Page 27 of Lessons with the Mothman (Monster Smash Agency)

CHAPTER 27

Elias

The bar was more crowded than ever, and it was only ten. By midnight we might actually have to either create a line outside, or simply refuse anyone else entry for the night. The noise was almost unbearable to me, but we were too busy to retreat and leave Lulu and Nora on their own.

It was Halloween, and there was an uncommon number of humans in attendance. For the most part, they were fairly easy to spot at a glance—sexy little angels and men in cowboy hats—but a few had creative enough costumes to give me pause, wondering for a moment what unfamiliar species I was staring at until the light hit a smear in their face paint.

I noted, with a little bit of triumph, the way the humans mingled and flirted with monsters and vice versa. I was maintaining my theory that there was a genuine interspecies sexual lure, some evolutionary call to mix genes for best results, perhaps. The fae would be appalled by the notion.

I glanced to the corner of the bar where Victoria sat with her laptop, seemingly impervious to the roar of sound, the jostle of bodies at her back, the way strangers craned around her to try and catch the attention of my bartenders. She had a half finished drink and a basket of fries at hand, and she was chewing on her lip as she worked. She was dressed in a loose blouse, belted trousers, and a tweed jacket thrown over the back of her barstool, and she claimed her costume was Katharine Hepburn. I suspected this was a convenient, no effort costume, but considering I had told a young woman that my costume was an imperial moth, I had no room to judge.

Perhaps next year I would wear a vintage suit and hat and be her Spencer Tracy.

A sudden collection of cheers and groans rose up from one of the pool tables, and I stretched, staring over the crowd to where Rafe pumped his arms in the air, his slutty Little Red Riding Hood costume coming dangerously close to exposing him, if not for the tiny white bloomers. His Big Bad Wolf, Hannah, laughed from the side. Jessica Rabbit, or Natalie, struck a pouting pose that caught the attention of a few strangers nearby, and Theo's good humor grew far too narrow-eyed and predatory to be a convincing Roger Rabbit. Sunny and Khell, one pair of several Barbie and Kens in the bar, hurried out of the bathroom hallway, adjusting their clothes.

I mixed a few more of our specialty menu drinks, silently sympathizing with myself that I wasn't getting frisky in a supply closet as well for the evening. I had a significant consolation waiting for myself later tonight though, one I'd been keeping a secret from Victoria for a few days now.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and opened my string of texts with her. It was an amusing mix of filthy demands and everyday messages.

You're still leaking out of me.

How is Rafe's menu changing?

I can barely sit with how sore I am.

I typed out a new message.

We have the opportunity for another demonstration tonight.

Out of the corner of my eye, Victoria straightened, picking up her phone. I spared myself the time for a glance, just long enough to catch her smile.

Tonight? You won't be too tired?

I met her gaze and shook my head, then typed once more.

However, they do need a volunteer. Or two.

I held my breath. Her eyes widened, met mine, and then flashed down to her phone once more, her thumbs moving quickly.

You can't just say that and not give me any clues.

I grinned and searched for an appropriately illustrative gif. It was more than a hint, really.

Victoria's jaw dropped, then snapped shut. She went pale, and then flushed. A moment later, her tongue flicked out to wet her lips.

Lulu nudged me in the side, shooting me a glare and rattling off a list of drinks for me to prepare. I worked as quickly as I could, my phone buzzing once in my pocket, almost burning there with my anticipation.

Finally, a good ten minutes later, I could spare a moment. I looked at Victoria first, but she was focused on her laptop once more, hurriedly working, her expression placid except for a slight furrow of attention between her brows. My phone held the answer I sought.

I'm in if you are.

I grinned. It was precisely the answer I was hoping for.

Garden apartments were coveted real estate for the Chicago monster species. Vampires appreciated the secure rooms without windows or ones that were easily shrouded. Orcs liked a deeply grounded space for their den. But a garden apartment with a saltwater pool? That was reserved especially for those aquatic beings who needed such a luxury for their survival.

I paused on the threshold of the stairs as Victoria's hand slipped into my coat pocket, her fingers fitting smoothly between mine.

"You're sure about this?" she asked, eyes tired behind thick framed glasses, searching my face.

I stared back at her for a moment, trying to anticipate the correct response, to guess at what answer she was searching for. And then I realized it would be better just to ask.

"You have concerns?" I asked.

She smiled and I had a strange, warm reaction to getting this particular puzzle right for once. "Usually there would be a little more discussion about the idea of a threesome than just a cheeky text."

"Mmm, I suppose I understand where you're coming from," I said, nodding. "I planned this, so I am sure, but my reasons are that I think you'll enjoy yourself. I know I'll enjoy myself. And I like the idea of watching you, and you watching me, and both of us having this experience together."

Victoria's eyes lit up and her smile grew as she stretched to her toes, grazing a kiss against my jaw. "Well, I like those reasons. Thank you. Let's go and enjoy ourselves."

