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“Anyway, when I…got laicized…my family stopped speaking to me. Except Yelena, because we’ve always been close, and my abuelita , because her doctor actually recommended I not tell her.

He said it could upset her so much that it might make things worse, and she probably wouldn’t remember it anyway.

So, I wear the collar when I go see her.

I tell her everything in my parish is perfect and wonderful, and I pray with her.

Yelena and Santino play along. And now…now, if I ever get married, or have any kind of family, she’ll never be able to meet them.

Because I fucked up, because I couldn’t keep my promises, I have to live with the fact that it might actually kill her… just to meet the people I love.”

He looks up at me, his voice cracks, and I think my heart does too.

“I am so sorry, Ben,” says Annie, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek.

He holds her for a moment, and there’s a violent tug behind my breastbone, pulling me toward them, but I just clear my throat and push my shot glass forward.

Ben gives me a weak smile and fills it. I take a shaky breath and throw it back, then look him in the eyes.

“The first time I…slept with another man,” I say slowly, “the summer after I graduated high school, I locked myself in his bathroom afterwards and had a full on panic attack because I thought I was going directly to Hell. Like, they were going to come up and pull me through the floor or something.”

Annie gives an incredulous laugh, but Ben is watching me.

“Are we doing confession now?” he as ks quietly.

“Only seems fair,” I say with a shrug.

“Alright.” He takes another shot. “My other big secret is that…I play drums…in a Green Day cover band.”

I can’t help but howl with laughter. “You what ?”

“You heard me,” says Ben, a fake scowl twisting his mouth. The tension between us cracks. “Go on, Saint Theo, cough up another one.”

“Fine.” I take another shot. “I have a collection…of Star Wars Legos.”

Ben cackles and I stand up, wobbling slightly, then lead them both to the closet in my hallway.

It’s intended to hold sheets and towels, but is actually full of Star Wars Lego sets.

Some of them were gifts from Ros and my family, while others I bought myself.

A few are half-assembled, but mostly they’re still in their boxes, because Dante and Virgil liked to knock them off the shelves I tried to put them on.

“Oh, we are definitely building a few of these,” Ben says with a grin, pulling out one of the boxes and inspecting it.

“Deal,” I tell him, then I turn to Annie. “Your turn, sweetheart.”

She looks quizzical, but then goes back over to the counter and takes her shot. Ben and I follow and wait with bated breath to hear what kind of secrets a demon might have.

“I have a…a sibling,” she says casually.

“What?” Ben laughs.

“Well, they are not what you might call a sibling, but I suppose they are the closest thing to a sibling I can have. We were created from the same flame, and they have been with me through all my centuries, working side-by-side.”

“What’s their crazy demon name?” I ask, the fog of the tequila beginning to roll into my head and my speech.

“Erremoz’gaath,” she says, sounding almost wistful.

“Do you miss them?” Ben asks. She doesn’t answer immediately, just watches as he pours her another shot, then takes it.

“No, but I missed you,” she says in a whisper, meeting his eyes. Ben looks like he might crumple, and puts his arms around her again. Annie folds into him, pressing her face into his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Ben,” I murmur. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

“Nah, it’s ok,” he answers. “I mean…we haven’t known each other long, and I could’ve been more honest with you. It’s just hard to talk about.”

“I know.”

“So…” he says, glancing between us, “the next confession better be about what was going on when I got back…”

I swear Annie blushes, then she looks at me with a small smile.

“We’d just woken up,” I tell him, unsure why I’m lying.

Ben just smirks. “Alright, if that’s how it’s gonna be. Maybe one more shot will do it. Here, Annie, like this.”

He pours another shot for himself, then puts his hands behind his back, lowers his head and wraps his mouth around the glass.

Blood rushes to my extremities as I remember how he looked in the car with his mouth around my cock like that.

He lifts the glass and tilts his head back, swallowing the tequila, then leaning back down to drop the glass onto the counter.

Annie grins and imitates him, putting her hands behind her back and bending over.

As she does, Ben winks at me and pulls something that looks like a necklace out of his pocket.

He quickly moves to stand behind her just as she has her head tilted back, tequila pouring down her throat, and grabs her wrists.

She makes a surprised sound when he wraps the necklace around them, but there’s nothing she can really do.

“I have a little theory,” Ben says as she bends over again and clumsily drops the glass onto the counter. When she straightens up, he leans in to kiss her neck.

“What is your theory?” she sighs, closing her eyes.

“I think our sweet Annie here can’t use those pesky shadows when she’s having a lot of…

human feelings,” Ben says with a wicked grin.

Annie’s face morphs with surprise, and she flexes her long fingers, trying to call up the tendrils of shadow.

Nothing. “Or maybe it’s just the tequila.

Either way, I plan to take full advantage.

” Ben grabs her bound wrists, tugging her back into him and slipping his hand over the front of her neck.

“Solid theory.” I’m slurring my words as I slip off my chair and move over to them. “What do you think, sweetheart?”

She lets out a low growl, showing me her fangs, but I can see the tiny sparkle in her eye. “I think that the two of you will be in a lot of trouble when I get my shadows back,” she hisses, “but until then, I suppose I have no choice but to…accept my circumstances…”

Ben nips the side of her neck, and I put my hands on her waist, running them up her body.

