During my streams, I'd always set up Atlas's spot—his oversized mug of cocoa steaming beside the small trash can he insisted on having nearby. Every night, he'd arrive with a fresh block of wood and his pocket knife, sending curls of pine or oak into the bin as his hands worked. Whatever he was creating, he kept it hidden from me, tucking it away whenever I glanced over. I was dying to see what he was working on.
“I’m going to see Atlas at work,” I commented, preparing myself to get up. “Take him some lunch, see him in action.”
Harlow hummed. “Yeah, see those human muscles, or are you wanting to catch him in his mothy muscles?”
I sighed dramatically. “He’s shy; I don’t think he trusts me to show himself. I keep saying things like,you can tell me anything.I love monster shows.I even showed him my collection of monster romances on my shelf and how much I loved them. He even took a book home to read!”
Harlow quirked a brow. “Seriously? Do you think he read it?”
I nodded. "He definitely read it. I told him everything I love about paranormal romance." I tapped my finger against my palm for emphasis. "How these non-human men are so different—more primal, more intense. I literally told him I find that kind of possessiveness attractive, not scary. I even admitted I wish someone would court me that way, you know, the whole claiming-his-mate thing."
Harlow’s mouth dropped. “You really told him all that?”
I nodded. "Yeah, might as well hang a neon sign around my neck that says 'Mothman dick, welcome.'" I tucked my legs under me. "But it's not just about the thrill. He's so attentive—remembers everything I mention, even in passing." My voice softened. "The way he holds me at night, like I'm something precious..." I flopped dramatically onto the couch cushions, then sat up again, leaning forward. "He's restraining himself. I can feel it. All this gentleness is just the surface." I snapped my fingers. "Someday that control will break, and honestly? I'm counting down the days."
Harlow laughed and started to cough. “When do you think he will reveal himself to you then? At the one party I was at before you, it was obvious by the next party that one girl had accepted a lycan.”
I shrugged. “I’m hoping by the next one. What I found strange is, you know, how I can feel through the glamor? Well, I don’t anymore. At least around his face, it feels like a real human face. I can kiss him…”
Harlow hummed. “I was going to ask about that. He might be under another spell, given to him by a witch. I think someone like Elowyn gave him that ability.”
I tilted my head. “You think so?”
Harlow sniffed and then rubbed her nose. “Elowyn isn’t a doctor. In fact, I’m sure of it. She has to be a witch. I saw she had a pentagram, a witch’s knot and an amulet of some kind aroundher neck when she was checking my pulse. While some people just like those things, I also find it odd that a doctor would prescribe herbs instead of big pharma meds.”
“She could be a holistic doctor.”
Harlow narrowed her eyes.
I raised my hands in defense. “Hey, just trying to give perspective here, but yes, it is possible.”
Harlow snuggled back into the couch. I placed a bottle of water on the coffee table, the remote and turned off the lights. The blackout curtains were closed so she could get some sleep instead of worrying about the paranormal oddities of this town.
Chapter Fifteen
Atlas
Ipushed through the swinging door to find the break room crawling with Mothmen, their antennae twitching in my direction. Ever since word got out about my nightly visits with Kassie, they've been hovering around me with curiosity.
They pressed me for details… what females were like, what they felt like. What was I supposed to say? Soft? Warm? I couldn’t very well admit how good it felt when she dragged herself against me, how easily she coaxed my seed to spill and ruin my clothes.
I’ve learned to bring more of those after the first night.
Kassie had grown bolder, asking to do more… things. But what could I possibly tell her? In this form, the only part of me she could touch and feel as a man was my face. Everything else… she would meet nothing but fur, the beast beneath the skin.
“You’re just lucky your human form is hairy,” Lucien nudged me. “If you take off your shirt, she wouldn’t know the difference.”
I ran my hands up and down the front of my body. We were all in the back room, the one place our disguises failed. Spending an entire day in human form could give anyone an identity crisis, so during lunch, the Mothmen gathered here, the largest break room of the Mothman businesses, to finally breathe and just be ourselves.
The break room buzzed with Mothmen enjoying their lunch, antennae bobbing as they chewed and chatted. Then someone called across the room, "Atlas, how's it going with that human female?" and suddenly every glowing red eye in the place swiveled toward me.
Moon above, you can torture me in some of the strangest ways.
“How are her breasts?” Malcolm asked as he sipped his strawberry smoothie. “Are they as soft as they appear? I noticed that they are large. Do you use them as pillows?”
The whine building in my throat dropped deeper. A fierce possessiveness stirred in me whenever Kassie was mentioned, and I hated talking about her body. Still, I understood—everyone here was just as curious about the female form. In their place, I’d be the same.
However, I would never voice it out loud, because why would I ask a brother Mothman how their mate tastes?
