"Fuck" Eli gasped. "Alric!"

Eli’s whole body shuddered as he came, his fingers scrabbling uselessly against the wall. Thick ropes of hot cum splattered against the cold stone.

Alric’s grip on Eli’s hair tightened. Eli groaned as the pace of the footman’s rutting reached a fever pitch. His cheek, pressed against the wall by Alric’s hand on the back of his head, rubbed up and down against it from the force of each thrust.

"Gonna come…" Alric grunted, resting his sweat-slicked forehead on Eli’s back.

"Give it to me," Eli hissed, through his teeth. Alric’s other hand was at his waist, grip so tight that the fingers dug into his skin with nearly enough force to draw blood.

"Gonna…" Alric growled. "Gonna breed you, my lord."

"Oh yeah," Eli moaned. Alric’s erratic, desperate thrusts were ramming right into his prostate. His legs trembled. He could almost feel another orgasm coming, right on the heels of the last one. "Breed me. Fuck me full of your seed!"

Alric licked the back of Eli’s neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin as Eli moaned against the wall. With one last, guttural cry, he crammed his cock as deep as it would go into Eli and came.

For all the times that they’d fucked over the last week, Eli had been sure that Alric’s loads would thin out by now but his emission was no less thick and no less voluminous than before. If anything, there was even more than the last time.

Potent seed flooded Eli’s insides, soaking his guts with its molten heat. An orgasm rippled through him, different from the ones he was used to. This one wasn’t centered on his cock. It came from his ass. His insides fluttered and quivered, waves and waves of pleasure washing over his body as he milked every drop out of Alric. By the time it finished, a minute or two later, Eli’s legs were threatening to give out from under him.

Alric pulled out of Eli with a tender kiss to the back of the neck. A lewd, wet splutter followed as cum bubbled out of the master thief’s well-fucked hole.

The idea that so much as a drop would be wasted made Eli’s stomach churn unpleasantly. Every last little bit needed to be inside of him. "Alric…" he whined.

"On it, my lord," said Alric, with a chuckle. Ever the conscientious lover. He scooped up all the little bits of cum that had leaked out of Eli with two fingers and pushed it all back inside. Once all his cum had found its way back to its rightful place, Alric slipped the metal plug back where it belonged.

The uncomfortable gnawing in Eli’s stomach subsided once the plug was inside him. He sighed with relief and pleasure as the tip of the plug rubbed against his button. "Thank you, Alric," he murmured.

"It was my pleasure, sir," said Alric, pressing a quick kiss to Eli’s cheek. "I must get back to my duties before anyone notices my absence. I will see you again tonight, my lord?"

"Y-yeah," said Eli, voice as unsteady as his legs felt. "Of course."

There was a quiet shuffling as Alric dressed and freshened up. Eli only half-paid attention, noting only when he heard the sound of the door closing behind Alric as he left.

The heat in Eli’s ass was getting worse. It felt so good. It was driving him up the wall, quite literally. He could only groan and arch his back, pressing himself up against the stone as he squeezed his thighs and clenched around the plug.

The plug was warm as it settled inside of Eli. Warmer than he thought it ought to be. He didn’t mind, though. It felt good.

For a minute, Eli stayed as he was, leaning against the wall, breeches around his ankles. He basked in the afterglow of the orgasm, letting the fuzziness dissipate completely before he pulled up his pants and went off to search for a cloth to wipe the wall down with.

There was something to be said about bedding the inexperienced. They were eager to please and enthusiastic in a way that the more veteran fornicators weren’t. Confidence was gods-damned sexy, though, and Eli couldn’t deny that Alric had come into his own over the last few days.

Alric, on the first night Eli knew him, would have never entered Eli’s chambers unannounced to have his way with him. The evidence that he’d done just that was slowly soaking into Eli’s guts, kept there by the preternaturally-warm metal butt plug that he’d stolen from Aellir’s hoard.

Once he’d cleaned up his own cum, Eli disposed of the rag in the small covered basket for soiled clothes in the corner of the room. The servants would spirit it away before he ever noticed.

Before he returned to the work he’d been doing before Alric interrupted him, Eli approached the washbasin. A mirror hung over the marble sink and Eli took the opportunity to examine his reflection.

