Comfort Food

"Come on, come on," he mumbled, but the damned of limbo were taking their sweet time. Figuring it could only help he scraped together what he could find of Jamie in a dustpan and chucked it into the flesh loom for good measure.

It still took a good hour for the infernal weavers to reform flesh into hell's memory of Jamie. Kai was leafing through a grimoire from the shelf when he heard a splash and a loud gasp. He looked up and saw Jamie clamber over the edge and roll onto the floor in a wet heap, gasping like a newborn. And to Kai's chagrin, his skin was spotless. Not a single one of the tattoos remained. When Jamie saw his master he tried to get up, but he ended up on his hands and knees hacking up black water.

"Jamie. You redid the house," Kai said, but Jamie held up his finger and coughed up more water.

"I died," he croaked, followed by another coughing fit. "Sorry."

"I'll make you sorry. What the hell happened?"

The boy flopped on his back and lay splayed in the puddle, still catching his breath.

"Well, you said to do up the house-"

"Said no such thing."

"- so I thought, who do I know who can do that? And then I remembered you told me the name of an angel."

"You summoned an angel of the Lord," Kai said, carefully placing the book back on the shelf. "As an interior decorator?"

"Oh, they were none too pleased," Jamie sighed. "But I figured, tough titties, you know? I had all these warding sigils and I knew their name so I just told it to make the place look the way you like-"

"How you like."

"Right, and when it was done they asked to be let go, and I said sure, and then-"

"They showed you their true form?"

"Is that what happened?" Jamie asked, looking up at his master and biting his lip. "I just remember something hideous, and then my eyes popped. How was the summoning?"

"Just fine," Kai sighed, and that at least was true. He stood up and scooped the cold, wet boy up in his arms and carried him back up the stairs. Jamie felt dull and numb, not a bit of emotion on him. It was as if his bright soul had recoiled from the murky waters of Styx, and it would take some doing to coax it back. And Kai rather it be sooner than later. His mouth tasted like he'd licked a battery. But he still glowed a little inside when Jamie cuddled up to his chest and kissed his shoulder.

"Did I do good?" he asked quietly.

"You did stupid is what you did. But I suppose it worked out in the end."

"It always does," Jamie giggled, and Kai rolled his eyes. But the boy wasn't wrong. For as much as Kai worried, things did always seem to go his way. And he could see the new lair growing in him. Angelic magic was all illusions anyway. If he ever got sick of it, a few properly cast sigils would remove it all. At least the bedroom was nice. It looked like a Persian whore's boudoir, but there was something to be said for silk sheets and fourposter beds and the illusion of a sunflower field under an azure sky out the ornate window. The only thing marring the romantic opulence just a bit were the rows and rows of sex toys on the walls.

He threw Jamie on the bed. The boy bounced a few times before rolling on his stomach, his cheek on his hands and his legs playfully swinging back and forth. He knew damn well that being cute did a lot of the heavy lifting when it came to tempering his master's moods. It did that time too, but Kai was still annoyed at seeing that white unblemished skin. A good ten years of tattoos wiped away. He didn't say it out loud. Jamie didn't like being reminded of that fact that he ought to be an old man by now.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked, but his impish smile didn't reveal much worry.

"You summoned an angel into my evil lair."

"Are you going to punish me?"

"Yes, a lot," he said, and for a second there Jamie looked worried, at least until Kai fell down on the bed next to him. "Tomorrow."

"Are you still hungry?" the boy asked, rolling on his side to run his finger over Kai's chest, tracing the outline of his muscles. "I could help."

"You taste like salted pennies."

"I won't if you play with me."

That was true, but Kai was tired. It had been a very draining couple of days of narrow escapes, frantic flight and terrible interior design. He was hungry and too tired to pretend he wasn't. The drops Stephen had fed him, tasty as they had been, hadn't been enough to make the itch go away. And Jamie was right there, eager as always. Even without lifting a finger he could feel a watered down surge of playfulness in him.

Jamie climbed on top of him, straddling him with his small hands on Kai's chest, still wet from his own gruesome rebirth and raring to go like a champ. If nothing else, Kai found it very endearing. He put his hands on the boy's hips, so narrow his large hands could almost close around them.

