His tanned, muscular back tapered down to a slim waist. His ass was nicely rounded, like he'd done a thousand squats a day to achieve such perfection. And his legs were corded with so many muscles that Trey had to close his mouth to stop from drooling.

  Then Aldrin turned over.

  Holy fuck. Trey was about to orgasm where he stood. The front of Aldrin's body carried a mass of scars, but they didn't detract from his broad chest, ripped stomach, or his…

  Trey glanced away, feeling like a pervert for staring at Aldrin's cock. His face heated as he moved across the room and covered Aldrin with a blanket.

  Now what?

  He had no idea. Until Aldrin woke up, all Trey could do was sit on the edge of the bed and hope nothing disastrous happened.

  He pulled his phone out and called Ryan. Trey still couldn't believe so little time had passed while he was in that musty room. It had felt like a full day had gone by.

  "Why won't you let me sleep?" Ryan whined.

  "You're not even out of bed yet, are you?"

  Ryan had had the luxury of being born into a wealthy family. But that didn't mean the guy was without problems. His mom had died during childbirth, and his dad was as cold as winter snow, and thought throwing money at his son solved their issues.

  Trey had met Ryan during their senior year in high school. Michael had been trying to shove Trey into a locker, and Ryan had come to his rescue.

  They'd been best friends since.

  "I'm sitting up. Does that count?"

  Trey let out a long breath. "You won't believe the day I had."

  "Dude, you've been at work, what, an hour and a half? Did a dog bite you or something?"

  Aldrin stirred. Trey looked down at him, pulled the covers up so they were around the guy's shoulders, then said, "No, I wasn't bitten."

  Well, he had been. He still couldn't get the image of Aldrin sinking his teeth into Trey's wrist out of his mind. Had his blood somehow gotten Aldrin back into the underworld?

  Aldrin had said underworld, right?

  "So what's your problem?" Ryan asked. "Is that cute doctor sexually harassing you? Just give in and bend over his desk. You can thank me for my advice later."

  "Is sex all you think about?" Trey whispered like his mom was on the other side of the door listening.

  "Once you bust that figurative cherry of yours, you'll understand," Ryan teased. "Maybe the doc'll buy a skimpy little maid uniform for you to wear."

  "Dude, I was—" Trey bit his lip. Should he tell Ryan or was there some cosmic rule that said he couldn't talk about the magical shit that had happened to him? Would Aldrin smite him if he blabbed?

  "You were what?" Ryan asked.

  "Just calling to shoot the shit while things are slow. I'm gonna go. Someone's coming up the walkway with a cat carrier." Trey hung up and set his phone on his lap. He wasn't sure why he hadn't told Ryan the truth. He told his best friend everything, yet something had held him back.

  Even though Aldrin had kidnapped him, Trey felt a strange need to protect him, and until he found out what was truly going on, he'd keep the hot, naked man stashed in his bedroom.

  * * * *

  Aldrin stared at Trey's sleeping form before he teleported himself to the underworld. He had to find Graygon. With Aldrin's weakening powers, the cells in which the most heinous creatures lived were failing.

  But there was one cell he had to check. Aldrin hurried through the tunnels until he came to Morog's prison. If the beast got free again, Aldrin wouldn't have the power to defeat him.

  Morog snarled at him through the small window of his cell door. Saliva dripped from his long, sharp teeth as he eyed Aldrin. Judging by the hatred in the beast's eyes, if freed, Morog would kill him.

  "I should have never created you." Aldrin pressed his hand against the door. "You were my biggest mistake."

  "So why haven't you?" Morog's voice was deep and filled with menace. "Why don't you come in here so we can talk?"

  "You'll never see the light of day again," Aldrin promised. He would've told Morog that he would kill the demon when he was at full strength, but Aldrin didn't want Morog to know how badly he'd injured him.

  Knowing the beast was in his cell, Aldrin checked the others. He would've done so earlier, but he'd grown too weak for the task. By the time he was finished walking the halls, he discovered he had four missing prisoners altogether.

  Graygon, a two-headed creature who wielded immense power and stood over nine feet tall. He wasn't the brightest of his kind, but he'd devastated the demon realm over a thousand years ago before Aldrin and Panahasi had captured him and locked him away.