“And what circumstances would those be?” Ben asks.

“The ones where you have tied my hands behind my back with what I believe is…a rosary,” Annie replies. I peek around her shoulder and see that she’s right. Her wrists are tied with an actual rosary, the cross dangling down between her fingers. I raise my eyebrows at Ben.

“It’s not blessed, it can’t hurt her,” he says with a shrug. “You just keep all that Catholic guilt under control, Saint Theo, and let it happen. Now, mi amor , tell me exactly what you were planning on doing with him while I was gone.”

“I do not think that is any of your business,” Annie laughs, running her eyes up and down my body while Ben moves his hands over her ass, then slips his fingers into her shorts.

“Ah, but I told you to be gentle with him, and considering how wet you are right now, I don’t think that was your plan,” he breathes, and Annie’s back arches. I press my lips to the hollow of her throat and cup her breasts between my hands.

“She was definitely planning something,” I say to Ben, “and as much as I probably would’ve enjoyed it, I don’t think she deserves to get off scot-free.”

Ben suddenly grabs he r hips and spins her around, then puts his shoulder into her stomach, folding her over and lifting her off the ground.

Her feet dangle, and she lets out a pitched squeal, but her beautiful, round ass is now level with my face, and I can guess what he has in mind.

I run my hands up the backs of her thighs to where the shorts are now wedged between her cheeks.

Annie’s breathing quickens as I slide my thumbs under the fabric.

“Sweetheart, you’d better get rid of these right now,” I growl, tugging on them.

“I cannot,” she gasps, so I rip them down her legs and toss them aside.

She’s on full display in front of me now, just as wet as Ben said, and it’s everything I can do not to bury my tongue in her like I did the day before.

But…I want to savor it this time. I want to take as long as I possibly can with her—with both of them.

Ben’s eyes are wide and shining, flicking between me and Annie’s hip, which is beside his face.

“You’re in charge today, osito .”

“Take her to the couch and keep her like this,” I tell him.

He pauses a moment to grab the bottle of tequila, then obeys, sitting on the couch while keeping his grip on the backs of her knees.

I follow them and strip my shirt off. Ben takes one more swig from the tequila bottle and hands it to me.

I take one too, then set it on the side table as he reaches out and grabs me, pulling me into him and kissing my stomach.

Conveniently, both his mouth and Annie’s hips are level with my cock, which is rapidly becoming hard again.

But, wanting to savor everything this time, I drop onto my knees in front of them and grab Annie’s ass with both hands, spreading her and running just the tip of my tongue over her entrance.

She shudders and groans, and Ben licks his lips when our eyes meet.

“How does she taste?” he asks breathlessly. I run my tongue deeper through her pussy, lapping up every drop of wetness I can, then grab the back of Ben’s head and kiss him hard. He accepts it eagerly, o ne hand drifting around to my back and cupping my ass while I push my tongue between his teeth.

“Theo, please…I need you…” Annie begs, shifting on Ben’s shoulder.

I release him and drift my mouth back over to her, spread out so nicely for me, then lower my chin so I can suck her clit, closing my eyes to revel in the way she clenches around the top of my thumb when I slide it inside her.

Then, there’s a sudden gush of liquid that tastes less like Annie and more like tequila.

I open my eyes to see Ben carefully holding the bottle above her, trickling it out slowly so it flows over her pussy and straight into my mouth. I open wider and he keeps pouring.

“What is that?” she gasps.

“Just a little liquid courage for Saint Theo before he fucks you for the first time, mi amor ,” Ben answers, lifting the bottle and setting it back down, then looking at me. “Stand up.”

I do, and even though my head is muddled from the alcohol, I’ve also never been clearer somehow. Ben hooks a finger through my sweatpants and I remove them, letting him take hold of my cock. He slides it into his mouth and I reach down to grip his hair.

“Ben…oh fuck, you feel so good,” I murmur.

“If the two of you are quite done,” Annie snarls from behind him.

He releases me, turns his head, and sinks his teeth into her ass cheek, making her yelp and kick her feet.

When he pulls away, there’s a deep bite mark left behind, and for some reason it makes me even harder.

I never thought I was into this kind of shit, but something about Ben just brings it out of me.

“Patience is a virtue, Annie,” I remind her, “but I can see how desperate you are.”

I slip two fingers inside her and she gasps. “Please, Theo, please, I need more of you…”

“Just getting him nice and hard for you first, Annie girl,” Ben assures her. While I just try to stay upright, two fingers buried inside Annie and my other hand tangled in his hair, he returns to sucking me off. He’s so good, it takes all my willpower not to finish in his mouth.

“Ben, please ,” Annie whines. “You cannot do this!”

He slides my cock out of his mouth and pats her playfully on the ass. “Go on, then, Theo. But slowly. I wanna watch every inch of you go inside her.”

I adjust my position so I’m standing behind Annie, lining up the head of my cock with her entrance. She’s writhing and kicking her feet now, wriggling her hips backwards, but Ben holds her in place with both arms and watches me.

I hesitate for a moment, like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff and considering whether or not I can afford to jump.

But the way they’re both pulling me down is too strong.

Knowing I’m about to lose myself completely, I seize the rosary binding her wrists and give into the feeling, just praying they’ll be there to catch me.