ADRIAN

Glancing around his bedroom door, Adrian spotted Daniel and Blake desperately trying to be quiet as they drunkenly roamed the halls of the Sagewick palace. He had two options:

1. Follow them and continue to watch over Blake or...

2. Let them be. Let them bond.

They'll have to spend the rest of their lives together, so they might as well start getting along now. Adrian leaned a bit further out as he watched Daniel pull back on Blake's hold around his hand. Daniel shook his head, but Blake just smiled and insisted, "Come on, Danny."

Adrian's brows raised. Danny, huh?

And like that, Daniel crumbled and allowed himself to be dragged again. Adrian gave that hopeless boy a week before he kissed the ground Blake walked upon. No one stood a chance against Blake's charms, the way an intensely cute cat could sway a dog lover. Some things are just too soft not to pet. And Daniel Bellerose seemed like a weak enough man to fall in love with anyone. Adrian planned to toughen him up a bit before he left. Or at least manipulate him into thinking jumping in front of bullet to protect Blake was not only a viable option, but the only option.

Adrian checked his watch and folded back into his room. He sent Emma Winslow a text message: [I'm not worried about Blake and Daniel. Blake will have him whipped in no time.]

With a chuckle, Adrian enjoyed his little joke and got himself ready for bed. He debated going downstairs for a small bottle of A Negative Blood, but his bed called his name. His full name. Middle name too, which only two other people in this world knew. He only forced himself to stay up a little longer to go through potential candidates. No one seemed quite perfect enough to be Blake's assistant. Adrian only accepted perfection. They needed to be as helpful as they were friendly. Lord knows Blake needed a friend.

The moment he agreed to chaperone Blake to Sagewick was the same moment Adrian realized this would be his final job. After this, after spending the last century with the Winslow family, Adrian craved something new. He grew tired of his quiet life.

From somewhere in the castle, there was a boom and something heavy fell to the ground. Many things crashed and splintered. Adrian stood without a second thought, running out of his room totally barefoot. He could only make it halfway down the hallway. His eyes didn't even grace the next corner when what felt like a wall slammed in front of him and knocked him to the ground hard enough to make him slide all the way back to his room.

The corners of his vision burned as stars twinkled and blinked in and out of his vision. Fear grabbed a hold of his throat when Adrian realized he couldn't move. Couldn't even lift a finger. His last mistake was closing his eyes to gather himself...

He couldn't open his eyes again.

A voice in the corner of his brain whispered, "I'm back."

#

DANIEL

It wasn't often that the crown prince Daniel Bellerose overslept.

Sleeping through the night at all was rare enough. He had grown accustomed to tossing and turning and waking hours of constant thought. Usually, Daniel woke before the sun graced the sky. He never even needed alarms. But that morning wasn't aligned with his normal routine. It wasn't every morning he woke up in a different bed. It wasn't every morning Daniel woke up with a beautiful boy inside his arms.

Peeling his eyes open, Daniel found Blake snuggled against his chest, Blake's head resting on top of his arm.

Blake's long fingers clutched his shirt and Daniel didn't dare move, too infatuated with Blake's long eye lashes and the curls resting against his forehead. Daniel studied the curve of his bottom lip and the point of his cupid's bow. Underneath his fringe, Daniel could spot a secret mole just against his hairline. Blake's brows furrowed a bit as he snuggled closer to Daniel. Daniel didn't dare move too fast to avoid waking the wizard.

They still wore their clothes from the previous night, shoes and all. Nothing happened, but just sleeping together like this, as close as they were like this still made Daniel's chest squeeze and his muscles feel weak. It somehow felt more intimate.

Blake was warm, the kind of warmth hidden inside a lightbulb, bright and too hot to touch. Without thinking, Daniel used his thumb to smooth the angry little line between Blake's brows and caressed his face. Such soft, powered white skin. Whatever plagued Blake in his sleep melted away and he let out a soft little breath. A chill trickled down Daniel's arms. Someone needed to stop him. His good sense needed to catch back up before he made a fool of himself.

