~Chapter Fifteen: How Did This Happen?~
The scrape of a chair to my left draws my attention away from the twins across the table and their pun battle. Laelia drops down into the chair next to me with a small smile. I look over at her usual seat, but there does not appear to be anything wrong with it. Then again, that is often what the twins want us to think when they have a prank waiting to be sprung.
Noticing where I was looking, Laelia explains, "I wanted to talk."
"About?" I prompt warily, not sure I am ready for whatever questions she is about to spring on me. The last time she wanted to 'talk', it ended with her nearly convincing her family that I was sick. Even though I know she was just looking out for me and she failed in the end, I would prefer to avoid a repeat of that situation. Besides, Nero now knows I was lying that time and will likely be more inclined to believe her over me.
"How are things between you and my brother?" She inquires. The question seems innocent enough, but I am still waiting for her to bring up my last escape attempt. I have a feeling that she has not let it go as easily as she wants me to think. However, I cannot just refuse to talk to her on the basis of not trusting her.
Leaning back in my chair, I consider how to answer. We have been doing pretty well, but we still have our differences that sometimes lead to disagreements, mild as they are. Nero always ends them before they can pick up momentum by hugging me or drawing me into a kiss. I am not even sure if he knows why it works, just that it does. However, Laelia does not need to know any of this.
"We're both still new to relationship stuff, but we haven't tried to kill each other yet, so I'd say we're doing pretty good," I answer with a shrug. Laelia giggles at the mention of killing each other, as if it is a joke, but it really isn't. Demon-on-demon relationships can be extremely violent in my experience. While I have never been in one, I know people who are and even though most of the violence ends in wild sex, they still come out of it covered in bruises.
"That's good," Laelia teases, completely unaware of my thoughts. "Has Nero given you the trident yet?"
Is that supposed to be a sexual innuendo?
Before I can ask what trident she is talking about, the chair to my right scrapes loudly against the floor, drawing my attention to Nero as he takes a seat. "We were going to discuss it after dinner," he says, joining and ending the conversation. Or, at least, that is what he is trying to do.
"What trident?" I ask, ignoring his attempt to dismiss the topic. Whatever this trident is, it sounds important and I am not known for my patience.
Nero glares at his sister around me before addressing me. "Now that you are engaged to a member of the royal family, it is expected that you would wear the family symbol, which is a trident. Each kingdom has one, though some prefer them to be worn on jewelry or clothing. Our family prefers magic tattoos, as they cannot be stolen."
"It's like an engagement ring, then?" I ask, figuring that it sounds similar to the engagement ring custom that the people of this realm created and the demons of Yabrogath recently adopted. It also sounds similar to a family seal, but that is not often used to announce an engagement.
"Yes, like a ring," he agrees, taking my hand, which I had been using to draw small spirals on my arm rest. He stops it from moving before releasing it and drawing his own little designs on the back of my hand. A shiver of pleasure goes down my spine when I recall him doing the same thing yesterday, after one of our sexy fun times.
I watch him draw imaginary symbols on my hand for a moment before asking, "I've never seen a trident symbol on you before."
"That's because it's on the bottom of my foot," he answers, his soft tone suggesting that he is slightly distracted. When I spot the slight bump in his pants, I know that he is remembering the fun we had yesterday, too. "It appears on my tail flipper when I am swimming."
YOU ARE READING
How to Catch a Fish (ManxMan)
Romance- There is a saying: "If you can't change it, don't worry about it." - However, when you are a prisoner of war, there is not a whole lot you can do except worry. At first, you worry about your fellow soldiers. How many died? Who survived? Then yo...
