Page 232 of Monsters in Love

“Otoki,you must eat, then with the waters, you will heal. After rest, we will go find my men. The waters will heal my wings, but I will need time to dry them.” I kiss the top of her head.

She shakes her head no and sniffles. “I don’t feel like I can.”

Something inside me snaps, and I pull her from my hold. “You will eat.” I put as much assertion and dominance as I can into my voice, tipping her chin upward with my finger. “Do you understand?”

Echo’s eyes narrow, and indignation flares in her eyes. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Yes, I am quite serious. You have to eat, and if I must feed you, I will.”

The tears are still wet on her face, and her lips turn down into a grimace that sets my temper on edge. She is going to intentionally go against what I demand of her.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Xakiras. I’m very capable of taking care of myself, so save your alpha male bullshit for someone else,” she says, pushing my chest.

That only has me holding her harder. I back us both against the pool’s edge, shoving my legs between hers. “You will eat,Otoki. Once you have, like the good little girl you are, I intend to show you just how good you can be.”

She doesn’t give in; instead Echo smirks, tilting her head upward at me. “You think that’s going to work on me?”

I have no idea what I intended, only to prove to her that she must take care of herself. We both have been going nonstop; she needs to eat and rest. “I would never clip your wings, but I need you to stay alive and healthy.”

I reach behind her and grab a piece of fruit from the plate, putting it to her lips. The juices run down my hand, but before it falls, I flick my tongue out to lick it from my skin. The flavor of it makes me buzz, wishing to taste it from her mouth.

She doesn’t open her mouth, but she doesn’t need to because I take my other hand, grasping at the edges of her jaw to hinge it open. Echo shakes her head, but I trail the fruit over her lips instead of forcing it inside. “Eat for me, baby.”

Echo snarls, but her tongue comes out of her pretty pink mouth to lick the juices that have gathered there. She moans, and her eyes close, which only furthers the problem growing tight against my pouch.

Slowly I finger the fruit into her mouth, letting her cheeks go so she can chew properly. She does not disappoint me as her mouth closes and she chews, swallowing it down without a fight.

Once it’s entirely swallowed down, she glares one final time. “Don’t ever do that again.”

I say nothing because we both know I will do it again, but I uncage her from my body so she can move freely. Like the good girl she is, she takes another piece of the fruit into her hands.

“You’re eating too, right?” She raises one of her eyes up at me, and I smile.

A devious thought enters my mind, and I truly wonder just how far I can take things with her. “Feed me.”

I am already enthralled by her body, which I once felt was entirely ugly, though now I realize I love it. The softness of her skin, the way her breasts look in the lampfyre. She inhales a breath, blinking a few times before her lips tip up into a smile.

My little bug.

When she has a piece in her hands, the music from earlier starts back up. The twinkling melody echoes through the cavern. It’s a beautiful song that tells of love lost.

“That’s so beautiful…” Echo puts the fruit up to my lips, and I open happily for it. I want to tell her she’s the beautiful one, but instead I stay silent, eating fruit from her fingers, suddenly far too shy to speak up.

When her hand pulls back, I grasp it by the wrist, pulling it to my lips to lick the juices from her palm. I do not miss the inhale of breath or the subtle way she stops breathing entirely.

The flavor of her skin and the fruit juices mixed together create a blend of something so dangerously sweet and tantalizing that I pull her closer to me.

“What are you doing?” She chews on the bottom of her lip, pulling the skin off of it.

How can I answer her?

“We should sleep,” I tell her, letting her arms fall free.

Why suddenly am I lost for words like a small child? It frustrates me, and while she climbs out of the pool, I look at the soft globes of her ass and curse myself for being weak. I have already fucked her twice. Why does telling her my feelings feel like a weight I cannot carry?

Once we’ve put our clothes back on, Xakiras leads us back into the large open cavern where the Volese are still playing music. There are several of them dancing, while the others strum and pluck at various instruments.

They all seem so happy, so carefree, considering they are little more than slaves. The music grows more upbeat, and one of the Volese comes to our side. I think it’s the same one from before, but I can get a much better look now that they are here.

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