Chapter Seventeen

I want to take.

I want to fucking consume. I want to invade her bones, possess her brain stem, and be one with her entire body.

How does she expect me to be when she's standing at the shore, naked, the moonlight dancing on her skin, the stars trying to shine as bright as her entire being— which is impossible in every fucking version of this reality.

In my crocodile form, I swim closer, my tail drifting back and forth to help me cut through the water. Musk emanates from my pores, seeping into the water.

All she has to do is step forward. All she has to do is swim and bathe in me.

The scars on her body are illuminated and the reflection from the water rippling under the moon casts upon her. The small amount of light sways and dips on different parts of her.

Even from here, I can still see the brand on her arm. The ugly two letters T and Y stand out. I hate his mark there, him trying to prove his claim, that she belongs to him.

She's never belonged to him.

She was born for me. She was always meant to be mine and I'm upset I'm only finding her now. If I met her before, she would have never had to endure the abuse Ty gave her.

I creep closer, wanting a better look at my mate, and vibrations tickle my chest. They can't be stopped. I'm calling her to me.

Mickey continues to sway, proving what I thought.

She's sleepwalking again; only this time, she isn't covering her body— she's showing it off for me.

"What a good girl," I growl, closing even more space between us.

She knows who she's meant for. Life has been so hard staying away from her the last few days. I've had to wrap my mind around the fact that once again, her life will be changed forever because of a monster.

Because of me.

Things like me take what we want.

Does that make me a thief? If I steal her body will it be enough to earn the love she blindly confessed to having for me?

I vibrate again, the water slightly splashing around my body from the strength of the reverberations.

Mickey steps into the lake, her fingers tickling the surface of the water. The lake engulfs her, her breasts covered by the silky liquid of my home. She ducks her head under the water, slicking her hair back and the inky strands blend with the sinister cauldron she's found herself in.

She is broken by evil, and she'll be put back together by sin.

My vibrations are loud. Frogs bounce off lily pads to get away from the predator claiming the lake as his. Crickets become silent, not wanting to compete with me.

She swims with elegance, the water acting as a silk robe around her body. I'm jealous of the lake being able to touch her everywhere all at once.

I move closer to her, nudging her shoulder with my snout.

"Rhett," my name is slurred on her sleepy tongue.

She runs her hand over my nose, scratching the space between my eyes.

I groan the best I can in this form. I can't lie, it feels fucking good to get scratches.

Pressing my nose against her, I inhale, there's something slightly different about her scent. I don't know why, but it has my blood boiling to a feral degree. I snap my jaws and dive under the water, needing her more than I've ever needed her before.

The plus side to being what I am is I can hold my breath underwater for a very long time.

I shift into my humanoid form, spreading her legs so her pretty cunt is on display for all of the lake to see. Her legs wrap around my neck just as I suck her clit into my mouth.

Fuck.

I love eating her. I could live between her legs, night and day. Time could stop, the world could stop spinning, and I'd want to be right here, feasting upon my mate. My claws dig into the meat of her plump ass, and I grip her flesh, pulling her cunt closer to my face.

This is where I want to die. Suffocated between her thighs. I'll sink to the bottom of the lake and rot, allowing my bones to turn to sand. In the afterlife, I would still be able to taste her on my tongue because Mickey would be the last meal I have savored.

Her thighs tighten around me. Her moans are muffled by the barrier of the water between us. I suck her clit, then slide my tongue down to her entrance before coming back up, circling it around the bundle of nerves.

She isn't on her period anymore, perhaps that's the difference in her scent.

No, it can't be. She's warm on my tongue, her body heat can be felt through my palms even in the cool temperature of the lake. The longer I'm around her, the harder I become, and the more desperate I am to be inside her.

I'm not sure what is happening, but I'm reacting to her differently. The tentacles around my cock stretch and try to swim to her. A neon glow fills the darkness of the water, the jellyfish impatient to sting and pour come into her womb.