  Angorys. A demon from the bowels of Hell who could spit acid, conjure fire from thin air, and loved razing towns. He had wiped more places off the map than natural disasters.

  Galveston. A vampire who swore he'd make Aldrin pay for imprisoning him, even though Galveston had wiped out an entire tribe a thousand years ago. He bathed in his victims' blood, savored their screams, and got off on torturing them before he drained them.

  Metaphyne was the most terrifying of them all. The demon had created and spread the black plague in the fourteenth century. If Aldrin didn't find Metaphyne soon, there was no telling what kind of global devastation he would cause this time.

  But Aldrin needed to be at full power to recapture them.

  He returned to Trey's home. Going back to his chambers would do no good. Nothing in his books told him how to reverse Morog's poisoning because no one had ever been bitten by him before.

  While his mate slept, Aldrin went around the house, casting protective spells and wards to keep his enemies away. The underworld would be the first place anyone looked, so staying there wouldn't be safe, especially with Trey at his side.

  He'd also traveled to the human realm because Trey had wanted to return to it. Aldrin had felt his mate's anguish, had felt his fear of being surrounded by the unknown, and wanted Trey to be at peace so he wouldn't try to leave Aldrin.

  Before going back to Trey's bedroom, Aldrin waved his hand and clothed himself, including his cloak. After living for billions of years, he didn't give nudity a second thought, but humans weren't comfortable with it.

  "You shouldn't be out here." Trey rubbed his eyes as he yawned. "What if my parents see you?"

  "Are you not allowed to have guests?" Aldrin slid his gaze over Trey's body. The need to claim his mate was fierce, but Aldrin didn't want Trey to see his hideous scars. Humans also prized beauty, something Aldrin no longer had.

  Trey studied him, then shrugged. "Yeah, but I've never brought anyone but Ryan home."

  Casting the spells had drained Aldrin, and he didn't have the ability to read Trey's mind to find out who Ryan was. "Your lover?"

  Trey snorted. "Hardly. He's my best friend." His brows furrowed. "I started to tell him everything, but I wasn't sure if I was allowed, so I kept my mouth shut."

  "A wise decision." Aldrin gripped the back of the couch, swaying as he became light-headed. Panahasi's blood was wearing off sooner than he'd anticipated.

  "Whoa." Trey hurried across the room and grabbed him around the waist. "Let's get you back to bed."

  Aldrin tried his best not to put his full weight against Trey, although the closeness had him growing hard. He slid his arm around his mate's shoulders, inhaling his unique fragrance as they moved slowly down the hall.

  "Are you hungry?" Trey asked when he got Aldrin in his bedroom. "There's leftover spaghetti from last night. My mom's a pretty good cook."

  Aldrin was deeply touched by Trey's offer. No one had ever taken care of him before. And that was a sad fact. He had never known what a true home felt like, never had parents to look after him, and never experienced such selfless concern. Sure, Panahasi worried about him, but this was different.

  "I don't require food, drink, or the need for a bathroom." Aldrin curled up on the bed.

  "Just rest," Trey pointed out.

  "Before being poisoned, I didn't even require sleep."

  Aldrin's chest tightened when Trey pulled the blankets over him like a caring partner.

  "How were you poisoned?" Trey sat beside him on the bed. "Is that why you're so weak? Is there a cure?"

  Aldrin closed his eyes when Trey brushed his hand over his cheek. He wanted to snarl for Trey not to touch him, to stay away from such a hideous beast, but the touch warmed him in a way the sun never could.

  "My very first creation attacked me." Aldrin found Trey so easy to talk to. He wanted to keep his mate in the dark. The less he knew, the better, but Aldrin hadn't had someone he could confide in for so long, someone who wouldn't use his words against him.

  "I take it that's how you got poisoned?"

  "You would be correct. Morog is a vile demon who would kill me rather than protect me. I think he's still pissed I locked him up."

  "How long since he bit you?" Trey pulled one leg up onto the bed and turned to face Aldrin, as though fascinated by what Aldrin was saying.

  Trey hadn't even flinched when Aldrin said Morog was a demon.

