Chapter Twenty-Three
Atlas
Ifelt I could retire every pleasure toy I’d used over the years. For a human—and with all the rumors about them being so fragile—my Kassie has been incredibly resilient.
She was always wet, dripping for me at a moment’s notice. After she gave me the pleasure of licking my cock, she slipped back into a sex frenzy from my come, by rubbing herself up and down along my length.
Not that I minded.
She screamed and cried, tears streaming down her face, when I turned her around and took her over the table.
Taking her from behind was my favorite position, but Kassie says there are so many others that would rock my world. I was all for it—especially after she told me she loved me.
Love. Such a tiny word to hold so much weight. I noticed how Kassie's voice still trembled when she tried to say it. Before she returned to town, I needed her to feel completely secure in our bond. Only then would I reveal what completing our union truly means.
I shut the bathroom door behind me with a gentle click.
What I wouldn't have given to join her in that steaming water, but it was impossible.
These wings of mine and what Kassie lovingly called my "fine fur" made bathing a nightmare.
The dense coating soaks up water like a sponge and holds it for days, even with a blow dryer running nonstop.
Last time I tried, I smelled like wet, land animal for a week.
I was just glad I was able to build my home with a full bathroom just in the tiniest chance that I ever did find a female human of my ow so she would be completely comfortable.
My subconscious and fate must have foreshadowed this whole thing.
I was able to bathe and clean her the way I wanted before I finally stepped away. I may have touched her in places that were definitely beyond what was necessary for a thorough cleaning, but I didn’t hear any complaints. I left her satisfied, and I was certain she would want more later.
But the stained glass windows that cast colorful light across the bathroom, and the flickering candles, created the perfect sanctuary for Kassie to unwind before I claimed her again once she emerged.
I flexed all four of my hands, feeling my claws extend slightly as I ran my tongue over my fangs. Surely half an hour would be enough time?
A quiet knock came at the door, and my chest rumbled with irritation.
Our cabin smelled like sex—our scents were everywhere.
The last thing I wanted was for someone to taint it while we were in the middle of rutting.
I could already feel my cock trying to slip free from my slit again, but I forced myself to maintain some composure, so Kassie wouldn’t think I had a serious problem.
But I did. All moths did.
I hurried to answer the knock before it could disturb Kassie's bath. When I pulled the door open, Lucien stood there, his antennae twitching upward in what I recognized as moth-language for delight as he eagerly poked his head into my home.
“Hi, Atlas! How’s it going? Did you get some?”
A guttural sound escaped my throat as I shoved the door closed, but Lucien's claws caught the edge, preventing it from shutting.
“Aw, come on, I’m only joking. I’m here to return something to you.”
I eased the door wider, my eyes immediately drawn to Kassie's phone clutched in one of Lucien's four hands. The device vibrated, emitting a distinct hissing sound as a new message notification appeared on its screen.
“I heard it in the middle of the woods when I was flying home last night. It’s been hissing all morning.
I tried to wait as long as possible because I didn’t want to come around to this stanky cabin.
” Lucien leaned forward. “Did you know everyone can smell y’all’s pheromones all the way into town?
That is some serious stuff you’re putting out. ”
My arm tensed, fist clenched and ready to strike him. He cowered back, but before I could swing, Kassie's fingers wrapped around my wrist. "Atlas," she murmured, her voice firm but gentle, "let's not assault our neighbors before breakfast, hmm?"
Kassie stood wrapped in a black towel, water droplets still clinging to her skin.
Dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders, with those striking, green highlights framing her face, bringing a flush of color to her cheeks.
The sight of her stole my breath. This exquisite being whom Night had somehow seen fit to bring into my life, into my home.
Then I realized that Lucien was here, staring at her in all her goddess glory.
A sound tore from my throat… half-snarl, half-piercing squeal as I raised my upper arms skyward, claws extending to their full, lethal length.
Lucien pulled back and wrapped his arms around himself. “By darkest Night, you are scary. Anyway, I come bearing gifts. Here is your phone, kitten.”
A low growl rumbled from my chest. "Her name is Kassie. Use it." My wings expanded behind me, casting a shadow over Lucien as he retreated a step. His own wings flared in response.
“Woah, easy bro. I’m just giving her a phone. Phone hisses, she wears hoodies with cat ears, I’m just—”
Kassie plucked the phone from Lucien's grasp with a weary sigh.
"Thanks for bringing this back," she said, her voice softening despite her obvious annoyance.
The device let out an odd notification sound, more like an annoyed meow.
Her expression shifted instantly, eyes widening as she glanced at the screen.
"I need to take this," she murmured, already backing toward the hallway. "Give me just a minute, okay?"
I wrapped one wing around her, my cheek pressed up against hers. “Of course, I will get rid of this problem.”
“Hey!” Lucien shouted as Kassie left us.
I felt my eyes burn with rage. It wasn’t like me to feel this much anger, to feel so territorial over my home, but with Kassie here, I had the overwhelming need to keep all other males away. I didn’t want Lucien here. I didn’t want anyone.
My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
"Get out of my home. Now." Every muscle in my body tensed as I inhaled sharply through flared nostrils.
