Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

LUCA

I’d already decided everything about Erich was my business.

From his property manager duties for Wolfgang and which nights he played at Benediktion to his practically nocturnal sleeping schedule, there wasn’t much I didn’t know about the unsuspecting human.

The one area I’d forced myself to ignore was his sex life. I’d almost killed the first person— people —I found leaving his bed, before realizing, with how often and how many, it was better if I simply didn’t know.

There’s no need to leave a trail of bodies in Berlin.

It physically pained me to think of anyone else touching him, but the beast that had apparently been lurking under my skin—literally and figuratively—was determined to ensure no one would ever again.

Because he’s mine.

Merde.

I almost told him he was mine …

The reminder of my near confession had me refocusing on the man beneath me. He looked so inviting, peacefully sleeping with his long hair splayed out on the pillow, that I couldn’t help but drift closer.

Erich had assigned me a separate bedroom after our evening meal of canned soup, expired crackers, and Swiss chocolate, but I’d quickly abandoned my Earthly form so I could spend the night hovering over him in my true form, watching him sleep.

Aching to touch him.

We had touched before, when we were reunited on the island for Xander and Butch’s wedding. I’d attempted a simple greeting—the air kiss those in Geneva favored for friends and informal peers—when Erich shocked me by pulling me in for a hug.

I had tensed at first, unaccustomed to physical contact with anyone, but then his spicy clove scent washed over me, and my resonance rattled to life once again.

And I haven’t been able to turn it off since.

The only thing that soothed me during that villainous celebration was being in my mate’s presence, even if our moments alone were scarce. By the end of the week, I was going mad, so when Erich finally produced his equipment to DJ the reception, I’d assumed sweet relief was on its way.

Unfortunately, nothing he played matched what I’d heard before, which only made me more determined to force my resonance out of him some other way. This was physically impossible, of course, but it didn’t stop me from letting him know I’d preferred the noise he’d created in Berlin.

The instant the words left my mouth, I’d tensed again, recalling Erich hadn’t appreciated me referring to his music as such. To my surprise, he didn’t seem as offended as the last time. He’d simply curled his aesthetically pleasing lips into a wry smile before commenting on my “good taste,” and all had felt right in the universe.

Until we said our goodbyes the next day.

To my disappointment, he hadn’t hugged me again, but this time, I’d at least left with the sense we were parting on good terms.

Albeit, unbonded.

I wasn’t certain I could bond with a human, aside from inhabiting their skinsuit—and I had no intention of violating Erich in that way. Entering him in other ways held a certain vague appeal, but with how long it had been since I’d had sex with anyone—much less had the interest to do so—I didn’t know quite how to proceed in that department.

In general, I was woefully inexperienced with courting anyone. With no upcoming Suarez events on my calendar and the twins lingering stateside because of the new twins in the family, I’d been left with no choice but to periodically set off the studio alarm in Berlin once again.

The only reason I abandoned this tactic was because I’d overheard Erich on the phone with Wolfgang, offering to move into the gallery if it would make monitoring the “attempted break-ins” easier. I knew that would not make life easier for Erich, so I abruptly stopped my mischief, even if the idea of waiting for fate to intervene was less than acceptable.

Especially as there is no higher power pulling the strings.

I was poised to stage an emergency diplomatic visit to Mistress Noir-Rouge in Berlin when I received the text from the very man I couldn’t stop thinking about. The invitation in Erich’s message was clear, but I still called him, needing to hear his voice to soothe the ache that had become part of my daily existence .

And all was right in the universe once again.

Erich made a sleepy sound that had me snapping back to the present. His previously smooth brow furrowed, and I helplessly watched as he shifted in a way that caused the quilt he’d been buried under to slide down to his waist.

Merde…

He was wearing my favorite tee shirt of his—the one he often slept in after his inconsequential sex partners had left his apartment. It was black and so worn, it was barely more than shreds of fabric, but that was what I liked most about it.

Specifically because it exposed nearly his entire chest, including his nipples.

His pierced nipples.

I wasn’t sure why this detail was so captivating, but I couldn’t help my gaze from lingering on how the late morning sunlight creeping through the blackout curtains glinted off the tiny silver rings.

Like stars in distant galaxies.

The urge to close the distance between us was nearly overwhelming but, as much as I felt ownership over this man, I didn’t want to touch him without permission.

I hope he gives me permission soon.

“Luca…” Erich moaned my name so abruptly, I nearly star hopped back to my bedroom.

It wasn’t a complete surprise that my mate would be dreaming about me. Despite my best efforts to stay out of his head, the pheromones pouring off him earlier had lured me in.