"You know..." A man said, his Italian accent thick.

Daniel jumped, ripping his arm out from underneath Blake, who groaned and nearly rolled completely off the bed. Daniel's brain went wild, short circuiting as he found a man lying on the other side of him, lounging across the satin sheets. He held no presence. He gave off no smell. No warmth. No sign of life, even less than a vampire.

This man was something else entirely. His skin tone wasn't even close to normal, a bright red color that caused the whites of his golden eyes to practically glow. From his short white hair grew two horns, the color of hemp and the texture of rock. These horns curled away from his head like a mountain goat.

The man, or thing, motioned to Blake. The pearl that hung from his left ear waved as he spoke. "Forgive my frankness, but young man, you know nothing of romance. Let me tell you, you can't seduce someone when they're asleep. Do that again now that he's awake or he'll never fall in love with you."

Daniel's claws extended in the same motion as he went for this creature's neck. Before he could touch him, the creature exploded in a puff of red smoke and appeared again at the end of the bed standing tall. The bottom of Daniel's stomach fell out. Daniel prided himself on his intelligence and his ability to act under pressure. Maybe he was still a little drunk, but Daniel could not keep up with what was happening.

"Holy shit," Blake yelped, suddenly wide awake. But he groaned and flopped back onto his side. He covered his face that was turning green.

"That wasn't nice," the thing smiled, his mouth full of sharp teeth. His teeth almost distracted Daniel from the strange costume he wore, these black tights and poofy shorts. He also wore a tight coat that was covered in a second layer of black lace.

"Who are you?" Daniel asked, his tongue sharpening. "What are you doing in here?"

"Me?" The thing's smile only widened. He touched his chest and hit flesh, something real. Daniel half expected his hand to fall through. "You don't know? You're the ones who asked for me."

As Daniel deciphered that riddle, Blake gagged and lurched forward. Panicked rushed through him as he smacked his hand over his mouth and practically flew to the closest thing that resembled a bin. He ripped out the long fake peacock feathers from a gold vase and replaced them with at least of third of everything he ate and drank last night. Groaning, he crumbled against the wall and held the vase close.

"I remember those days," the creature drawled, poofing again and appeared behind Blake to rub Blake's back as he threw up again. "I developed the most excellent cure for a hangover. Some plain raw eggs, if you can believe it?" He winked at Daniel, who curled his fists.

"Raw eggs?" As if those were the magic words, Blake managed to sit up straight long enough to stare wide-eyed at the creature behind him. Blake looked at him like he saw a ghost. "It can't be... are you... Ignacio?"

"Clever boy," Ignacio smiled and ruffled Blake's curls. He jumped a little and snatched Blake's hand. "Eh? Is this the ring? It's gorgeous. Maybe there's hope for Daniel yet."

"You're joking." Daniel had to laugh. He threw the blankets off his legs and joined them. Standing now, he realized this creature wasn't as tall or muscular. Ignacio had a lithe form, reminding Daniel of the Faye folk, of long stemmed lilies and tall grass. A fragile thing with sharp teeth. Dangerous.

"What do you mean?" Ignacio now followed Daniel as he searched the filthy room for Blake's pile of dishes. He managed to find a cleanish looking glass and a pitcher of what was once ice water and now was tepid plain water. Ignacio insisted, "You two summoned me last night. Not by mistake, am I correct? You two wanted to speak with me and here I am. Truthfully, I'm delighted to be here. This way I can come to the wedding! You two make a handsome couple."

The events of last night came crashing down and around Daniel. He looked at this creature again with his horns and his red skin and that knowing look in his golden eyes. "You. You're the one that cursed us."

"Curse?" Ignacio's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Is that what your families call it now? Back in my day—"

"Five hundred years ago," Blake mumbled and rubbed the side of his head.

