Fifteen
Elias
Hours pass of us walking around base. Arien takes me to a recently opened bakery, and a park across the way to watch the different flying creatures in the sky, catching numerous strange buglike critters in his hand. Each one is more interesting than the next and some are bity fuckers.
We walk a short trail, indulging in some snow cones, Arien squealing in excitement when they have a flavor called cotton candy blast.
Shoving the partially eaten ice in my face, he licks his luscious purple lips. “Have a taste. I think you’ll like it too.”
“How about I try it from your mouth instead?” I press a gentle kiss to his soft mouth, licking at his lips a little. “Yummy.”
His cheeks brighten and he laughs. “You sure you got enough?”
“No, I’m not, but if I keep eating snow cones from your mouth, we might get some dirty looks and be kicked off base.”
He flushes, bringing his cup to his chest. “Yeah, you’re probably right. We’ll save that for later, for when we’re eating sweet treats at home.”
My tongue goes dry. “Yeah, later.” Tossing my empty cup in the trash, I press my hand to the hilt of his back and steer him toward the theater. After digging in my pocket, I show the lady at the ticket booth my phone and she prints out two tickets.
Arien is practically bouncing beside me, pointing toward the concession stand. “Do we have time to get popcorn and candy?”
Looking down at my watch, I nod. “A whole ten minutes.”
“Cool.” He skips ahead of me and I follow behind him chuckling. Beating me to the line, he eyes the candy on the rack and picks up three different boxes before deciding on Sour Skittles.
“Good choice.” I wrap an arm around him and we step forward, and he orders our popcorn before the lady can even finish asking what we’d like.
“Can I get a cherry Slurpee too?” He lifts himself up on his toes and the man with two tails and spikes on his neck nods.
“Of course. Will that be all?”
“Make that two cherry Slurpees,” I add. “And that will be all.”
Leaning down, the guy grabs two cups and says something to the girl behind him. She gets our popcorn, and I pay before Arien can finish fishing out his card.
The theater is packed as we search for our seats, and Arien sits beside me and lifts up the armrest between us so he can lean his head on my shoulder. When the movie starts, he looks at me with blinking eyes and smiles with his gaze falling back to the screen.
“I don’t think I’ve heard of this one.” His hand slides beside mine as he reaches for popcorn at the same time I do. Eyes on the big screen, he shoves a handful into his mouth, and I wrap my arm around his shoulder, throwing back some Skittles to keep myself from seeing whether the cherry Slurpee tastes better on him.
Paying attention to what’s playing in front of me is hard when Arien is making cute faces and lighting up the whole room. I didn’t know what movie to take him to at first, and then I saw a preview for this one, thinking silly and fun sounded perfect. It was Valentine’s themed, which is a holiday I’d been trying hard to forget until now. Would he want to spend it with me? Brody hated everything about it and always wanted to pretend the day never happened.
Arien laughs, rubbing his face into my shoulder while stomping his feet. Yeah, definitely hard to look at anything else. He’s more interesting than anything in this whole entire room.
Setting the popcorn to the side, I wrap his fingers in mine, and he laughs again, pointing at the screen. “Oh, I’m totally suffering from secondhand embarrassment.” He shields his eyes and peeks between his spread fingers.
His light sounds are contagious, and I laugh too, yanking his hand down. “It’s not like it’s happening to you,” I whisper.
Waving me away, he smirks and snatches the Skittles from me. As he’s tossing three into his mouth, I lick between his lips and use my tongue to collect the candy from his. “I guess I couldn’t wait until later after all.”
His breaths catch and he licks his lips, turning back to watch the people dancing. More whispers about all the bad decision making fills my ears the rest of the movie. So does more laughter and the popcorn crunching between his teeth. When the credits roll, he stands up first, collecting our trash, and shares his thoughts about the movie as we exit the theater.
“Did you like it?” He glances back at me, squinting his eyes under the bright light.
“I liked watching it with you. Does that count?” Grabbing his hand, I swing our arms forward and we head back to his place, the walk being shorter than I remember.
“Do you get around everywhere on foot here?”
“Not everywhere. Only the places that are super close.” He picks up his steps and I walk faster with him as he rushes across the street to the base houses. “Do you drive?”
“No.” My stomach clenches. “Not in a while.”
“Oh.” His eyes fill with sympathy. “I really do say the wrong things sometimes.”
My body stiffens when I remember those same exact words being said by Brody the day before he went to stay with his parents. Not again. I don’t want Arien to find it too hard to be around me like Brody did, or stop talking because he’s worried he’ll keep upsetting me with his words. He’s not asking me the same questions, though, or pushing ideas on me about moving forward.
He doesn’t push me at all.
