Page 19 of The Orc Who Hated Christmas (An MM Monster Christmas #1)
CHAPTER 19
G raal watched Cas pacing, or not pacing really. He flew back and forth, clearly annoyed. Graal watched him, surprised that the way Graal was being treated would affect Cas so strongly, that he would be this angry on Graal’s behalf.
A knock sounded on the door, and a second later it opened. Fernos, his vampire landlord, and Loral, his servant, strode in.
Loral turned and stared at Cas. Cas glared back, hands on his hips and rage in his blue eyes. Fernos hadn’t noticed Cas. He stared coolly at Graal.
Graal’s skin crawled. He wished Cas weren’t here to see how Fernos spoke to him.
“Your rent is due,” Fernos said. “It’s a day late.”
It wasn’t. Not really. Graal could only pay when his landlord deigned to visit the basement floor. And he’d not come down the day the rent was due, so Graal had not been able to pay.
“And you’re not allowed to have visitors, orc.” Loral scowled at him .
Fernos spun and stared at Cas.
Cas bared his teeth and flew right up to them, wings beating loudly. “Not allowed to have visitors. Not allowed to decorate. Not given fresh water to clean. Laundry not washed properly. What sort of fucking place is this? What sort of shitty landlord are you?”
Fernos sneered, seemingly unperturbed to have an angry pixie flying up in his face. “He’s an orc. And if his kind wants to be treated better, then they should learn to behave like something other than dirty, cave-dwelling monsters.”
Cas’s hands clenched. “Go fuck yourself, you stinking cockhead!”
Fernos stared up at Cas. “How much is he paying for you?”
“What?”
“Obviously he’s paying for you and your companionship . That’s the only reason a pretty, fiery little thing like you would be with an orc in this stinky room,” Fernos said. “So how much? Maybe I should up his rent if he can afford a mouth like yours?”
Graal’s hands clenched.
Fernos tilted his head, gaze raking over Cas. “Or maybe I could make you an offer and save you from having to be down here with this orc. Then I could make use of your sweet mouth.” Then Fernos reached out and touched Cas’s lips.
“Don’t touch him,” Graal growled as he stepped forward.
But Cas didn’t need defending. He slapped Fernos’s hand away so hard Fernos cried out, gripped his hand, and stumbled back. Suddenly Cas’s aura turned from its usual pale light to a brilliant red. Loral and Fernos stepped back, eyes widening.
Black pixie dust spewed forth from Cas. A faint smell of smoke filled the air. Graal frowned. Cas’s pixie dust didn’t normally smell or look anything like that. Then again, he didn’t normally glow red. Fuck! Were his eyes red too?
Fernos and Loral bent over. They began to cough and choke. But Graal didn’t feel the need. The pixie dust didn’t smell pleasant, but their reactions seemed so over the top.
“There is no amount of money you could pay to compel me to put my mouth on any part of your body. I’d rather shove a spiky pine cone up my arse,” Cas spat at Fernos. “But Graal can have my sweet mouth anytime he wants.” More pixie dust burst forth. “Graal’s wonderful. He’s amazing. He deserves to be treated with respect and decency.”
Tears streamed down Fernos’s and Loral’s cheeks as they covered their mouths and kept coughing.
“There are those who make the world better. There are those who make the world worse. You make this world worse.” Cas lifted his chin. “You disgust me. You should be ashamed. Now fuck off and get out.” Cas pointed to the door. “Graal will not be staying here anymore. He will not pay you another single coin ever again!”
Fernos and Loral stumbled from the room and down the hall, still coughing and sounding like they were about to bring up their lungs.
Cas looked at Graal with his glowing red eyes. “Pack a bag, Graal. You’re moving in with me.”