Chapter Twenty
Atlas
My female did what to the mayor? Did she try to mate with him?
A snarl tore from my throat as I launched myself forward. The plaid flannel strained across my shoulders, seams popping, while my jeans constricted painfully around my legs.
The Headless Horseman pivoted toward me, his shoulders tensing beneath his cloak. Nearby, the Skinwalker stopped his guttural noises, fumbling to pull the bearskin over his naked form. My voice emerged as a low, dangerous rumble. "She touched you? Where? I will erase her scent from your body."
The mayor bared his teeth—normally razor-sharp fangs that struck fear into the hearts of all who saw them, but in that moment, they seemed as harmless as dull kitchen knives. "I'm the victim here!" he sputtered. "Your female attacked me!"
“You don’t deserve her scent, and she is driven out of instinct. My scent makes her go insane. She didn’t know what she was doing.”
Lucien’s fangs bit at his lip in my peripheral.
He'd better keep his mouth shut, better yet, his antennae too, because his sniffing was far too close.
I moved toward the Slenderman with predatory slowness, watching his faceless head tilt as he detected her lingering aroma in the air. The scent carried traces of both her natural fragrance and my own pheromones, marking her unmistakably as mine.
Great, now I’m hard in front of everyone.
I snapped my fangs and flapped my wings several times.
Both the Headless Horseman and the Skinwalker retreated several steps. The Horseman's unruly animal reared back on its hind legs before it tore away into the darkness between the trees.
The mayor slid his long fingers down his face. “Worthless that one is.”
The Skinwalker stumbled, still struggling to pull the bearskin over his body. His foot caught in the pelt, and he crashed to the ground with a piercing screech that echoed through the trees.
The birds scattered from the trees, their wings stirring the air and wafting my mate's scent from the mayor's body straight to my nostrils.
Her scent clung to him like a brand. My mind clouded with rage—not at her, but at him. How dare he experience what was mine alone? The brush of her fingers, the warmth of her touch—privileges he had not earned and would never deserve.
“You tried to steal her from me,” I growled. My wings raised, my eyes glowed brighter. My claws extended.
The skin walker, with his head barely poking through the bearskin, one bloodshot eye darting between the mayor and me, retreated backward on unsteady feet until the undergrowth swallowed him whole.
I could feel the mayor's fear, a tangy scent that tainted the air.
He was backing away, his hands raised in surrender, but it was too late.
The thought of his skin against hers sent a wave of possessiveness crashing through me.
I lunged forward, my claws aching to shred something, anything, to release this torrent of rage.
"Atlas, wait!" Lucien shouted, but his voice was nothing more than a distant ringing in my ears. I was consumed, a creature of instinct and fury.
The mayor stumbled, his back hitting a tree trunk with a solid thud. His face had become a milky glass, and for a moment, I saw my reflection in him: a monstrous figure, wings spread, blood-red eyes. I faltered; I looked monstrous. What was I doing?
But then he spoke, his voice a trembling whisper. "She came to me, Atlas. She’s consumed by your scent—"
A roar tore from my throat, and I surged forward again. No one should have her but me! No one.
Suddenly, a force hit me from the side, sending me crashing to the ground. I rolled, snarling, ready to tear apart whatever had dared to intervene. But it was Lucien, his antennae straight up at attention, eyes dim with worry.
"Stop!" he yelled, pinning me down. His antennae twitched, scenting the air. "You can't kill him, Atlas! You can't!"
I struggled, but Lucien's grip was iron. The mayor took the chance to back away, only to adjust his suit, and his tentacles came out to protect him better. He wouldn’t leave, he was too proud.
But wait, Lucien thought I wanted to kill the mayor?
That was excessive.
Maybe rough him up, slap him around. I don’t think I had it in me to kill.
My struggles ceased, then Lucien cautiously released me. I sat up, my breath coming in ragged gasps. “I wasn’t going to kill him.”
“It sure looked like it. I never thought Atlas, the shy one, would attack the big, scary mayor like that.”
Hollow’s faceless head tilted with amusement. "How sweet. The insect thinks I'm terrifying." He leaned into Lucien's personal space, tentacles unfurling slightly before he suddenly stiffened. His posture changed completely as he turned toward the trees. "We have an intruder in our forest."
