Second Time's a Charm (MxM)✔

Chapter 27 - Change of Plans

Maddox was gracious enough to give Cain a luxurious room for the night. It was just as big as his family's dining room, with armless statues of women along the windows, two fireplaces, a silver chandelier, and vine filigree in the walls.

A large ornate carpet covered most of the floor, and the huge four-poster bed had black velvet quilts that he could sink in.

The bath he took was extraordinary. The water was warm, with a variety of soap dispensers along the edge, and assistants on the other side of the curtains to offer beverages should he choose to soak a bit longer. He kept the curtains closed so that none of them could see his face as he washed away the sweat and such from his body and then leaned back in the enormous tub.

Cain didn't realize just how rough his sex with Maddox had been until the morning after. His entire lower half was throbbing in pain, with his legs began shaking the instant he tried to stand. No, he didn't think he'd be able to handle more training for now.

That was when he noticed Catalina sitting in one of the corner chairs of his room, next to the fireplace on the east wall, under a painting of a dog biting a snake's head off. She was back in her human maid form, examining her nails, when she finally noticed he'd awoken.

"So...Maddox, huh?" She tilted her head.

Cain could have asked if she had stuck around to see his wanton display with the villain but decided he'd rather stay ignorant and instead tested his legs.

"Yeah. Maddox."

She clicked her tongue and continued to examine her nails. "So...You two are...what exactly? Friends with benefits?"

"Nothing like that." He scoffed. "He's a powerful man that I'd rather work with than against."

"Sure." She grinned. "By the way, I'm not leaving your side again. I slunk around the other demons and I'm fairly certain you're not as safe as you think you are here."

Cain withheld a pained grunt when he went to sit back down. "I already know that."

"You're playing a dangerous game here." She continued to warn. "In all my years visiting Earth, anyone willing to summon this many demons usually has something big planned."

"Again, I know." Cain grasped the corner post of his bed to steady himself as he retained his posture. "Anyways, I should be off to greet him."

"Very well." She stopped fiddling with her nails, walked up to Cain, then melted into a dark puddle that melded with Cains's shadow. Maddox wouldn't be happy to see that his demon had returned to his side, but she didn't want to negotiate on that anymore. And who was he to question a demon's intuition?

At breakfast, Cain wore his mask and did his best to hide his discomfort when sitting at the table. This time he wasn't as skeptical and ate freely. Maddox observed, seeming pleased that his guest was acting more comfortably. Though Cain noticed his content expression shift to amusement whenever Cain flinched from his sores.

"So tell me, how long do you wish to train here?" Maddox questioned. "The pearl's power is best utilized by someone with combat capability. You have a long way to go and can't honestly expect to pick things up with just one short session."

"You're right. I don't expect to pick things up so quickly." Cain replied, shuffling the eggs on his plate with a fork. "And I do plan to request more training, but for now I just wanted to know if there was an easier method than that to utilize the pearl?"

"Unfortunately for you, no. You'll need to train your body. That's the only way to maximize the effects."

That was annoying. He'd hoped there may be some other power that Maddox could help unlock, like super speed or healing or...Something. But no, super strength and resistance to drugs seemed to be the only automatic abilities.