Page 4 of Scales and Seduction (Monster Match #1)

A golden cascade of sunlight filters through the elder oak tree in the grove, warming my aching body. I overdid it last night, and yet—I feel no satisfaction. I haven’t truly enjoyed my playtime with Avalon in ages. It’s a routine, but it’s better than nothing. I have so many sexual desires I wish I could fulfill, but since my brother’s disappearance, my ability to trust anyone I’m unfamiliar with has all but vanished. Avalon is my fiancée, Domme, and the last person I want to be with.

I glance down at my phone, still unsure why I’m even using this ridiculous app. My impending wedding looms in the back of my mind. There’s no use. Everything must follow the status quo. I swipe left more than I ever swipe right. A minotaur, a banshee (those bitches are not to be fucked with. They will ruin your life) and a drider like Avalon. It feels like a setup for a comedy routine more than the reality I’m faced with.

“This is useless. What use do I have for a concubine...?” I whisper to myself.

I’m about to be married, hilariously, to Avalon to who I swore a year ago I’d stop fucking. Neither of us wants this marriage, and we’ve grown bored with our dynamic. Desperate for something to spice things up, I jumped the moment Avalon mentioned this app in passing, which touts its ability to make the best match—a soul match. Which is a complete fallacy, and we both know it. Still, I believe there’s something that drew her to it. Maybe there’s a possibility she wishes this engagement to end just as much as I do. If we have our fated mates, then could the council and our families stop us from being with them instead?

I swipe again, and immediately my hand stills. A human woman. Humans are meant to be hideous, violent creatures, but she appears so soft and almost prey-like. I’ve only ever seen them in books, but I can tell for certain she’s not one of us.

She has dark curls, doe eyes, and the plumpest, most kissable lips I’ve ever seen. The first photo sparks my curiosity—I can’t see her body at all. Then I swipe to see a bright purple party hat on her head with a bit of what looks like chocolate icing on her face just next to her lips. My mind conjures the idea of my cum on her cheeks instead.

Fuck me, I shouldn’t think that.

The last photo in the carousel finally shows the woman’s body—no, Ruby’s body. She’s so small compared to the others in the photo. Her face is so youthful; the delicate column of her neck and collarbones are prominent enough that I yearn to feel my hands around them. Her curves hug her jeans tightly around the hips and thighs, but a jean jacket hides her chest and button-down olive shirt.

“What are you doing on this app, tiny morsel?” It has to be a catfish. Someone who wants us all to froth at the mouth for them, and when we meet up, they’re not human at all but some crusty elder who wants his rocks off. Whoever it is knows the idea of a human would be exotic and more interesting—that or they want to catch us being predatory.

For centuries, humans and Vale folk have been forbidden from having contact. For centuries, we’ve had no way to cross the realms, a law forged out of necessity once humans stopped worshiping us and began hunting us.

I’ll bite though. What do I have to lose? Perhaps ripping the liar’s heart out through his ass will liven things up.

I swipe right.

A rush of energy shoots through my veins as black claw marks show a match. A subtle magic bubbles around me, licking at my skin. The sensation ignites my senses, throwing them into overdrive. As I close my eyes, a groan slips past my lips, the threat of an orgasm building in my gut. The feeling coils through me, intensifying as it builds and builds from a euphoric throb to a burning ache as the electric enchantment twists and licks at my skin.

I bite through my lip, and blood blooms into my mouth. A rich voice echoes in my mind. It’s a voice I’ve never heard before, and yet it sounds so familiar. “Protect your mate, Gideon, Prince of Acadia. The hunt begins now.”

The magic ceases as quickly as it began, and I’m panting with sweat trickling down my forehead. My cocks have extruded, and they’re wet and glistening with pre-cum. Thank the gods no one is here to witness this disgrace.

Mate.

The word “mate” has lost its meaning these days. If I recall, the old definition was your destined partner. Your other half of your soul. The gods had created your perfect match, ripping them from your body to create a separate being altogether.

Fate. It’s something no one believes in anymore. Yet that voice and the feeling of true knowing still ricochets inside my skull.

Ruby is mine. Her sweet little body, her heart, her soul—they’re mine. She’s mine to adore and mine to worship.