Eli looked much the same as he always had—dark hair, youthful face, handsome cut of the jaw. The only difference was in his eyes. Where he used to have dark, chestnut-brown eyes, now they had turned to gold. Stranger still, his round pupils had turned into vertical reptilian slits.

Perhaps it should have been a source of alarm but Eli didn’t mind. He was curious as to what had brought about the change, but strictly in an idle, detached sort of way.

If anything, Eli actually rather liked the way that his new eyes looked. He faintly recalled that they had perturbed Alric, at first, but his young lover seemed to have come around since.

Eli grinned as he washed the sweat and grime of his and Alric’s rutting off his face. The water on his skin was refreshing and cool, especially in the summer heat. It wasn’t as bad in this kingdom as in his homeland, but it was still somewhat muggy.

After toweling off, Eli returned to the desk in the study. He grimaced at the mess. Before Alric came and swept him off his feet, he’d been counting coins. Unfortunately, it seemed that the young footman, in his haste to satisfy the monster between his legs, had knocked over the careful stacks Eli had made.

Not that Eli had any reason to complain. The sex had been great and it had only been at his prompting that Alric had come. He’d asked Alric to come and ravish him when he had a moment to get away from his duties, after all.

Neither did Eli mind counting money, anyway. He licked his lips as he sat down behind the desk and started. He had twelve gold coins and a hundred and thirty-two silver ones from the last three days’ stipends.

Suffice to say, it was a lot of money. It wasn’t even all the money that Eli had at his disposal. Sitting on the desk was another unopened pouch with today’s stipend and beside it a small chest that was a gift from a noble whose name he’d already forgotten.

Eli shivered at the sound of coins clinking as he tugged on the drawstrings of the pouch. A frisson of pleasure shuddered through him and the plug in his ass felt even warmer than it usually was.

The coins clattered on dense wood as Eli poured the contents of the pouch out onto the desktop. He had to stifle a moan at the sound. Every little clink made him feel like someone was caressing his ass, rubbing at the rose diamond embedded in the base of the metal plug.

The pouch contained the four gold coins that each of the previous pouches had contained but it was pretty evident that there weren’t as many silver pieces. Included in the loose pile was a fair amount of copper coins, too.

Eli counted out the coins, meticulously sorting them into their appropriate stacks, building a small pile of neatly arranged coins to one side of the desktop. He examined each one, searching for blemishes and imperfections, feeling the weight and balance to ensure each one was a genuine piece of currency.

The heat in Eli’s belly grew as the pile of coins on his desk grew. Summed up, there was just as much money in the pouch as in the last few days. It was just that some of the silver coins had been replaced with copper pieces. All in all, Eli now had 16 gold coins, 152 silver coins, and 400 copper pieces.

The money was, ostensibly, supposed to go toward purchases of goods and services but nothing, so far, had caught Eli’s attention. He didn’t want to spend the money frivolously, anyway. All the better to save it up for a rainy day.

Besides, it wasn’t like anyone in their right mind would complain that Eli had decided to hold the money in reserve. It was his money by rights. Even if it was the gods-damned queen that had given it to him, he got to decide what he did with it.

And if that bitch ever tried to take the money back from Eli, she would have to bring her gods-damned army because the only way she was getting her money back was by prying it from his cold, dead hands.

Eli took a deep breath and loosened his grip on the desk. There were deep holes in the wood where his claws had dug into. It was a real shame. The desk was old and seemingly well-cared-for. He hadn’t meant to depreciate its value by damaging it.

With a cough, Eli cleared his throat. He wiped the spittle from his chin. He hadn’t meant to snarl. He wasn’t even sure why he’d gotten so agitated, all of a sudden.

Eli sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to regain his composure. In truth, he did know why he’d suddenly gotten so angry.

It wasn’t the queen’s fault in the slightest. She had been more than generous the entire time. Eli doubted she would ask for her money back. It was just… the idea of someone else touching his money, of taking it from him, it made him so irrationally mad.

No. Eli pinched himself. He could feel the rage building but what he needed was to keep a level head. He didn’t want to make enemies with these people. He wouldn’t be able to get more money from them, otherwise.

Eli’s gaze drifted over to the small banded iron chest that the noble had sent him. He didn’t know what was inside, but he was pretty sure it was more coin.

The bribe couldn’t have been more blatant if it tried, but Eli didn’t care. He flicked the latch open and lifted the lid. A whole bunch of shiny silver coins stared back at him from within. Just what he wanted to see.

