Demon's Alter-Ego Ch. 05-08

"Like this?" He smirked and I watched that molten gold start at the top of his head and drip down slowly to the tips.

I stared, mesmerized. "Stop that or I won't want to get anything done today!"

"My apologies, but you shouldn't be so free with telling me what will distract you." He slightly tilted his head and figuratively burned me with a sly look. His hair was quickly doused back to a curtain of gold glitter draped around his body.

I fidgeted where I stood, "As I was saying, the colors you display are quite breathtaking." It was my turn to give him a sly look, "Kind of like an over inflated peacock."

Oldavai scowled, "Please, it's not over inflated if it's true."

I squinted my nose at him, "Yeah well... I love to watch you move." I hesitated, "When I can see you move." I studied him again, "I don't know if it's the demon or incubus in you, but it's different from others. All supernaturals have some sort of innate grace, but you, for me at least, watching you is different. You move like you're dancing with a partner. I know I'd want to look even if I didn't know you."

He gave me a smug look at my words. "You look because I want you to look."

I was shocked, "What?! Why?"

He shrugged, "We're beautiful to other's eyes, but regardless of any form we choose there's the idea subtly planted in our prey of knowing what we can do, the spark inside us that we direct to who we want to lure and I'm a picky eater."

My eyes widened in disgust, "Oh my gods, Oldavai! Could you please not reference people as food. Specifically, me!"

He tsk'd me in annoyance and waved his hand, "You know what I mean."

I looked back into his eyes in irritation, the colors denser in the middle, they were so distracting. "You have all this power, but you don't project it like Taurin and you don't suppress it like Ezra. Only if I get physically close enough will you allow me to feel it. Walk away and you'd be a mystery." I paused, "Well, if you didn't have a reputation." My thoughts strayed to last night, "Could you have killed Ratha?"

His eyebrows shot up in surprise at the change in direction. "I wasn't prepared. Had I set out to destroy him I would have had a plan and deceiving direction. Shorn never told me precisely who you were going up against until the very end when Ezra didn't show. He didn't want me to interfere with whatever it was you would do. He likes to know what he has in his bag of tricks. And you are definitely in his bag of tricks."

"Aren't you?" I shot back, a little disconcerted at that description.

He snorted, "Of course I am. Everyone knows that now, but he knows what I can do. In truth, he's seen me leave countries in chaos and completely desolated. I'm mostly the long game though, Dove. You are short and surprising chaos." He smiled sweetly; the top lip slightly thinner than the fuller bottom.

My own twisted in a frown at the description and he shot up to envelope me in a hug. "Come now, it's not that bad." His hair floated in front of my face, their sparks distracting me. "See, all better."

I pushed at him, "Stop manipulating me."

"No. I don't like to have sulky company. You know I can feel your emotions. Come on." He grabbed my hand and led me to the shower.

I mumbled as he pulled me to into the large shower stall with him, "Then block them."

"Don't feel like it. Now..." he blasted cold water on us.

I screeched and moved farther back.

"Heat this damn water up before I freeze my balls off." He moved the shower head to spray more on me.

I sputtered and started to shiver, "Oldavai!"

"Do it before I do something drastic to warm us up," his face puckered in annoyance, jaw tightening. "I'm not enjoying this."

I violently rubbed the water out of my face. He wanted me to use Ezra's fire while I was freezing. Of course. There's more than one way to force someone to train. Mac did it to me and Oldavai was trying the same methods. I could do this.

Sure. Not at all. But I tried anyway, traveling the lines of power inside me, desperately looking for warmth and fire.

Something else answered.

Taurin's power did and what skimmed the top of his magic was the Elemental. The tiniest acknowledgement of a fragile frost on everything to do with him. My blood felt like ice running through my veins. I slid my hand into the water.

I stared at Oldavai as he shoved himself out of the shower, his eyes angry as he watched the spray freeze. My hand braced the wall to my right and that too glazed over with a layer of ice. I wasn't shivering anymore, and I didn't know if that was good or bad.

Oldavai regained his composer quickly and calmly requested, "Please, don't burst my pipes."

"How do you have pipes in a magical lair?"

He continued to back away wearily, not answering as I walked out and stepped towards him. Ice flowed behind me like a gown's train as I asked without inflection, "Are you afraid?"

"Of an untrained, dragon bound, female demon hunter? I am something and that something is loath to start what may never be wise to stop." He took another step away.

I was scant inches from him and watched his breath come out in a fog. I shook my head, "You always forget Taurin."

His expression turned hard, "I never forget Taurin. He's just inconsequential."

I nodded, "Not to me."

He bowed slightly in acknowledgement, but intoned condescendingly, "If he is important to you then I will keep it in mind. Now, about that hot shower? Did you find Ezra?"

