Heart Pangs

Chapter 24 - 'All Mouths That Surround You'

The prey girl falls forward onto Lux with a gasp. She lays on him panting, sweat sparkling in the dim, colorful lights of the room. She feels so light and tiny to Lux. And her skin is so warm. She's like a tiny personal furnace in his bed. He loves how she curls so perfectly onto his chest and torso, like she'd been made to be there. And, in a way, she had been.

He runs his fingers through her long hair and breathes in the scent. "Do you know how good you smell?" he asks her quietly.

She looks up at him. "I'd love to hear you tell me."

He smiles and slips a hand under her small chin, tilting her face up to his. He leans down and kisses her lips, tongue flicking out conservatively to taste her.

"You smell—" he mutters between kisses. "—good enough—" His tongue quickly becomes less conservative and he wants nothing more than to deepen his kisses to something much more, but he holds back. Instead he wraps his arms around her, holding her to him. "— to eat," he finishes just as he flips the girl over so she's beneath him.

She laughs as her back hits the soft covers. Her hands come up to cradle his face. Lux presses his mouth into hers, hard, letting his weight sink into her small form. But not too much. He doesn't want to hurt her. Not yet.

He moves away from her mouth and starts nipping gently down her jaw to her neck. "God, and you taste amazing too," he murmurs into her skin.

"Mm," she hums quietly. He spares a glance at her face and sees her eyes are closed.

He moves up to her earlobe and catches it between his teeth. His nose brushes the freshly cropped tip of her ear. The girl lets out a quiet, sharp gasp of pain.

"Sorry," he tells her. He forgets a lot about contracted prey having their ears cropped before being delivered to their preds.

"It's okay," she assures him, although her voice sounds strained.

He moves away from her ear, pulling back far enough to look into her eyes. He tries not to lick his lips as their eyes meet. He's ready to have her inside him. His stomach aches for her, wants her at that very moment. But that isn't how this works. At least, not for Lux. Not with contracted prey, anyway. He owes her these final, gentle moments. