It was such an awkward task to get Marcus fed and cleaned, it took the better part of three hours, and he was so frail from hunger that he couldn't bathe himself without help- he kept saying how dizzy and lightheaded he was and I really didn't want to deal with a head injury on top of everything else he had going on. I hosed him off in the mudroom shower first, not wanting to track that... filth all over the house, then I brought him some water and a sandwich, sitting on the floor in the mudroom with him while he ate, a towel wrapped around his lap. He didn't seem embarrassed about being naked around me at all- and I don't really blame him for it, he was very attractive underneath all of the muck, surprisingly so.
I then got him upstairs to the spare bedroom, room 5, which Asher keeps stalked with 'tall human clothes' as he says. Each room has an ensuite bathroom attached, and damn, these bathrooms are luxurious- and every single one of them is unique, but all with large tile bathtub/shower combos and plenty of earthy-scented soaps and floral shampoos. I guess Asher really loves his sandal wood, cinnamon and lavender. I personally prefer my bathroom to all the others. It has a rose-scented shampoo and cedar wood scented body wash and a very deep and large tub- I love bathing. I actually love water in general.
Y'know I really hate taking care of people so intimately... especially strangers. I would've made a terrible nurse or doctor, truly. But I sucked it up for Marcus because I really couldn't let him wander around the house so... y'know? It took me a good half an hour to get him ready, and I'll spare you the fine details, but it wasn't fun. Lots of disgusting smells.
"Thank you so much, Ted. I really appreciate it," Marcus says as I begin drying him off. I'm glancing over my shoulder at this point, expecting Asher back at any moment. I'm so paranoid that my tone sounds distant, almost like I don't care, which is very unlike me,
"Of course... and help yourself to the wardrobe, you should be able to find yourself something..." He gives me an apologetic smile,
"I'm- uh... exhausted. Do you have anything I could just slip on?"
"Oh, right." I disappear into the wardrobe for a moment, resurfacing with a large bathrobe, slipping it onto Marcus and helping him tie it off. He's so polite, there's always a please and thank you... although no ma'am or sir- and his accent is relatively neutral, so I can't quite place him. But I know he's from the US since he hasn't used any out-of-place vocabulary and I could hear hints of a midwestern accent. Maybe I'll ask him, maybe I won't. It's not really the right time to badger him about anything in particular, I can tell that he needs to just get some rest.
Just as Marcus settles into bed, I hear the front door unlock and realize that Asher's home. I excuse myself and walk into the hallway, closing the door behind me before rushing down the stairs like I normally would to greet Asher- because the worst thing I could do is act suspicious.
"Ah, mortal," he greets me with a smile, "was your time oh so boring as usual?" he asks with a playful chuckle as he takes off his jacket. I give a small smile, deciding just to rip the band-aid off,
"I- uhm... found some... one today..." Asher's face goes pale and he steps closer, getting in my face a little,
"Met... someone? Have I heard you correctly, mortal?" I glance down at my feet, intimidated by his intense golden-eyed stare.
"Yes sir. I found him in the-"
"Do you mean to say that you went outside without permission, Tedrose?" his voice is raised. I shake my head earnestly,
"No! No, of course not," I feel a little twinge in my neck, my hand instinctively reaching up to the scar just behind my ear, "Ouch! What was that?" Asher sighs, holding a remote in his hand, making sure I can see as he presses the button again, another small shock going through my system,
YOU ARE READING
Asher Sellinite
FantastikA naive, freshly 18 year old is tricked into running away from his home after summoning a very powerful demon, the dark lord of the tenth ring of hell, no less. But the demon seems to have an odd use for him.
