Seven Devils and a Rose

Whatever is fine, eh? Although Noah must admit that if there was white rice cooked in a unique style the way the Wulin and Yamato citizens cooked theirs, he'd be pleased. He was currently craving such a thing, after all, and even dreamt about it when his mind wasn't on his work.

Yes, Noah had fallen in love with white rice the first time he had stepped foot in the Wulin and Yamato Kingdoms and had tasted their oriental cuisine many years ago. The way the glistening cooked grains melted in his mouth that first time had been pure heaven. He had thought many times about stealing one of those kingdoms' top chefs and bringing him back to Acaedien to work specifically for him. But of course, he had never had the chance to do such a sneaky thing. The yearly conference had always been so bloody hectic with meetings that he had never had any spare time.

Brenna said, interrupting his thoughts, "Then I'll ask the staff to make you some sandwiches since it's fast."

Noah nodded his head in the affirmative. "And I'll be right here waiting and snoozing. I'm bloody tired."

Brenna chuckled in amusement. "Well, that's what you get when you've neglected to look after yourself. You haven't slept and eaten properly for over two months now, since even before I left for the mission, which is a record, by the way. Now, I do know that a demon lord can go without sleep for long periods of time because of your dark qi, but you simply don't eat right, my lord, which makes it worse, and your body simply can't function properly. That dark qi of yours needs a tremendous amount of nourishment to keep you going. You definitely need a wife to take care of you, my lord."

"Wife?" Noah snorted in disgust. "No, thank you. The woman would interfere with my life's work. Getting a wife is Geoffrey's job. He's bloody three thousand years old, for God's sake! Our kingdom will need an heir or two within the next five to six thousand years."

Brenna chuckled. "Aren't you yourself some three thousand years old as well, my lord?"

Noah frowned darkly. He said, "Stop making such unsavory statements, Brenna. Now go and get me those sandwiches before I'm starved to death."

As Brenna headed to the door, she said, with humor in her voice, "You won't starve to death, my lord. You're a demon, after all. Just suck a bit of pure qi and you're as good as new."

Pure qi, eh? Like he'd ever find anyone with that within the kingdom. They were bloody rare, after all, only second from the gold qi. If Noah could find one with pure qi, he'd ensnare the little thing and lock him up in his laboratory just so he could suck the qi whenever he desired. Pure qi was his top favorite food, after all.

Of course, the demon lord had all but forgotten about trivial matters that didn't relate to his work, such as the fact that Alfie had pure qi and was currently residing within the palace in the east wing, a mere stone's throw away from his department and personal quarters.

Once Brenna was gone, Noah closed his eyes and proceeded to relax. He must admit that the morning breeze from the open windows was nice. The condition was perfect for his long-overdue nap. Yes, the lord hadn't slept for over two months now, and thus, he gratefully dozed off, dreaming about pure qi and white rice.

It was some moments later when he thought he heard light footsteps entering the room, followed by soft voice calling out, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

Brenna? Was she back already? And why the hell would she be asking if anyone was around when she already knew that he was here, lying there on the couch, half dead due to starvation?

Suddenly, a whiff of something exotic caressed his nostrils, and his mouth started watering.

Did Brenna bring something fancy back, rather than the boring sandwiches?

Noah forced his tired eyes to open. Once he managed that, he could only stare in pleasant surprise at the sight before him. A youthful, pretty face was merely inches away from his, along with a pair of deep-brown eyes gazing right at him—or rather his demonic mask filled with ancient signs, symbols and script—with fascination.

Noting that the lovely being was busy studying his mask and not paying any attention to him and the fact that he was awake, Noah took the opportunity and lazily moved his gaze to the straight nose and then the plump, sensual lips, which seemed very enticing.

Fuck! Noah wondered if he was dreaming about a pretty little elf here to relieve his sexual frustration. Not that he was into boys, of course, but this one looked feminine enough and so damned pretty that he wouldn't mind.

It was then that he sensed it, the pure qi floating about the youth's body. Granted, it was weak, but it was still there.

Noah narrowed his eyes and used magic perception to analyze the qi. And voila, there it was, glistening white light circling about the boy.

In Lord Noah Wakefield's current world, there were only three things that he loved and cherished most. They were the Acaedien Kingdom and its citizens, his life's work, and, of course, pure qi.

Thinking that the heavens above were rewarding him with a very tantalizing gift for his hard work as of late, Noah felt that he couldn't help himself, but smiled with glee. He was bloody low in qi, after all, and was currently starving, too.

Thus, he swiftly wrapped his strong arms around the lovely being and drew the youth over to him. He heard a delicate, surprised gasp. But of course, Noah shut that up by pressing his lips against the youth's and proceeded to suck the enticing pure qi with pleasure.

"Ngh…" came the delicate groan that only served to provoke the raging fire of need burning hot inside the demon lord.

Fuck! This youth was undeniably delicious, and Noah found that he couldn't stop himself from wanting more. Thus, he urged the youth's lips to part for him, and when the soft flesh did, Noah plunged his tongue right into that mouth, caressing and stroking as he drank in the delicacy of pure qi.