Page 54 of Darkness

I barely have cognitive function.

Nycto fucked me every which way he could. Now, I lie in the bed completely spent, his fingers gently stroking up and down my stomach.

Nycto lies on his side facing me, his head propped up by his hand, with a wicked grin on his face. “You look tired.”

My heavy eyelids get harder to pry open. I exhale in sheer relaxation. “I don’t know how you kept going.”

“Chiquita, I can still keep going.” My eyes widen, and he laughs. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep myself under control for the rest of the night. You need to rest.”

Bringing my hand up, I swipe his hair away from his eyes. He’s never looked calmer, more at ease than he does right now. It suits him. “As much as I want to keep doing this all night, I probably won’t be able to walk tomorrow as it is.”

He chuckles and flops back onto the bed, his arms folded behind his head like he’s the king of the world.

I slide in, my hand resting on his chest, my head falling into the nook of his neck and shoulder.

It feels right.

A safe space. Like home.

His arm falls protectively around me.

This is the best feeling in the world.

Ivy is here and safe, and I’ve given into the temptation of Nycto.

Everything is as it should be.

Except for one thing…

… something that’s been plaguing my mind since I arrived here.

Will he open up to me now?

“Nycto?”

“Mmm…”

I hesitate, not wanting him to get mad at me, but I figure if there’s a time for me to ask, it’s now. “What’s your name? Your real name?”

He exhales loudly like he’s not sure where to go with that question, and I don’t want him to do anything he doesn’t want to. “It’s okay, you don’t have to—”

“Alec…” He pauses, and my eyes widen in shock. “My name’s Alec. Alec Ripa.”

Alec tightens his grip on me as my eyes well with tears. “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me, Alec.”

“You can only call me that when it’s just us. If there’s anyone else around, it has to be Nycto. It’s a respect issue for the club.”

“I get it. I’ll only use it for emphasis.”

He grins. “Like when you’re screaming my name in pleasure?”

I slap his chest playfully. “Something like that.” I place my head on his chest, glancing up at him. His hand comes out to stroke my cheek as we stare at each other.

“Can you tell me why the light in here is red?”

His eyes divert. I’m losing him. I’m pushing too much, too soon. “I get it… that you don’t like the light. Sometimes, it feels like the light is too much for me too. Too overwhelming.”

Nycto’s eyes shine back at me in understanding, like maybe I’ve hit the nail on the head. I just want to understand him.

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