Humming a merry tune to himself, Eli continued the meticulous process of examining each and every coin. He loved them all. The perfect ones and the ones that had seen better days alike. They were all his coins. His treasure.

A comfortable warmth settled into the pit of Eli’s stomach as he added the 312 silver coins to his growing pile of money.

---

The queen was taking her sweet time putting together the "handsome" reward she’d promised Eli. He wasn’t particularly concerned. He didn’t think the queen would go back on her word. Not when she’d made the declaration in front of the entire court.

Eli wasn’t in any real hurry to leave, anyway. He had been anxious to move on, at first, but he couldn’t exactly say no to a steady stream of money. The more the kingdom added to his pile of coins, the better.

It had been the better part of a month since the queen started sending Eli a daily stipend. That, combined with a few gifts from desperate nobles here and there had made his small pile of coins into a formidable stack, indeed.

If only Eli could get back to his desk to count out the day’s stipend. It was Alric’s day off and he’d been unwilling to leave the bed so far.

Not that Eli could complain. His needs were being addressed. His body had sorely missed Alric, who’d been busy dealing with a foreign delegation for the last couple of days.

Until today, Eli’s hole had been itching something fierce. Just rubbing the base of the metal plug hadn’t been enough to address it.

The source of the craving was deeper inside. The plug was too small, and Eli’s fingers too short. Fortunately, Alric had been spending the last couple of hours very enthusiastically scratching that spot inside of Eli and flooding it with cum just for good measure.

Eli was a sloppy mess by now. Alric had fucked him into a drooling, insensate mess shortly after waking up. His whole body still buzzed from the whole ordeal.

The call of the coin was too strong, though. As much as Eli wanted to laze about in bed with Alric all day, he needed to get up and count the day’s takings. It had become something of a ritual, and he was getting more jittery the longer Alric kept him in bed.\

Alric was getting hard again, though. Not that he’d gone soft at all since the morning. It seemed like he was ready to go. And just as Eli was going to pull away, too.

"Pet, I have to get up…" Eli murmured.

Alric shook his head and growled, hunching his hips into Eli’s. The motion drove his cock into that spot deep inside Eli, eliciting a breathless groan.

At the same time, Alric bit down on the space where Eli’s neck and shoulders met. His upper teeth sank into the sensitive area—though not hard enough to draw blood—while the bottom set was unable to find any purchase.

Scales had started growing on Eli’s body over the last week. They glimmered like burnished gold in the sunlight and were incredibly smooth and hard to the touch. A long, thin triangular patch had grown at the base of his neck, stretching along the backs of his shoulders. There were a few other scales here and there, too. A couple of small ones were around his eyes, near the corners.

The changes didn’t stop with scales. Eli’s face had changed, too. The rough, masculine cut of his jaw had smoothed out into something smoother and more delicate. His features had also changed. His eyes had gotten softer. Slightly larger.

Before the changes, Eli had been a handsome lad. Now, he was a pretty one, too.

Eli didn’t feel at all alarmed by the changes. He liked them. The scales were pretty. Prettier than his cleanest, shiniest gold coins. He thought they looked good on him, just like his shiny new gold eyes and softer, more delicate features.

Alric had been concerned by the eyes and the scales, at first. That was normal. Even Eli had been somewhat alarmed by the sudden changes.

Everything was alright, though. Alric had started to change, too. His eyes had become similar to Eli’s. Bright. Gold. Slit like a reptile’s. In Alric’s case, however, the gold was stained with emerald, which made them no less enchanting.

Unfortunately, Eli had had to teach Alric a technique to glamour his eyes. Eli could hide his changes in the relative privacy of his chambers, but Alric was afforded no such luxury. To avoid troublesome unwanted attention, Alric ended up having to hide his eyes.

Not that Alric found the scales or the eyes scary, anymore. He was now more of the opinion that they were rather attractive. Incredibly so, even.

This, Eli knew. Alric had told him as much. It was probably part of why Alric didn’t want to let go. Every time Eli tried to pull away Alric just bit down harder, growled, and pulled his arm tighter around Eli’s stomach.

Eli wasn’t complaining. He liked confident, possessive Alric. It made him feel safe. Protected. Both were largely alien feelings for a thief like him. He did have to get up to count his coins, though. He was going to scream if he didn’t get to do it soon.