“It’s okay. It’s just a question, baby. And no, I don’t drive anymore. I don’t feel safe. Maybe one day when I feel like I know my body well enough and get a better hold on my cataplexy.”
“That makes sense.” His face relaxes and his fingers play with mine as we stop in front of his door. “I hope you reach that point someday. That’s only if you really want to. I don’t even know how to drive.” A chuckle pushes past his lips.
“No? Have you ever thought about learning? Is there some driver’s ed course here for you to take?”
Jingling his key in the lock, he shoves open the door. “Sometimes, but I also like riding in the back seat. I get to enjoy the view that way and don’t have to focus on watching the road.”
“That’s a good way to look at it. I don’t go to many places, so I don’t get to sit in the back seat very often. I’ll try to appreciate the view when I get to ride with you to the carnival in less than two months.”
His eyes light up and he fiddles with his keys. “Will you get on all the rides with me when we go?”
“As long as you let me taste cotton candy from your lips on each one.”
His lips form into a grin and he rushes inside, craning his neck to glance back at me. “Deal.”
Following him in, I rummage through his fridge and order pizza when I don’t find anything other than lots of cheese. I chuckle at that. He did say food wasn’t a requirement for his survival, but apparently cheese is. All flavors too, from cheddar to gouda.
As we wait for the food to arrive, Arien curls up beside me on his bed and I read him the first few chapters of one of my favorite childhood books. His smiles encourage me to keep going each time I reach the end of a page, and I don’t stop until the food arrives. We both eat and Arien paces, muttering words to himself as he closes his eyes.
Walking beside him, I grab his hand and kiss his cheek. “We don’t have to go there if it’s too much for you.”
His face relaxes and he smiles. “No. I want to take you. I do. It’s really a beautiful place and . . . and . . .” He nibbles on his bottom lip. “I think it’ll be really good for you to fish again. I can tell you miss it. I’m just trying to find the best spot for us. I want to get us as close as I can too, so it’s taking a lot of channeling.”
“As long as you’re sure.”
He presses his lips to my chin. “I’m sure.”
Stepping back, I give him some space as he closes his eyes again. His charm glows and the light spreads around his body. It’s mesmerizing. I take his hands and he reaches out for me, and vibrations travel between us. His lips press to mine and we spin around the room, lifting in the air toward an opening in the ceiling.
We’re tucked up inside as soon as we touch it, everything changing around us as we go from his living room to a forest. Green leaves and grass surround us. Long vines curl around my leg, and they slap at me when I shake them off.
“Behave yourselves,” Arien scolds. “Don’t worry, these guys are harmless. They’re just very curious about everyone and everything.”
The vines shrink into themselves, making high-pitched sounds. This place is incredible. More so than in my dreams. Flowers are singing and Arien tells me which to ignore, along with where not to step. Lying on a fallen branch under a tree is a small man with pointy ears and long white translucent wings. His eyes are partly shut, and his hands and arms are folded behind his back.
Stepping ahead of me, Arien sticks his hand out, cautioning me to wait as he rests a hand on the half-asleep stranger. He has nothing on but a small loin cloth and shoes made of what looks like leaves.
“They’re after you,” he whispers to the man. “You can’t get away. They are so close.” Arien’s expression is sullen, and he blows some kind of dust over the creature’s face. This is hard for him, and guilt sinks into my stomach knowing he’s doing this for me. His gaze snaps to me, eyes shaking in the corners.
“What’s wrong?”
“We don’t have to stay. I can wait to come here in your dreams. I don’t want to make you do something that hurts you.”
With a quick breath, he smiles softly and lifts his hands. “It’s okay. Being out there on the dock with you will be worth it.”
“And you will be. It doesn’t have to be today, though. No one should have to suffer before getting to be happy.”
He exhales slowly. “But I want to do this for you.”
Swiping hair from his face, I smile gently. “How about you allow someone to do something for you instead just for once.”
His gaze bounces between me and what I believe to be a fairy. At least, he matches all the descriptions you hear in story books and see in movies only more exquisite. But he’s nothing compared to the gorgeous demon standing in front of me, always eager to put others before himself.
“I . . . I really don’t like how scared he is.”
“I know, baby.” I pull him into my arms, inhaling the sugary scent from his hair.
“Are you really sure you don’t want to stay?”
“I want to be with you, and I can do that anywhere.” I kiss his lips.
His lips twitch and his shoulders drop as relief washes over his face. “Okay.”
He takes us back, not letting go of my hand until we’re sitting on his bed. Eyes pointing downward, he kicks his feet together, and I crash our mouths together, my tongue descending over his. He’s the most important and favorite part of my day. I want him to know that.