I pushed my hair behind my ear and forced myself to focus past Taurin's magic. When I found a line that reminded me of Ezra, I grabbed on with wild aggression and filled myself with it. Bad idea. A blast of fire blazed around my body, flaring out a good foot from me. My hand shot to my mouth in shock. Oldavai was now even farther from me.

He cocked his head slightly to the side, "Use a lighter touch or just your hands this time."

I felt him pull my horror into himself to calm me and watched the fire douse itself. "You'll be fine. Come on." He cautiously got closer and gently pulled my hands from my mouth.

I couldn't take the look of worry from my face; I was going to burn his home to the ground. His incubus visage stripped away until I was looking at a human man. Short brown hair in disarray with matching dark brown eyes staring directly into mine. He was exactly my height, but broader in the shoulders and chest, lean lips in a soft smile. His hands framed my face, "You have to learn to control it before the magic decides to control you."

I already knew this. "It's sentient."

"If it wants your attention." He kissed me lightly on the nose and guided my hands to the frozen spray. "I won't let you burn us to the ground." He leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Make it warm."

I closed my eyes and centered myself on his warm breath feathering around my face as I reached the rest of the way. Flattening my hand to it, I loosened magic an inch at a time until I felt ice give way to water, then cold temperature to warm.

Oldavai talked again, this time his lips pressed against my cheek. I felt his mouth form the words on my skin, "Very good." His fingertips pushed me back into the enclosure.

Our shower warmed me from the outside in, the water soothing me. As we cleaned ourselves, I stared at Oldavai's body as rivulets of water flowed over his muscles. It took me awhile to figure out what was bothering me, "You don't have to look human for me."

He didn't acknowledge my words. Eyes closed, he threw his head under the spray. He let me feel his pleasure of the warm liquid sluicing over his body. His thick, workman's hands came up to push away the constant flow from his face and down his hair. Water dripped off long lashes now framing open eyes as he moved out from the stream and pushed me in. The internal sound of his crystal resonating inside me calming me even more.

"Close your eyes." His warm hands tilted my head back and smoothed over my locks, lifting and parting strands to make sure all the conditioner was out. He gave me a small nudge to leave as he reached beside me to turn off the faucet.

Before I could look for a towel, he had one and was drying me off without seeing to himself first. I just had a perfectly normal shower with an incubus. I was rather stunned that Oldavai didn't try any sexual acts at all. He read those feelings perfectly too.

"We have places to be and Shorn to report to. As much as I want to move you from here to the bed..." He paused and I saw his reflection in the mirror glance to the counter on our right, "or that counter, I don't always need to."

"You really are a glut," I said as benignly as I could.

He murmured in agreement while busing himself with my hair, threading moisturizing product in it. Before I could verbally fuss at him, he spoke, "Shh, let me."

I looked into my startled hazel eyes in the mirror as I uncharacteristically allowed him to. I perused my body, realizing that I was getting used to his constant shining on me and barely thought anything of it. Probably not in my best interest to forget his possessiveness. Another point to Oldavai.

"I don't need to eat solid food at all, my sweet. Sex is always available." He paused and slowly looked up at me in the mirror, "And now that I have you..." he trailed his finger down my bare arm and didn't finish his thought out loud.

I gave him my own direct look back, "Don't ruin my good mood."

He smiled and bit his bottom lip, "Well, it's not good, but definitely improved. Come." He turned and slapped my ass in passing.

I furiously rubbed the sting away, "What the ...!"

He interrupted me, "I'm sure I have something for you to wear."

"Your sexcapades leave their clothes here?" I asked sarcastically.

I followed him into the bedroom still trying to ease the pain in my bottom.

"No. I just like to take souvenirs. I rarely let anyone have sex in my," he turned to me and wagged his eyebrows, "lairs."

Ignore it.

I focused on another word and my top lip curled, "Souvenirs? That seems so serial killer."

Oldavai gave me a look of disbelief, "Dove."

I shrugged, "I'm just saying."

Oldavai grunted and walked over to another door mumbling to himself as I heard him shuffle through clothes.

"Here." He threw multiple sets of clothes to choose from on the bed, black lacy bra and panties included.

I rubbed the satin of the shelf bra between my fingers that was actually my size. "This is gonna be weird wearing someone else's clothes that you STOLE!"

He replied to me from the depths of his walk-in closet, "Women throw their panties at me all the time, I don't need to steal. I even gave you clean ones."

I mumbled out loud to myself, "That's reassuring."

Suddenly he appeared with a flourish, fully clothed, "Why aren't you dressed yet?!"

It was my turn to give him a look of disbelief.