There was no telling what could happen to Eli’s pile of coins if he didn’t make sure that the coins were counted. Otherwise, Eli couldn’t know if everything was still in its rightful place, or whether the master of coin had given him the right amount for today.

"Alric, please…" Eli whined.

Alric growled threateningly. "Please, my lord," he said, tongue swiping back and forth across the teeth marks he’d left just above Eli’s patch of scales. "Let us stay in bed a little longer. I should like to breed you a few more times. I ought make sure my seed takes."

Eli flushed at the comment, heat welling in his stomach. He was torn. Alric had already flooded his guts a few times over since the morning but he did like the sound of getting another few loads in him. As a precaution, of course. There was no telling when Alric’s duties would pull him away from Eli again.

"Nnnh…" Eli groaned as Alric’s cock throbbed inside of him. "Alright. You may fuck me while I take stock of today’s takings," he said.

Alric buried his face in the crook of Eli’s neck and purred happily. The vibrations sent a shiver down Eli’s spine.

In a serious, genuinely threatening tone, Eli added, "But should you knock my coins down, again, I swear to the gods I will tear your heart out with my teeth."

"I daren’t dream of it, my lord," said Alric, with a light chuckle.

Eli whined as Alric pulled out of him. A heartbeat later, he grunted as the plug was pushed unceremoniously into his ass. Not that he was complaining. It was of vital importance that no cum leaked out.

Alric exerted hardly any effort as he picked Eli up off the bed. The ease with which he was manhandled served only to enflame Eli’s arousal. His hole clenched tightly around the stalk of the plug, eliciting a low moan as it rubbed against his prostate.

Where Eli’s body and features had become softer and more slender over the last few weeks, Alric’s change had taken him in another direction entirely. Though the young man’s physique had been nice, before, he had now become a veritable Adonis.

Gone was the youthful softness of Alric’s body, replaced with a sculpted firmness that made the heat in Eli’s stomach burn even hotter. The muscles were more than just for show, as well. Alric’s strength had increased manyfold, to the point that he’d nearly ripped the door to Eli’s study clean off its hinges during one of his daily lunchtime "visits."

Alric carried Eli with his arms hooked under Eli’s knees. In that position, Eli had to wrap his arms around Alric’s neck so he wouldn’t fall back onto the bed.

Eli groaned as Alric’s fingers firmly grasped the base of the plug. It pulled free of him with a wet squelch. For a moment, Eli felt desperately empty. Fortunately, Alric put a quick end to his suffering by stuffing his cock where it belonged an instant later.

Cradled as he was in Alric’s arms, bouncing on the stiff cock inside him with every step, Eli was carried to his study. It was a novel experience and one that he would not object to repeating in the future.

Eli wasn’t used to being manhandled. He was accustomed to a solitary existence. If anyone dared touch him or try to move him without his consent he buried his dagger in them.

Being completely at the mercy of another man’s strength was an unfamiliar sensation but not an unwelcome one. Eli moaned, his hole fluttering around Alric’s substantial girth. Alric might have inadvertently awakened a new craving in him.

Eli was well and truly impaled on Alric’s cock. Every step they took closer to the study drove Alric’s member deeper into Eli than he’d thought it could go. It felt so good.

"How am I…" Eli trailed off, once Alric was stood behind the desk. The way that he was being carried, his back was to the desktop, which made counting his coins rather infeasible.

Alric pursed his lips and seemed to give the conundrum some thought. "I shall take a seat. Perhaps you will be able to adjust your position appropriately, then, my lord."

The ordeal was no simple task. If Eli didn’t feel an overwhelming need to keep Alric’s cock inside of him, it would have been much easier. In any case, after some jostling, Eli managed to face forward with Alric behind him.

The position, unfortunately, made it so that Alric could not thrust into Eli as much as Eli would have wanted. Perhaps it was for the better, however, as it was likely that even a light humping would disturb the carefully stacked coins.

"You feel so good, my lord," said Alric, whispering the words as he pressed light kisses to the base of Eli’s neck. "Your channel is so tight and warm. ‘Tis as if the gods wrought you to fit my cock perfectly."