  "A few years."

  "A few years?" Trey's eyes widened. "But doesn't poison kill people in a matter of days or even hours? Not that I'm an expert on poisons."

  Morog's venom would kill a human in a millisecond. But with Aldrin's immense power, the poison was slow-acting, eating away at his body, and crippling him one cell at a time.

  "There are…otherworldly matters to consider."

  Trey looked as though he was chewing on his thoughts. "Why did you need my blood to get you home?"

  "You ask a lot of questions."

  "You dragged me into this," he countered. "I have a right to know what I'm dealing with."

  "I must rest." Aldrin closed his eyes.

  Moments later, he felt a cool cloth on his forehead. "I don't know how you're sweating. My dad keeps the house frigid. You should be an ice cube by now."

  Aldrin gripped Trey's wrist when his mate tried to lower the hood of his cloak. "Don't."

  "I hate to tell you, but I saw you naked. Your scars don't bother me." Trey pulled his wrist free. "You need to cool off. You're burning up. If I could carry you I'd stick you in a cool bath."

  Aldrin closed his and winced when Trey lowered his hood. He didn't want to see the pity or repulsion in his mate's eyes, no matter what Trey said about not being bothered by his scars.

  "I'm gonna go get some ice. It'll help cool you down, unless you wanna lie on top of the register and get blasted by the central air."

  When Aldrin looked at him, there was a twinkle of humor in Trey's bluish-purple eyes. "Why are you being so kind to me after I kidnapped you?"

  Trey bit his lip. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I guess 'cause you need someone to look after you. No one should be left alone when they're this sick."

  Aldrin brushed his knuckles over Trey's reddened cheek. "Why are you blushing?"

  Trey stood and walked backward toward the door, nearly running into his dresser. "I'm gonna go get that ice."

  Aldrin furrowed his brows as Trey ran from the room. Was it something he'd said? He tucked his hand under his cheek and waited for his mate's return.

  Chapter Five

  Trey gripped the counter and blew out a few short breaths. He'd run from the room before Aldrin saw his erection tenting his scrubs. The guy needed someone to look after him, not someone who'd get turned on by a simple touch. But his cheek still burned where Aldrin had brushed his knuckles across it.

  You're such a damn loser. He was showing his appreciation, not coming on to you.

  Trey grabbed a storage bag, then the ice tray from the freezer. He'd filled the clear plastic bag halfway when the back door flew open. Trey gave a short, high cry before he realized it was Ryan.

  Trey should have never given him a key.

  "I went by your job to take you to breakfast, but your boss told me you went home sick." Ryan eyed him. "You don't look sick to me." His gaze dropped to the bag of ice in Trey's hand, then Ryan felt his forehead.

  Trey knocked his hand away as he prayed Aldrin didn't stumble from his room. "Will you stop?"

  "If you're not sick, then—" Ryan's eyes widened. "Did you take my advice? Did you and the doc do it?"

  "I didn't do it with my boss!" Why on earth did Ryan's mind always go to the gutter?

  "And you ran home afterward to cry about your lost virginity."

  His comment should've made Trey mad, but he burst out laughing, instead. "And you say I have a vivid imagination."

  Ryan frowned. "You never call off work or go home sick. There has to be a reason, and I wanna know why."

  Trey inwardly groaned when his parents came through the back door with grocery bags in hand. His mom looked at Trey like he was an alien invading her kitchen. "What're you doing home, dear? Is something wrong?"

  He'd left work early one time and everyone acted as though Trey had committed a crime. "Nothing's wrong, Mom."

  Too bad he couldn't come up with an excuse on the spot while his mom set the bags on the counter. He could only hope she didn't ask any more questions.

  "Then why are you home?" she asked.

  Damn.

  "I…um…"

  Ryan arched a brow, clearly waiting to hear Trey's response. If he smirked any harder Trey was gonna choke him.

  Trey patted his stomach when he remembered the lie he'd told his boss. "Upset tummy."

  "Do you need some fiber?" his mom asked.

  Ryan gave a short, low snort. He slapped a hand over his mouth as Trey glared at him. "No. I'll be all right."

  "What's with the ice?" his dad asked. "You got a fever?"