My tail slithers up her legs, prodding her slick entrance.

She comes, tightening her legs around my neck, and I continue sucking her overly sensitive clit. Her thighs tremble. Her hands push my shoulders to get me away from her.

I hear up above, "I can't. I can't." Her actions next are hypocritical. She grips me by my long hair and uses the strands as reins, tugging me closer to her cunt. Her pheromones spread in the water, sticking to my skin, and invading all my senses.

Growling into her body, my attempts to make her orgasm again become more intense.

Almost violent.

My claws drag across each ass cheek as I hold her in place, refusing to let her leave. She can fight me all she wants but with every attempt to get away, my tongue sinks into her more, licking all the places she wishes she could escape from.

Blood tints the water from the tips of my sharp nails splitting her flesh. The reptilian eyes I have shift to red, invoking my surroundings in a crimson hue. My cock pulses, my orgasm flooding the water, and I moan into her.

I've never come untouched before.

And I feel like I didn't come at all. It didn't relieve the ache, the fucking craving to be deeper, to be inside her fucking skin is still there.

My fangs nip dangerously at her clit, the soft pink bud giving ever so slightly from the pressure. Her cries become louder, and those pheromones become heavier, drugging my beasts into their primal nature.

My scalp burns, her nails digging into the roots of my hair, tugging harder with each wave that passes through her.

And every wave is bigger which means every pull she gives is closer to ripping my hair from my scalp.

I love it.

I'm not sure how long I've been underwater. My lungs begin to scream at me to surface. My hands glide up her body as I kick to the surface, inhaling much-needed air.

I already miss being between her thighs.

Mickey's eyes are closed, floating on her back in peace.

I'm far from peaceful.

If anything, I'm on fucking fire. I'm in fucking need. Her scent becomes stronger, my beasts begging me to knot her, to breed her, and to not stop until she's pregnant with my child.

"Mickey," I growl her name.

She opens her eyes, a glazed expression still on her face. Surely, she can't still be sleeping?

"Let's go inside. I'm not done with you."

"I want you." She rolls onto her stomach, swimming toward me with heated, flushed cheeks.

"You look like you have a fever, Mate." I press my hand against her forehead, and she moans, using the water's buoyancy to wrap her legs around my hips, her cunt flush against my cock. The moan from my lips can't be stopped when she begins to slip her pussy up and down the long thick oral arm of my jellyfish stalk.

The tentacles around me begin to sting her, wanting her to come closer, pulling her to my cock. A jellyfish uses its tentacles to sting and kill its prey while the oral arms bring food to the mouth.

And the food I want is very close to being devoured.

"Rhett. I need— I need you so much." She cups her breasts, palming them, teasing her nipples.

The flush travels down to her chest making the faded scars more prominent.

I roam my hand up the middle of her chest, encompassing her throat.

"Such a pretty necklace for such a pretty fucking girl," I rumble, her scent becoming stronger. Sweat breaks out over my forehead, my tail whipping in the air from how potent her scent is.

My fucking God, what is this damn scent?

I look down, watching her rub her pussy on my cock. My tentacles take turns stinging her clit, one by one they attack her in fast whips. Her lips are parted, giving her moans to the universe.

And I'm jealous of the fucking stars again for absorbing them.

My hands move from her hips, stealing a squeeze of her plump cheeks before my palms travel up her back. The scaled pads of my fingertips caress every divot in her spine. When they reach the space between her shoulders, I apply enough pressure to make her sit up.

I groan with a deep, low growl, in a baritone that gives a slight curl to my lip, that tickles my throat. I inhale, dragging my nose across her jawline, the thunder in my chest becoming louder from the potency of her scent.

She smells of fire, of heat, of the same flames that become the sun, and I want to seep myself in her warmth until we both melt.

"Fuuuck," I groan against her fragile canvas, my entire body trembling. I have the urge to fuck her into the ground. To take her six feet deep, creating our own graveyard.

