Moth (Monstrous, #5)

by Lily Mayne

I guarantee, Moth, I’m going to love every part of you.”

When he lifted his eyes to mine, the yearning in them threw me off guard, even though I knew it wasn’t yearning for me as such. It was for acceptance. Being able to be intimate with someone for the first time in his life. Being touched.

bending over just a little so I knew Moth got a good view of my ass. I had a great ass.

A sharp spike of jealousy went through me before I could stop it, which was fucking ridiculous. We’d fooled around once. I’d gone into it knowing he was in love with someone else.

And the fact that there were goddamn monster parasites infecting people was kind of vital fucking information to know out here.

Ghost may have been interested at one point, but he didn’t want me anymore. He had Aury. He was happy with him.

Had I just latched onto him because he’d been the first human to treat me kindly?

Charlie had looked at me kind of like that when we were fooling around. Like his entire being was focused on me. Like he was desperate for me.

He looked… lost. Like I felt all the time.

I was eager to show him how gorgeous and desirable he was. That he wasn’t repulsive. I wanted him to experience all the pleasure he’d been missing out on.

“So you were just gonna kill that harmless thing.” I laid it on thick, shaking my head and giving Moth a disapproving look. He went pink, snapping, “No I wasn’t.” “You just said you’d kill it.” “That was before I knew it was a myrm!” “You just said you’d already told me it was. Which you hadn’t.”

“You’re perfect,” I croaked, forcing myself not to dig my fingers in and hold him tighter. “I want to touch you so much, Moth. If you still want me to.”

“You think I’d be annoyed that you came on my face? That was so hot.”

“Are you gonna come again for me, Moth?” I rasped, then dipped my head to slide my tongue over his weeping slit.

I turned my head to kiss his trembling thigh as I glanced up at him. “You okay, baby?”

wanted him to see how desirable he was. How there was someone who wanted him just as he was, even if he didn’t want anything more with me.

“I love every part of you,” I told him. “You’re perfect.” “God, Charlie.”

I don’t hate you either. I like you, Moth. I want you. Do you want me back? For more than just sex? Are you still in love with Ghost?

Um… I moved between families a lot because—because no one knew what was wrong with me and no one wanted to deal with it.”

I wanted to kiss him every time he gave me a tiny smile or laughed huskily at something I said—which he was doing far more often.

“I’ll be fine, baby.” The term of endearment slipped out without thought, but there were too many pressing things to worry about for me to get embarrassed by

“Fuck.” I shivered as I sat down in it, the porcelain freezing against my ass. “Please remember what my dick looked like before and not what it looks like right now.”

Like wasn’t a strong enough word for what I felt for him, but love felt too strong just yet. But… I was pretty sure I could. Love him.

I wanted to keep him close. I wanted to protect him from judgemental people who treated him like shit, and monsters who rejected him and called him a half-breed, and his awful parent and their guards who hurt him.

I wanted to stay with him. I wanted to go back to his cosy little safehouse in the middle of nowhere and stay there, just the two of us, until the snow melted and the cold thawed.

Was he still in love with Ghost? The thought hurt more than it should, and it was stupid to think about anyway. Why wouldn’t he be?

But… I was scared to ask him. I was scared of hearing him tell me that, sure, this was fun, but he still loved Ghost and didn’t want anything more with me.

I was in a perpetual state of happiness.

He’d been starved of affection for so long—his whole life. I showered him with it to make up for the lack he’d experienced, and it was no hardship. I wanted to give him everything.

If you ask me to stay with you, I will. I stared at his bent head, wishing I was brave enough to say it. I’ll teach you to read. I’ll go back to your safehouse in the middle of nowhere with you.

The thought of parting from him, of him being alone out there again, and me being just as alone wherever I was, was a sharp, stabbing pain in my chest.

It wasn’t just the desire to have someone. It was him. I wanted him.

She wandered over, eyeing me and then Moth. I was shocked when her face remained blank—she was the first person I’d seen who didn’t curl their lip at the sight of Moth. I warmed to her before she’d even said a word.

I shivered, leaning into him, even as I told myself that I should not be enjoying him getting possessive over me.

“Already making new friends.” Charlie glanced back over his shoulder and shot me his wide grin. “What can I say? I’m a people person.”

There was another thin trail leading from his navel into his pants that I was desperate to nuzzle whenever I was down there—which was often—but I didn’t know if he’d think it was weird, so I didn’t.

He never pushed me. He was so careful to respect my boundaries, which allowed me to lower them slowly, one at a time.

I loved everything about him that was different to my body, and I… I was starting to believe him when he said he loved the differences in my body too.

God, I wanted him so much. I didn’t know why he wanted me back, and it felt pathetic to be grateful for it, but I was.

I was so grateful for how he’d carefully edged me out of the thick, angry shell I’d built up around myself.

I’d been convinced I’d be alone forever, never getting to experience any kind...

And then he’d appeared, bluntly but gently telling me that he wanted me just as I was. Even after seeing the monstrous ...

“Harder,” Charlie rasped, grabbing the back of my neck and panting against my mouth. “Fuck me as hard as you want, Moth.”

I’d never felt this loose and relaxed before. I didn’t even care that my tail was swishing contentedly, brushing over his thighs.

I didn’t want this content, blissed-out feeling to go away. I wanted to bask in it for as long as possible. I wanted to feel it again and again while he was with me, until we got back to the camp and parted ways.

although I couldn’t have known I’d end up feeling… like this. Like I wanted to wake up like this every morning, warm and naked in bed beside an equally warm and naked Moth.

“Did you steal that guy’s sword, Moth?” I asked solemnly. His face flamed that unnatural pink hue. “I did tell you I stole it,” he hissed,

“He had two of them! I didn’t even—It was years ago. I came across a group of monsters in the Wastes, and they’d left all their stuff to go swim in a lake. There were two!” he repeated. “I didn’t leave him totally defenceless.”

His citrus scent filled my nose, my body reacting instinctively to it now, warmth blooming in my chest and filling me entirely. I wanted him so much it hurt.

I stopped immediately, my fingers twitching with the urge to try and soothe him. To try and stop his awful parent taking him away from me again.