Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Atlas
My intentions?
She wanted to know my intentions?!
The details of my memories were rolling back to me like a storm. I didn’t like it, not one bit.
I made a fool of myself, stumbling over chairs and bumping into people. Spreading my wings, I got down on the ground before her and proclaimed my affection for lamps.
I mean, I am particularly fond of lamps, as are most Mothmen, but we don’t outwardly claim it.
I couldn't deny how captivating Kassie looked in her lamp costume.
The way the fabric hugged her figure revealed a silhouette that left me breathless.
My gaze lingered longer than it should have on the gentle curves beneath her costume, and though I missed the opportunity to appreciate her from every angle, the memory of her legs alone was enough to make my antennae twitch.
I shook my head, and my heart raced as I tried to recover from my embarrassing declaration of my love for lamps. But it wasn't just the lamps that had me flustered; it was her.
Her eyes bore into mine as if I were the most interesting thing in the world.
"I-I didn't mean to say, ‘I love lamps’," I stammered, feeling the heat rise to my face.
Kassie cocked her head to one side, eyebrows arching upward. A single rebellious curl escaped her messy bun, dangling like a question mark in front of her face.
"I mean, I do like lamps, but that's not what I wanted to tell you."
A corner of her mouth twitched upward at my lamp confession. My exoskeleton felt like it was on fire, starting at my neck and blazing upward as I fumbled for words that wouldn't make me sound even more ridiculous.
"Uh, I mean, not that I don't love you," I stammered, my wings twitching nervously behind me. "I just... have a thing for lamps. They're, uh, really fascinating."
Smooth, Atlas. Real smooth.
But Kassie surprised me by bursting into laughter, a sound so infectious that I couldn't help but join in. I felt like I had removed a weight from my shoulders, and everything seemed right in the world for a moment.
As our laughter subsided, Kassie reached out and took my hand, her touch sending a jolt of electricity through me. "It’s okay, Atlas,” she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I like you, too."
I covered my face with both hands.
She liked me?
She probably liked me as a friend. That’s all it meant. Why do I have to act like such a damn larva all the time?
At least I didn’t bury my face in her breasts like last night.
Noooo. I did that, too??!
Her smile widened, and she reached out to touch my hand. “Calm down. Everything is okay. Don’t bolt out the door, or you are going to have Harlow stuffing your face with more fruit. Listen, last night was fine. It was the most fun and interesting night, ever.”
I shuffled myself on the bed to get more comfortable. “It was? I didn’t take you away from the party?”
Kassie shook her head. “Nope! I was looking forward to seeing you. I’m actually not that fond of big parties. I’m a homebody, to be honest. Harlow made my costume weeks ago and saw Lucien dressed up as Mothman; she figured you would, too.”
I leaned in closer as she spoke. I saw the tiny fangs in her mouth, and I let my antennae slip further down my forehead so they couldn’t be seen. She didn't smell different; she was one hundred percent human.
Why the fangs?
“…and then we could be kind of matching. The moth and the lamp. Kind of cheesy, huh?”
Kassie’s face turned a bright red against her usually pale face. I reached toward her and rubbed my finger down her cheek. She stared at me, her eyes soft and comforting. There wasn’t any judgment in her eyes for what I did the night before; she didn’t find me… an embarrassment for appearing drunk.
Match.
I stopped breathing when I heard the word echo in my head.
Did I really say that word, out loud, last night?
That could be the only reason Lucien and the mayor let me go home with her.
They weren’t as worried if she saw me change forms. I would just have to take her to my cabin so she could calm down for a few days.
However, with the type of figures on the walls, I don’t think she would mind as much if I were a monster type, which gave me some hope.
“No, not cheesy.” I continued touching her. My hand had a mind of its own. As the sun crept further into the room, I understood I would need to depart soon, though I wished to touch her more. I could not impose. “I liked it, and I would like to uh…”
I rubbed my forehead. I’d asked no one on a date, I never thought I would get this far.
“Would you like to have dinner with me?” Kassie said, before I could say anything. It was as if she had read my mind.
Could she read my mind? Was she a succubus in disguise, and was that why I could not smell her?
I opened my mouth to speak, but I could only nod in return.
