They called us monsters part 11

Chapter 11: Travel buddies

‘’Faster!’’, Ketsu uttered, as she pinned Nero on the ground, earning a grunt from his lips. He shook his shoulders to release himself from her grip and got up on his feet again. Sweat dripped down his face and neck, his linen white shirt sticking on his body. The female demon had to admit that she had been enjoying their lessons these past few days. Nero had learned to accept her and show fragments of respect, eager to fight with her nearly every afternoon. The young man struggled and his indifferent expression broke every time, much to the demon’s enjoyment. They had only gone out to hunt once more and his improvement had been visible after Ketsu’s lessons.

‘’Time to eat.’’, the demon noted and straightened her own linen shirt before turning her back and heading in the house. The sun had already disappeared behind the horizon, leaving traces of purple and orange colors on the sky. Despite the cold weather, they both had build up a sweat and had to bathe before changing into warmer clothes. By the time stars had decorated the house, all three of the house’s residents had sat around the table, discussing over food about a new experiment Elise had been eager to try.

‘’Before I forget.’’, the redhead demon suddenly interrupted the previous conversation, just when it was getting interesting, according to Ketsu. ‘’I have an offer that I want you to take up, Nero. We need the money to get some equipment I have been wanting for some time now.’’

Nero looked at the redhead with an indifferent face, but his blue eyes showed much interest in what she had to say. In the short time Ketsu had lived with them, she could tell that there was an extremely strong bond between the two beings, not different than a bond a mother and son have.

‘’A royal councilor is sick with heavy bronchitis and none of his healers can do anything about it. One of my old customers moved to the capital a few years back and he ended up a servant in the royal halls. He mentioned me to the councilor’s assistants. They will pay handsomely for the cure.’’, she explained and while the young man lifted his brows in surprise, the black-haired demon frowned hers.

‘’Can you really leave the clinic?’’, she asked and Elise rolled her eyes.

‘’That is why I said that Nero would take the offer.’’, she explained and Ketsu pouted. ‘’You can definitely heal the guy, so I want you to take my place and come back with the money. I will have ordered the equipment by then, so do it right.’’, she noted and pated his nearly shaven head with her hand, causing the young one to blush a bit, something Ketsu had never seen before. She managed to hold in her laughter.

‘’Yes doctor. I will leave as soon as you want me to.’’, he replied and averted his gaze, letting it meet the wood of the table.

‘’I’d like you to go as well Ketsu.’’, Elise added and now her eyes fell on the black-haired demon, as she withdrew her hand from the male and fixed her glasses further up her nose. Ketsu shrugged. She did want to stay and work on the new experiment, but travelling always sounded tempting in her ears.

‘’Very well.’’, she replied and Nero’s face returned to the very rare, but so fascinating dumbfounded look. He clearly felt uncomfortable traveling with the black-haired demon, even after all the times they crawled in the dirt together, struggling to beat each other. His expression shifted back to normal, as if no one had noticed his reactions and he returned to his food.

The following morning, Ketsu and Nero rented two chestnut brown horses from Rekis’s stable master and rode towards the capital. The journey would last nearly a week and they were planning to make minimal stops, thus only pausing to rest the horses. For the duration of the journey Ketsu kept giving Nero fighting lessons in the privacy of their rented rooms. The demon could sense something shifting in the male’s actions and way of interacting with her and she wondered why. They always engaged in fighting, verbal or practical and the times they had actually cooperated in peace were during the hunt or when working on experiments with Elise. Ketsu was intrigued by him even more after their journey began.

Up till the fourth day they had been lucky enough to find two separate rooms to rent, but on the fifth one, their luck had run out. The town they chose for their rest was a merchant pass and the majority of the inns were packed, thus leaving them the only option of renting a single room for both of them. The female did not care much about it, but she could somehow feel the nervousness of the male coloring the air around him.

‘’I can sleep on the floor for tonight.’’, Nero spoke, his back against the closed and locked door, as Ketsu removed her cloak and leather enhancements over her white linen shirt. She lifted one cocky brow and splashed some fresh water from the basin on her face. Nero watched over her every move, his shoulders remaining as motionless and square as the furniture in the room.

