“Mm, I’m a bit rumpled is what I am,” I murmured, heat rising to my cheeks.
“Perfect,” they insisted, and the emphasis filled me with warmth. “And all mine.”
“Is that a hint you want to start chastity again?” I asked, shifting on the mattress. My cock ached at the thought. “Because I wouldn’t be opposed.”
Ursuline’s eyes danced with wickedness. “Tonight, I’m going to fuck you until you’re screaming, make you come so many times you forget your name. And after that, I’ll lock up your pretty cock.”
Flames rushed through me in a fast, fierce torrent. “Please.”
“But we’ve got something important to do first,” they said, their voice growing serious. My chest sank. I knew what awaitedus, and while it was necessary, that didn’t mean the nerves hadn’t swept in.
“I’m coming with you,” I said, pushing out of bed. Ursuline watched as I slipped on underwear, loose black pants, a gauzy gray shirt, socks, and then dragged black shoes on. “Are you sure you don’t need more time?”
Ursuline’s lips formed a thin line. They hadn’t broken down, even though mention of their family caused a storm to cross their face. Yet pain emanated from them in interspersions. It wasn’t constant—probably because they’d been separate from them for so long—but every so often a song would play, or they’d stop on the page of a book, or a comment would be made in passing that held memories.
And those caused them to recoil, for their expression to darken, for them to retreat into themself. Yet, I had the sense the dam was waiting to break. And when it did, I’d be there.
“More time gives Frederick the ability to escape,” Ursuline said. “I need him to understand he made a mistake in crossing me. That the power he wielded is gone.”
I swallowed but nodded. “Will anyone be joining us?”
Ursuline shook their head. “Just you and me. How we started this, and how we’ll end it.”
My chest squeezed tight. We could do this. As much as Triton was a scary bastard, so was Ursuline.
And they’d done their homework.
“What do you need to get?” I asked, popping into the attached bathroom to brush my teeth and piss. I ran a brush through my hair, but it always had a sort of windswept look.
“I’ve got it all right here,” Ursuline said by the door to the bathroom. One glance in the mirror and I could see the suitcase held up by one of their tentacles. “Once I got the information to the proper channels, it was easy to set things in motion.”
I shook my head. Ursuline had tried to explain their plan to me several times, but the legalese made my ears leak. “Well then, let’s get on the road.”
We exited the room and zipped down the elevator, stopping at the parking garage level. Cillian had a host of cars there, and he was letting us borrow a sleek purple one for the time being. As much as I appreciated the safe place and generosity, part of me couldn’t wait until Ursuline and I could set out into the world and start to carve our own future.
My mind whirred with the options ahead of me, so different from the cattle chute I’d been stuck in my entire life.
We exited the parking garage and set off into the streets of Peregrine City, the skyscrapers looming around us. The colors and sights of the city burst all around, from the massive wing sculpture in the center of Argyle Park to the multicolored overhangs on everything from restaurants to divination centers.
“Now that you’re no longer employed by the Tritons, what do you want to do?” I asked, curiosity sneaking in.
Ursuline glanced to me, their one hand on the steering wheel. “I’ve known that for years. I’m going to start up a non-profit law firm to help monsterkind.”
My chest squeezed tight. As if I couldn’t love them more.
“I’m not the only one who’s free, though,” they commented. “What do you want, Elrich?”
Gods, what a question. “To paint sounds trivial, doesn’t it?” I murmured, staring out the window as the buildings flashed by. “Yet that’s what I’ve longed to do my whole life.”
“With talent like yours, it’s not trivial,” Ursuline said. “I’d love nothing more than our future home to be filled with your art.”
My heart thudded hard, my mind soaring with possibilities. My fingers itched to grab a paintbrush and find a canvas. Yet we had an important task to complete, one that would secure the future we were speaking of.
Already we’d reached the edges of Peregrine City, those familiar back roads leading to Triton Manor. I’d thought once I left that prison I’d never return, but today was worth the trip.
Ursuline’s knuckles whitened as they clutched the steering wheel a little tighter the closer we got. I wasn’t the only one affected. I reached over and stroked one of their tentacles. They passed me a grateful smile, and my heart bloomed with fresh warmth. They were everything I’d wanted in a partner, and a future with them? Fuck, I’d never longed for anything more.
We reached the winding driveway for Triton Manor, and the air in the car tensed. We slowed our approach as we rolled down the long path, heading toward the mansion by the sea, the one that had such a twisted hold on me. Despite the days of confinement, how trapped I’d felt there, I’d also always remember it.