Kassie rubbed her hands together. “Great, and we can eat in here, if you are okay with that. I have a game tonight, and you can be my lucky charm.”
“Your lucky charm?”
Has this female seen me walk lately? I am a disaster.
She hummed. “Yes, and you are going to help me take down TeaBagTitan. He is a complete douchebag, but playing a game on his channel will help up my numbers and see if we can get people to like me, so it's important. I’d love for you to see me in action and then, maybe tomorrow, I can see you in action.” Kassie scooted closer to me so her thigh was touching mine.
She was touching me again.
I sat up straight and looked dead ahead. Think about cold showers, the falls, the mayor, naked, in his Slenderman form.
Kassie’s hand ran over my thigh, and my fingers tightened around the blankets.
“What is something you would like to eat? I want to make sure I get a favorite of yours,” she purred. Her hand crept up my thigh.
Friends rub each other’s thighs, right?
Kassie rose to her knees on the bed, the fabric of her thigh-high socks stretching as she leaned toward me.
Her lips brushed against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine as she whispered, "For dessert, I was thinking ice cream.
Nothing beats watching it melt down the sides of the cone, catching every drop before it falls. "
Night, swallow me whole.
“Yes, that sounds…” I cleared my throat. “Very good.”
She laughed and kissed me on the cheek. I froze, not sure what to do.
“I’ll think of something, big guy. Can you be back here at six? Just before sunset?”
I nodded slowly and put my hand to my cheek.
She kissed me.
She really kissed me on the cheek.
And… my cock was going to uncoil, and I would have a bulge the rest of the day.
Maybe that would keep me from falling down, just fall on my dick, and it would keep me upright.
Kassie inhaled deeply, and a scent like honey and warm spice, along with that natural orange scent she had, filled the space between us. My muscles tensed as if struck by lightning, and something primal vibrated in my throat—a steady, involuntary drone that I couldn't silence.
Something had shifted in Kassie. Her gaze grew heavy-lidded, her chest rising with each breath as she leaned in close enough that the heat from her skin radiated against mine. The space between us seemed to vanish, and I wished this moment would stretch into eternity.
Kassie nuzzled her face into the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. "There's something about your scent," she murmured against my skin. "It smells so good."
I felt my eyes grow wide as I dragged my palm nervously down the front of my shirt. Meanwhile, Kassie's fingers inched their way up my leg, sending a violent tremor through me when they brushed against the straining fabric at my crotch.
Her eyes widened as her fingers traced circles on my inner thigh. "My goodness, Atlas," she whispered, her voice husky. "Is this shyness just for show?" I couldn't stop the ragged breath that escaped my lips as I curved my arm around her waist, drawing her body against mine.
Night, she felt so good against me.
I wanted to rut her into the bed, take her smaller form and insert my cock, let her feel every coil until it took hold of her womb.
Breed her.
Something wasn't adding up. Last night she'd been careful, considerate—keeping to her side of the bed, making sure I felt safe.
Her hands were everywhere, her breath hot against my neck, her body pressing against mine like she couldn't get close enough.
This wasn't just flirting. This was something else entirely.
Not that I minded, but…
Pheromones.
Moths can have pheromones, so why not Mothmen?
My chest tightened with alarm as her scent overwhelmed my senses. Every instinct screamed at me to drop to my knees, to explore the sweetness between her thighs with slow, deliberate strokes of my tongue.
I had to leave.
I had to get this under control.
“Kassie?” I breathed. “I must go.” Her hand was on my thigh, so I grabbed it and pulled it off. I tried to hold back the whining cry, as my moth instincts told me to take her.
My scent was driving her to the brink, where she couldn’t think for herself. It wasn’t fair to her, no matter how much I wanted her.
I wasn’t sure if she even wanted me that much… truly.
I mean, look at me?
Kassie pouted. Her thighs rubbed together to bring more of that sweet scent to my nose. My tongue fell out of my mouth and licked my lips.
“Don’t you want to stay a little longer?” She panted. “I’ll miss you today.”
Moon, you punish me.
“I want that more than anything.” I held her hand to my chest. “But there are things I must do. I need to prepare.”
Kassie tilted her head. “If you are worried about trimming up the garden, I don’t mind. I was a Peonie Girl Scout in middle school.” Her free hand squeezed my chest muscle.
