Ayden wasn’t hungry anymore. Between letting this little human climax to unconsciousness in his arms and Liam’s arousal today, he was feeling better than he had in a long time. Imagine how sated he could feel if he gave the human everything he was too afraid to ask for? He quickly dismissed the thought from his head. The last thing he needed was to become dependent on a human instead of the magicked drugs he was taking for his condition. Especially if it would upset his hard-fought equilibrium.
“Uh, hi. I’m Liam. I guess you know that already.”
Ayden blinked back to himself, wondering how long he’d been lost in his thoughts. “Yes. I’m aware.”
His errant tail was still wrapped around his dick, stroking it beneath his desk where the human couldn’t see. Unable to make himself stop, he leaned forward on his elbows to better hide his movements, resisting the urge to smirk as Liam’s eyes focussed on his now-flexed biceps. The human’s pupils dilated as another delicious surge of energy washed over him.
“The Council told me I had to work here. What do you need me to do for you?”
Ayden could think of a thousand things Liam could be doing for him, but none of them were likely to make it into an employee handbook, and all of them would be a distraction he couldn’t afford after messing up.
“I don’t have time to give you a job. Just sit there and stay out of my way,” Ayden said, gesturing to the desk that had magically appeared outside his door overnight.
It’s not like Liam was a real employee, anyway. They were just babysitting him for the Council. And snacking on him while he was there. Just a little, though. He couldn’t afford to become addicted.
“I don’t want to sit around doing nothing. Surely I can help with something.”
“There’s a computer and login details on your desk. I’m sure there are things you want to research about your new life. Figure out how things work. Familiarise yourself with the city. Watch some porn.”Please let him watch some porn. It would be delicious.“Anything you like, so long as you stay out of my way. Speaking of which, I have a meeting to get to.”
“Right,” Liam said, slowly turning and heading to his desk.
Fuck. Why did the human sound so sad? He wasn’t supposed to be sad.
Words slipped out before he could stop himself. “You can check the portalling staff rosters against upcoming job tickets if you like.” The rest of his department couldn’t form portals, but they had complementary powers that he could channel for theircreation and maintenance so that Ayden didn’t burn himself out under the Council’s demands. They also served as security guards for open portals to prevent unsanctioned travel.
Liam turned to him with a bright smile. “Awesome! I promise you won’t regret it!”
Doubtful. But if Liam could figure out how to cross-check the rosters against the ridiculous council job ticket system, he’d be one up on every other person in the office, including the seven owners of the company he was about to meet with.
“Ayden, you’re looking well. How’s our newest recruit settling in?”
Ayden raised an eyebrow at his boss, Lucian, from his position at the foot of the board table. “Fine.”
“Better than fine if the way the dark circles under our Ayden’s eyes have disappeared is any indication. Got a filling breakfast this morning, did you?” Alexei teased.
Fucking hellhounds. They were almost as horny as his human. The moon wasn’t full enough to trap Alexei in his werewolf form yet, but he’d taken it anyway for the meeting, his wolf ears twitching from his messy hair as his long tongue lolled with laughter at Ayden’s expense.
Letting his iron control go for a moment, Ayden allowed just a touch of his natural power to drift over the table, knowing it would make everyone there uncomfortably aroused. Hewasa demon, after all. There were only so many norms and rules hecould follow. It wasn’t in his nature to behave. Nor was it in his nature to let himself be coddled or ridiculed.
“Enough, Ayden! Report!” Gabriel snapped, blue eyes flashing as his bright white wings flared briefly behind him.
Trust the angel at the table to lay down the law—dominants, all of them. Usually with a punishment kink to match. Gabriel was also technically the CEO, though, so Ayden reeled in his power and let his tail drape down to the floor.
Forcing himself to focus, Ayden ran through an update on the issues that had arisen in the last fortnight and major jobs they had coming up from the Council. Each of the folks around the table managed a different division of the company tailored to the unique skill sets of their species, but Ayden’s work touched on all of them because, under Lucian’s demon division, he was responsible for all staff transportation. The only other group that worked with so many different areas was the tiny fae division headed by Wren. Not many fae spent extended periods in the human world, so it was quite a coup to have them on the management team. Wren’s work mostly focussed on glamours to keep their people hidden when they ventured out into the world.
“Any update on the New Trinity City situation? What’s the likelihood we’ll be called in?” Lucian asked once he’d finished.
Ayden had recently portalled a council operative into the city and had been instructed to get as much intel as he could on the risks in the area while he was with them.
“Tensions remain high as the D-2S terrorist group operating in the city attempts to destabilise the three supernatural families ruling there,” Ayden said.
“You mean crime families,” Gabriel corrected.
Ayden snorted, making Gabriel’s frown deepen. Sometimes, angels bought into the humans’ hype about their morals a little too much. Gabriel had a classic saviour complex. Never mind that their company made its money from being paid soldiers for hire.
“Crime’s all a matter of perspective.”
“Your demon nature is showing, Ayden,” Gabriel chided.