"I think I'll put the warding sigil right here," he said, poking his finger at Jamie's pubic bone, and a zesty rush of fear and anticipation went through the boy. Kai's finger ran up past his belly button and to his bottom ribs. "Binding sigils right here," he said, running his finger along a rib and picturing the finished work. Then his finger moved to Jamie's back and ran over his spine, trailing goosebumps and nervous prickles. "Healing incantation right there. That's what we'll do tomorrow."

"All at once?" Jamie asked, true nervousness in his eyes now, and when Kai nodded he tasted fear again, but not the dull metal copper of just any mortal. Jamie's fear reminded him that even bitterness could taste divine when blended with wicked lust. Jamie's soul was stirring, creeping out of its dark hiding place and following the enticing trail of stimuli on his body. Kai could almost see it glow under his white skin. It needed to be guided, to have a path drawn for it. It shone without aim or purpose, but so very prettily. There was one emotion he would kill to taste, one that was rare enough to make Jamie precious, and one the boy gushed like a fountain; the lustful anticipation of pain.

"Can we go up?" Jamie asked. Almost on reflex Kai wanted to tell him no, but he thought twice. It would definitely shake something loose in Jamie, blow the dust off his numbed soul. When he nodded Jamie leapt off the bed and ran to the window like an excited puppy ready for a walk. Kai put his arms around him and Jamie clung to his neck.

"Ready?" Kai asked, and he felt a flush of excitement run through the boy when he nodded.

Kai kicked off and the sunflower illusion shattered when he broke through. Jamie bit his lip and surged with excitement when they flew up, knowing he'd get a chewing out if he screamed. His body prickled and surged with joy, his nails dug into Kai's shoulders. Within seconds they were up high enough to see the entire valley, the sandstone rocks glowing in the sunrise, and Kai could hear the boy's breathless giggles. He wiggled like a fish, stiff with excitement, clamping onto Kai like a baby monkey, a crow of excitement prickling in his throat.

"Scream and I'll drop you," Kai said, and when Jamie opened his mouth he let go.

The boy plummeted down and Kai's mind exploded with borrowed jitters and jolts. He dove after Jamie and caught him in his arms like a ripe fruit falling off a branch, gushing with delight. There wasn't an ounce of fear in him, just thrilling excitement and sweet wonder. The boy trusted him completely.

"It's so pretty," he said over the rush of the wind, hanging from his neck and staring at the sunrise over the desert. "Isn't it pretty?"

"It's nice," Kai admitted, still hung up on his beautiful penthouse loft and the city lights. But he had to admit the view was spectacular. He could get used to the quiet of the desert, flying free with no one to see him. One peculiar thing he'd noticed about humans is that they rarely looked up.

"Master?" Jamie whispered in his ear. "I love you."

Kai dropped him again. The boy hurled screaming at the ground, and this time Kai seriously considered letting him splatter all over the road below. At the last second he thought better of it and swooped down just in time to catch him in his arms as his hoofs hit the asphalt. As soon as he let go the boy stumbled away, his legs weak, shaking with the thrill but laughing like a schoolgirl. He ran at Kai and jumped into his arms, legs wrapped around him and holding on to his horns, grinning like an imp.

"That was fun," he sighed, and before Kai could say anything Jamie kissed him. "Thank you."

"You want to thank me?" Kai asked, and Jamie nodded eagerly. "Get on your knees."

For once, Jamie didn't obey right away. They were in the middle of the road, the rising sun casting long shadows of cacti and shrubs on the asphalt. He hesitated too long, and it earned him a shove that made him fall to his hands and knees.

"What if a car comes by?" he asked, and he gasped when Kai yanked his pants down and left him completely exposed.

"Then we'll just have to kill them. Don't be difficult."