I wondered if I should say more. That I didn't think a pleasurable threesome would have any bearing on our budding, possible, hopefully, maybe relationship. That I wanted her to know she could share this with me, or enjoy something like it privately, and I would still be secure with how I felt for her.

Those words could wait.

"If at any point you aren't enjoying yourself, let me know and we'll stop," I said, pulling our hands free from my pocket, guiding her gently down the stairs. "That's all that matters."

Victoria nodded, but she was already studying our surroundings, cataloguing every detail, and I knew she was too excited now to continue to dwell.

After a brief tour of the apartment, I guided us to where Nico lounged, half submerged in their pool, and greeted us both with a languid wave. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Apologies for the absurd hour, Nico," I offered, slipping my shoes off and rocking on the balls of my feet, the tile cool and smooth beneath my toes.

Victoria's hand clung tightly to mine, her expression holding a rare shyness as she smiled back at the kraken.

They shrugged in answer, one webbed hand reaching up to slick back sage green hair. They bobbed down into the water, the gills on their ribs expanding for a breath. "I keep strange hours in my season. And I just had some time to rest from my last visitor."

That caught Victoria's attention. "You have a mating season too?" she asked, glancing back at me.

Nico nodded, smiling, revealing sharp teeth. "Not so often as Elias's. And I'm near the end of the egg drop now."

I nodded. They didn't look as bloated as I would've expected.

"Must've been a very accommodating guest," I teased.

Nico blushed, their pale blue skin warming to a deep purple. "Astraeya. I had to tell her to leave you something to work with."

My eyebrows rose at that news. Curious. Technically, Nico worked for the agency, although mostly as a driver rather than a partner. But Astraeya had to feed, I supposed, and she and Nico were friends. Hopefully, she wouldn't mind the kraken having shared that tidbit with me.

"She has been stressed," I reasoned.

"Mmm. There's been another mating," Nico said, bobbing up once more and floating in our direction.

Victoria sat on a cushioned bench near the pool, unlacing her boots, her jacket draped to the side. She watched us gossip with a neutral expression, mostly studying Nico in the water. I tried to picture them from her perspective as well.

Nico was broader than a human, muscular chest built for long swims, trapezius extending farther down their back and spreading wider, similar to those of us whose bodies needed the structure and strength for flight. Instead of wings, there was a stretch of dense skin that expanded at their underarms for easy gliding along the floor of the sea. They had high, sharp cheekbones and features more flat against their face, eyes set wide beneath a long brow. There were the gills too, of course, along their ribs and behind their jaw.

Was Victoria able to find the kraken attractive, or did their features fall too far outside of human familiarity? Then again, did mine? She had never called me handsome, not that I could recall, although she seemed to enjoy tracing her fingertips around my face in the aftermath of lovemaking.

Below the water, Nico's body flared like a gown, nearly amorphous at some moments, and then extended into long, flexible limb-like tentacles.

By the time Nico was done filling me in on the latest scandal at the Agency, Victoria was standing, her blouse discarded and her trousers falling loose down her bare legs. It suddenly struck me how small she was, how human . Nico might be too much for her body to handle.

You just don't entirely like the idea of how much she might enjoy them , a voice hinted in my head. I smiled at the taunt and hurried to shuck off my own clothes. I enjoyed the spark of jealousy, a rare emotion in my life. My suspicions about how well Nico's physiology would suit Victoria's needs were more than half the reason I'd arranged this liaison. The rest was due to how much I enjoyed a romp with Nico.

Victoria paused at the ledge of the pool, still wearing her bra and underwear, and glanced over her shoulder at me with a reserve in her expression that chilled some of my eagerness.

"We can't really use this in the study," she said softly, glancing back at Nico. "I don't think it would be appropriate."

Nico laughed, and I finished stripping, stepping to her side and finding the warm spot at the base of her spine that fit the curve of my palm perfectly.

"That's what the interview is for," Nico said brightly.

Victoria looked to me for confirmation, and I nodded, shrugging. "I assumed there might be a conflict of interest with this part, but Nico had already promised an interview. When their laying came up at the same time, it just seemed…too exciting a temptation to resist."

Victoria leaned into my touch, a new phenomenon I was relishing in since our reunion, and rose up on her toes to graze her mouth over mine.

"Don't stop, please," Nico called gently, the sound of water lapping at tile heralding their approach. "I like to watch."

Victoria's breath caught against my mouth, but she didn't pull away as I cupped her face, drawing her in for another, deeper kiss. My arm circled her waist, holding her against my chest, and I slid my hand down from her cheek to trace a long muscle from her neck to shoulder, then moved to her breast, cupping it through the gauzy cotton. She sighed into my mouth, tasting of the spiced liquor I'd crafted with cardamom, ginger, vanilla, and green tea.

I found the front latch of her bra and paused to lean back and enjoy the picture of her, arched back over my arm at her waist, the thin bra parting to reveal small breasts with perfect dark peach areolas that tightened and pebbled in the cool, humid air.

