Don't Read in the Closet volume one (3 page)

Dashiel let his gaze
roam around the room—not focusing on anyone or anything in particular, but
looking for one being specifically. One head of sparkling blue/black spikes.
One set of dark, mischievous eyes. It wasn’t easy.

It was always the same
at Bacchus’ Den. The music was a vital, living thing—its pulse the constant
throbbing beat of the drum base, its breath the ebb and flow of the melody. The
dim lighting and ever present, theatrical wisps of smoke created the kind of
atmosphere that encouraged a sensual slide into debauchery. And the heavy scent
of lust and pleasure teased and tempted. Dashiel had to fight hard to maintain
focus.

Korey, on the other
hand, apparently set no such restrictions on himself. “Oh my! Sorry to love you
and leave you, honey, but I see a little something I just have to try.”

Dashiel didn’t look to
see what Korey had spotted as he hurried away. Knowing his friend, he’d probably
have to swab his eyes out with bleach afterwards if he did. He was pretty sure
Korey had tried everything—and he did mean everything—at least once. Usually a
lot more than once.

He let him go and
concentrated on why he was here. Starting his hunt at the entrance, he
systematically moved through the room towards the bar. But it soon became
apparent that Achan wasn’t with the other Mercuries rapidly trying to catch up
to their drunken friends and cohorts. Frowning, Dashiel wandered about the sea
of tables and party-goers randomly, hoping he might have missed the god in
passing somewhere along the line. But as hard as he searched, he couldn’t spot
his elusive quarry.

Having seen Achan in the
amphitheatre—the way he shone with life and energy—Dashiel didn’t think it
possible the other god could have resisted the celebration. But perhaps he was
wrong. It had been so long since he’d known the younger
god,
he didn’t really know him at all. And yet he wanted to. Something about Achan
called to him. If he was honest with himself, he’d have to admit he’d always
enjoyed Achan’s company. It just held a very different appeal now. One that
wasn’t so innocent.

Fortunately, just when
Dashiel was starting to lose all hope of finding and exploring his new
fascination with his childhood friend, his eyes zeroed in on his target.

Really, now that he
thought about it, he should have known to start at the dance floor. Achan had
never been one to stay still for long. He’d always loved to move. And now,
beneath the random spray of coloured lights that repeatedly bombarded and
illuminated the writhing bodies, Achan seemed lost in the pleasure of dance.

The sensual grace and
fluid slide of his body made Dashiel’s cock hard, but the enthusiasm and
abandon displayed in every movement called to something deeper. He wanted to
taste the passion from Achan’s skin. He longed to nudge against the simple
joyfulness he saw in the other god until it wrapped around his own flagging
lust for life and revived it to once again come out and play.

As if aware of Dashiel’s
gaze, Achan turned to stare at him as he continued to dance. A wicked smile
curled the corners of his lips in the most carnal of invitation, but the light
Dashiel saw in the other god’s eyes was surprisingly unguarded and artless—a
simple delight and guileless greeting. It was an appealing mix of seductive
tease and pure, eager welcome that beckoned Dashiel like nothing else had in
centuries.

Stunned, Dashiel
realised Achan was beautiful in the most unique and unexpected of ways. So used
to the classic good looks and sophisticated wiles of The Pantheon he was all
but immune to them, Achan’s beauty was in the inner light of joy and
enthusiasm. It was in the love of existence Dashiel detected in every smile and
energetic sensual move of his body.

With Achan’s eyes fixed
on him, Dashiel found it impossible to look away. He could only continue to
stare. Somehow, despite the crowd, the heated look they shared made it feel
almost private—just the two of them and a seductive dance.

When the music finally
changed, Achan quit the dance floor and sauntered towards Dashiel.

“Hello, Dashiel,” Achan
said as he stopped in front of him.

“Achan.” Dashiel was
thrilled to see Achan’s grin get wider as he greeted him by name. “It’s good to
see you again.”