Jamie wasn't about to protest anymore, and Kai knew very well that Jamie didn't care. All the boy felt was eagerness and tantalizing shame. Without ceremony Kai rammed his cock into Jamie's ass. The boy screamed and a shock of pain shot through him, heady and delicious, strong enough to make Kai groan. He bent over the boy and ran his tongue over his spine, guiding the sensations, held him in his arms to feel him tremble and squirm. Kai drank his agony like wine, bitter and strong. Jamie's pain always came with a chaser of raw lust.

Jamie's hands and knees scraped the asphalt as Kai fucked him. His mewling was almost as delicious as his hunger.

"Master, it hurts," he moaned between pained gasped, glowing with delight that flared up when Kai grabbed his hair and yanked his head back.

"Didn't I tell you not to be difficult?"

"Yes master, I'm sorry."

Jamie must have forgotten himself, because usually he knew better than to say he was sorry. Kai could make him sorry. He felt the pain of Jamie's hands and knees scraping over the asphalt. It made his own skin tingle and his chest glow. But it wasn't enough. He grabbed the boy and flipped him on his back just to see his expressions of agony. He was cute when he was in pain, and absolutely delicious. Scuffing up that infuriatingly clean skin was worth it on its own. Neither of them cared about the pain anyway. Not really. It was the fuel that stoked the fire. Jamie brimmed with lust, and something amazing happened. Underneath the waves of borrowed agony and pleasure, Kai felt his own desire rising to the surface. It was a dark thing, vast and mysterious, something he rarely felt. He fed off others, their joy and lust and agony, but he never felt his own. Not until he saw Jamie's red, tear-streaked face and heard his pathetic mewling. It bubbled up and broke the surface, making him lean over him and kiss him with the passion of a drunk lover. It was as if he merged with him, Jamie's lust mingling with his own to form a glowing ball of energy between them. No college warlock or weekend cultist could ever draw that out of him. Jamie's little soul never stopped overflowing, it was a feast just for him, endless as the ocean. Until it stopped. Until he shuddered with a peak of delight and fell to pieces underneath him. And when Jamie came, so did Kai, together, in one perfect shiver of delight.

He stood up and looked down at his boy, his back and knees scarped to hell, still glowing, a twinge of shame pulling at his heart. It didn't last long. Jamie might not have been perfectly shameless, but he was as close as anyone he'd ever met. He just lay on the asphalt, struggling for breath, his pants around his knees and absolutely spent.

"That really hurt," he said between labored breaths, but Kai could see the grin twitching in the corner of his mouth.

"You're welcome. Get up."

But there was no way that was happening. Jamie wasn't just tired. He was drained. When the glow faded he was left with an ashen face and dark circles under his eyes. Kai tried to drag him up by his arm, but he fell down again like a wet sack of laundry, just about strong enough to pull up his pants. That was all he had left in him. He felt numb and empty, not a trace of excitement left in him. Without the many healing incantations and protective wards, his thin little body couldn't handle what it had just been through. Drained of all zest and crawling with infernal seed, it was no wonder his body couldn't support him. He lay flat on his back, just about strong enough to hold out his shaking arms.

"Carry me," he whispered. It looked like he would have to, but rather than scoop him up in his arms Kai slung him over his shoulder.

"You're a pest," he said, walking along the highway, and somewhere behind his back he heard Jamie giggle.

"You like me," he said, and it earned him a sharp slap on the ass. "You do. You like me and all it cost me was my stupid soul."

"You're not going to like hell, boy," he sighed, but scaring Jamie with eternal torment never worked. He always said the same thing.

"I'm not going to hell. I'll be such a good boy you'll keep me forever."

"Don't count on it," Kai said, unfolding his wings. Jamie tensed when he took off, but this time Kai only felt the slightest tickle in him. It was hard work, trying to fly with that sack of dead weight on his back, but he felt so perfectly content even he couldn't be cranky about it. It had been a long time since he'd hit that perfect middle point between being hungry and completely stuffed, and he only ever hit it with Jamie. He knew exactly how much to take from him to feel magnificent like the Morning Star. Maybe the boy was right. Maybe he'd never get bored of playing with his bright little soul, sucking the life out of it like marrow from a bone and watching it fill up again and again. It hadn't happened before, not with any of his playthings. But then he always had room for comfort food.