Nico was watching too, and I smirked, holding Victoria's slightly nervous gaze as I drew the cups of the bra away from her body, showing her off to the kraken's worshipful stare. Her pupils widened, and her breath hitched as I circled a soft claw around the tip of her breast. I repeated the motion, back and forth, one nipple and then the other, until she was swallowing the start of a whimper and her eyelids had drooped shut. Her head hung back, hair loose, throat flexing with a swallow. Perfect surrender.

My chest burned, and my cock ached where it was starting to thicken, coremata flirting against the waistband of her underwear.

"Are you getting wet?" I whispered into her ear.

She nodded, eyes fluttering open, a glance skirting over Nico and then fixing to me, her cheeks coloring with a blush. She liked exhibitionism as much as she liked voyeurism, apparently.

She really is perfect for me , I mused.

I'd been determined to believe as much that very first moment I'd found her name on a sticky note. It was preposterous to realize that now—now that I did know her and had discovered all the ways we matched together.

"Show us," I said, stroking my hand over her cheek, keeping her face lifted to hold her gaze. I wasn't sure if I did that for her comfort, or for my own selfish need to remain the one connected to her.

The whine escaped, and I swallowed it with a kiss, my tongue laving over her bottom lip as she shifted against me. In the water, Nico groaned softly.

"So lovely," they murmured, and Victoria shivered.

"Spread your legs," I said, nipping at her lip. Her foot nudged against mine. "Very good. Now hold yourself open so Nico can have a good look at you."

Victoria's stare was blazing, her breaths short and quick, and her arm moved to cross in front of her. A darker flush spread over her cheeks as we held each other's stare, and I wondered for a moment what in particular had her so embarrassed.

And then Nico answered the question without prompting. "Ohh, she's just started to drip."

Victoria's eyes slid shut, and I let out a long, slightly pained sound of approval. I scattered kisses over her cheeks, an apology for the ruthless teasing and in gratitude for her perfect response.

"May I?" Nico asked.

Finally, we gave our attention to the kraken waiting in the water for us. One long tentacle mottled with emerald and indigo was swaying up out of the water, its tip curled back to reveal the pale underbelly, where little rounds of flesh were pursing and relaxing like lips begging for a kiss.

Victoria gaped for a moment and then roused from the haze of desire, the hand not holding the lips of her sex reaching out to the extended tentacle. Nico met her partway, sucker clasping around the tip of her middle finger. Victoria's eyes widened as Nico's lids hooded.

"They're exceptionally sensitive right now," I explained. "The more suckers that have somewhere to touch, to exert pressure and receive feedback, the more pleasure Nico experiences."

This caught Victoria's attention too thoroughly to be distracted by the promise of what those little suckers might offer her .

"Do you masturbate with them?" she asked, abrupt and direct, her study jumping to the front of her mind.

Nico laughed, and the sound was deeper than I expected, bouncing off the walls of the bare room. "Oh, yes. Sometimes even accidentally," they admitted, drawing their tentacle away from Victoria's hand, folding it in on itself, rubbing the rounds together. They shuddered in the water in response, and Victoria brightened with interest. Nico preened under her attention. "I could manage on my own, really, but I'm a social creature. I like new textures. New tastes."

Victoria had forgotten about my orders to her, straightening at the edge of the pool, her toes curled over the ledge, panties around her ankles. When Nico's tentacle snapped out and wrapped around one leg, tugging her closer, she flew forward with a yelp. I growled and reached for her, but Nico was faster, another tentacle whipping out with a splash of water, coiling around her waist and lowering her more gently into the pool. The two long ropes of muscle stroked between her legs as she sank, and Victoria's moan was surprised and ragged.

For a moment, I remained standing, unsure of what to do with myself. But she twisted in Nico's hold, searching for me, and I found myself jumping down into the water, my wings growing heavy as the delicate fibers grew saturated.

"May I kiss you?" Nico asked her, floating in place so it was easy for me to catch up with them.

Victoria hesitated and Nico glanced at me, as if they were both waiting for permission. Her hands were braced against Nico's broad, flat chest, but it wasn't a caress. It wasn't a push to back away, either. Her head turned, and I inched closer, almost brushing against her back. She wanted instruction.

Slowly, to give her time to declare her own wishes, to watch every little shift of her face to know if I was guessing correctly, I reached up to cup the back of her head, my fingers tangling in the now damp strands. Victoria softened between us, her nape relaxing into my grip, head tipping back at my instruction, offering her mouth to the kraken.

This was a privilege I'd never experienced before. Victoria might claim she had reservations, but she'd gifted me with a trust so thorough, I found it somewhat daunting at the moment.

Daunting, and thrilling.

"Open your mouth, darling," I coaxed.

She did so, back arching as Nico played between her legs, moaning as they dove down and thrust a long, thick tongue into the welcome of her cry.