Moth (Monstrous, #5)

by Lily Mayne

“Don’t worry, josdo.” He pulled Hunter into him with a thick arm around his neck. “I still love you, even with your gut.” “I don’t have a gut!” “Gah, and if you did?” Edin waved an imperious hand.

Missed them

Seemed like it wasn’t just Hunter chasing monster dick, then.

Danny. I’d only met him briefly, but he had apparently decided on the most monstrous dick of monster dicks. The Soul Eater was… terrifying.

That's baby

“Your mate is safe. And your… Charlie.” I cleared my throat. “I’m Hunter’s best friend. We’re not a throuple.”

Leaning against the old bar was a guy with long white hair and pale eyes that watched us closely. Too closely. Something about his face made my gut tighten with unease.

“That dude with the white hair is creeping me out a little,” I muttered to Hunter as we followed Gloam and Rig. “He’s giving me uncanny valley vibes. Something’s off with him.”

Be nice, that's your husband

“Remember those boundaries we discussed, Edin?” I interrupted loudly. “Remember all those times—the many, many times—I told you I don’t particularly want to hear the details of your and Hunter’s sex life?”

“How long has it been since you fucked? A while, yes? You must have—what was it you said the other day, Hunter? Blue balls.”

He was too perfect. Too stunningly beautiful to really look human. He looked more like what an artist would picture the perfect human to look like.

“Ghost here is a bit of an introvert, too.” “Hunter’s not an introvert,” I said cheerfully. “He’s just an unlikeable asshole.”

Geez, everyone was just loving monsters these days, huh?

I’d seen him naked. Hard to be intimated by someone you’ve seen naked. Although Edin’s… equipment was intimidating all on its own.

“Just be careful. Never put your complete trust in him,” he said in a low voice, then released my arm and shrugged. “Perhaps I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t have wanted you to leave without at least telling you to… keep your guard up.”

Hunter and Edin fussed over me like I was their only child getting ready to go on his first school field trip.

I moved back and stood close to Moth so I could whisper in his ear. He tensed up at my proximity, but I ignored it.

Hot

I’d noticed already that he wouldn’t even lie down until I was gone, like he didn’t want to look vulnerable. As if sleeping was a vulnerability. Seriously, Moth had some issues.

“I don’t have a problem,” he muttered. I let out a harsh laugh. “Fuck me, if this is you without a problem, then I don’t want to be around you when you actually have something to be pissed about.”

“Is that what this is? You wanted to go and rescue Cat alone and be the big hero to all the raiders? To Ghost?”

I didn’t offer to do this because I wanted to be a fucking hero. I offered to do it so Ghost wouldn’t have to.”

Damn, Moth had issues.

He desperately wanted to be accepted by the camp, but he wasn’t. And he hated that I had been so easily. I couldn’t imagine what it was like, straddling both worlds. He didn’t seem to have been fully accepted by either.

“Why, what do you call them?” My face went hot. “Um… just finger fuckers.” There was silence before Moth let out a choked sound. “Finger fuckers?”

I was attracted to Moth, even though he was an asshole most of the time and in love with a raider. And I was pretty sure that he was attracted to me too, even just a little. I was also pretty sure that he hated it.

“Shall we meet up by the pawn shop?” I asked Moth, my brows twitching when he got a panicked look on his face. “Uh…” He looked around the room like he couldn’t see the big, bright pink letters flickering directly opposite him.

Oh?

“He’s a good guy.” I didn’t entirely know if that was true, but I had an overwhelming need to defend him.

“Friends are only friends while they’re at your side out here. Most raiders aren’t willing to risk their own skin for others.” “Hunter travelled halfway across the Wastes to help me.” Moth huffed. “Well you must be a special little snowflake then.”

His prickliness made a lot more sense. Humans treated him like shit.

“The Nebraska raiders seemed worried about you too,” I offered, wanting to make him feel better, even though they… hadn’t seemed that way at all, really.

“You couldn’t tell there was something when you saw me?” I could, but again, I didn’t want to say that. “I was mainly distracted by how hot you were,” I said in a joking tone—but it wasn’t entirely a joke.

What if he’d abandoned me? Just high-tailed it right out of here? I couldn’t stop the pang of hurt at the thought.

I thought he was growing to like me just a little. But maybe not.

He was breathing hard, and his pale eyes flared with relief when he saw me. All anger fled. I couldn’t stop myself from striding forward and pulling him into a hard hug,

“I’m sorry,” he said desperately, which made me go completely still with shock. “I didn’t—I didn’t mean to leave you.”

:(

I understood why Gloam had warned me about him now.

:(

“It might happen again. I’m sorry if it does. But I promise I’ll come back, Charlie. I’m not going to leave you out here. Or in the city. I just… I just can’t give you any more than that.”

No other footsteps leading up to this spot to suggest that maybe he’d just tripped on his way toward the building. Beyond it was nothing. Just untouched snow. I looked around wildly. It looked like he’d just been fucking dropped from the air.

But he was just… so freaking beautiful. He still looked slightly inhuman, but that didn’t put me off. It just made him even more interesting to look at.

When the piercings through his lips winked in the firelight, I wondered if he had them anywhere else.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” I said immediately, brows pinching into a frown. “Fuck anyone who looks at you like that, Moth.”

Focus on what makes you happy.” He snorted at that. “I don’t know what makes me happy.” God, that was kind of heartbreaking.

The thought of Moth living here alone was heartbreaking. In a dark, empty house on a dark, empty street in the middle of nowhere.

Ghost. Maybe he’d pulled a similar disappearing act on them like the one he’d done on me.

Ding ding ding

Moth had put on thick socks and a long-sleeved shirt, covering up every inch of his body. Because that was where all his monster parts were hidden.

:(

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” I said eventually, voice husky. “Just shut up and get in the bed, Charlie,”

I’d always been attracted to people, not specific genders or body types. And even though Moth was a complicated, prickly, difficult ass, I was wildly attracted to him.

We love a pansexual king

My body had decided it wanted Moth and only Moth right now.

I saw an ATM. Trepidation tightened my gut, but I nodded toward it.

Oh this is a terrible idea

Moth was the most infuriating person I’d ever met—and I’d spent over a decade in the company of Hunter.

But when I looked at Moth, I could never decide if I wanted to strangle him or start tearing off his clothes.

His face was like a work of art—almost too perfect to be real. Definitely too perfect to be human. Didn’t stop me wanting to punch it, though.