Eli flushed, the heat spreading from his cheeks down to the top of his chest and the tips of his ears. "You’ll soon have a chance to thank them in person if you keep distracting me, pet," he growled, as he struggled to maintain his composure.

"Yes, my lord," said Alric, cheekily.

Eli licked his lips as he picked up the leather pouch. His fingers trembled with anticipation. The rasp of the drawstrings it open and the clinking of the coins within were as music to his ears.

The anxiety and apprehension that Eli felt evaporated the moment he stuck his hand into the leather pouch. He ran his fingers through the coins, feeling them tumble one against the other.

The weight that Eli hadn’t even known was bearing down on his shoulders was lifted and, with a renewed enthusiasm, he carefully dumped the contents of the bags onto the desk. His attention was so razor-focused on the money that all the rest of the world seemed to fall away.

Though his body responded to it, Eli was only faintly aware of Alric’s grinding against him. It felt good, but the feeling of the coins on his fingers was even better.

Eli examined each piece of metal. He didn’t think the kingdom would cheat him with counterfeit currency, but there was no such thing as too much caution.

All the coins passed Eli’s muster, fortunately. If the fat fuck that called himself master of coin ever dared to swindle him, the kingdom’s whole treasury would burn and Eli would gorge himself on the man’s meat.

Once all the coins from the day’s stipend had been accounted for, Eli moved on to the gifts from the nobles. Two more offerings had arrived since the previous evening, each one representing even more money for Eli’s growing pile.

Eli rifled through the two chests from the nobles. Most of it was more money, but there were other valuable things, too. There were pieces of jewelry and precious stones, small pots of perfumes and spices, and bolts of rich, luxurious cloths.

By the time Eli had managed to take stock of everything, he realized that it was quickly becoming impractical to keep all his coins on the desktop, what with the valuable goods he’d received from the nobles besides. Between the proper currency and the luxury items, Eli was pretty sure he was looking at more wealth in one place than he’d ever owned in his entire life altogether.

Not everything was included in the pile of assorted goods and currency, though. Alric had laid claim to a small earthenware pot containing candied dates. It was Eli’s reward to him for being well-behaved.

Frankly, as fond as Eli was of Alric, he would have bitten off the lad’s hand with no hesitation if he dared stake a claim on anything without permission. Eli had only been too happy to part with the dates as he had no intention of adding perishables to his growing list of assets

It was going to be difficult enough to find a place to securely store what Eli already had. He didn’t want to add the logistical headache of trying to figure out some way to keep food fresh on top of it all.

Eli looked over all his treasure. Experience dictated that there was a lot in front of him. With just this much alone he could probably live the rest of his life in relative comfort. And yet, at the same time, the sum of all the goods and the money felt rather… paltry.

All the gifts and money that Eli had received since the ceremony was… inadequate. It wasn’t enough. Sure, there was enough treasure in front of him that he could probably weather any crisis of medium severity, but he was woefully unprepared for anything worse.

Eli wanted more. He couldn’t be satisfied with just this much. It just wasn’t enough. He needed more. If the kingdom went down in flames, what he had probably wasn’t going to be sufficient to purchase safe passage out for him and Alric.

For such an occasion, Eli would need the kind of money that could only be found in the coffers of the nobility. What he had right now was a far cry from that, to say nothing of what he would need if the entire continent was plunged into a crisis.

Eli’s stomach churned. Something was gnawing at him from the inside. He was worth more now, in terms of wealth, than he had ever been in his life but it was still insufficient.

More would be better.

Eli chewed on his lip. He had to figure out how to get more.

More would be safer.

More meant that Eli could afford to pay his and Alric’s way out of bad situations. He wouldn’t have to rely on his own luck and ingenuity as much. Both only went so far, after all.

More also meant that Eli and Alric would be free to move around as much as they wanted. They could get ahead of tricky situations, to begin with.

More was necessary.

Sooner or later the queen was going to get tired of sending Eli a stipend. His most reliable source of income would dry up and he’d have to resort to getting himself in danger to make more.

What Eli had right now was enough to start a small business but he didn’t think he had the capital to make it flourish. Goods were expensive. Contacts were even more so.

With as much money as was at Eli’s disposal, any business he conceived would probably start strong, grow a little, and then flounder and die before it could become self-sustaining. More money meant a more robust, resilient business.

The more money Eli had, the more money he could spend to make more.

More. More. More.