"It was just called a deal. I made a deal with your ancestor." He side-eyed Blake, who had decided to empty out the rest of his stomach. But Daniel noticed the choice of words. He noticed that look. There was more to this deal than anyone knew, something that was lost along the last five hundred years.

"Well, we want out of the deal," Daniel stated. He crossed his arms, pointing his chin up as he faced the demon. "Blake and I have discussed it and we think that we shouldn't be the ones that must pay for our families' debts."

"You..." Ignacio seemed taken aback, deflated even. He blinked at them, back and forth and finally landing on Daniel. "You two don't want to get married?"

"Not really," Blake said immediately, which for whatever reason annoyed Daniel, but Daniel figured it was more likely the confused look from Ignacio that drove him crazy. Not Blake.

"It's not what we want," Daniel said as he bent down to hand Blake the water. "Here, you dork. Look at me, you're never drinking again."

"Agreed."

Blake took a swig, swishing the water around his mouth before spitting it back out. Ignacio chuckled a little and shook his head. "That's nice that you two can agree on something, but I'm not going to break this deal. There's nothing you can offer me to change my mind. I've been waiting five hundred years for this..."

Ignacio turned as if finished with this conversation. He held his hands out with pointy black fingernails, eagerly wiggling his fingers. He opened Blake's wardrobe that was actually an entertainment station and poked the middle of his TV to see what would happen.

The back of Daniel's neck felt hot. Sometimes it felt like someone was flicking the back of his head when he was frustrated. He wasn't going to be ignored by this demon. "Nothing? I doubt that. Surely, you get something more out of this than a wedding."

"Why yes, the look on your faces."

Daniel scowled, wondering if he could simply break this deal by wringing this demon's neck. "Tell me what you get and we'll figure out how to bring it to you without getting married."

"Look at it from my perspective. It's quite selfish to ask out of the contract right before I'm about to receive my payment. Even for a demon that's a long time to wait and now, you want me to wait longer? I don't think so."

"And I'm telling you, we'll pay for the gifts you've given us some other way."

"You see, that's just not possible."

"Hey—" Blake squinted, trying to properly form the words. "Can I call you Iggy?"

"Of course you can," Ignacio smiled, suddenly a little weak in the knees for the human still on the floor.

Daniel took a smooth step between them. "Tell me why it isn't possible, and I'll tell you why it is. My job is to solve problems."

Blake not so subtly snorted, which made Daniel snap his arm out and shove him. Blindly, Blake hit him back. Their bottled up frustrations were exploding out of them in this slapping war. If Daniel's school tutors or nannies saw him like this, they'd tell him to face a wall until he remembered his manners. Something about Blake just brought the twelve-year-old out of Daniel.

"Stop that!" Putting his hands between them, Ignacio told them, "It's impossible because of the deal we made and its terms..."

With a sigh, Ignacio started explaining again, but with a bit more patience. "Five hundred years ago, I made a deal that I would save your ancestor's life—" Ignacio pointed a sharp finger towards Daniel and then turned his sights to Blake, who managed to stand on his two feet, still holding the vase as if it were a cherished stuffed doll. "And I would ensure that your family would thrive through the ages. In doing so, your families' magic and power and wealth has grown and prospered for five hundred years and when these two powers connect, it'll be enough power to set me free. I want to become mortal."

"Then, we'll find a way to make you human. That's the real deal, right? If Blake and I can figure out how to make you human without joining our magic, you'll keep your end of the deal too." Daniel quickly said without knowing how he could possibly make that happen. "We can do it. Somehow."

"I thought demons were all powerful," Blake said. "You can't just help yourself?"

"No," Ignacio shook his head. He started wandering again and found a nearby lamp, flicking it on and off, his eyes glimmering against the flash of light. "While I'm under contract, I can only use my magic to help my current deal run more smoothly."

"What does that mean for us, then? You can only use your magic to make sure we get married. What does that even look like?"

"Don't ask him," Daniel tried to say as Ignacio cheered:

"I'm glad you asked!"