And what fascinating intel I gathered…

Erich released a softer moan and tossed his head to the side before rolling his hips, as if seeking friction .

“Please… Luca. Please, touch me…”

That sounds like permission.

Of course, I understood Erich wasn’t in a state to give conscious consent, but a Stellarian’s true purpose was to play in the subconscious mind of its vessel—to fan a half-formed spark until it ignited into a full-blown idea.

So let’s just fan the flames, shall we?

I tentatively expended two of my tendrils and carefully looped them through his nipple rings. With my gaze fixed on his perfect face, I lightly tugged.

“Fuuuuck,” he whispered, his eyes moving rapidly beneath his lids. “More…”

As you wish.

I tugged harder, and he arched off the bed with a groan, inspiring a fresh burst of unfamiliar desire to flow through me in response to how pretty he looked.

I wonder what he looks like when he comes…

I’d had plenty of opportunities to see exactly that since I’d started stalking him, both when he was solo or partnered—or more. It had never felt right to witness, not when I couldn’t claim to be the cause of it.

But now…

This time, I tugged hard enough for him to gasp himself awake, and I barely had enough time to release the rings and fade into the shadows before he blinked groggily into the seemingly empty space over his bed.

“Schei?e…” he muttered as he scrabbled for his phone on the bedside table and squinted at the screen. “Now I have a fucking st?nder to handle before the man responsible wakes up. ”

I’ll gladly take full responsibility.

Erich sighed before glancing toward the wall separating our bedrooms, as if he’d be able to sense whether I was asleep.

Go ahead.

You can… handle it for me.

He looked dangerously unconvinced, so I decided to tip the scales by ghosting my invisible tendrils over his sensitive nipples.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed before slapping a hand over his mouth and furtively glancing at the wall again.

It’s all right, little mate.

You know you want to.

Another sigh, and then Erich resolutely licked his hand and slid it beneath the quilt.

Yes.

“This would be so much better if he was riding my cock.”

Merde!

I snatched my tendrils back as a visceral need unlike anything I’d ever experienced shot through me. Before I could contemplate my reaction, my attention was drawn to the way the quilt was jerking along with Erich’s frantic pulls.

“Can you imagine it?” he breathily whispered to himself as his eyes drifted shut again. “I would love nothing more than to see that spotless suit discarded in a crumpled heap on my bedroom floor, to mess up that perfectly styled head of hair as I fuck him into the mattress… I would love to just… tear him apart…”

BY STELLARIA !

I was now plastered against the ceiling like a squashed bug, physically distancing myself from the implications of Erich’s words before I did something rash.

It wasn’t that I was opposed to anything he was saying, even if I’d only recently considered the possibility of him fucking me. The issue was that the way my kind reproduced was to harvest pieces from another Stellarian to combine with their essence to create new life—to essentially tear each other apart.

Does he…

Does Erich wish to… breed me?

The idea nearly had me star hopping to retrieve the skinsuit that would allow me to “ride his cock.” Instead, I watched—transfixed—as my mate brought himself to completion with my name on his tongue.

“Yes, Luca,” he panted as he increased his pace, achingly beautiful thanks to the color rising to his cheeks. “Just like that…”

I extended my senses to enter his mind and then nearly evaporated to find an extremely clear vision of me, naked, sweaty, and decidedly disheveled while I bounced on his cock.

Stellaria have mercy…

I yanked myself back to reality as Erich shoved the quilt down just enough to tease me with a glimpse of his cock—slick with precum, engorged, and colored an angry red. I caught the glimmer of something metallic on his frenulum as he pumped his hand faster, violently chasing his orgasm until he finally bit his bottom lip to stifle a groan as he came all over my favorite shirt.

Beautiful.

I watched him catch his breath for a moment before star hopping to my bedroom and slipping back into my Earthly form. Then, I simply sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the wall that separated us as the various revelations of the past 24 hours washed over me.

It was no longer a desperate dream to make Erich mine. He wanted me—at least, he was attracted to me physically—so, in theory, any advances would not be deemed inappropriate.

Assuming I’m able to execute an advance…

I brushed off my insecurities. What I lacked in experience, I was determined to make up for with enthusiasm, attentiveness, and pure Stellarian apex predator aplomb.

How will he be able to resist such efforts?

My resonance was practically vibrating my borrowed bones as I heard Erich shuffle to the bathroom and turn on the shower.

To wash away the evidence, no doubt.

I was slightly disappointed to miss the opportunity to lick him clean, but I couldn’t find it in me to be too upset. For the first time in my incredibly long life, I felt a pull in my chest, as if the invisible string connecting me to my mystical stellar collision had finally pulled taut.

It’s time to claim my mate.