My tongue flattens along her cheek, gathering the lake water on my tongue. I capture her lips too desperately, controlling her body by pressing my hands against her back to deepen the kiss.

"Wake up my pretty mate. Wake up. I want you to see what is about to fuck you." I steal her lips once more before pulling back so she can breathe. "What's about to claim you." I plunge my tongue over hers, letting her throat feel the powerful rumble of my growl. "What's about to mark you." I glide my claw across her fragile collarbone. "Just here." I tap the side of her throat, kissing my way down the curve of her neck.

With careful, impatient pants, I drag my lips across the area that will have my mark. "Wake up, Micky. Let me see your blue eyes. I want to see the horror that will cross your face when you realize you're trapped in another nightmare." I suck her flesh, nibbling, nearly breaking the skin so I can drink. "It's selfish of me, but I won't let you escape me. I won't let you figure out a daydream that doesn't include me." I pass my lips down her chest in tandem with my index claw.

Her skin arises in goosebumps. Every scar I pass over, I kiss, thankful my mate is a fighter. Sucking her nipple into my mouth to bring my favorite, high-pitch whimper from her, my fangs nip and threaten.

Mickey's scent becomes more intense. Come doesn't shoot from my cock, but it drips constantly, the sparks tickling the dense shaft.

I trail wet kisses up the middle of her chest, then her chin, before consuming her lips again. Since she's sleepwalking, her kiss is languid in her dream state.

"Oh, I fucking love knowing I'm your dream right now, but I need you to wake up." I dare look into her eyes, but they are still glazed over.

Her scent rises again, her moans becoming louder as she rolls her hips. I grip her thigh, clench my teeth, and help her slip her cunt up and down my cock. She's trying to get herself off and I've never been so turned on.

"Let me help you use me, Mate. Let me get you off again before I bury my knot into your pretty cunt."

My orgasm looms. My tentacles strike her clit and then latch onto her, giving her a constant shock. Her pleasure skyrockets, a scream echoes across the pond, and I have no doubt the stars heard it.

Her aroma becomes too much. My wings spread wide, and my crocodile spine spears from my back. My vision is hazed with scarlet. My fangs drop longer and thicker. I had no idea they could do that. The phantom takes over me too, only it engulfs the entirety of my body.

I glitch.

My being shoots from invisible to solid in milliseconds.

My beasts are stronger, her scent urging them out of me further with every passing second.

"What is happening?" I snarl.

"Want," her sleep-drunk voice barely penetrating my mind. She sounds so far away.

And hearing it breaks me.

I swim us closer to the shore and when I'm able to stand, I throw Mickey over my shoulder. Her ass is in the air for the moon to see and I spank her.

Still, she doesn't wake.

And I know in a few moments, I won't care. Not with this need to breed her burning me from the inside. I'm begging to hurt her all over.

I lie her down on the bench settled in the gray sand right offshore. I roll my head around my shoulders, trying to gain some composure. Mickey spreads her legs and liquid drips from her.

A lot of it.

Clouds fill the sky in the next moment, lightning veining in unpredicted patterns. The trills in my chest become the loudest they ever have been. Paired with the thunderstorm and whatever is happening to us, I stand no chance of denying my mate.

Regardless of whether she's sleeping or not.

I press one knee between her legs and lean over her until I'm staring her in the face. Reaching down, I slip my hand over the wet puddle forming on the bench.

I bring the nectar to my nose and inhale, her aroma so potent, that I begin to pant. Unwilling to deny the curiosity, I suck them into my mouth, thunder rattling the sky at the same time.

"You taste." I blow out a growl. "Unlike anything I've ever tasted. You aren't going to wake up, are you?" I ask, lowering myself further.

"No," she replies quietly, small lustful pants shaking her chest.

"I'm going to possess you." I blow out another growl.