  Trey groaned as his mom felt his forehead. "He's not hot."

  "Who would be in this cold house?" Ryan leaned an arm on the counter as he looked between Trey and Trey's dad.

  Trey's parents ignored Ryan.

  "Go get in bed and I'll bring you some soup." His mom shooed him from the kitchen while Trey strangled the bag of ice. He had a nice-sized room, but there was nowhere he could hide Aldrin. His closet was piled with crap. Aldrin wouldn't fit in there unless he climbed over things.

  And there wasn't enough clearance to stuff Aldrin under his bed. Trey really hadn't thought this through.

  He held his hands up, wagging the ice bag when he noticed she'd followed him. "Seriously, Mom. I'm fine."

  "Pah. Let me take care of you. Now go get in bed." She turned and headed back into the kitchen.

  Trey had to stop himself from running to his room. When he stepped inside, Aldrin was no longer in the bed. Where the hell had he gone?

  Ryan invaded his room, closing the door behind him. "Why're you acting so squirrely?"

  Trey tossed the bag of ice on the bed and noticed that it didn't hit the mattress. Aldrin was still there but invisible. How much power was Aldrin draining by hiding himself?

  "I'm really not feeling too good." Trey pressed his hand against his stomach. "I'm gonna lay down."

  Ryan rolled his eyes. He headed toward Trey's bed, but Trey cut him off. If Ryan sat, he'd definitely feel Aldrin's body.

  "You can pull that sick crap with your parents, but I know you too well." He narrowed his eyes. "What're you hiding?"

  Trey's mom walked in with a bowl of soup in her hands, saving him from having to answer. She looked at Ryan before she eyed Trey. "Get in bed." She turned to Ryan. "Shoo and let him get some rest."

  Before leaving, Ryan gave him a look that said their conversation wasn't over.

  Trey crawled into bed, bumping into Aldrin's invisible form. He sucked in a breath when an arm slid over his waist. Aldrin pulled him close as Trey's heart thundered. He slapped his hand on his stomach to stop Aldrin from sliding his hand even lower.

  Faint wrinkles formed between his mother's eyes as she set his steaming bowl on the nightstand. "Your tummy still bothering you, sweetie?"

  Aldrin shook slightly, as though the bastard was laughing.

  "I just need some rest, Ma." He smiled. "Thanks for the soup."

  She touched his cheek, then kissed his forehead. "Let me know if you need anything."

  "I will."

  Trey finally breathed when she left, closing the door on her way out. "You're not funny."

  "I wasn't trying to be."

  Trey shivered at how close Aldrin's lips were to his ear. He didn't need to see Aldrin to know the man's crotch rested against Trey's butt. He felt every inch of Aldrin's presence pressed against him. "I-I need to lock my door."

  He looked up when he heard a noise. The button on the lever was pressed in.

  "It's locked."

  "Then you can reveal yourself." Hearing a disembodied voice was unnerving, but so was feeling Aldrin hugging him so closely. The temperature in the room felt as though it had risen, but Trey knew that was just him. His entire body had to be blushing.

  "I should stay this way just in case there is another intrusion." Aldrin nipped his ear. "Wouldn't want anyone seeing me in your bed."

  Trey had to be someone who liked disaster, who was attracted to complications, because for the life of him he couldn't figure out why he'd dragged Aldrin home. He could've dropped him off anywhere or left him at the gazebo. But no. He had to bring Aldrin home like he was a stray on the street and needed a warm place to sleep.

  Like in my bed.

  So many inappropriate thoughts exploded in Trey's mind as Aldrin's hand slid up his chest. He was usually quick with words, unafraid to speak his mind, but at that moment, Trey couldn't find his voice, couldn't find the will to tell Aldrin to stop.

  It was also the craziest feeling to have an invisible man making moves on him. He felt the pressure of every single touch, but it was as though he was imagining an erotic fantasy.

  Trey muffled a squeal when his clothes disappeared. Now that he was naked, he knew exactly what was pressing into his backside. Aldrin was naked, too.

  "What're you doing?" He hated that his voice was so shaky. Trey cleared his throat a few times, but it had gone dry.