Incubus [malexmale]

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Seven (Alexius)

"Here."

I looked up as Killian handed me the tin cup that smelled heavily of mint. I nodded, taking it into my palms, sighing quietly at the feel of the heat in my hands. Killian took his seat beside me on the bench, taking a deep gulp of his tea before smiling, relaxed. He leaned back, watching as Ana used a couple of leaves as plates, passing them out to each of us.

Zenliu, Zen, and Keltzu also joined us, finished with their private talk and ready for a good meal. We each took a leaf plate and Ana sliced off pieces of meat, placing it on the leaves. She knew very well that I didn't enjoy meat, so once she reached me, she placed a couple of mangoes on the leaf she'd given me, then smiled before she moved onto Killian. My eyes followed her before I looked down, picking up a mango before biting into it, relishing at the juices that squished into my mouth and down my throat.

I wanted to thank her, but I wasn't accustomed to it. Not to mention, she was a servant and it was her job to do these sorts of things, so I settled on remaining silent as I bit into the mango again. I picked up my mug of tea, breathing in the minty scent that seemed to clear my nasal passages. I chewed the fruit and swallowed a gulp of tea, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand.

"So, you will leave in the morning." Zenliu said at last after swallowing a piece of meat. Killian nodded, chewing a couple times before speaking.

"And we will be sure that no one comes back here," He assured, making Zenliu relax, "This is not our place to inhabit or battle." Zenliu nodded and said something in his language, making Keltzu sigh in relief and Zen pout. Soterios sighed, frustrated as he took a sip of tea, resting it on his knee as he looked at his meat, his brow furrowed.

"So... What? Did we win this time or not?" He asked, glancing up at Killian and I. Killian glanced at me and I did the same before Killian shrugged, taking a bite of meat before speaking again.

"I suppose it was a draw. Although, I must admit, we killed plenty of Lothos men. Why, we even captured one of them-- again." He added, making Soterios smirk. I felt a smile threatening to tug at my lips, but I fought it as I looked over at Nico, who glared.

"I am not a hostage. I'm just hungry and I hate being fed oatmeal for every meal back at camp." Nico snapped, then straightened as he took a delicate bite of meat, chewing politely with his mouth shut. Soterios snorted at that and took a big bite of meat, chewing it rather loudly and making Nico roll his eyes. Remi ate in silence, glancing at Nico every so often before looking away again, appearing a bit disappointed by the looks of it.

I could only guess that Nico had turned him down, quite rudely too. Knowing him, I had no doubt about it. I almost felt sorry for Remi. How he could possibly fall in love with someone like Nico? While others admitted that despite Nico's obnoxious and spoiled attitude, he could grow on you after a while, I found it impossible. I had grown to tolerate him, yes, but if he were to die...

No, maybe even then, I might be upset. I wasn't sure why either. Nico had tormented me, stabbed me, and didn't lift a finger to help me back at Lothos' camp. He was one of the many people I had wanted to kill, still wanted to, but not as much as a certain someone. And I still needed to find out who this member of the demon council was.

Why did they want to get rid of me? I wanted to ask first, even though my best judgement told me to kill and ask questions later. I had to admit that Killian was right. Lothos was most definitely messing around with my head, planning something that would catch me off guard, so I had to stay on my toes.

"Man, it's cold," Nico's complaint cut through my thoughts, making me frown as I lost my concentration to see him shivering and taking a drink of warm tea, "Please tell me that big guy left blankets."