Where the Devil Says Goodnight (Folk Lore 1)

Only that he wasn’t. The demon had complete control over him, and while he hadn’t tried to alter Adam’s thoughts, the things he was saying came from the deepest, most shameful places in Adam’s heart.

Emil’s mouth stretched into a smile, and when heat spread through Adam’s body in response, he knew the serpent had nothing to do with it. His desire for Emil was a deep, dark pit of tar, and Adam longed to bathe in it even if it was to sear his skin.

Emil grabbed his hand, and led the way farther into the house. The demon laughed in a playful manner Adam couldn’t have ever emulated in a situation so tense. “Take down that magpie. I can’t kiss you when it’s staring at us.”

Emil blinked, leaning forward as if he were about to steal a kiss nevertheless, but when Adam’s gaze didn’t flinch, he stepped back and hurriedly approached the stuffed bird before closing it into a cupboard by the window.

Adam had known Emil was beautiful from the moment they met, but the candlelight added a soft quality to the symmetrical yet strong features and colored his skin with a juicy orange shade, as if he were painted in sepia. Emil swallowed when he met Adam’s eyes again and approached him with determination worthy of their month-long wait.

“Now, take me to your bed,” Adam’s lips said. Those would have been his own words if the world he lived in were any different. If he didn’t have to feel shame every time he had sexual thoughts about men, he would have said this to Emil long ago. But as it was, the devil was speaking for Adam while he remained locked away, floating in his own body, yet unable to influence anything that was happening to it.

Emil leaned close to kiss Adam, his features relaxed, eyes radiating such joy Adam could almost forget he didn’t want this and that he’d been forced to come here, only a puppet in the devil’s hands.

As soon as the soft lips met Adam’s, he pushed until they hit the wall. Emil opened Adam’s mouth with his hot tongue, and despite loving each second, Adam couldn’t help but mourn his first kiss being stolen.

His hands found their way to Emil’s hair, just like he’d wanted but never dared, and he yelped into Emil’s lips when strong hands grabbed his ass and pulled him up.

The demon didn’t waste time and wrapped Adam’s legs around Emil, made his arms slide around that long, tempting neck, and then had Adam push his tongue into the scorching heat of Emil’s mouth. He tasted like fresh fruit, smoky meat, and honey, all combined into a primal feast. Adam’s mind drifted off, blurring as if he were drinking mead straight from Emil’s lips.

The long hair tickled Adam’s face, soft as the most expensive silk, and he shut his eyes, overtaken by the carousel of emotions spinning inside him as Emil carried him deeper into the house.

“I should probably feel ashamed of leading you down the wrong path, but I don’t.” Emil whispered into Adam’s lips as he rolled him onto the soft mattress. The ceiling moved above Adam’s head, and he saw a shadow pass across it, darting to the nearest wall. He wanted to follow it with his gaze, but the demon inside kept stubbornly looking at the gorgeous man above, the finest specimen Adam had ever seen.

“Nothing ever felt more right,” his lips said.

Emil’s skin was still covered with his cotton top, but Adam’s hands could sense its warmth pulsing against his palms as he sat up and nipped the salty flesh of Emil’s exposed neck. His mouth watered, and he knew that if he bit in, he’d taste roast pork with apricots and nuts, covered by the most divine crunchy skin.

“What changed your mind?” Emil asked, but when he covered Adam with his body and kissed him again, the devil’s wishes mingled with Adam’s own, to the point where it was hard to know anymore which ones were tainted by the demonic presence, and which were his.

“You’re constantly on my mind. It’s making me crazy,” Adam said, tightening his thighs around Emil’s hips. “And now I want to see you naked. All of you this time.”

The room around them blurred, as if only their bodies and the bed still held on to their physical form while everything else transcended into an ethereal state and might crumble to dust at the slightest gust of wind.

Emil grinned and backed away enough to sit back on his heels when he pulled off his T-shirt. No matter how pretty the soft candle light was, Adam craved—no, the devil craved—spotlights illuminating the gorgeous body from above.

“What about you? What would you do to have me?” Adam’s lips whispered, taking in the muscular chest partially hidden by the lush waves of dark hair. He wanted to suck out all of Emil’s blood and chew on his locks for dessert.