It cocked its head at her words, examining her in a feline manner as she begged the beast not to come any closer. But it didn’t stop. Didn’t relent its violent pursuit. Her heart raced so fast she thought it would beat out of her chest. As it came closer, she saw his eyes within the skull. They looked so much like his. Was he still in there? It had to be worth a try.
“Felix, you don’t want to do this,”she begged him.
“Oh, but little witch, I have been waiting to ravage you since the moment I saw you,”he said before turning his nose to the sky and inhaling.“I can smell you, smell how much my mate wants this.”
The wordmatereverberated around her mind. No time to unpack that. On instinct, she pressed herself as far as she couldinto the wall and bit into her tongue hard enough that she tasted blood.
Tendrils of shadow grabbed her ankles and wrists, hauling her into the air. All the air left her lungs as her body hung suspended. The tendrils pulled so fiercely she half-expected her limbs to rip loose. They hoisted her higher until she met its eyes, glowing hazel and green.
“Going somewhere?”The words carved into her mind. Her breath caught; even if she wanted to scream, she couldn’t. The tendrils tightened and loosened like a living vise around her. A whimper escaped her lips, sending a wave of pleasure through the bond, not hers, she realized with horror. It was the monster reveling in her fear.
It spoke again.“My mate’s blood tastes delicious.”The voice sent shivers down her spine. Heat bloomed deep in her belly, and she hated herself for it, hated her body for responding to fear like this. Blood roared in her ears, the rational and completely sane part of her screamingrun, run, run. But there was nowhere to go. She wanted to look away, but her body didn’t let her, eyes rooted to the undulating shadows. More tendrils emerged from the creature, extensions of pure darkness racing toward her.
Avery started to babble. “Felix, what are you doing?”
“Enough words, little witch.”
The protest died as a tendril shot into her mouth, snapping her head back. She screamed against it, the sound muffled by the wriggling darkness in her throat. She gagged, choking on them, even as her pussy clenched. The more she fought, the more he hungered.
He jerked her head upright, forcing her to watch as tendrils snaked around her legs, arms, and stomach, soft yet solid, pulling a moan from her that only made them tighten more. The monster’s pleasure collided with her fear, a foreign sensationthat made her want to flee and lean in at once. Another burst of heat sparked under her skin. One tendril slid under her dress, coiling around her ribs, the others starting to play with her taut nipples, the piercing vibrating quicker. She rolled her eyes back at the feeling of it. It shouldn’t feel this good. A possessive squeeze brought her back to reality as she choked on the invader in her throat.
A purr ripped through him, and his grip tightened.“Look at you, such an innocent witch. Yet you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
She shook her head frantically.Liar, her body said, slick and aching. The tendril beneath her ribs teased until, without warning, itripped. Fabric tore, her dress falling apart in tatters. Cold air lashed her exposed skin, raising goose bumps. Her nipples tightened painfully as shadows wrenched her arms wider, displaying her bare chest, pulling an involuntary moan from her lips. The exposure made her want to curl into herself, to hide, but the shadows held her spread and vulnerable.
Its purr shook the maze, a deranged sound.“I wonder if you’re wet for me, little witch. Wet for a monster.”
Avery shook her head defiantly, refusing to acknowledge the dampness between her thighs. It was wrong, but she wantedmore.
Another tendril slipped beneath the shreds of her dress. She bucked against her restraints, trying to press into it, her sanity out the window as lust clouded her vision. A dark laugh resounded through her head as a tendril hooked her underwear, shredding it with a single pull. Leaving her exposed to the night. To Felix. Toit.
She clenched her thighs, too late. Air kissed her glistening flesh, the moonlight betraying her arousal.
The monster went still. Then it laughed.“Oh?”A tendril traced her inner thigh, slow and hungry.“You little liar.”
A shadow paused just shy of where she throbbed.“Is this why you stopped running? Because your cunt aches for this?”it said.
The tendril ripped from her throat, trailing spit. She thrashed, but shadows held her spread and vulnerable. “Fuck you,” she choked out.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”The tendril dragged upward, collecting her wetness and hovering threateningly close. A moan tore from her. The tendril rose, poised before her lips with her own slick.“Open up, witch.”
Defiant, she twisted away. Another tendril fisted her hair, holding her still as it forced itself back into her mouth.“Taste yourself. Taste the monster your cunt is dripping for.”
Goose bumps pebbled her skin as it fucked her throat. She gagged, the sound feeding the gluttonous monster before her.
A warm tendril curled around her piercing, squeezing just shy of pain. Its hot tip flicked her nipple until her back arched. A broken noise escaped her, half protest, half plea. Heat burned through her, and she couldn’t tell where her desire ended and his began.
“You hate this, don’t you?”His laugh ripped another shiver from her. The voice alone threatened to unravel her. More shadows embraced her: one squeezed her throat, another wrenched her thighs apart, calves pressed to the back of her legs. Shadows vibrated near her sensitive bundle of nerves, teasing her pussy.
Closer, she thought wildly. The monster snarled its approval. She wanted his touch. Almost said please. She bit her tongue bloody to keep from begging, a metallic taste filling her mouth.
Her blood. Avery’s eyes snapped open. No, she wouldn’t let the monster take control of her. Not now. Not here. Whenshe fucked Felix, it would be because the man in him was begging forher. And she was going to be the one to bring this cat to its knees. She knew he was in there. He had to be.
Tasting the blood on her tongue, she imagined pushing back against the bond, taking control of the shadows. For just a moment, they hesitated. But it was enough. Enough to prove that she could.
Avery pushed her magic into the bond again, this time putting everything she had behind it. It slammed into Felix, again and again. The cat skull gnashed and fought against the invisible predator. Her limbs threatened to give out, to fold under the weight of it. The monster was powerful, but so was she. And it was time that she fucking believed that.
One. Last. Push.