"The longer you stand there, the less control I have.
" My four hands clenched and unclenched, claws extending with each flex.
Something violent surged through me, demanding I eliminate this intruder who'd seen my Kassie.
Lucien's antennae twitched backward as he cocked his head, apparently oblivious to what I was feeling.
“Are you alright?” He leaned forward again. “Do you want me to bring water back from the falls? Do you want me to watch over your home while you go there?”
The waterfall in the forest appeared in my mind… crystal clear and sacred. I remembered how all the monsters would gather there when our instincts grew too wild, letting the mountain spring wash our bodies, or we would drink or swim in it until the rage subsided. The waters calmed our primal urges.
I shuddered, my wings rustling behind me as I pressed my upper right hand to my temple. "I don't need the falls," I said, my voice dropping to a rasp. "What I need is to make her fully my match."
Lucien stared at me. “How do you suppose you do that? You are the first Mothman to do so.”
I raised my hand to my fangs. “I’ve had a strange urge to bite her—in a specific place between her neck and shoulder when we are mating. It’s getting stronger. I don’t know how much longer I can take it. I have to make her be in control for the feeling to go away.”
Lucien rubbed his jaw. “The shifters claim their mates through biting. Perhaps moths are the same? Does your butt tingle as well when you get this urge to bite her?”
I reared my head back in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“It’s just the shifters say they wag their tails usually when they get the feeling to bite their mates. Does your abdomen area tingle?”
I rubbed my hand up and down my abdomen, feeling the extra fluff there—perhaps from too many hot chocolates. “No, but I do feel my heart beating faster.”
A moth’s heart is usually in the lower abdomen region—one might even say the butt region.
Lucien walked around me, inspecting me. “I see. Maybe it is our heart that gets excited, then. We aren’t just shifter animals—we are held to a higher status.”
I let out an irritated chirp and tilted my head skyward, silently pleading with Night to rid me of this nuisance. "You should go now," I said, my voice tight with restraint. "My match needs me, and I must tell her what is to come."
“And by come, you mean come in her.” He elbowed me in the shoulder, and I snarled.
“Get out!” I pointed to the door.
I slammed the door behind Lucien, making sure to lock it this time.
The last thing I needed was another interruption, especially with this claiming urge growing stronger by the minute.
I leaned against the door, taking a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside me.
My wings fluttered slightly, betraying my nervousness.
I could hear Kassie's muffled voice from the other room, her phone conversation a low murmur.
I pushed off the door, my claws scraping softly on the wooden floor as I made my way towards her.
I needed to see her, to be near her. The pull was too strong to ignore anymore. It was growing by the second.
As I approached, her voice became clearer.
She was talking to someone about coming back to town.
My heart seized at the thought. I wasn't ready to share her yet, not when I was on the verge of claiming her as my own.
I leaned against the doorway, watching her.
She was perched on the edge of the bed, the towel still wrapped around her, her fingers nervously playing with the edge of it.
“Harlow, what do you think I should do?”
She looked up and saw me, a soft smile playing on her lips. I felt a warmth spread through me. I always thought, well, ever since I had a sane thought in my head, I would be alone, but there I was with a female who wanted me back.
At least, I hope she didn’t change her mind, because I can’t let her go. My body, my heart wouldn’t allow it. My butt said so, even.
“He wants me to meet him? In person over dinner? Don’t you find that strange?”
My antennae perked up. A male?
I pushed off the wall, striding into the bedroom. Kassie looked up at me, her eyes wide with surprise and a hint of embarrassment. I gave her a reassuring smile, taking the phone from her hand and hanging it up.
"Atlas, what are you—?"
I cupped her face, my thumbs brushing her cheeks. "You're mine, Kassie," I growled, my voice laced with possessiveness. Her eyes widened, but she didn't pull away.
I couldn’t let her see the true monster. I should have taken Lucien up on his offer and asked him to retrieve the waters of the falls, because knowing a male wanted to take my match to dinner was too much.
I couldn’t have it. I felt like I could destroy this cabin with a few strikes of my claws. Yet I kept my hands gentle enough to cup her sweet face in my hands.
"My soul?” I breathed in heavily to keep my calm. Kassie took in my appearance, and her hands reached up to caress my hands that touched her.
“What's wrong?" she whispered.
“What male do you speak of?”
Kassie bit her lip.
"It's-it's my streaming job," she stammered. "I need to get back to my desk.”
I felt a growl building in my chest.
No. She was mine. She couldn't leave. Not then, not ever. But I could see the worry in her eyes, the tension in her shoulders. It was important to her. I couldn’t stop her from her passions, what she liked to do.
She didn’t understand me yet, not fully.
I took a deep breath, trying to resume control.
"When?" I managed to ask, my voice strained.
"This afternoon," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked down at her phone, her thumb tracing the edge.
My dick was going to fall off by the end of this, I just knew it.
I knelt down in front of her, my wings folded behind me with great effort. I held her hands in mine and pressed them to my mouth. “This must mean a great deal to you, which means it means a lot to me, too. What can I do to help?”
Kassie’s eyes lit up, and her smile grew brighter than all the candles in the room.
My poor dick.