Page 161 of Monsters in Love

With that last fantasy, he erupted, ropes of cum jettisoning against his chiton as she quivered and moaned, the scrap of material covering her sex soaked as she cried out. His body shook against her as he held her in place, his eyes languidly drifting shut as his cock pulsed against her mound.

His female’s body shuddered against him as she came down from her own release, panting all the while. She lay still beside him, surrounded by his much larger body curling around hers, as if in shock.

“What did we… I can’t believe we just did that,” Vicky finally whispered hoarsely, her voice a bit patchy from all her sweet cries that had filled the air just moments before. “I thought I was dreaming again and then…” her voice trailed off in an embarrassed silence.

“If that was dreaming, then I never wish to wake,” he replied, shuffling closer as he banded one large arm around her middle.

To his dismay, she twisted in his arms to give him a baleful look. His eyes closed as he settled down more comfortably, his interest turning toward getting more sleep cuddled against his female. Tiny fingers twisted his nipple, startling him while sending a fresh white wave of heat into his groin.

“That’s not funny, Asterion. This is really awkward. I mean, there is a difference waking up with a bit of a…reaction, but what we did…”

He opened an eye and tipped his head to look down at her. “What we did was natural for two healthy adult beings who lay in bed together night after night to do,” he interrupted. “There is no reason to be embarrassed, unless it disgusts you that much.”

His stomach turned, sickening him. It was entirely possible that she regretted her responses if being intimate with him disgusted her that much.

Vicky’s pointed little elbow jabbed him the gut, surprising a chuckle from him as she wiggled about until she was facing him, her dark brows drawn low over her expressive human face. Though her cheeks were still a deep pink from her blush, her brown eyes were filled with concern.

“Why would that be the first thing to come to your mind? That’s not it at all.”

He snorted doubtfully. “Is it not?” He swept a hand toward his body. “Is this a form that would stir desire in humans?”

Her eyes drifted over his chest and abs, her bottom lip captured between her teeth. “That would depend on who you ask. In my world, there are all manner of strange beings now that we live alongside, and while many settlements are very isolationist and keep to their own, pairings between humans and non-humans aren’t unheard of. I’ve even seen a few cross-species couples in passing, and they seemed quite happy despite likely being whispered about everywhere they go.”

“People see it as unnatural,” he remarked, cutting directly to the heart of the matter.

Her wince was telling, but she sighed, her fingers stroking over the fuzz of his pelt on his chest. That gentle touch worked its magic, easing some of the tension from him.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily even that. I think people are afraid of change and what the mingling of species means for our world. It is no longerourworld, you know? And that terrifies people because in the back of our minds we all know that humanity can disappear as quickly as our world did, and no one would miss us. We would just be historical curiosities that would only continue on through hybrid bloodlines.”

He stroked his hand through her hair, admiring the way it slipped through his fingers. “I would miss you,” he said honestly, opening himself up just a little emotionally to reassure her even as he readied himself to be rebuked.

To his surprise, her gaze softened and she leaned her cheek into his touch. The corners of her lips lifted. “Despite how we met, I believe I would miss you too,” she replied.

Hiding his delight at her admission, he yawned widely and rolled onto his back to scratch an itch on his chest. He did not know what crazy impulse drove him from there, but without thought, he snaked out an arm to drag his female onto his chest. Her shriek of surprise and girlish giggle made him grin as he hugged her tightly against him and burrowed his nose in her hair.

Vicky snorted with amusement and shoved at his muzzle. “Come on. We’re obviously up now.”

He groaned and moved to reinforce his hold of her with his other arm only for the tiny female to slip from between his grasp with a chortle. Thwarted, Asterion opened a bleary eye and watched with interest as his female stood and pulled on the leg coverings that she called pants. He admired them, wishing that there had been such a thing in his culture. Although they would be difficult to pull on over his legs, not to mention working his tail through, having a bit more protection around his sensitive parts would have been nice. But, as much as he admired them, he preferred her without them, especially at that moment.

Peering over her shoulder, her face once again a delightful shade of pink, Vicky gave him a dirty look.

“Come on, lazy, get up. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

He narrowed his eyes, his need stirring again in response. “If you are hungering, then it is better to remain exactly where we are.”

Laughing, she danced out of his reach and shook her head. “I think that hunger is satisfied well enough.”

“Is it?” His head cocked as he regarded her speculatively. “It hardly seemed more than a taste to me that barely eases the ache.”

The color in her cheeks darkened. “I’m not even one hundred percent sure we should even be doing that much when we really don’t know what this is between us. For all we know, it could be… what’s it called… Stockham… no, fuck, I remember hearing about this… Stockholm Syndrome.”

Asterion scowled. That did not sound like anything good. “What is that, then?”

“It’s a fancy term some psychiatrist came up with a long time ago to explain why people get attached to their captor.”

Immediately, he bristled and pushed up into a seated position. “You still see me as your captor?”

She waved a frustrated hand. “Of course not, but that could also be part of the syndrome. I mean, you’re a captive too. You have been for centuries! Maybe we’re both experiencing it. I’m honestly not sure if that is how it works, but it could.” At his deepening frown, she sighed, sinking onto the edge of the sleeping platform beside him. “The truth is that we don’t know if what we are feeling is real, and if we ever get out of here… what if we realize that it isn’t? What if we end up regretting anything that we did here?”

---