Chapter 37 Monroe
MONROE
Iwake up with my glasses askew and a line of drool clinging to my pillow. There’s no pattering of rain, but the gentle aroma of vanilla musk and cedar curls around me. I bury my face in my pillow and inhale, then use it to wipe my chin and readjust my frames.
The room is unfamiliar, yet cozy, like how I’d imagine a fairy tale cottage.
The walls are draped with greenery and hanging wisteria in shades of periwinkles, purples, pinks, and cream.
I cover my eyes with my forearm, glancing up at the circular window embedded in the ceiling.
Sunlight beams down, so bright it’s nearly blinding.
Briar got us back. Relief washes through me, though it’s short-lived when the memory of grinding against his fingers smacks into me a moment later.
“You have no idea how much I want with you, Monroe.”
I squeeze my thighs together, rubbing them against each other and the towel-like sheet covering the mattress beneath me. Layers of plush blankets engulf me, keeping my naked body warm and filling the space with Briar’s scent.
Where is he?
I shift to my elbows. A curved table surrounds half of the bed’s perimeter, and set atop it are a variety of toys, an empty flowerpot with a button at its base, and a large glass of water with a full pitcher beside it. I reach for a glass, taking a long, slow sip.
I scan over the toys and my eyes widen. Some are very familiar.
I’m not sure whether I’m relieved to learn where the items from my nightstand went or mortified seeing them all spread before me.
Beside my trusty flower-shaped vibrator are a few other smaller pocket vibes and my favorite sparkly pink glass dildo.
It’s dwarfed by the addition of a thick white phallus with veins and subtle flourish marks.
I sit upright and zip my thighs tighter, all too aware of the throbbing between them.
The other side of the bed drops to a cushioned stair where a machine is set, numbers and lines moving up and down.
An IV hangs there, its coiling tube trailing over my arm.
I blink at the tube piercing me, clench and unclench my fist, then drag my attention up to the shaded leaves inked across my skin.
They hang from delicate stems, curling around my shoulder and upper arm, and continuing above my collarbone.
Eventually, they disappear into the thick peony petals of my mate mark.
I trace the small leaves with my fingernail, and warmth spreads from my chest. Something about the visible recognition of all the work I put in during my spring in the Netherlands fills me with pride. My first flourish mark.
A panel shifts, startling me, and a woman with a bright-violet bun enters, carrying a clipboard. There’s a name tag with credentials pinned to her scrubs: Zelda, Solstice Liaison – Trainee.
She smiles at me, then checks over the machine, jotting down some notes. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I croak, taking another sip of water and setting the glass down on the bedside table. “How long have I been here?”
“About a day.” She removes the IV and holds a hand over where it just was embedded in my flesh.
A soft beam of light warms my skin as the bead of blood is reabsorbed and the small puncture closes.
“You won’t need this anymore. They wanted to make sure to adequately hydrate you and get some herbs into your system to counteract the effects of your seasonal sickness. ”
“If the seasonal sickness is gone, shouldn’t I be back to normal?” I ask, shaking out my arm. While the dizziness and exhaustion has subsided, my hands are still cracked and dry, throat parched along with a different thirst. Something that can’t be quenched with another two glasses of water.
I rub my legs together, and they slide, slick with a surplus of wetness. Widening my knees, I lift the blanket, my attention snapping to the damp splotch on the terrycloth sheet. “What the hell?”
Zelda winces and gives a polite dip of her head toward her clipboard.
“While the healer tended to your seasonal sickness, we were unable to give you the inhibitors you’d requested since it was already mid-solstice and you’d started your symptoms before you were brought here.
” She gestures at the table. “We’ve stocked the room with everything you requested. ”
My stare lands on the tapered butt plugs in an assortment of sizes, each base a large, bedazzled flower. “I don’t remember requesting those.”
She flips the paper in front of her and shrugs. “Oops. Guess that was a happy little accident.”
I withhold my retort and instead point at the pink pot with a button next to the sparkly butt stuff. “What’s that?”
