Still workin

Y'all, this book hit 4K, Haunted hit 18k and my account hit 100 followers— happy Valentine's Day to me, bruh😩 yes...I know I wished you all an early happy valentines BUT MY ORIGINAL MESSAGE STILL STANDS ❤️😤

Also I feel like a small detail to mention about Xan's chair— it's made out of real demon flesh and the legs are actual taxidermic limbs. (And now angel wings.)

Also my car fucking died last night and I'm solely blaming Xander.

Aria's POV

He led me down the hallway and something I noticed immediately were the rose petals that were scattered across the floor.

The lights were dimmed, and there were a few candles placed here and there, along with soft music playing from somewhere in the house.

He hummed quietly to the tune, his voice mixing smoothly with the noise. There was an appreciative feeling swimming around my chest at each little detail I noticed.

From the fragrance of the room, to the volume of the music.

He really did make sure everything was just right.

We walked a bit further into the living room, and I almost gasped. He had arranged the furniture in a way that actually did resemble a restaurant. Along with that, he somehow got an actual dinner table right by the lit fireplace.

"Alastor..." I breathed quietly, "you didn't have to do all this for me..." I said, looking up at him as he walked me to the table.

He chuckled, and looked down at me before gently tugging out of my grip to pull my chair out for me.

"I know, peu d'amour..." he said, and kissed the top of my head before he rounded the table to sit across from me, "I wanted to."

I couldn't hide my smile, shying away from the sentiment on impulse. He reached across the table and took one of my hands in his, brushing his thumb across my knuckles gently.

"Don't hide your pretty eyes from me..." he said and I looked up at him, unable to contain my blush.

After all this time, and I'm still unable to function normally when he gets romantic like this.

As soon as our eyes met, he hummed and squeezed my hand, "you're so beautiful," he said, and I smiled wider.

"And you're so handsome~" I flirted back, making his grin spread wide across his face.

The little candle in the center of the table flickered softly, and the warmth from the fire directly to our right was comforting.

After we'd both gotten situated, I looked at him and tilted my head, "so, what is all this about, hm?" I asked him lightly with a small smile.

He returned my smile and chuckled softly, letting his eyes fall to our hands, "I just wanted to do something thoughtful for you...I know we haven't had much of a moment to just enjoy each other so...I wanted to take down the barrier of stress, and worry...and just have a moment with what matters the most to me," he said, looking up into my eyes again.

I blinked and my chest swelled at the sweetness of it all.

He sighed quietly, "you deserve a moments peace...this whole endeavor has felt exhausting on my part, so I can only guess how it must feel for you...so for tonight it's just you and I, again..."

Looking into my eyes, he gave me possibly the most tender look I've ever seen on his face before.

"Nothing else is outside these walls tonight...just us..." he said softly.

I squeezed his hand lightly, my eyes squinting as I smiled at him appreciatively.

Suddenly, Alastor's shadow popped up beside the table. He was wearing a big smile and looked very proper— well, as proper as a shadow could look.

I smiled big at him, "well, hi!" I greeted him, "I haven't seen you in a little bit, don't you look so handsome," I complimented him and his ears flicked happily as an audible purr rolled through his chest.

He curled around my chair and the purr only got louder as he wound around me, settling his chin on the top of my head with his arms around my front.

I giggled, "aren't you being sweet..." I cooed at the large shadow creature. I looked up to see him better and he caught me off guard when he leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine.

Remembering this is how he communicates, I closed my eyes.

"Missed you..."

Smiling warmly I kissed his nose, "I missed you, too..." I said and he chittered. Alastor chuckled and I looked his direction.

He waved his fingers as if to tell the shadow to get off of me, "sa ase," he chuckled lightheartedly, and the shadow huffed before sliding off of me.(that's enough)

Going back to the side of the table, he held his hands out and a plate appeared in each. My mouth formed a small surprised 'O' and I looked at the food as it was sat in front of me.

I could practically taste it just by the smell alone, and my mouth watered. It looked like a filet, beautifully cooked and paired with roasted broccoli and mashed potatoes.

Curiously, I looked at Alastor's plate and noticed he had something completely different. His was what looked like some type of rib, paired with roasted mixed vegetables and instead of mashed potatoes his were roasted. On top of the meat was a deep red sauce—yes, I know what it actually is, let me pretend it's a sauce.

Also on the table appeared a bottle of wine and two elegant looking wine glasses that had already been filled. It was a red wine.

I was in awe that he prepared these dishes in the time allotted to him.

