“La, la, la! I can’t hear you!” Sammy was practically screaming. “Go on, shoo. You have a business trip. Don’t let me detain you.” He stepped around the counter and started shoving the laughing alphas out of the shop. When the shop door closed, Sammy breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Troy and Declan meant well, but he wasn’t ready to discuss his sex life with them, especially not the technical details that he hadn’t completely thought through on his own yet. He felt insanely attracted to Dre, and just kissing him had Sammy hard to the point of pain. He also knew enough about gay sex to realize that the baseball bat he’d felt through Dre’s trousers would be a challenge, mildly put.
Maybe it was a good idea to do some experimenting on his own, to find out how much he could take. Apart from regular masturbating as was normal for a healthy young male, Sammy had little-to-no experience with sex when a second person was involved. He wondered if there were books about sex with paranormals and where he could find one. If things with Dre kept progressing like they were, it wouldn’t be long until their heavy make-out sessions would turn into something more. The mere thought had Sammy’s heart beating faster. He wanted this—not only the sex or the unbelievably hot and funny dates. He wanted Dre.
Filled with new determination, Sammy made himself a cup of hot chocolate before he went to his laptop.
* * * *
“Hi, stranger. Haven’t seen you in days.” Barion sounded overly cheerful when he entered Dre’s kitchen. He paused and started sniffing the air for dramatic effect. “Somebody’s quite excited.”
Dre flipped his brother off while taking another sip of his morning tea, a blend of herbs from the demon realm that could wake the dead. Dre liked it a lot. He was still too ecstatic about the three dates he’d had with Sammy on the weekend to let his brother get to him. Sammy was so sweet, so hot, so wonderful. Dre felt his heart and cock swell just thinking about the human.
“I had a great weekend.”
Barion went over to the cupboard, got a mug and poured himself some of Dre’s tea. He sniffed it once with a disgusted expression before he found the sugar and dumped four spoonsful into it. Stirring the concoction, he went over to the table where Dre was sitting.
“Come on, big brother. Don’t leave me hanging like that. Give me details!”
“He’s so sweet, Barion. We went to Rome on Friday. Had dinner at Zenobia’s place, then went to see the Roman Forum, the Catacombs and Ostia Antica. Saturday, I took him skiing in Canada. You should have seen him. Even though he has zero talent, he tried the entire day until he was able to glide down one of the beginner’s hills. His face was all flushed from the cold, his cute nose peeking out from between the scarf and the woolen hat. I almost ravished him right on the slope. Yesterday we had a picnic in Machu Picchu. We prepared it together in his kitchen. He knows how to make killer sandwiches.”
“Brother, I think you’ve got it bad. Even when you were with he-whose-balls-shall-rot-and-fall-off, you weren’t so excited. You’re practically glowing. When will you introduce him?”
“Not before I have thoroughly prepared him for the occasion. I love you, Barion, and I know you mean well, but I don’t want to spook Sammy. You can be a bit over-eager sometimes.”
Barion pouted. “Where’s the trust, bro?”
“I trust you with many things, little brother. You know that. My potential mate is not among them.” There, he’d said it, his deepest hope that kept surfacing from the dark place inside him where he’d buried it over a hundred years ago.
Barion clapped his hands. “You think he’s the one?”
Before Dre could answer, his smartphone buzzed, telling him he had a WhatsApp message. Absentmindedly he swiped the screen to see what it was. A huge smile spread his lips when he realized that it came from Sammy.
Miss U. Looking forward to the weekend.
Attached was a link to a National Geographic article about an important Viking warrior who had turned out to be female. Dre sent a heart, a kissing emoji and two clashing swords back. He was so looking forward to their trip to Sweden on Saturday. For Friday, they had planned to cook together in Sammy’s apartment.
“Is that from Sammy?” Barion had tiptoed closer to get a look at the screen of Dre’s smartphone. “Wow, you’re already sending him hearts? You move fast, bro.”
“Get away from me, you menace. This is none of your business.”
Dre turned his bulky body to keep Barion from taking another peek, which was pretty useless, since his brother used his time-bending skills to keep on reading.
“What’s this about a female warrior?” Barion grew out one of his claws and pressed the link Sammy had sent. Since demon fingers were too big to handle the screens of smartphones, all of them used their claws to operate them. Who would have thought this lethal part of demon anatomy would find a peaceful use one day? Dre was sure this was Fate’s way of getting a good laugh. The website opened, showing a picture of a woman with blonde hair, dressed in leather mail reinforced with steel. The headline read Famous Viking Warrior Was a Woman, DNA Reveals.
“Why is your date sending you a link about a Viking warrior?”
Dre grinned broadly. “Because we’re going to visit famous Viking sites in Sweden on Saturday. And Birka, where this warrior was found, is one of our stops.”
“Aren’t there guides who can tell you all about it? Why research it yourself?”
“Because Sammy and I have this little challenge going. Who’s able to gather more detailed information about the places we visit. Rome was a draw. I aced Canada, because Sammy didn’t know a lot about snow. He wiped the floor with me regarding Machu Picchu. There’s little he doesn’t know about the Incas and their culture. We’re both well-versed when it comes to Viking culture, and I can’t wait to see what he has in store. This link is to tell me that I better gear up.”
Barion just stared at Dre open-mouthed. Unlike Dre, he was more interested in the kind of fun one could have in a disco or bar. That Dre and Sammy considered reading up on an old culture as an entertaining way to spend their time was hard for Barion to understand.
“I think you really have found your mate. I’d never have thought there would be somebody who could match your level of oddity.”
As much as Dre wanted to tell himself that this could just be a coincidence, Barion’s words fanned the flames of hope in his chest. He could easily see himself spending the rest of eternity with Sammy, and if Sammy wasn’t the one, Dre didn’t want to find out how he would feel when he found his fated mate. He and Sammy just felt so right together, so perfect. Talking about Sammy woke the need in Dre to visit him. He closed the website and rose from his chair.
“I’m out, Barion. You can, of course, stay here, though I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Barion raised a brow. “Booty call?”
Dre refused to react to the teasing tone.
“Lunch with my boyfriend.”
“Does he know you’re coming?”
“No. But I’m going to make a short detour to Amsterdam to get him apple pancakes, so I’m sure I’ll be welcome.”
Dre winked at Barion and left.