O0o

In the laundry house, Jules checked the boiler and found it had warm water in it. He added some wood to the fire, then dumped everything into a large sink. There, he sorted sheets from blankets, and divided them up. He caught sight of Hal peering around, and grinned. "You"ve never been in here," he said.

"Not once," Halian admitted. "I tried to enter one day, and Ellaine blocked me."

"The master of the house doesn"t need to know how his lawn shirts are rendered white," Jules said, chuckling. "We wait on you because we want to, Hal. Some people are worthy of it. You happen to be." He pointed to a rocking chair. "Keep me company. I"ll do this."
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"I can"t be of any help?" Halian sat down and began to rock.

"You can help me wring the blankets," Jules promised. "That usually takes two people anyway." He pumped warm water into the sink with the sheets, a low level, because he needed hotter water for the blankets. Adding a small amount of soap shavings, he took the laundry plunger and briskly agitated the water.

"Jules," Hal said when Jules paused to let the sheets soak. "You made me climax in about five minutes. I"m embarra.s.sed. I promise not to make a habit of being quick."

Jules thought he understood why Hal believed this was important. Taking time meant caring, and a quick f.u.c.k meant you were paying for it, or something. But, Jules hadn"t been timing Halian. Far from it. Everything had happened at a frantic pace because they really wanted each other. Their bodies were ideally paired. Call it what you want.

"I loved it, Hal," Jules told him softly, turning to meet his eyes. "Waking up with your c.o.c.k pushed up against me, was good. And, I asked you, didn"t I?"

"Yes, but I would love to touch you at leisure," Halian said. "I"m only afraid that if I do, I"ll go too far. I feel things very deeply."

Jules nodded his understanding. He filled the sink that held the blankets, and agitated them awhile. "It"ll be lawful and official soon, Hal," he a.s.sured him. "Then, there won"t be any more of this careful c.r.a.p. It"s going to be so nice to learn what you like in bed."

Hal Joined him at the sinks and helped him wring everything of as much soap as possible. They rinsed and wrung again, and then hung the sheets on the pegs. Jules collected new, soft and dry bedding, and they carried it back to the house.

Once in the bedroom, he and Hal made a new, clean arrangement of bed clothes. It reeked of them in here, even after an hour, pungent and lovely. It made Jules want to relax, caused a looseness in his spine and muscles. He drew back the sheets and blankets, wiped his feet, and got back into the bed just as the sun broke the horizon. He could tell by the strengthening of the light through the windows.

"Sleep with me, Hal?" He asked.

"Jules, I"d like nothing more than to share this bed with you for days," Halian said. He cleaned his feet, and got in with Jules, instantly pulling him as close as possible. "Where would you like to go after our linkage? I could take you anywhere."

Jules smiled against his fresh pillow. "The boat house," he said. "I want to be in a small s.p.a.ce with only you, Hal."

Halian nuzzled Jules"s nape. "It shall be done," he vowed.

-o-o-o-

A day of sleeping and eating whenever he wanted, made Jules feel a lot better. The next morning, they loaded up their carts again and headed back to town, Lucien driving. The young man hadn"t said much, a very adult and pained sobriety hanging over him always.

Hal took Jules"s hand. Their gloves warmed them, but hand holding felt good. Jules smiled at Hal sideways.

Lucien sighed. "I thought you two were kind of nauseating at first," he said. "Now, it"s like I want to smile when I see you together. I"m turning into a sap. Mother and Father will think I"m possessed, or something."

"They won"t," Halian a.s.sured him. "They"ll think your demon has been cast out, instead."

Lucien nodded. "I suppose. Is that even possible? Could I have been possessed?"

"No," Hal said. "Self-possession is more of a danger. No demon could enter you, Luc."

"What"s a demon?" Jules asked.

"An evil spirit," Lucien said. "Created by Lucifer, or, a human soul that has descended into h.e.l.l for eternal punishment."

Jules had nothing for these concepts to grab onto, except for the carving on the gift box sent to him by Isla. "Is Lucifer the Evil One?"

"Yes, Jules," Hal said.

"And, Michael is the one who keeps an eye on him," Jules remembered. "He watches out for all of human kind."

"Yes," Hal said again. "But, Lucifer is clever. Humanity wasn"t always able to breed the way it does now. The Evil One is responsible for this change in dynamics."

"Lucifer and Michael are both angels," Lucien added.

"An angel is a messenger of G.o.d, a servant of great power, a dispatcher of G.o.d"s justice and wrath. They are beautiful without exception," Jules said, quoting Isla. "That"s what your mom said, anyway."

Lucien Halt him a quick look. "Did you just quote her word for word?"

"Jules has a perfect memory," Halian explained.

"Wow." Lucien stared ahead at the road. "That would have been so handy for schooling."

"It"s not all that great," Jules said. "I can remember everything, not just the good stuff. Only time it failed me was when Dad took me from home. I guess fear caused enough of a freak-out to work on me that way."