Suddenly, a wave of panic roils through me as a sudden, intense awareness sets my most primal instincts into full alarm. A voice calls in the deepest recesses of my mind, prodding me toward the main street. The alarm is sharp and urgent as I bolt from the grove of oak trees behind my cottage without hesitation. The scent of my mate’s terror hangs in the air. It’s sharp and frantic. My instincts scream to find her as a tightness coils within my gut.

I can feel her as though our souls are tethered, and inside my mind’s eye, I see where she is. She’s in the park across from the town square. Something deep within me tells me she’s real, that this isn’t someone playing human, but how did she cross the barrier?

The moment I’m just outside the park, I hear laughter, and my focus sharpens on a group of children circling around something in the field near the merry-go-round. As I close in on them, I can see their faces, full of utter fascination.

One tiny pixie girl with pigtails and bright pink wings points at Ruby. “Do you think she’s a witch?”

Their innocent chatter grates against the pulse in my ears. My mate is terrified. Her panic propels me forward until I’m just outside the circle of kids. “Enough,” I say sternly, giving them all a look that dares them to argue. “Go back to playing and leave her alone.” The children scatter, though it’s more to do with who I am and less with how intimidating I am.

In her arms, she holds a mangy-looking cat, who’s strangely content to be in her arms even as she hugs him tightly.

“Ruby.” My voice remains low deliberately to calm her panic.

Her breathing hitches, and she leans back slightly, just enough for me to see her face. Wide prey-like eyes stare up into mine, shimmering with confusion and fear. My heart clenches at seeing her in such a fragile state of terror.

I crouch beside her, hesitating to reach out to her, afraid that if I do, then, like any prey, she’ll run. “Breathe, honey.” I inhale first as if to show her how easy it can be.

Ruby inhales a deep, ragged breath, then her lips part to speak, but no words come out. She’s still so overwhelmed, her chest heaves with panic. “You’re real?” Her eyelids flutter as she closes her eyes, shaking her head viciously from side to side. “Monsters are real!” Her voice is soft, filled with disbelief.

I’m caught off guard by her question and using that negative word. It echoes in my head, and for a moment, I don’t know how to respond. Am I real? What kind of question is that? Is she real? is the question to ask.

There’s no way her kind could cross the barriers. The realms are separated by magic so strong, even the best of us could die trying to cross it. Confusion dances behind both of our eyes as we study one another. “This is my world. Humans aren’t allowed here. I should be asking you the same question. How did you get here?”

Ruby’s brows draw together, and she shakes her head again. “I don’t understand. I was in my living room using a dating app.” She peers upwards into my eyes. “Gideon? How, how did you find me? It was seconds; literally I just swiped right on you.”

“We won’t harm you,” I reassure her gently, feeling a surge of protectiveness at how she shivers, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don’t know how you got here, but if you’re really here, then we need to leave.”

She gives a small nod before her eyes timidly open again. Those rich, deep doe eyes of hers send a thrum of warmth to my chest and my groin—against my better judgment.

Now is not the time to think with my cocks.

“Look at me, and only me, honey,” I say, maintaining my slow deliberate timbre so she isn’t startled further.

Her breathing is still fast, but there’s a flicker of recognition in her eyes as I inhale a slow, deep breath. Ruby’s eyes follow my chest as it rises and falls, though it isn’t enough to pull her from her panic. I reach out, pausing just inches from her trembling hand—longing to touch her, to anchor her in place.

“May I?” I ask gently. Her world has already been shaken. The last thing I want is to overwhelm her.

She nods, and that’s enough.

I take hold of her small, dainty wrist to stroke soft circles along her skin. “Breathe with me.”

As my cool fingers brush her warm, trembling skin, I feel an immediate spark—a connection. Ruby whimpers at the sensation, but her grip tightens immediately, as if I am the only solid thing that may exist in this realm for her.

“That’s it, Ruby,” I whisper, continuing to rub tiny circles into her wrist to calm her. “You’re alright. You’re here with me.”

Her breathing slows just enough to stave off the worst of her panic, though her pupils are still blown wide and filled with confusion. “They’re real, aren’t they?”

I exhale a breath because I know the answer will not be easy for her to digest, but I can’t lie to her.

“Yes.” The word is heavy on my tongue. “They’re real. I am real.” The truth hangs heavily between us. I can see the weight of it pressing down on her and the fear bubbling in her eyes. “Now you need to come with me.”