She stares at the sky with a dreamy shine in her eye. "Anything."

My ghost allows us to align ourselves in her form. We truly become one— as much as we can— in this form considering I'm so much bigger than she is physically. Our minds are locked together, and the most important body parts are lined up.

"I'm going to force you to do things to yourself if you don't wake up, Mate," I speak to her in the farthest corner of her mind.

I've heard not to wake sleepwalkers but with what is happening between us, the heat, the slick glistening of her cunt, my own body on fire with desire, has the sincerity of keeping her safety in mind dwindle.

She needs to wake up. She has to for this.

The thunder becomes louder, urging the trills in my chest to become louder, the ache becoming too unbearable. Tonight will be the night we claim one another in a different way. This feels different. The storm is feeding me, her scent is stronger, my cock is harder than it's ever been, and my knot is already starting to form.

My body continues to glitch, unable to maintain my solid or invisible form. When I lift my arm, her arm lifts, when I spread my legs wider, her legs follow.

Perfect.

Possessing her is one of my favorite hobbies.

I slide my hand down our bodies, the rain glitching my form even more with every drop. Her hand follows mine and a sleepy moan comes from her.

"You love this, don't you? I think you stay asleep on purpose because the reality of what is happening is all too much. I think you like not knowing what happens to you when you sleepwalk." I trail my claw around her nipple, forcing her to roll the tight bead between her fingers.

Another whimper.

"Yeah, you do. And I don't mind claiming you in your sleep because look." I turn her head, forcing her glazed eyes to stare at the sky. "I'm going to have you under the stars again. Let's make them jealous of how bright you truly are when you come for me." I cup her pussy, forcing her to do the same.

Every move I make, she has no choice but to follow.

I slip our fingers inside and her back bows, taking me with her.

My tentacles in ghost form continue to sting her and her clit.

"Mmm, Rhett," she mumbles sweetly, pressing her legs together to ease the overstimulation.

I don't think so.

I fight her urge, keeping my thighs apart which forces her to do the same. Moving my hand faster, she gasps, our fingers sliding in and out of her. The sounds are wet, mixing with the rain.

The faster she fucks herself, the more I want.

With a snarl, I sit up and stand, taking her with me.

"This isn't enough for me, Mate. I need to see you with more than our fingers fucking you."

As we stroll through the overgrown grass, my tentacles continue their onslaught of whips. She's a shaking mess by the time we get to the back door. Her body temperature rises. I feel the warmth as if it were my own.

I graze my hand on the side of her neck, her fingers following my movements. Small touches here, brazen caresses there.

There is one spot that has her standing on her tiptoes and it's right underneath the curve of her breast at the top of her ribcage. With every graze, her breathing speeds up, she licks her lips and pants.

"I wonder if I could make you come for me just like this. Petting your body with all the love you crave for it. It's okay." I kiss her cheek, grazing her ribs back and forth, loving how she has no choice but to mock me. "I'll give your body the attention it truly deserves. I'll give it the care it should have gotten all these years. You'll see, Mickey. A man nearly broke you but this monster— your monster— will put you back together again."

I open the door, lifting her leg by moving mine to enter her house. Possessing her body is taking too much energy. I'm not sure how much longer I can last. Since she's sleepwalking, it's like trying to move mud.

I lock the door behind me, lift her hand, and set the alarm to the house. The scanner reads her fingerprints, locking the doors and windows.

She's safe from everyone and everything.

But me.

"I want to see you against the solarium. Palms against the window. Legs spread. I want the world to see you knowing they will never be on the other side of the glass. I want you to wake up when I have my knot locked inside you and you're forced to see my reflection. But first, I want to play, Mickey. I love to play."

I also feel like it's part of the mating process to play with her body before claiming her during a thunderstorm. As the storm outside strengthens, so does the urge to mate. Something is telling me when the storm is at its peak, I will be too.

