Page 18 of Love & Monsters
When my shaking subsided, my legs gave out, and I slipped off Vadric’s lap. I sank against the wall of the tub on the opposite side of him again, trying to bring by breath under control once more. He still wrapped his tail around my ankle and my heart fluttered, feeling it flick against my calf.
A soft snarl came from Vadric, and I peeked up at him. He was leaning back against the other side of the tub with his face in one of his hands, breathing hard and slow. Under the calm water, I could clearly see he was still erect.
“Do you want—”
“You should go eat,” Vadric interrupted without looking at me. He kept his eyes covered with his hand, and his head turned to the side. I felt his tail slide away from my leg under the water as he withdrew from me.
Anxiety pooled in my chest. I felt like I did something wrong, even though I thought he’d been enjoying it, too. Swallowing those feelings down, I rose from the water, immediately shivering from the chilly air.
He didn’t look up as I put the dress on and scurried back to the livable corner of the dungeon. I didn’t know what to think about that interaction.
Eleven
It was more of that hearty stew waiting for me. I ate a bowl full, sitting alone. Every so often I would glance at the second bowl going cold on the table in Vadric’s absence. I thought I heard a movement across the dungeon several times, but he didn’t appear while I stuffed my face.
Not until I was lying on my stomach picking at the cuticles on my nails did he emerge from the shadows, like a phantom come to haunt me. A monster coming out of the dark. Though strangely enough, I wasn’t completely afraid of him anymore.
Maybe it was because of the orgasms, and those were addling my brain. I should be terrified of him. The very sight of him approaching should send me screaming. Falling through that portal messed with my brain, I thought.
There were too many thoughts in my head again when I saw him. I thought that there was something between us, even if it was merely the weirdest sexual chemistry that ever existed. That was still something. But with his reaction, I simply didn’t know.
In the tub when I had been on the verge of offering to help him climax, Vadric sent me away. He wouldn’t even look at me. Did he regret what happened? Should I have felt regret? I didn’t, and that scared me more than the fact that Vadric was a monster.
I gnawed on the inside of my cheek, keeping my eyes on my nails as he picked up the remaining bowl of stew. It was cold by now, but he sat on the stool without talking and dug in.
As badly as I wanted to speak or look at him, I couldn’t do it. Not without knowing what he was thinking. Instead, I remained quiet, occasionally allowing my eyes to drift in his direction. His tail flicked behind the stool, and it made me think of an agitated cat.
An agitated big blue cat with horns…
Vadric wasn’t talking. So, neither did I. He didn’t know that I was great at the silent treatment. If there was a competition for it, I’d have the first-place prize. That didn’t mean spending hours in silence wasn’t agony, but I was more stubborn than I’d ever admit.
When the temperature dropped, signaling that it was night in this world, I curled up in the bed, wrapping myself in the blanket. Vadric stayed on the stool, where he’d sat like a statue for hours. Brooding, exactly like an agitated big cat.
Some time passed, and despite the rising cold, my mind drifted off. My thoughts were somewhere between lucid and dreams when the bed dipped behind me. Perhaps he thought I was already asleep and noticed my slight shivers, because he wrapped an arm around me and swiftly tugged my back against his chest.
I tried to pretend I was asleep. I really, really did. But a hitch escaped my breath when he tugged me into his solid chest and my body tensed. Vadric stopped moving, freezing behind me as though he was reconsidering.
However, I didn’t want him to change his mind and take back his warmth. Silent treatment or not, I needed his body heat. So, I let go of my tension and snuggled my body back into his.
Then my eyes widened in the dark when, even through the thick furs and our clothes, I felt the hardness of his erection against my backside. I couldn’t mistake the feeling of his shaft for anything else with how extensive it was.
Even hours after our bath together, and a peculiar silent treatment, he was rock hard while holding me. Something throbbed between my thighs as I thought about the outline of his cock on my lower back. Despite it being about the side of my entire forearm, I couldn’t stop myself from imaging what it would feel like to have him inside of me.
If he was as skilled with his cock as he was with his tongue… I needed to stop having these thoughts before I lost my mind.
And yet… I adjusted. Just a little, just enough, to wiggle my ass against his cock. A classic move while spooning, and I didn’t see why it wouldn’t work on a demon if it worked on humans.
I heard Vadric inhale, though he tried to keep it quiet. When he didn’t move, I adjusted again. Slower, with more purpose this time. The more I rubbed my ass on his cock, the more that throbbing in my pussy came to life.
“Mina, I know you’re awake,” he growled softly, bending to whisper it against the back of my ear. The sudden wave of heat from his breath fanning my neck and shoulder made me shudder.
I slipped my arm free of the blanket and placed my hand on the outline of his shaft behind me. Vadric hissed, but I felt his cock jerk under the layer of leather.
“I am.” That was all I said as I gingerly caressed my hand over his length.
“What are you doing?” His tone was lower now, I noticed. I felt triumphant when he rolled his hips and pushed his dick against my hand.
“You didn’t finish earlier, but I did. I want to help you, Vadric.” I was glad that I wasn’t facing him. That was embarrassing to say out loud.