Ignacio clapped his hands and from nowhere and everywhere, red rose petals fluttered all around them and across every surface. They all fell randomly with the exception of a line of petals falling into the shape of a heart on top of the bed. Candles ignited and suddenly, Blake's radio played Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On.

A burst of laughter exploded past Blake's lips. "That was amazing."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "You think that's amazing? You can do that."

"No, I can't. I can't just clap my hands and do whatever I want. My magic is different. He's a demon!"

"Not for very much longer," Ignacio said and raised two crossed fingers. "Hopefully."

Before Daniel could argue more, there was a knock on the door and his mother, Adele's voice seeped between the cracks. "Hello? Blake? Are you awake, dear? I want to talk to you about yesterday—"

"Uh, Adele! Just one second-!" Blake tried to stop her, but it was too late. As soon as the door swung open, Ignacio disappeared in a puff of smoke. Daniel reached for him, but only found a handful of air. Adele waltzed right inside with Adrian, Eitienne and Michael at her tail.

She froze, her eyes widening as she took in the room. As she looked around, Daniel saw the same incriminating evidence from the fresh petals, the empty bottle of booze and the disheveled bed. Almost as messy as their appearances.

Despite the fact nothing happened...

It looked like everything had happened.

With a blush that just made them look more guilty, Blake raised his hands, "I know it looks strange! But nothing happened."

"Nothing happened?" Adrian crossed his arms, rolling back his shoulders and growing in size. "Then, how do you explain that?" He motioned to Blake's bare arm and the bite mark left by Daniel's idiotic mouth. A bit too late, Blake rolled his sleeve back down.

"Is everything alright?" One of the maids, Natalia piped up. A horde of maids were trying to wiggle through the cracks between the men at the door.

Jumping to attention, Michael pushed them all back and slammed the door shut. He shouted, "Everything's fine! Your assistance is unnecessary! Why don't you...." The vein in his forehead throbbed as he tried to come up with some chore. "Why don't you polish the West Wing!"

"The entire west wing?"

"Just go!" Adele shouted and Daniel could hear them gasp and scurry away. Adele Bellerose did not raise her voice. Hell was freezing over.

Daniel took a step back, suddenly going back in time and turning into a little kid that just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His stomach twisted. His father seemed to be scratching his head as Adrian shook his head at the ceiling with an incredulous laugh.

Nervously, Daniel looked at Adele like she was an incoming car crash. His small mother's brow narrowed, and she open her mouth to begin the kind of berating that will shame Daniel into oblivion, everyone's phones started to ding. Michael opened his phone first and somehow, he became even paler to the point of being translucent. He handed the worse person his phone, Adele.

She looked at the screen and her lips thinned to one angry line. "Daniel Gabriel Bellerose, I am so angry I just might go blind." She showed Daniel the screen and dared him, "Try telling me again that nothing happened."

Right there in bright blue light was a series of pictures of the night from some not even attractive guy touching Blake's leg and leaning in too close for them to just be talking about the weather. The press even got a snapshot of them almost kissing, their lips a hair apart. There was a picture of Frances and Blake dancing. Quite a few pictures of them taking shots. Then, finally the slideshow of humiliation ended with Daniel carrying a drunken Blake to the car.

The headline read:

Sagewick's new prince of the party. The wedding real? Or a hoax?

Daniel side-eyed Blake who looked like he needed to throw up for a hundred new reasons. He whispered, "We're fucked."

#

Author's Note

I'm so happy to be back! I've missed you guys immensely, but I might have missed the story more. I've been so excited to introduce Ignacio! Welcome our demonic puppet master who is a Blake and Daniel Stan first. Demon second. Lol.

And we even got an Adrian POV? This chapter is wild! Please don't forget to leave a comment with all thoughts, feeling and theories. We love a good theory in this house. 

Also, my life has recently been ruined by Thai BL Dramas. I've watched like four in the past two weeks. This is why I can't watch TV or start anything because I will watch it to completion. Lol.