"Where are your toys, Mickey? I know you have them. I know you've given this cunt relief when he couldn't. Show me."

Without saying a word, she lowers us to the floor, pointing under the bed. I bend us down, reaching under the bed to pull out a box.

"Naughty little mate." I open the box, surprised to see an array of different toys. Most are clit stimulators.

One is in the shape of a flower, with a hole directly in the middle. I turn it on, a smug smirk tilting my lips to the side when it vibrates.

"Oh, this is going to be fun. What do you think, mate?" I walk us to the solarium, sit down on the ground, and spread my legs.

If anyone were to look up and through the windows, they would see her pretty cunt on display.

The clouds thicken to black in the sky, lightning flashes every second, and rain slams against the glass. Leaves are torn from the branches as the wind picks up and I place the toy between her thighs, spread her lips with my fingers, and align the toy with her clit.

With a growl, without a warning, I flip the toy on and immediately she tosses her head back and moans.

Which means I do as well.

The pulsating vibrations have her pleasure becoming my own. My cock leaks come, dripping down the length.

"Spread your legs wider, My Brave Little Flower." I slide my feet across the hardwood floor, my body glitching.

"Oohhh," she moans as I press the button on the toy to a new level, increasing how hard it sucks her clit.

"Fuck that feels so good." I slap our hands on the floor, groaning.

Every pull the toy gives, it's as if my own cock is getting sucked. No wonder she likes it.

I love this. We will have to do this when she's awake. Why won't she wake up? I've tried everything. What else can I do?

Lightning cracks right in front of us, charging my fucking body, the constant rumble beneath my breastbone becoming more intense.

The peak of the storm is near.

I increase the level of the toy again, roaring from how fucking good it feels. We begin to rock together, searching for more.

"Fuck, Mickey. Fuck." I watch slick pool on the floor, the aroma of her fertility becoming stronger.

I run our hands up our chest, tweaking our nipples, tugging them with harsh pulls.

Her screams escape my throat just as she squirts all over the toy, and our thighs shake uncontrollably.

"Mickey," I fucking whimper her name. It sounds pathetic, desperate, a plea for her to come so I can too. "Come for your mate, Mickey. Come for me."

She listens so well.

Feeling her orgasm through my entire body is like a constant warm static tickling my bones. The pleasure is too much, too good, too everything. I practically hump the toy, wanting.

I come too, painting the sex toy with ropes of come. Its electrical current short circuits the flower. The hum powering the powerful object slows until it dies.

I'm wrecked. My arms shake as if I've worked out for far too long. The ends of my hair stick to my glitched sweat-teased skin. We struggle to catch our breath, in and out, panting, gasping, small groans leaving us as small shocks of our orgasm roll through us at a lazy pace.

"What— What is happening? Why am I here? Why am I naked?" she asks through a dry throat. "Oh, God," she moans, reaching for the toy that will no longer work. "Why am I on fire?" Mickey lifts her hand, flipping her arm over to watch as we glitch together. "What— oh fuck." She lies on her back, screaming as a cramp rushes through her body.

She slides our hands down her body, then up again, cupping her tits.

"Everything is so sensitive. I need… I need… I don't know what I need. I need to be filled. I hurt. Rhett, I know you're here. Please… Please!"

Thunder and lightning clash. A rumble shakes the ground, the loud pierce of lightning rings my ears, and the vibrations become too much. Everything becomes too much.

I part from her body and throw her against the glass, clasping her hands above her head. I don't give her time to ask me questions or to look at me. We're both in need and only fucking through the storm will ease the swell of lust.

Risking everything, I shift into my humanoid form, wanting her to see me for who I am.

For what I am.

Even if I scare her, that terror won't stop me from sliding in to the hilt and pouring my come into her fucking womb. She can close her eyes and plead for it all to be over, but until then, she's going to have to wait.

The night is young. My cock is rock solid. Her pussy is drenched.

We aren't going anywhere until we show each other the stars.