"Alastor, you prepared all of this?" I asked him, looking from our plates to his eyes. He quirked an eyebrow, showing me his teeth in a smirk as he picked up his wine glass.

"Of course not, silly...the chef did," he said, but as soon as he finished speaking he winked at me so smoothly I wasn't even sure if it actually happened.

I raised my eyebrows, picking up my wine as well, "ahh...gotcha...well, pass on to the chef that if this is as good as it looks, there may be a blowjob in his future," I smirked, watching Alastor choke on his wine that he'd just begun to sip.

Color bloomed across his cheeks and nose and he covered his mouth, coughing slightly.

I giggled and covered my mouth in amusement at his reaction to my words, and he glared at me playfully.

"Inappropriate words for the dinner table," he chastised me, and I leaned forward on my elbows, lowering my eyelids.

"It's not just going to be my words that are inappropriate later tonight~" I purred at him, and the blush on his face got deeper.

"Let's get through dinner first, little vixen," he said, his eyelids lowering. Humming at his reciprocation of my flirting, I picked up my utensils.

Dinner tasted fantastic...his cooking skills are beyond anything I could ever do. The steak basically melted in my mouth, and the vegetables were perfect.

We chatted, bantering and teasing each other playfully. Everything felt perfect...just so fun and easygoing. Just like before.

Just like he promised.

When our plates were cleared, we kept talking, the night passing by quickly. The candle had already burned down to half of what it had been.

"Are you finished, darling?" He asked me, and I nodded, looking down at my completely clean plate.

"I think so," I giggled, and he chuckled.

"Just checking to make sure you weren't planning to eat the china as well," he hummed teasingly, shooting me a playful glance.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and just then his shadow popped up again. Alastor snapped his fingers, ridding the table of the empty plates.

His shadow held his hand out once again, but only towards me this time. I looked at him quizzically, and a smaller plate appeared in his palm.

He placed it down, and on it was a little dessert...I think it was something red velvet. Drawn in some sort of berry purée was a heart, and I smiled softly at it.

"Aw, Al..." I said, looking up at him. He seemed proud of himself, but reeled back on the pride by giving me a warm smile.

"Only the best for you, my darling love," he responded, making me blush.

I picked up my fork to give it a taste and, unsurprisingly, it was fantastic.

Beyond me how someone who dislikes sweets so greatly could create something like this.

I got a little bit on my fork, and put my hand under it as I held it towards him.

"I know you don't like sweet things, but it's really good...I want you to at least taste it since you made it," I said hopefully, and he eyed the fork, then looked up at me.

I was expecting him to refuse me, turning his nose up at it like he does with anything sweet I offer him.

Instead he simply opened his mouth without protest, leaning forward slightly so I could reach him better.

He took the cake off the fork, and I watched him curiously, seeing if maybe he might like this one.

Then he made a face like he'd just eaten something sour.

My eyelids lowered and he shrugged, swallowing the desert in his mouth.

"It is good, dear...just way too sweet," he chuckled, and I rolled my eyes before taking another bite.

"That's what makes it so good!" I said after I'd finished the piece. The little cake didn't last much longer.

Once that was gone, Alastor tapped his claw on the table and the small plate disappeared. The candle had burned down nearly all the way by now.

The fireplace was still burning hot next to us, and I felt satisfied and happy. This is probably the most normal I've felt since I fell.

"Did you enjoy yourself, peu d'amour?" He asked me softly. I nodded, smiling sheepishly as I looked down at the white tablecloth.

"Yes...thank you, it was really nice..." I said, and he hummed.

"I'd freeze hell for you, my love."

My eyes widened slightly as a soft blush spread across my face. Looking up, I met his eyes. They were glowing deeply, and his eyelids were lowered.

Just then the candle burned out, a small trail of smoke slowly lifting into the air upon its death. The only thing left to illuminate us was the gentle night glow from outside and the fire.

Without wasting another second, I reached forward and pushed the finished candle aside, climbing onto the table.

I crawled towards him and the closer I got the deeper his eyes would glow. It was a menacing shade of red, but I knew it was protective.

Once I was sat in front of him on my knees, I grabbed him by the tie and pulled him forward and up slightly.

He growled, and his hands went to my hips, our lips brushing together.

"Would you like to have dessert as well?" I whispered to him, and he chuckled, trailing his fingers over my thighs.

"Absolutely," he growled against my lips, and then closed the space.

**

A/N: I think y'all know what's gonna happen next chapter lmfao.

Fun fact: the two (non English) languages I have Alastor speak in my book are Haitian Creole and French— he only uses creole to talk to his shadows.