The forest air shifted, carrying unfamiliar currents that would alert every monster present to stiffen with recognition.
I took a deep breath, and I immediately knew the scent. My cock grew hard, my wings vibrated, and my eyes went brighter than they had ever done before.
Lucien damn near giggled. “I have an idea of who it might be.”
Hollow dragged his elongated fingers down his face in exasperation. "Your female has no respect for our laws," he hissed. "Discipline her for these transgressions, Atlas. She must learn her place."
The only place she should be, right now, was under me.
Her scent grew stronger, and I could hear her now. The panting, the grumbling on how she should do more cardio. I could help her with that—we could do all the cardio she wanted in the safety of my cabin. She would have no problems.
A growl came from her throat as she approached the last bush. My tongue lolled out of my mouth, ready to pounce on her, but I liked the idea of her hunting me, claiming me in front of everyone.
I couldn’t wait to see her approach me, long hair, bright green eyes, a sheen of sweat over her forehead…
But once she broke free from the bush, it was not what I saw.
A tangle of pine needles clung to her hair.
Each ragged breath she took made the branch hooked through her shirt tremble.
The fabric of her black leggings surrendered to the forest, threads hanging loose where thorns were.
Through a ragged hole, her knee gleamed wet with blood, dark rivulets disappearing into the tight spandex that clung to her thigh like a second skin.
My instincts went into overdrive.
Protect her, heal her.
“Don’t you come any closer!” She pointed her finger at me and took in a long, labored breath.
My antennae wilted, and so did my cock.
“Are you okay?” I pressed my two index fingers together repeatedly, feeling rather sheepish. I had avoided her, and she was angry with me. I could not blame her.
Kassie’s eye twitched. All was silent until she answered. “I’m literally a forest fire, and I am the fire, and I am the forest, and I am the witness watching it!” she cried.
My Mothman instincts kept whispering the word danger in my head. My female was out of her mind, my come overly stimulated her; she was in a craze only I could fix.
As sick as it was to put her in this state, it turned me on. Just a little.
Hollow’s tentacles twitched with impatience. "Handle your female, Atlas," he hissed through whatever passed for teeth in that faceless head. "Unless you prefer I lock her in isolation. The walls are thick, but not thick enough to muffle those screams when the separation sickness truly takes hold."
Kassie gasped. “And you!” She pointed at the mayor. “You drugged me, or knocked me out! You locked me in my room! How dare you!”
He sneered. “Yes, how did you get out, little cat? I cursed that door.”
Kassie swiped her imaginary claws at him. “Forgot the window chompers. I climbed down and ran to the last place I thought he would be, even if that meant breaking a rule.” She mocked him and stuck out her tongue. “If you'll excuse me, I need Atlas, we have business.”
Business? I don’t want to do business; I want to do other things.
Kassie came toward me and grabbed my hand. Lightening zipped through my body, and my cock pressed against my slit, the head poking out and touching the fabric of my jeans.
I groaned and wrapped one hand around the small of her back. “I need you.” I pressed my cock into her stomach, our height difference reminded me just how much smaller she was than me.
“You did this.” The bite in her voice didn’t deter me. “You have been edging me, and I don’t like it.”
Lucien popped up beside us. “Should we leave?”
Neither of us broke our heated gaze as the mayor and Lucien's footsteps faded into the forest, leaving us alone with the electric current humming between our bodies.
I could feel her heart racing against my chest, or maybe it was my own.
Her scent was overwhelming, a mix of sweat and that unique smell that was just Kassie.
Her breath hitched, and I could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest. She was mad, but there was something else there too, a hunger that matched my own.
"I didn't mean to," I started, my voice barely a growl. Her eyes flashed, and I could see the wildness in them. She was feral, driven by instinct and need.
"Didn't mean to what, Atlas?" she snapped, but she didn't pull away.
Instead, she pressed closer, her body flush against mine.
I could feel every curve, every soft line of her.
"Didn't mean to drive me insane with your dried come on my body?
Didn't mean to make me climb out of a window and run through a freaking forest to find you? "
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. Her words were like gasoline on the fire burning inside me. I wanted to consume her, to claim her right there. But not like this. Not when she was angry and hurt.