“Definitely. It’s been a
long time.”

“It certainly has.”
Dashiel let his eyes linger over Achan and was surprised when the other god
didn’t move or blush. So much had changed about the shy, retiring little
godling he’d once known. “I didn’t realize how far along in your training you
were.”

“Mmm… time flies when
you’re having fun, I guess.”

Dashiel frowned. Was
that a hint of censure in Achan’s voice? But the thought fled as Achan reached
out to tuck his arm through Dashiel’s. The feeling of the warm, sexy body
pressed up against his own sent all sorts of sensations—most of them red hot
and needy—coursing through him. And yet, at the same time he felt an unfamiliar
uncertainty. It was difficult to reconcile the godling he had known with the
fully-fledged god beside him.

“You look like a man who
wants to buy me a drink,” Achan said, leading him towards the bar.

Dashiel blinked—far more
used to being the leader rather than the led in this sort of situation. “Wow.
That’s a pretty cocky line.”

Achan shrugged, but
there might have been the slightest hint of colour covering his high
cheekbones. “What can I say, I like cocky. It seems to really work for me these
days.”

Dashiel gazed down at
the godling he’d known as a quiet, starry-eyed youngster in surprise and
received a cheeky grin in response.

Nudging their way
through the crowd, they finally made it to the bar. Dashiel managed to get
their drinks and escape the mayhem without too much hassle. Although, having
Achan pressed close against his side was distracting. Not necessarily
unwelcome, just… diverting. They’d ended up with a Long Hot Screw and a Slow
Blow Job at Achan’s rather provocative insistence.

Finally seated at one of
the tall tables scattered around the room, Dashiel took a sip of his
drink—eyeing Achan as he tried to work the other god out. “That was a nice
stunt, by the way. At the ceremony, I mean.”

“Thank you.” Achan’s
mischievous smile inspired a stab of desire deep in Dashiel’s gut… and had some
pretty interesting reactions lower down as well.

“I’m rather surprised to
see you here, actually. I thought they’d have you chained to the rock for sure
by now.”

At the comment, Achan’s
smile became a little strained, his complexion a little paler. But he still
managed to shrug nonchalantly enough. “Hey, I’m
a Mercury
.
Theft and mischief are part of my portfolio now. I thought I’d start things off
with a bang.”

“Well, you certainly got
everyone’s attention, that’s for sure.”

“Mmm… well, getting a
little attention is nice, don’t you think?”

Achan’s eyes fixed on
him, the teasing light well and truly back in full force now.

Dashiel cleared his
throat and took another sip of his drink. “So, what have you been up to
anyway?”

“Oh, lots of things. But
I never kiss and tell.” Achan raised his glass, drawing attention to his full,
soft lips currently curled up in a little smile.

When had Achan become
such a tease? And why did Dashiel find it so appealing?

“What about you?” Achan
asked, placing his glass back on the table and running the tip of one long
finger around the edge. “Still inspiring love and breaking hearts?”

Dashiel wasn’t sure he’d
quite put it like that, but both were covered under his mandate. “It’s all part
of the job.”

“Such dedication to
duty.”

Before Dashiel could say
anything in reply, the music shifted to something slower, a break from the
vigorous rhythms that had been pounding out since Dashiel entered The Den.

“Oh! I love this one,”
Achan moaned as he began to sway with the beat. “Dance with me?”

Dancing was the last
thing on Dashiel’s mind after the little moan that had slipped from Achan’s
lips and the sensual sway. But he
stood,
ready to
accept the offer in a heartbeat. Although, it was somewhat hard on his
cock—which had stiffened and caught at an uncomfortable angle in his tight
leather pants.

With a little laugh—as
if he knew exactly what he was doing to Dashiel—Achan took his hand and hurried
them onto the dance floor. And soon, he had an armful of warm, sensual god to
distract him as they began to move together.

