Incubus [malexmale]

Chapter Twenty-Two

I handed him his pants and he accepted them, pausing to yawn, revealing his dainty fangs before he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He paused to make a face and I smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, do your hips hurt?" I asked. He shook his head, his hair flinging droplets of water before it settled down the back of his neck, the ends curled slightly. He flicked mud from his toes before dipping his legs into his pants. I went to my shirt on the other side of the clearing, shaking the mud from it, pausing to hold it up into the rain to let the water clean it. I shook it again before putting it on, grimacing at how cold it was against my skin.

I looked up to see Alexius picking up his shirt, shaking it clean before tugging it on over his head. He got to his feet, frowning as he looked around before turning to face me.

"Where are my boots?" He asked. I blinked, then looked around, but they were nowhere to be seen. In fact, my boots were also missing. I frowned, stooping to lift plant leaves and flowers out of the way in search of them. Alexius looked around, doing a few full circles before he approached a curtain of vines. He pushed past them, looking around before turning to face me with a frown.

"You were alone when you came, yes?" He asked. I blinked, standing up straight to look at him through the rain, watching him wipe his wet hair out of his face, slicking it back so a few locks wrapped around his horns.

"Of course," I responded, "Why would I take anyone with me?" Alexius didn't say anything to that and continued to look. I sighed at his mistrust, but joined in him in the search for our boots. I came around one of the larger trees near the clearing, eyes searching the drapes of vines hanging low from the tree branches. My eyes flickered through the thick layer of shubbery and plantlife that seemed to practice grow over night, some flowers keeping their petals spread out, allowing the rain to gently trickle along them. I scanned them until I spotted one of Alexius' boots. I sighed, pushing away from the tree and picking my way through the plants, grimacing at how the mud squished between my toes.

I stooped, picking it up and shaking the mud off. I looked around in search for the other boot when I heard an angry shout. I blinked, looking up and instantly heading back to where I'd last seen Alexius. Sure enough, he was in danger.

Nico must have jumped him and was trying to ram a dagger into his throat, but Alexius caught Nico's wrist and forced it away, then grabbed the front of Nico's shirt, bashing their foreheads together. Nico groaned in pain and slumped off him into the muddy grass. Alexius grunted, pushing himself up into a sitting position and as he spat blood from his mouth. He wiped it with the back of his sleeve, then rose to his feet, looking down at Nico pointedly as the incubus rolled in the mud, groaning in pain as he gripped his forehead.

"Alexius, are you all right?" I demanded, concerned as I came over to look down at Nico, who peered past his fingers to glare daggers at us. Alexius didn't seem too worried, though, as he nodded, peering up past his wet hair at the sky, then down at Nico until he noticed I was holding his boot. He took it with a nod, jerking it on. I noticed his other boot was neatly in place on his other foot.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Oh, he's been trying things like this all day." Alexius told me nonchalantly as he stooped to grab Nico up by the elbow, tugging him roughly to his feet. Nico stumbled and almost slipped in the mud and ended up smacking into Alexius' chest, then quickly tried to shove himself away in disgust. This time, though, Nico lost his balance and fell back down into the mud.

"That was very graceful of you." Alexius commented, surprising me with his sarcasm. Alexius wasn't much for sarcasm, both in understanding it and using it. Nico glared at him, mud smeared across his face and making his blonde hair stick to his face as he struggled to get up again with Alexius still holding his elbow.