2. Grooming

2

GROOMING

M onster

The human shivered beneath me as I pinned her to the ground.

The wind caressed my fur as I leaned in, breathing in her sweet honeysuckle and sage scent. A low clicking noise reverberated in my throat, and I smirked as she whimpered.

Her breaths were coming in fast pants, her skin flushed. Moonlight haloed her wild red curls as they splayed out in the grass, her eyes fluttering on another moan.

" Monster ," she rasped.

Indeed. I was a monster. A werecat, a creature of the night. I had lived for a very long time, hunting the humans that dared enter my forest.

But not this one.

Not Eire.

" Your monster ," I growled, my voice deep and rough.

She had offered herself to me, kneeling before me in my forest. Giving her body to me, her soul to me.

I'd never forced her, nor would I ever.

I cherished her. She was my tiny human, fragile against the cruel ways of the world. The men in her village would never protect her the way she deserved.

Her naked body shivered beneath me again, her lips parting. "I want you," she whined. "Please."

"So eager," I chuckled, my throat clicking again.

My cock had already released from its sheath, rubbing against her inner thigh. I dug my claws into the dirt above her, again inhaling her scent that was now tinged with her arousal.

She was precious. She had saved me from the darkness, and she didn't even know it. How long had I lived? How long had it taken for me to find my soul mate?

I leaned in, my long rough tongue unfurling from my jaws. Her eyes widened, her breath catching as I licked her face.

She tasted so sweet, so heavenly.

"What…" she trailed off as I licked her again, this time from her neck to her jaw. She let out a soft giggle as I continued, and it soon dissolved into a moan. "What…what are you doing?"

I drew back for a moment, fighting all of the dark primal urges threatening to unleash.

I wanted to take her now, but I wanted to savor the moment even more. And I needed to be gentle with her. My Eire was only human, and not yet mated to me.

I was going to groom her. To lick every part of her body, to make her cum just from my tongue.

"Relax," I purred, chuckling.

Her hands came up, her fingers curling into my black fur.

I licked her neck again, my tongue swiping up from the base of her collarbone to her jawline. She moaned, her grip tightening.

"Why does that feel so good?" she whispered.

I smiled to myself, continuing to taste her. This time, I moved further down— licking at her hardened nipples.

"Oh fuck," she cried, her body bowing up.

I sucked one of her precious nipples between my teeth, giving her the softest bite. She cried out again, writhing beneath me.

My cock began to pulse, my knots swelling.

It would take every ounce of control to not devour her.

"I need you to be very still," I growled, my tone harsher than I wished.

She immediately stilled, although her heartbeat thrummed fast enough for me to hear.

"Be very still while I bathe you," I whispered. "Or else I might devour you, my dear Eire."

I stared deep into her seafoam green eyes, making sure that she understood what I was asking.

"Do you understand, Eire?"

"Yes, monster," she answered.

I shuddered, my claws digging further into the earth.

I began to lick her again, every part of her soft body. I reached down and stretched her arms above her head, pinning her wrists with one clawed hand as I groomed her. I listened to her soft whines, her surprised pants.

Her scent became heavier, her lust pooling between her legs.

I ached to taste her there. With a heavy grunt, I released her hands and slid down her body— licking the space where her hips met her thighs.

"Spread your legs for me, Eire," I commanded, lifting my gaze to meet hers.

Her bottom lip quivered, her muscles trembling as she spread her thighs apart.

Her scent made my mouth water. I pressed my nose into the curls there, breathing in her sweet aroma. Lust, sweet lust.

"Have you ever touched yourself here, Eire?" I whispered.

A noise escaped her throat as I pressed my snout against her clit, her voice twisting into a melodic cry. "Only—only sometimes."

"Did it feel good when you did?"

"Ye—yes," she cried. "Monster, please ."

Her throaty beg drew a growl from deep within me. She was so eager for me to fill her tight pussy, but I had to go slow. Even if my cock was desperate to be gripped by her, to fill her with every drop of my monstrous seed.

"If we continue, I will mate with you, Eire. I will bond you to me, and no human male will ever touch you again. Do you want that? Do you want to belong to a monster ?"

"Yes, I want this," she gasped. "I want to be yours. I could never be with one of them after knowing you," she said, her lips parting on a breathless sound as I pushed her thighs apart even further. "I want to be your anam cara ."

I stilled at her softly spoken words, closing my eyes for a moment, my heartbeat thrashing in my chest. Warmth spread through me, followed by pride.

Anam cara. Soulmate.

Yes, Eire would be my mate, mine for eternity. She was my little red-haired lioness, my beautiful anam cara .

Her hands reached up, taking my face so that I would look up at her again. Tears glistened in her eyes, ones of joy and desire. "I'm yours."

"You are mine," I growled, "And I'll show you what that means this Lúnasa night."

I buried my tongue deep inside of her, her taste causing my cock to harden beyond reason. Her cry rocketed through the sky, her fingers gripping the top of my head.

" Oh áine !" she moaned.

My throat clicked with pleasure as I drove my tongue inside her sweet cunt over and over. She was already wet, her pussy dripping with nectar. I lifted her hips, pushing her legs back so I could go even deeper.

I plunged my tongue in and out, growling as she constricted around me. Her breaths were uneven, broken by cries and moans.

She screamed this time and then started to twist, reaching for my cock. Her delicate hand wrapped around my shaft, and I pulled my tongue from her, letting out a dark yowl.

" Goddess ," I hissed.

"Please, I want to taste you. You're leaking," she begged.

I looked down, realizing that she was right. My seed was leaking from the tip, my two knots pulsing in unison.

I growled and scooped my human up, carrying her to the nearest tree. She squealed as I flipped her body upside down, holding her by her ankles. I lifted her until her thighs rested on my shoulders, and her pussy gleamed in front of me, waiting to be feasted on.

"Oh," she gasped, and I knew that she finally comprehended the position we were in.

I braced her against the trunk of the tree and moaned as I felt her lips touch the tip of my cock.

" Eire , you're a blessing from the goddess," I snarled, wrapping my arms around her waist so that she was supported.

I felt her take the first inch into her mouth, her small tongue lavishing me. With a possessive growl, I plunged my own back into her cunt. She moaned around my cock, and I used the moment to thrust in further, hitting the back of her throat.

"You're taking my cock so well," I gasped.

Her fingers dug into my thighs, and I started to move my hips back, but she grabbed on and pulled me even closer.

I moaned as I drank her, determined to drive her to the same edge of lust that I was on.

She began to writhe in my arms, her moans muffled by my cock.

I shoved her harder against the tree, pinning her there as my hips began to thrust. She felt so good and tasted like Albion's fruit.

Fuck .

This human was both the end and the beginning of me.