Achan seemed intent on
driving him insane as he continued to rub and slide their bodies together.
Then, as if not content with just that level of torment, Achan lay his head
down against Dashiel’s chest in an intimate gesture that stole Dashiel’s heart
completely. Looking down at the spikes of dark hair, seeing the dark crescents
of Achan’s lashes flutter closed and sensing what felt suspiciously like a
contented sigh against him—it was too much to take. The ache too intense.

“Come home with me.”

“Mmm…” he felt more than
heard Achan murmur as he snuggled a little closer. “Wish I could, but I have an
early start tomorrow.”

With a little squeeze as
if to soften the rejection, Achan stepped away as the song came to an end.

“Where do you live? When
can I see you again?”

With a little chuckle,
Achan backed away another step, until he was just out of reach. “Oh I’m sure
we’ll bump into each other again soon.”

And with that, Achan was
gone—disappearing with all the preternatural speed of his new godhood and a
laugh that shot straight through Dashiel like quicksilver.

****

Dashiel tried to
concentrate on the job at hand, but it just wasn’t happening. He’d spent hours
waiting for the next two mortals on his hit list to be in the right position.
But the two stubborn men just weren’t cooperating. It was almost as if they
knew they were being targeted and were actively trying to thwart him.

And all the while,
Dashiel felt tight and distracted, wondering when he’d get the chance to see
Achan again.

Finally, thank The
Pantheon for small mercies, one of the soon-to-be-lovers missed his bus and
hurried into the same coffee shop as his unsuspecting would-be-suitor to keep
warm and dry until the next scheduled service.

Dashiel saw his chance.
Drawing his bow with a fluid grace born of centuries of practice, he inhaled,
took aim and—

“Hello, Dashiel.”

The arrow slipped from
his grasp and shot forward with a sickening high-pitched whistle, hitting the
target right in the heart. Dashiel suppressed a wince—the poor sucker was going
to fall so hard. But at least he’d struck the right mark. Things could have
gone all sorts of interesting if he’d got the wrong guy. Or—Godshome forbid—hit
the girl standing beside him.

Dashiel spun around.
“Achan! What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you remember me.
How sweet.” Achan smirked, and oddly, Dashiel found himself about to make
excuses

for not having kept in
contact over the years—something he’d never found himself doing before. But
Achan waved it away nonchalantly. “I’m only teasing. Don’t look so panicky.”

“I wasn’t panicking.”

“If you say so.” Achan
took a long, slow lick of the sweet-ice in his hand—a slender cylindrical treat
that was proving increasingly popular with the younger crowd.

Dashiel followed Achan’s
tongue, now stained a vivid pink with food colouring—thoroughly mesmerised.

“It’s hot out today,
huh?” Achan asked, cheeky grin firmly in place. “You want some?”

Dashiel felt himself
blush to the roots of his hair at having been caught staring. He shook his
head, not quite trusting his voice—sure he’d embarrass himself even more with a
husky rasp. Or worst still a moan.

“So what ya doing?”
Achan asked, still licking at his sweet-ice.

“Working.”

Achan sighed. “So it’s
true.”

“What?”

“A love god’s work is
never done.” Achan was laughing at him—he could see it in the sparkle of
mischief in those dark blue eyes.

“Why are you here?”

“Oh, I’m hurt!” Achan
mocked with a pout—crunching down on the tip of the sweet-ice and making
Dashiel cringe involuntarily. “I thought you wanted to see me again.”

“That’s not—”

“As it happens, I was
sent to deliver a message. You’re my first customer… so to speak.”

Waving the last of his
sweet-ice out of existence with a casual flick of his wrist, Achan produced a
thin scroll from his belt and handed it across. Dashiel didn’t fail to notice
the way Achan made sure their fingers brushed against one another in passing.
In fact, it was impossible to ignore as the contact sent shivers of delight
racing up his arm and across his entire body.

Trying to distract
himself from the sensation, Dashiel broke the seal and rapidly scanned the
note.