Dew on the leaves. I like that. It’s always so pretty.
” Asmodeus’s eyes were closed again. “You won’t let me be like my father, will you?
I was never allowed to make any friends.
I was taught that people had to fear me or my reason for living was gone.
I would be useless in my father’s eyes if he ever saw me fail to stand up for myself.
Smite down others who dared to cross my opinion from such a young age, that’s what was expected from me. ”
“You are not your father,” Dougal reminded him gently, even as he felt the pain of Asmodeus’s upbringing like a knife to his heart.
“You know how to love. You show me that in a dozen different ways every day. Your realm has benefitted from your softer touches and your approachable attitude. In just a short time since you bonded with me, you’ve shown your demons balance—that you and I can kick ass when we need to, but that we don’t have to do it all the time.
Think of what a wonderful example that will be to our little one. ”
“And the trees?” Asmodeus was almost asleep. “Will our little one dance and sing, enchanting the trees and bushes?”
“You know they will, and our trees will clap and show their pleasure and love for our little one in this safe space.” Dougal shook his head.
“You keep dozing, my mate. I’m going to pick you up and take you back to our own bed.
There’s no bucket handy here, and you know you’re probably going to need one. ”
“I do love you. You taught me that.” Asmodeus turned, snuggling his face into Dougal’s shoulder. “Did you enjoy your date?”
“It was absolutely the best date ever,” Dougal assured him quietly. “Thank you so much for turning my wistful thoughts into reality.”
He stroked over the baby bump, shaking his head. The baby was getting cramped and was ready to come out.
Wait until we get home, he warned the infant silently as he scooped his mate into his arms and stood up. Just wait until we get home.