What?
“I got my Explorer badge.”
Oh, shit.
I ground what little teeth I had and pushed away from her. “I will see you tonight. But I must go, Lucien will need me. I haven’t spoken with him.”
Kassie nodded sadly, and her legs came up to her chest. I could see the damp spot on her purple underwear, and I groaned with disappointment.
Why could I not be a bad moth?
I kneeled on the floor and cupped her cheek. “I am sorry. I do not mean to leave you like this, and it is nothing against you. But this is important, I promise to make it up to you tonight…”
Kassie leaned into my hand. “Is that a promise?”
I sighed in relief. “Promise.”
Rising to my feet, I glimpsed hunger in her eyes that made my antennae quiver. Was it real desire I saw there, or just my body's chemical commands forcing her hand? The question gnawed at me worse than any physical ache.
I stepped away and raced out the door without looking back. If I stayed any longer, I would succumb to this mating call my body emitted. I had to be sure, not drunk on patches that keep me from coming in my pants, that she was really my match.
I ran around the house, and a vibration caught my ear. A soft moan that sounded too similar to Kassie’s
Keep walking, just keep walking.
“Atlas, that feels so good.”
My dick uncoiled from my slit and pressed up against my jeans. It was painful.
I turned around because I was not strong. I was weak, especially to her. My pheromones had left the room, I was gone, why was she still feeling the effects?
The townhouses stood in perfect rows, each with its postage-stamp yard.
Kassie's place was marked by that ridiculous white picket fence I could easily fly over in darkness.
Scaling the wall in broad daylight would make me visible to anyone glancing out their window.
The neighborhood watch would have a field day reporting a six-foot-seven man climbing toward a woman's bedroom.
I slid behind the house, the bushes tall enough for me to crouch underneath her window. My sense of hearing was strong enough to hear her moans, the soft vibrations coming from her room kept me listening for more.
What were those vibrations?
“I’m so wet,” she whined.
My high-pitched cry came from my throat, my pheromones leaked involuntarily yet again. My cock forced itself to uncoil. I ripped the front of my jeans off my body, unable to handle the ache.
I gripped myself, feeling the length of my cock.
At least I lasted a couple of hours without touching it.
I just told Kassie I had to go, but her scent and the sound of her…
A low hum started in my chest, my wings twitching on my back as I listened. Every moan, every whisper of my name. I wanted to be there with her, watching her.
Why was I doing this to myself? I shouldn't be listening to her like some creep outside her window, but I couldn't pull myself away.
I think she’s mine.
The vibrations got louder, more insistent, pulsing. I crouched there, trying to wrap my head around the fact that Kassie’s breaths were coming in faster. That she was thinking about me.
My knees went weak, and a shudder worked its way through my body.
What would it feel like to be in that room with her, to watch her pleasure herself? To have her eyes on me while she…
I stroked myself, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I couldn't help it. I was completely absorbed by her and the sounds she was producing. I imagined her thighs shaking, her back arching, and that sweet, intoxicating scent filling the room.
That wet patch on her underwear becoming more damp, gone and soaking the sheets beneath her.
She was as glorious as the moon.
Would she… let me take her underwear, as a trophy?
Kassie’s moans grew louder, her pleas of my name more desperate. I matched her pace, my hand working faster, my grip tighter. The tendrils around my cock wrapped around my hand and squeezed.
Fuck.
“Atlas!” she whispered.
My body tensed, the hum in my chest growing louder, more insistent. I was close, so close. I could feel it building, the pressure inside me ready to burst.
And then, silence. The vibrations stopped, and I heard her let out a long, satisfied sigh. My heart thrummed through my whole body as it ached, my seed leaking down my hand.
I leaned against the wall, panting, trying to catch my breath.
I needed to leave. I had to figure out tonight.
But I couldn't move. Not yet. Not until I knew she was okay, that she didn't need me.
What if her heart stopped? What if she needed comforting? It was my pheromones that got all this started…
A soft laugh floated down to me, and I heard her moving around her room. “Well, that was… wow!” she muttered to herself.
My wings relaxed, and I leaned my head against the brick wall.
I was in so much damn trouble.