From the Heart of a Villain (MxM)

Chapter 8 - In Ignorance There Is No Darkness

Samael grinned with pleasure at Brett's surprised reaction to his car. His core fluttered in gratification and it felt almost as good as the excitement when he revealed his true frightening power to unsuspecting humans. Wealth for people was a sign of dominance, and even though it wasn't exactly telling of his true influence, it was at least something he could show Brett.

        "Hey handsome," he said to Brett as he came around to the passenger side of the car to give him a kiss on the cheek.

        "Umm," Brett hummed, "nice car."

        "Thanks, it's new," Samael said as he opened the door for his date.

       "This is your car?" Brett emphasized 'your' as he said it with shock in his eyes.

        "It is," Samael answered proudly.

        "I knew you were well off, but damn," Brett whistled, "you're rich."

        "I guess so."

        "You guess?" Brett shook his head and snickered, "Sam, you're what? Twenty-seven? That's crazy."

        Samael smiled, voracious for Brett's praise. Maybe being human wasn't going to be so hard, he thought.

        Once Brett was in the passenger seat, he walked back around to the driver's side with a skip in his step. He finally had something prideful to share with Brett, something that wasn't beyond human understanding.

        "I need a career change to whatever you're doing," Brett exclaimed. "Are you like some secret prince or something?"

        Samael laughed, and so did Brett, but he could tell the man was serious by the way his energy felt. It was like flying over a deep green valley with a mix of nerves, fear, and astonishment at the scene below. Samael wasn't exactly sure if that was a good thing, or if a wealthy image was off-putting for Brett.

        "No, I'm not royalty," he said.

        "Then how? This car is worth millions!"

        Samael didn't prepare himself for that kind of question, though he should have learned from that morning's conversation regarding Marzanna and his parents that didn't exist. How did a human get rich in their late twenties? He hummed in search for a good answer, and Brett's question of royalty gave him an idea. People born into royalty were wealthy because of their family inheritance, and so he decided to go with a similar story.

        "I have inheritance from my mother. She left everything to me."

        "But you never met her?"

        "Correct. When she died, I was notified that she listed me on her will for all assets."

        "Wow," Brett murmured as he blinked in bewilderment.

        Samael was relieved that his story was credible, but he desperately wanted to talk about something else. He hated all the lies he needed to keep track of. Before Brett, he deceived humans all the time. But, because he felt a connection with this man, it tore at his heart to keep building a character that was less and less like himself. Brett was honest with Samael and he wanted to be the same to him.

        "Ready for our date?" Samael asked as he put the car in drive.

        "Yeah, I hope I'm dressed appropriately." Brett studied his worn jeans and ink-stained sweater, which was probably due to one of his art projects.