I pull away to remove his shirt and my lips find his again, our hands everywhere. Kissing me harder, he kicks off his pants and underwear and works mine off next. Hips lifting, I watch him as he drags my clothes to my ankles and crawls back up my body. He licks at my cock, giving me a few strokes before taking it down his throat. Arousal spirals inside me, my skin hot and tensing all over. When he pulls off me with a pop, I sag in disappointment.
My disappointment doesn’t last long when lifts himself up to start fucking himself with his tail. “I meant to mention this before, but it produces lubricant from the tip.” He spasms, his tail going deeper inside him as he drops to his hands, boxing me in.
“Do you do that to yourself often?” I ask, feeling breathless.
“Yes,” he hisses, arching his back as the purple appendage moves up and down. “But I bet you’ll feel better.”
“There’s only one way to find out.” I stroke his nipple, pulling him up high enough to where his ass is dragging over my hard cock.
“Do we need condoms?”
“No. Monsters can’t transmit anything to humans and vice versa.”
“Good because I didn’t bring any, and I really don’t want to stop.”
“And we won’t.”
Eyes elated, his tail slides out of him and he moves it into my mouth. I suck on the tip, tasting him as he lines himself up with my cock. Our moans tangle together as he swallows me inch by inch, and my body is temporarily paralyzed in a different way as he rocks his hips, lowering himself more with his tight hole squeezing around me.
He looks down at me, those shiny purple eyes hooking onto mine. He always finds new ways to take my breath away. “So pretty,” I say. I bite back the word mine , not sure either of us is ready for that yet. A sour taste is left in my mouth from not allowing the word to pass, but I don’t give it another thought when he slams his hips down, bottoming out.
Sliding up and down, his breaths speed up and his head tilts. Sweat glistens on his neck and I know now this was the better option. To get to feel him like this. To have him in a way no one else has and see him shine brighter than he has the whole time we’ve known each other.
Leaning down, he rubs his face into my neck, and I kiss him as he rides me faster, his hips matching the pace of mine as I thrust into him. This is better than any dream, than traveling to a new world. My emotions are everywhere—happy, excited, sated, exhilarated, eager—and all because he helped me find them again.
My nails dig into his hips and I flip him to his back, lifting his knees to his chest as I hammer forward. His hole grips tight with each plunge and pulsates around me, causing my balls to draw tight.
With a shuddering breath, I circle my hips, spilling my seed inside him. I ignore the light feeling in my head and loosening of my muscles, not stopping until he moans from his own orgasm beneath me.
I fall forward, collapsing onto him, and he laughs, glitching underneath me before staying where he is. He laughs harder, rubbing my back until I fully come to again.
“I didn’t know what would happen when it happened while I was here, but now I do. Sure did confuse the hell out of my body.”
He’s referring to my dozing off and cataplexy. I laugh with him, kissing his lips. “Nothing like having someone go unconscious on top of you during sex.”
He chuckles against my lips. “At least it counts as a very high compliment in this case.”
“Yes, there’s always that.” I crash beside him, pulling him to my side. He drags his fingers up and down my slick body, swirling them in his release while smiling into my shoulder.
“Is it too much to ask you to come see me again next weekend?”
My chest constricts. “I’d love to, sweetheart, but unfortunately I already have plans.”
His face shoots up, eyebrows bunching together. “You’re going back home?”
“Will you stop doing that?” I pinch his side and he blushes.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it sometimes. We’re too connected right now.”
“It’s okay. At least it saves me some explaining,” I say between chuckles. “And yeah . . .” Running my fingers through his hair, my face falls. “It’s my mom and dad’s anniversary. Amy wants me to come, and I can’t stay away forever.”
“Yeah. I think that will be good for you.” He goes quiet for too long and my stomach twists.
“You can still be with me whenever I’m alone in my room, or when Amy says something so ridiculous it makes me laugh too hard. If anyone else besides you has that ability these days, it’s her. And I think that might have opened a floodgate.”
He traces my smile. “I’d love to be with you there as much as I can.”
Grabbing his hand, I bring it to my mouth and scatter kisses all along his palm. “Good. Then maybe after the party is over and it’s time to go home, we can go fishing. In a way we’ll both enjoy.”
“Okay.” He sweeps his hand to my cheek and nibbles on my lips. “Fishing and what we did instead of it today.”
“All of it.”
“Will there be music and dancing at the party?” His voice grows quiet.
“Probably. It’s not a party for my family without it.”
“You going to tell me what your favorite song is to dance to now?”
Pressing my nose to his, I inhale and exhale slowly. “I didn’t think I cared for dancing until you made me realize how much I wanted to do it with you, but if I had to pick one, I’d say anything by you.”