“A speaker.” She attaches her pen to the clipboard. “If you’d like to listen to music or a handpicked selection of erotica.”
“Handpicked by whom?” I gnaw at my bottom lip.
“We’ve curated a library based on your questionnaire.
” It feels like half an answer, but she forges on, pointing to the arrow buttons.
“Use those to filter through. There are about thirty to choose from, but if nothing strikes your fancy, press the call button and you can make a more specific request. We aim to meet everyone’s tastes and comfort level here at the Center. ”
I swallow thickly and draw my knees to my chest. I’m trying to absorb all the information, but the desire is nearly unbearable.
Every instinct is telling me to send Zelda away and enjoy the fuck it buffet sprawled around this enchanting room.
My hips shift to ease the discomfort without being inappropriate.
I don’t know what I would do if the Center wasn’t here.
Probably be out in The Nestling Fields, begging any Bloom in the vicinity to scratch this very persistent itch.
I now understand the warnings everyone was giving me about solstice.
“Where’s Briar? Is he okay?” He wasn’t as bad off as me, but he risked his own health and safety to get to me.
“Radix Briar is in the next room.” Zelda watches me warily. She flips through the clipboard again, muttering to herself.
A vision swirls in my mind. My knees parted. Lavender irises painted with lust. Rough lips kissing up my throat. Soaked briefs. Quivering bodies. The towel dampens beneath me, and I blow out a shaky breath. “Can I see him?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.” Zelda frowns, skimming over her clipboard and tapping it a few times. “You requested no outside assistance on your questionnaire. However, I assure you great care was taken to ensure you have everything you need.”
I stare at my toys, lifting a hand up as Zelda tries to skirt out of the room. “Did he bring these?”
She glances at the tabletop selection and nods. “He dropped them off after you came by the Center.”
My eyes go wide. “Before I went into rejuvenation?”
“Around then.”
“Why would he do that?”
She’s silent a moment, scrunching her mouth. “Radix Briar has volunteered here most solstices since reaching adulthood. He knows how hard it can be on a newly mated Bloom, especially when they’ve rejected the bond.”
He volunteers here? What did he do? Provide outside assistance? Heat radiates in my sternum and a growl vibrates up my throat. I sputter a cough, stifling it, grimacing at the woman who’s only trying to help me despite the harshness of her final words.
Rejected the bond.
But there really isn’t a better way to describe it, is there? I didn’t want a mate, hid it from everyone, and hoped it would go away. It didn’t. And now my choice to stay in the mortal realm has made it impossible to ignore.
“I better leave you to it.” Zelda gestures to the machine. “There’s a call button if you need anything.”
“How long will this last?” I ask as the panel slides open.
Zelda halts in the doorway. “A day or two.” The panel shuts behind her.
“We’ll bring by meals every four hours and there’s a fridge stocked with food and water as well as snacks.
” She points to the corner where a small white fridge sits with a basket atop it.
Next to it sits what looks like a freezer with a wide tube that goes up to the ceiling, slightly camouflaged by the wisteria wall.
I stare as something slides through the tubing, depositing into the mystery ice box.
“What’s that?” I ask, a bit breathless.
“Erhm…lock-activating serum. You know, to help you with your—” She gets flustered and gestures toward the line of toys.
“Solstice needs?” I offer.
“Yes! Exactly.” She sighs, relieved she doesn’t have to explain further.
Guess I’ll just investigate once she’s gone.
“Everything in here is for your use. To help you get through your solstice. But don’t worry, this is a private and soundproof corridor.
” The way she titters over the word soundproof spreads heat across my collarbone.
“If you need anything, use the button. Myself or my supervisor will be in to assist.”
No one else around here aside from me and Briar.
“What if I need to speak with the Radix?” I keep my tone as even as possible despite the bond and its desire warring within me to kick her out and take myself to pleasuretown.
Her brow furrows at the clipboard. “You opted on your form for no contact.”
“I also opted for inhibitors”—I shrug—“but here we are.”
