Page 68 of Below the Shadow of the City

After turning a few quick corners we’re right before my apartment building. The street is empty, and it’s dark enough that he won’t be seen.

“I need a change of clothes,” I state. “Come inside with me?”

We both know once he’s in my apartment he isn’t leaving. Like a lost puppy he follows me into my room as I peel off each layer of rain dampened clothing. Once I’m just in my bra and underwear two paws grab my waist and pull me onto the bed. I squirm atop Maddox, writhing against his damp sweatshirt.

“Not fair,” I pant. “You’re still clothed.” In a comical manner, he swiftly shoves me off of him and quickly begins stripping. He then throws himself onto my bed and stretches himself out like a cat would. I climb back atop him, not even caring that his fur is damp.

“You’re gonna rip my sheets apart,” I look behind me at his clawed feet digging into my clearance bedspread.

“I’ll replace them, what do you want, Egyptian cotton? Silk? Tears of your enemies?” Each suggestion of material earns a hot peck along my neck. “Whatever you want, Sigrid, as long as I get to do whatever I want to these sheets.” He plants more kisses along my neck.

“You’re a bastard,” I snort.

“A bastard you invited into your apartment, last I checked.”

When Maddox threatened to do whatever he wanted to my sheets, he certainly meant it. Coordinating sex in my full sized bed was quite the ordeal. It’s significantly smaller than his and our bodies are far closer than they are when I stay over at his place. But honestly? The closer proximity just made everything that much hotter.

We lay silently beside one another in my bed, both completely blissed out and soaking in the presence of the other. Given the lack of space, he chose not to knot me. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it. My hand wanders and rests atop his abdomen. His rippling muscles lay just beneath a layer of thick fur. I trail my fingers over it back and forth in a rhythmic fashion. It’s self soothing, the repetitive motions whirring the gears in my brain and remind me “he’s here, he’s not leaving.” He purrs and hums at the feeling.

Maddox turns onto his side and wraps himself around me, I stop at his movement, disappointed it had to end. “Don’t stop,” he mumbles as he pulls me closer. My hand rests on him again, this time his back, and the motion picks up again. In kind, he lightly grazes his claws over the thin cotton of my sleep shirt. The feeling sends chills down my spine and I shudder. He huffs out a few times in a sleepy laugh.

Something thumps against my leg as it tangles with his. Maddox’s tail has seemed to take on a mind of its own and twitches and pats the bed and my calf. He lets out a long sigh, relief settles through every one of his muscles.

Sunlight streams through my bedroom windows, only partially obstructed by the building next to mine. I stretch and feel a very solid, very furry chest next to me. Fuck.

Last night we’d been laughing and running through rainy alleyways together, of course neither of us wanted to trek all the way back to his apartment in the midst of that.

My mouth is drier than the Sahara and a steady pounding bangs against my temples. He and I had to stop living like two people who are young and have the stamina to stay up late and fuck like we did last night. I can’t handle sleepless nights at twenty eight the same way I could at eighteen. And from the slight aching between my legs I can’t handle that kind of sex multiple times in a single night.

He stirs a bit, still sound asleep. I can’t wake him. There’d be no point now, it’s light enough out that people in my building would be moving about, and he is incredibly difficult to move without making a scene.

One of his arms is crookedly laid across the top of my pillows. He started his night curled up into a tight ball and wound up splaying out throughout his slumber. There’s an open spot now directly up against his chest, and I gleefully insert myself into it.

He grunts a little at the presence of my body against his, then lowers his arm until it wraps around me. I drape my own arm across his chest and burrow myself into his side.

The dull headache and creeping nausea are keeping me from falling back asleep, so I watch him. I realize this is the first time I’ve seen him in true sunlight. His realm has a wonderful artificial lighting system, it just lacks the subtleties and nuances of the natural sun.

This entire time I’d assumed his fur was a solid deep brown, and now I notice a current of a red undertone to it. It’s a sweet flash of warmth over his entire body, like little flames within are hiding under that thick coat of his. Absentmindedly, my fingers stroke the fur on his ribcage. That purring noise radiates from his chest and vibrates against me. I glance up at his face and notice a lazy smile has spread across it. It’s a bold assumption to believe that I’m the one making him smile like that in his sleep, but with Maddox I don’t have a singular question about it.

My nausea finally quelled and I’d settled back into sleep for a few more moments when a loud groan wakes me up again. Maddox’s arms loop around me and tighten as they flex and stretch. I all but vanish beneath his fur and muscles. I push his floppy forearm off my face.

“We’ve fucked up here, huh,” a groggy voice whispers in my ear. My core slowly heats.

“It seems like you might be trapped for the day,” I turn and face him. “Unless you think you might want to make a run for it?”

“If I have to choose between sneaking down to the grimy basement in broad daylight or spending the day here with you, there’s really no contest as to what I’m gonna pick.” He stretches again across my mattress, narrowly missing punching me in the face in the process. I duck away from his flailing limbs and he pulls me back in with a gruff laugh.

“How do orange ginger scones and maple sausage and eggs sound as an apology?”

“Just when I thought I couldn’t be any more in love with you,” he moans contentedly, “but I want an appetizer.” His eyes narrow into something feral and wild.

I pretend to fight him flipping me over and relent all too quickly. Maddox spreads my legs with a haste that wouldn’t lead you to believe he’d been asleep a few moments ago. Wearing only an oversized t-shirt makes for incredibly easy access. He pushes the cotton up to my breasts and kisses the bare skin of my stomach. His scent mixes with the smell of my detergent lingering on my sheets. Each of his kisses sends stars to my eyes, his lips are soft and spread so perfectly across my skin. They’re supple, and warm, and contrast beautifully with the sharp fangs lingering behind them, the fangs that just barely graze my pores.

He moves down to my thighs, hoisting each of my calves over his shoulders as he continues sucking and kissing. My name slips out of him in needy moans, muffled as he presses his muzzle against my skin. The hum of his voice vibrates against me, and I feel my core heating and opening for him.

A long lap from a rough tongue spreads me open and I push my hips off the bed to press myself into his mouth. His fingers grip into my thighs, each of his claws press into divots of my skin that have already been claimed as his own.

I grind into him, urging his tongue deeper and deeper into me, begging him to practically devour me.