Trafficking in Pleasure

N/A: Short chapter this time around-sorry! I am writing again, at least? And really working on this story, too. :) There's even only a few chapter left! So please stick with me until the end!


Once a week, he visited the restaurant. He was a regular and the two of them were on rather friendly terms with one another. If things weren't too busy, Jayden Pentecost would join him at his table if he were alone or he and his company didn't seem too preoccupied. However, it had been a while since he had last seen him alone, honestly. If he didn't have business, the man always had a young jaguar demon – or, rather, demi-god as he had been corrected before – with him. He was quite the fetching little thing; Jayden wasn't much surprised to learn he had once been in the care of Kyriliah. The demon seemed to have a knack for finding the diamonds in the rough.

This particular night, the man was at the restaurant with his young lover and as it seemed to be a special occasion, Jayden didn't want to interrupt. Rather, when the waiter brought over their dessert, he sent a note along with them, asking the man to meet with him for tea. It would be best if the boy weren't present for the conversation, he felt; he doubtlessly had quite the ill feelings towards Kyriliah.

Jayden met him at a cafe on the corner of the same street as his restaurant, the man already waiting with his own cup of tea.

“Sorry to be late,” Jayden apologized, tipping his hat to the man before sitting. “Thank you for meeting me here today, Andersen.”

“It was no problem, Pentecost,” Grimm answered amicably, a pleasant smile on his face. “Lira wouldn't get out of bed this morning, anyways. He doesn't like days like this.” His eyes darted out the wide windows to the dark skies and pattering rain. It had rained all night and only now was beginning to calm.

“London isn't the place for one of his kind, truly,” Jayden laughed and the two shared in the moment, laughing and exchanging pleasantries until Grimm insisted they get on to business. “Because surely you didn't invite me out alone just to catch up,” he said seriously.

“True enough.” Jayden sighed, sipping at his hot tea, eyes darting around as though worried someone might be listening; but the look on Grimm's face assured him that no one could listen in even if they wanted to. A wizard was a mighty handy thing to have around at times. “The thing is, there's a child in Kyriliah's care that I wish to take in to my own care, but he will have none of it. I would work at him on my own and work him down over time, but recently the boy has been harmed in a scuffle between him and another of his kind, and I don't want to see further harm come to him.”

Grimm nodded in understanding; perhaps a bit too much understanding. “It's the incubus, isn't it? The little one with the pigtails?” He laughed at the look of sheepish surprise on his friend's face. “He just seems the most likely to catch your eye; and the only one I can think of that can't defend himself that you would refer the race of by “his kind”. Kyriliah's new incubus must have harmed him. The child was even more of a wild thing than my Lira. With proper attention, Lira wasn't too hard to tame.”

Lira had once been one of Kyriliah's pets, much like Epitome and Andy—but far more like Epitome. A jaguar demi-god from ancient Egypt, Lira had been through much, but the beatings he received at Kyriliah's hand were by far the worst. He had long forgotten the ways of his powers and it was all he could do to survive the torture the demon tormented him with as the boy refused to succumb to his will. Even without his powers, Lira was still a creature of pride and the last thing he would do was bend over and take the orders of someone so lowly, with so little respect for his lineage.

Grimm had taken Lira in one night on a whim. Kyriliah was sick of fussing with the brat and was ready to kill him and be done with it when Grimm came in from the night, asking for some entertainment. As a joke, Kyriliah offered Lira, and Grimm had accepted in all seriousness. Lira was weary of his at first, but Grimm was smitten right away. Old as he was, he had the sense to show respect, but did not bow down to Lira, either. Though Kyriliah demanded the return of his biggest cash-cow for prostitution, Grimm refused and was ready to use all his power over the demon to keep Lira for himself. Within barely a week's time, he had fallen for the demi-god.

As always, Kyriliah had been a pain to deal with, but eventually Grimm paid him off and Lira was his. “Of course I could have just ordered him as his summoner to give me Lira,” Grimm explained coolly, if not a bit smugly, “but I wanted to continue to have peaceful relations with him. I don't care to flaunt my power over him more than is necessary.”

“So you won't just make him hand Andy over to me?” Jayden sighed. That was really what he had been hoping would happen. But if Grimm wouldn't do that for himself, why would he do it for Jayden and Andy?

“Only if it comes to that. Otherwise, I'm sure there's something much craftier we could do. Something that would make Kyriliah think the whole thing is his idea and that he's getting the better of you.” Grimm smiled, shaking his head a little. “It is the downfall of demons that they must always feel they have the upperhand and the last word.”

“What do you suggest we do, then?”

Grimm set his empty tea cup down, picking up his top hat to return it to its rightful place on his head. “It will be a simple game, but will require us to be sneaky and get many of us in on the plan; including my Lira. I'll talk to him tonight and get his opinion on my idea and see if he can be coerced in to helping. I'll contact you soon and we will make further plans.”

“Will Lira helped? I thought he wasn't fond of Andy, from what you've said in the past...”

“Andy does annoy him, being so subservient to Kyriliah, but I'm sure he'd be happy to help pull something over on Kyriliah,” Grimm chuckled, and he was so confident that it put Jayden at ease. Perhaps there was some hope, after all. “Don't worry, Jayden. I will see to it that you have your lovely little incubus safe in your arms, soon.”

Smiling, Jayden extended his hand to Grimm, which the man shook firmly. “Thank you, Grimm. I knew that I could count on you.”

“You just know that you'll owe me after this.”

“Of course. I will take great pleasure in repaying you.”

“I certainly hope so.”