"Pardon. Did you say something, my lord?" said Alric.

The lad’s quiet, concerned voice snapped Eli out of his trance. "It was nothing…" Eli murmured. He gently laid a hand on top of Alric’s arm. "I was just wondering… how I could get more, money."

"Hmm…" Alric hummed. "Did Sir Blackblade, perchance, forget that he is a master thief?"

Eli chuckled, patting Alric’s arm as he shook his head. He glanced over his shoulder and locked gazes with Alric for a moment. "No, pet," he said. "Thievery is dangerous work."

"I see," said Alric, rubbing slow circles around Eli’s stomach with his hand. "Very good, my lord. It is heartening to know that you are considering your well-being for the sake of our future child."

Eli laughed. He swatted at Alric’s arm but didn’t tell him to stop. The slow, soothing motions did manage to alleviate some of the uncomfortable gnawings that he felt in the pit of his stomach. "You don’t mind that I’m being greedy?" said Eli.

"Not at all, my lord," said Alric. "It is only natural. After all, a good mother should seek to provide for her child all that she can."

Eli rolled his eyes. "Alric, you do know that I am a man, right?" he said. "I understand that, while you have been trained in how best to provide carnal pleasure, you are something of a newcomer to these relations. Surely you must know that a man cannot bear child?"

Alric chuckled. He licked the side of Eli’s neck, making Eli shiver and eliciting a moan. "We cannot know for certain unless we try, my lord," he said.

"As you say," said Eli, faintly amused by Alric’s insistence. "I shall endeavor to enjoy each ‘try,’ as you call it."

"Very good, sir. I should like it no other way," said Alric.

Eli chuckled. "Back on the matter of making more money…"

"Would it help, my lord, if I gave you my wages to add to your wealth?" said Alric.

Eli’s eyes widened. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the lad was genuinely serious about the offer. He had half a mind to accept right away, but Alric had been his most steadfast companion these past weeks. Such loyalty bore consideration.

"How would you clothe and feed yourself? How would you avail of goods and services that you might desire?" said Eli. He shook his head. "I am not so desperate that I would seek to deprive you of a livelihood for the sake of a pittance, pet,"

Alric nuzzled into the crook of Eli’s neck. "I would have to entrust myself to your care, my lord," he murmured. The reverent tone of his voice sent a shiver down Eli’s spine. "And if you should find the amount inadequate then I shall endeavor to work twice—nay—thrice as hard and earn more!"

As he couldn’t be bothered to twist around and slap Alric lightly on the cheek, Eli elected to reach between his legs and pinch Alric on the thigh instead. Alric yelped. He might have been a tad too forceful.

"I will not have you working yourself to the death on my account," said Eli. As much as he was loath to admit it, he had gotten attached to the boy. "Besides. Even if you were to work even ten times harder than you do now, it would still take years to make enough of a difference."

After a beat, Eli realized how his words could be taken. "Not that I wish to cast aspersions on the good work that you do," he said.

Alric shrugged. "No need to apologize, my lord," he said, with a chuckle. "Though her majesty pays us well, even we footmen with neither wives nor families still struggle to put food on the table and must thus rely on the generosity of the palace kitchens to supplement us."

Eli nodded. It was a strange conversation to have whilst Alric’s cock was still inside of him, but he had no intention of bringing it up. "I had heard that the kingdom has been suffering rough times since the Stars were taken," he said.

Alric nodded.

"Does it not anger you, then, that the nobles keep sending me lavish gifts while the people hunger?" said Eli.

Alric shook his head. "I could think of no one more deserving of the riches of this kingdom than you, my lord," he said.

"I see. Still, it seems rather unfair…" Eli trailed off as he had an epiphany. "Pray, tell. Have you any particular fondness for the nobility of this kingdom?"

"Some few," said Alric. "The Dowager Countess of Lothic has always been kind and the Marquess of Saltshire has been ever generous. Why do you ask, my lord?"

Eli chuckled darkly. "Idle curiosity," he said, with a great deal of nonchalance. "I’ve simply struck upon an idea of how to make more money. How would you feel about fleecing the rich bastards for as much as they have to give?"

Alric grinned, something feral in the reptilian green-gold of his new eyes. "To tell you the truth, my lord. I had been hoping you would say that," he said, baring his teeth in a wide, vicious grin.