"Let me fix this," I murmured, my hand sliding up her back to tangle in her hair. Her eyes widened, pupils dilating. "Let me take care of you."
Because I messed up. I knew better. In the back of my mind, I knew what I did was wrong.
She shivered, her body melting into mine for a moment before she stiffened again. "You should have thought about that before you turned me into some kind of nymphomaniac," she growled. But her voice lacked the heat of her words. She was wavering, her body craving what only I could give her.
I leaned down, my lips brushing against her ear. "Let me make it up to you," I whispered, my voice a low rumble. I could feel her shiver again, her body responding to mine. I ran my tongue along the shell of her ear, tasting her. She gasped, her hands fisting in my shirt.
She wanted me. It gave me the confidence I needed to take her, to show her I could take care of her.
"Bastard," she muttered, but there was no venom in it. She turned her head, her lips brushing against my tongue. It was a soft, feather-light touch, a question. I answered it, capturing her mouth, pressing it against my face. She moaned, her body pressing against me as she deepened the kiss.
I could taste her need, her desperation. It matched my own. I scooped her up, my hands cupping her ass as I lifted her. She wrapped her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck. I could feel the heat of her scent and of her arousal driving me wild.
"Mine," I growled against her lips. She nodded, her teeth nipping at my mouth.
"Yours," she agreed, her voice breathless. "Now take me somewhere and finish what you started."
I didn't need to be told twice. With a thought, my wings spread wide, and I took to the sky.
Kassie's grip tightened around my neck, and she screamed. We soared above the treetops, the wind whipping around us. Her breath was hot on my skin, her heart pounding in sync with mine. I could feel her excitement, and her fear, all rolled into one delicious scent that was driving me wild.
"Atlas," she squeaked, her voice barely audible over the rushing air. "You're flying."
I chuckled, the sound rumbling through my chest. "Mothmen do that sometimes."
She glared at me.
She yelped as I dove, skimming the treetops before pulling up again. The forest blurred beneath us, a sea of green and brown. I could see the cabin in the distance, the one place I felt the most comfortable.
Would she like it too? Or find me… too different?
Her pelvis rubbed against me, and my antennae twitched. Something told me she wouldn’t care much right now about what it looked like.
Her fingers dug into my shoulders as I landed softly in the clearing. The cabin was a few feet before us. She slid down my body, her feet touching the ground, but she didn't let go. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
“I’m angry, petrified and horny, and I can’t figure out which to take care of first.”
"I’ll choose for you," I said, my voice gruff. I took her hand, leading her into the cabin. The door slammed shut behind us, and I pressed her against it, my body caging hers. She looked up at me, her breath hitching.
"Atlas," she whispered, her voice a plea.
I leaned down, my forehead pressing against hers. “Kassie, I am here. I'm not going anywhere."
Where my confidence came from, I wasn’t sure. Maybe it stemmed from the pain, the need she had. She had a sheen of sweat over her forehead, her hand on her stomach, nearly rubbing her pussy over her leggings. She needed me, and I would take care of her.
Her hands fisted in my shirt, pulling me closer. "Neither am I," she said, her voice steadier now. Determined.
My tongue ran up her neck, my hands roamed her body.
She pushed at my chest. I looked at her, concerned, but she smiled, her eyes shining with mischief. "You have too many clothes on," she said, her hands already working on the buttons of my shirt.
I grinned, helping her. My shirt hit the floor, followed quickly by my jeans. My cock was too hard, the length of it still growing, and it had already pushed out of my slit.
She stepped back, her eyes roaming over me, her breath hitching. I stood still, letting her look at her fill.
“Gods, it's huge, now that I get to really look at it.” She licked her lips.
I puffed out my chest. “That is a good thing, correct?”
She bit her lip. “As long as you don’t break me open with it. We will need to go slow.” Kassie rubbed her pussy; her arousal was thick in the air. “What are those things wrapped around it?”
“I don’t know the right word, I just call them coils, they detach to help with pleasure and push my come back inside you if it dares escape.”
Kassie stared at it wide-eyed. “Breeding kink unlocked,” she whispered.
"Your turn," I said, my voice growling low. She stared at me before she shook her head out of her trance. Kassie slowly peeled off her clothes. Each inch of skin she revealed made my heart pound faster.
Once she got down to her undergarments, I knew I was done for.