“When I was eight, a witch killed my father as he slept.”
The breath rushed from her lungs.
He swallowed before he continued, like he was trying to push it down far enough down that it couldn’t hurt him anymore. “So I ran to his room, but by the time I got there, it was already over.”
An unfamiliar feeling tore through her. A vicious urge to rip apart the witch that had done this to him. To his father. This time she couldn’t blame it on Felix; it was her own rage. And when a single tear slipped from his eye. That small drop of water was large enough to crack open something she had repressed for so long. If the witch was still alive, they were dead.
Felix cleared his throat, blinking back another tear. “At that time, I still couldn’t shift at will. I couldn’t protect him.”
“You were a child,” Avery said.
“I know. My father hadn’t even gone cold before—” He took another deep breath. “She grabbed my throat with both hands. Squeezed. Like I was an insect. Maybe she thought she’d killed me. Maybe she just didn’t care. Either way, she left me there on the floor next to my father’s body.”
Avery opened her mouth to say something, but the words didn’t come. What could she possibly say? There was nothing that would make this okay. Nothing that would undo what her people had done to him.
“I’m not telling you so you’ll feel sorry for me.” His eyes snapped to her, still fierce and defensive after all this time, still so afraid of being pitied that he’d rather be hated. “I’m telling you because you put your hand near my throat and I?—”
He didn’t finish.
Avery stood there and watched him in the starlight. He wasn’t a monster. Just a boy who’d watched his father die. The real monster was the witch who’d murdered a man in his sleep and then choked a child for the crime of existing.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” was all Avery could say. The only thing she knew for certain.
As quick as a switch, his face softened. “You couldn’t if you tried.”
There he was, back to being an asshole.
“I take it back,” she said, fake lunging forward. But he caught her wrist mid-motion and pulled, dragging her forward until their knees touched. Felix closed his eyes, took her hand, and placed it gently on his neck. A shaky exhale left him as her palm stretched out across it, his pulse fluttering underneath her touch. She moved slowly, just in case she spooked him. At first, she only moved a thumb across his neck. He didn’t stop her. Then, using her fingers, she traced the line of his jaw. Then, the lines of his face, committing them to memory as if they would disappear. Soon, they would. She worked her fingers into his hair, running her hand through his soft, inky waves and then to the base of his cat ears.
“Is this okay?” she asked.
“Mmhmm.” He shivered, and when his eyes opened, they were dark, pupils blown wide, darkness sweltering through them.
His hands found her thigh, and he pulled her forward until she was straddling him. The length of him was already hard, pressing against the thin fabric between them. Felix moved his fingers achingly slow, tracing her edges before undoing the buttons of her blouse. “Is this okay?” he asked, mirroring her question from before. Already caught in a daze, she nodded, throat too tight for words.
He pulled the blouse off her shoulders, letting it fall behind them. Then her bralette. Then her skirt. He ran his hands, his real hands, all over her body. He left a burning path, tattooing her skin with his touch, feeling every divot and crevice.
“Please,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “Pleasekiss me.”
It was so gentle that it almost broke her. He’d told her once he’d never say please to a witch. And here he was, beggingherto kiss him. It wasn’t even a question; she indulged him, their mouths devouring each other as if they were stars colliding. Her heart beat against her ribs, so dangerously close to exploding.
The sound made something in him snap. Her panties didn’t stand a chance; he tore through the fabric like it was paper, adding another pair to the growing count of underwear he’d destroyed. She didn’t mind, as the pleasure was always worth it. His shadow clothing fell away like smoke, leaving him as bare as her, the last barrier removed between them as she pressed herself against him. Never in her life had something felt so right. That every inch of skin and muscle and bone was born to intertwine with hers. How had she ever thought they weren’t meant for this? Her body knew his like they’d been made to fit together.
Out of breath, she placed her hand against his chest, pushing him back for just a moment to see this beautiful creature in all his glory.
His cock twitched under her attention, and?—
She froze.
Holy shit, his cock wasbarbed.
The shaft looked normal enough, thick, veins visible along its length. How had she not seen this before? Likely far too distracted by his other talents. But when he pulled the skin back, it revealed another layer beneath it with small barbs.
A soft laugh made her look back at him, her mouth slightly agape. Felix cocked his head, studying her, clearly entertained.
“Will it hurt?” she asked.
“Only if you want me to hurt you.” His smile turned feral. “But no, it will only enhance your pleasure.”
