Page 19 of Becoming Monsterous

Or maybe it would all be the same, or even worse. Certainly Eros would've found a way to attack. And Aphrodite was always going to get free and possess me—that much is clear.

But it would've been nice, I think, to be seduced by the Mothman. I hope I get to experience it sometimes—just not in a tiny changing room with stained carpet and a rusty mirror.

I whizz through all the outfit choices. Most of the athletic wear fits well, and I can see how it'll be useful for training. Aleron grabbed some basic tanks and tees for me too, picking out things with a looser fit and tighter neckline to accommodate my new cleavage.

He even got me a bra that fits—something that changes the whole game. My current outfit already feels better with it on, and it's a thick-banded everyday bra that will shift back and forth with me better than an underwire bra.

There's one outfit in the bunch of clothes he got me that sticks out. It's a sexy power-fighter outfit with an all-black top that has slashes in the sides and leather pants. Pulling it on, I feel a twinge of uncertainty as I look in the mirror.

I don't recognize the woman that I see. The face is still the same, even with my added height and deeper cheekbones. My bright, unnatural green eyes and the gold shimmer to my skin have only brought out the red of my lips and my sharp cupid's bow.

But the outfit... it doesn't feel like Ellie Blackburn. It's not the kind of thing someone would wear if they planned on sinking into the shadows.

I've always shied away from attention. Too much of it meant curious questions and disturbed reactions. People have never liked the kinds of things I have to say, or hearing about the death I've witnessed. So I did my best to look normal even when I didn't feel normal.

The snakes in my hair have changed that completely, though. One of them—a thick, black-scaled snack—dips down to the shirt and nudges the neckline approvingly.

"Did you mean to get this for me?" Aleron huffs, and I roll my eyes. "You can turn around now. I'm decent."

"You've never been anythingbutindecent, at least when it comes to your dirty thoughts, and we both know it."

"I mean I'm clothed."

"Yes, I have more than a single brain cell, thank you. I've figured that out."

Aleron turns around and looks at me in the mirror.

And for a moment, his snark seems to die in his throat. His eyes are wide and slightly shocked, and he stares at me in complete silence, his eyes taking me in.

Turning, I face him fully. In this small changing room, there isn't much space between us. It made taking clothing off and on difficult—I brushed against him more than once.

Now that he's leaning towards me, something hungry in his eyes, we're doing more than brushing against each other. Every inhale of air I take makes my chest brush against him, my nipples sensitive to the sensations of his body against mine. And every time he breathes in, he seems to draw closer to me, until suddenly he's right up against me.

His chest against mine. His thighs brushing my leather pants. Then his hands falling to my waist and grasping, his leg pushing mine open, my breath catching.

Those green eyes of his are staring deep into my soul, and I feel my heart quicken at the attention on his face. He licks his lips, and I feel myself salivate, wanting more of the stroke of his tongue against mine.

"This outfit is absolutely what I intended to get for you," he says, his words slow and deliberate. "It's the outfit for a warrior. A woman like no other. The kind who frustrates me, confounds me, and most of all, surprises me every single day. You're like no other, Ellie Blackburn—I just wish you'd see yourself like I see you."

"I wish the same for you," I tell him, my breath coming light and short. "I wish you'd see yourself through my eyes."

"Really?" There's challenge in his voice. "Let me bring you home, then. Grab these clothes and take them with you. There's something I want to show you."

I sweep all the hangers off the hooks, leave my old boring clothes on the ground, and press myself into his arms.

He mantles his elegant wings around me and sweeps me away with him.

A dizzying moment later, we're standing in the middle of my quarters. They've been repaired and reshaped since my first arrival at Occult House, when Angus charged through the wall to save me. My bedroom even feels bigger than before—almost big enough to handle the Mothman himself.

Stepping back from me, he stares at my face with a serious expression, his eyes swirling with red.

"What do you see when you look at me, Ellie? Do you see your greatest nightmares? A creature shaped like a man, but made of darkness?"

"I see you," I tell him, wishing that I had better words to reassure him. "I see... Aleron."

Chapter16

Ellie

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