‘’I won’t eat you, if that’s what you are worrying about.’’, she commented and wiped her face with the single towel they had provided the room with. She then tossed it to him, as if reminding him to wash up as well. The male exhaled and averted his gaze.

‘’It’s me I’m worried about.’’, he mumbled, while stepping up to the basin. Ketsu, taken aback by his words gave him a surprised glare.

‘’What are you saying?’’

Her question seemed to stir him up us he proceeded to rub his hands and face aggressively, trying to buy himself time. His next move was to remove his own bag, cloak and leather enhancements, along with the blades surrounding his torso, placing it on the ground beside Ketsu’s equipment. It seemed as if he ignored her very existence as he removed his leather boots and the linen shirt he used as an undergarment. The demon kept her eyes fixated on his well-built body, ridden with scars and bruises, the most recent ones caused by her during their spars. A few very peculiar old scars were over his heart, lungs and kidney, perhaps remnants of a near death fight. She let a smirk play on her face as she mimicked his movements, kicking off her own boots and removing her shirt with a shift motion. The male’s eyes widened when he realized what he had seen with his peripheral vision, as his gaze was fixated on the bowl of water in front him, not daring to move an inch.

‘’Miss Ketsu…’’, he began. Ketsu knew that the male only spoke to her formally when he wanted to be ironic with her, or in front of others. He usually did not refer to her persona with a name at all. ‘’Should I give you some time alone…’’, he added and the female scoffed.

‘’Do you want to leave the room? That is the question, Nero.’’ The demon enjoyed toying with him and even though he was but a child in front of her, considering their age gap, he acted more mature and collected than most of the men Ketsu had taken. Yet at that moment he seemed like a confused teenager. Suddenly he turned to her, his blue eyes focusing on her face, as if her half naked body wasn’t just below it. He looked determined, but somewhat offended.

‘’Are you mocking me?’’, he blurted out and the female could see his fists tighten. She exhaled seductively, in her effort to force the young man on edge, and unbuttoned her pants. The male went to speak again, his expression shifting into a shocked one, but she interrupted him.

‘’Have you ever had a woman, Nero?’’, she suddenly asked and dropped her pants on the floor. It had been a while for her and she needed this. But going about in search of a male companion in this town, wasn’t tempting at that moment. She had to admit to herself that Nero had intrigued her from the first moment and them traveling together had built up her curiosity. Nero’s eyes widened and a pink shade barely showed on his face. It looked comical to Ketsu, how a male with such prominent masculine characteristics could blush like a girl. His answer was silence, thus pushing the demon to continue.

‘’Would you like to?’’

‘’Yes…’’ He immediately replied, blue eyes fixated on the demon’s feminine, attractive figure. He wanted to show determination, but the woman could sense his confusion. She let out a low laughter and stepped near him, smirking as his gaze travelled on her exposed skin eagerly.

‘’Even an old demon like me?’’ Her comment made him blink in surprise, as if he hadn’t realized their actual age gap. His body though didn’t seem to mind, Ketsu could tell while letting her one hand travel near his nether regions. She brought her lips next to his ear. ‘’A killer like me?’’ Nero’s skin showed small bumps allover, as he shivered profusely at her whispering words.

‘’You better stop talking.’’, he blurted out with his usual flat voice and when Ketsu glanced at him, his face had reclaimed his usual indifferent expression. She pressed her lips in a thin line, disappointment crushing like waves in her mind as she considered that she had lost her chance, when Nero ducked in the blink of an eye and grabbed both her legs, lifting her up and pressing his pelvis against her. Their lips met, as he led them both on their shared bed, so that they could release their tension.

The rest of the trip was done in a less awkward manner that Ketsu thought and she was more than glad to share her bed with the human male a couple more times, before they reached the capital. It was the first time though, that guilt played at the back of her mind, wondering how Elise would react on this matter.

‘’You seem distracted today.’’, Nero commented caustically, yet his expression remained the same. He brought his horse near hers, as a team of city guards went past them, galloping aggressively. ‘’We are almost there.’’, he added when she failed to react to his words and the demon lifted her eyes to meet the impressive walls of the capital of the Failands, excitement coursing through her veins.