MARLOW
I head back to the room with caution, expecting to run into Rupert in the common area. Fortunately, he’s in the shower.
I use the opportunity to quickly shift back into my human form, use a strong anti-pheromonal deodorant, and put on my own clothes, the ones I’d stuffed beneath the bedspread earlier.
By the time he finishes showering, I’m already sitting calmly in front of the TV.
What should I do?
I could bring it up right now. I could start the conversation about what I saw in that little storage room behind the club. The question is, do I actually want to have that conversation yet?
Or do I want more time to figure out this thing between me and Drax?
Because I can’t deny it, something deep inside me wants to explore it. Part of me finds the whole thing strangely exciting.
Is this just the subtle effect of his pheromones? But they don’t seem to work on me. So what is it?
As I stare at the television, I see a happy couple sitting on the steps of a small white house, surrounded by beds of colorful flowers… and my mind immediately starts pushing back.
What happens if I strip away all the fantasy air surrounding this?
Fenn Drax is a monster.
But he’s kind. Gentle, at least to me. Hungry for closeness and human touch, quite like I am.
Still, it would be hard for him to live among humans.
His pheromones can’t be suppressed. He’ll always affect the people around him, stir desire whether he means to or not. If we somehow ended up involved, would I spend the rest of my life being jealous of everyone who came near him?
Wait.
Wait a second…
What am I even thinking, hello? Involved?
The very idea is absurd. A fairy tale.
Still. There’s something else, too, dammit.
I genuinely like him.
There's this irrational need in me, to be around him, to touch him, to speak to him, to know him. My thoughts return to him constantly.
Sure, he looks like a mutant, but a handsome one! Sexy. So big, so massive…
His face is covered in red markings that spread across his skin like the open jaws of some predator.
When he smiles, his teeth look even less human, packed tightly together, with twin fangs narrower than a normal person’s.
The effect reminds me of something straight out of a comic book, like Venom’s maw.
And yet none of it repels me.
If anything, it feels familiar. Comforting, almost. And for reasons I still can’t explain, incredibly irresistible.
The weird part is that I’ve never had a monster kink.
Erotic comics full of reptilians, aliens, snake people, yeti-men, and all those other creatures that show up in illustrated smut never did anything for me.
But when I look at him, at his massive frame, at the way he moves with an ease that seems impossible for someone his size, like he could spring into motion at any second, it’s mesmerizing.
And when I peek into his eyes, framed by surprisingly long eyelashes, something deep inside me vibrates like a taut string.
I want him.
I want to feel those large purple hands sliding across my skin. I want to feel his teeth against my gland. They'd probably leave a scar unlike anything anyone has ever seen.
And what if he fucked me?
I know he did it with those betas back on Calsing Island.
What was it like? What did he feel?
Did he give them what he gave me? That overwhelming pleasure, that complete loss of self, that moment where everything else disappears?
My chaotic thoughts, however, have to come to an end because I hear the handle creak.
The bathroom door opens, and Rupert walks out.
He freezes when he sees me, clearly not expecting me to be there.
"Marlow? Where have you been?"
"I needed some air. I ran into a funeral procession near Rainbow Spring. The local veterinarian passed away, and one of the people attending asked if I could help with his dog."
"Oh, wow. Right, you're a vet."
He smiles as he drops onto the couch beside me.
"That’s nice, though. A chance to make a little extra money. I kind of feel the same way, which is why I never quit doing reception work for my uncle. Extra cash always comes in handy, right?"
He sounds relaxed, which isn't surprising. After all, just like me, he had an orgasm not that long ago. I could start a fight, I could confront him right now. But suddenly I don't feel like it.
In a normal situation, I would've decided to leave the program today, but I'm past that point now.
I want to stay. And see what happens next.
Rupert stares at the screen. I notice he's holding a small tennis ball in one hand, absently tossing it up and down.
What the fuck? Why a tennis ball of all things?
I find myself staring at it with that strange fascination all small, fast-moving objects seem to trigger in me. Up, down, up, down. My eyes track it automatically.
Suddenly, Rupert turns toward me and blinks.
"Wow. Your eyes. Your pupils are huge."
He's still casually tossing the ball, and eventually I can't take it anymore. I swat at it. The ball flies across the room, bounces off the wall, and comes right back. I snatch it out of the air.
Rupert lets out a goofy little chuckle.
"Oh, you hunted the ball," he says, sounding amused, like I'm some silly kid. "If you want it, keep it. I won it in a raffle at Pedro's birthday party."
Naturally, I take it.
For the next ten minutes, I throw it against the wall obsessively and catch it every time it rebounds. Flawlessly. Every now and then Rupert glances over with a slightly raised eyebrow, apparently entertained by my fixation, but he doesn't comment on it.
Well, everybody has their thing. Some people are into sharing. Others…
Catching just one prey.