Zelda’s lips press into a firm line and her attention shifts to the wall in front of me. She flips through a few more papers on her clipboard.
“To speak with him…” She walks over to the corner and points to a long vine hanging halfway down from the ceiling.
“You’ll need to pull this to deactivate the privacy glamour.
While we understand your needs may change, the barrier itself is unable to be removed to ensure we honor your request for seclusion prior to solstice. ”
“Thank you,” I say. My cheeks flame, considering I’ve already broken my no-Briar-shenanigans rule.
“Of course. And please make sure to fill out the feedback card on your way out.” She smiles, presses the button beside the dangling vine, and then exits.
The moment she’s gone and I’m alone in silence, the aching desperation building between my legs amplifies.
I toss the blankets off me and sit on my knees, inspecting the toys.
Something black and shiny pulls my attention from the hook on the wall.
I spring out of bed and grab it, burying my nose in the leather.
Even though being naked feels better, I can’t help but drape the jacket over my shoulders when I climb back onto the mattress.
Reaching for my flower-shaped vibrator, I pick it up, flipping it on. It buzzes against my palm and I feel it everywhere. The promise of relieving the aching pressure in my pelvis is all I can think about.
I lean back on the edge of the circular bed and spread my knees wide. While I could tease and torment, I don’t. I go right to the source. The vibrator whirs with steady sucks, drawing my pleasure to its pinnacle in less than a minute.
My brows lift. “That was easy enough.”
I’d built it up in my mind from the pamphlet that I’d become some mindless, needy sex beast. Satisfied by my impressive self-control, I head to the fridge and grab some macarons, popping one into my mouth and holding another two in my palm.
Thunk.
Something drops into the ice chest, and I squint, trying to see what it looks like through the base of the tube.
Kneeling down, I open the door, spotting a series of opalescent bulbs that are capped at the top.
I nibble my bottom lip. Popping one macaron and then another, I reach in and take a bulb out, turning it over.
A shimmering liquid snakes down the sides. I twist off the lid and lean closer. My brows furrow. It smells…sweet?
Dipping my finger inside, I swipe some and rub it between my pointer finger and thumb. My pelvis shifts, body clenching on air. The need to be filled and clamped around something thick and hard…
Shit.
Guess I spoke too soon on solstice being easy to manage. Right now it feels more like an insurmountable level of horniness I won’t overcome.
Actually, overcoming sounds like the perfect plan.
I hurry back to the bed and scan the rest of the toys on the tabletop. When I get to the thick white dildo, I pick it up and inspect it closer. The moment my hand encircles the shaft, I groan, eyes drawing skyward. My hips thrust with abandon, and I drop the dildo onto the bed.
“What the fuck?” I stare at the seemingly innocuous dick, hips still pulsing. It looks like it would feel so fucking good. After the initial stretch of getting something that size inside me, that is. And for some reason, the thought fills me with glee despite its girth.
Grabbing the base, I sit back and don’t even manage to slide it between my legs before an orgasm punches into me with a force that could rip me apart.
And I want it to.
Stars burst in my vision, endorphins rushing my veins. My back arches and—
Holy shit.
Sucking in a breath, I flip to my side. I hug my arms around myself, rocking through the ecstasy, realization sinking in as I steady my breaths.
This isn’t me.
I mean, my body feels it. Every sensation is real. But the orgasm that just bulldozed my composure—I’m certain it belongs to him. I exhale slowly, grateful for a reprieve of his post-climax comedown.
Crawling across the floor, my knees sting, but I ignore it and reach up for the hanging vine with both hands, tugging it down to my chest. In a flash, the wall covering evaporates.
There’s only a thin pane of glass between myself and the hunched-over harbinger with his hand pressed against it from the other side.
A few of his prints are smeared along the glass and his chest heaves. I lick my parched lips. Rose-covered knuckles come in and out of focus as he fists his thick sage cock in heady strokes. And when Briar lifts his chin, his eyes meet mine, and we both freeze.
Caught.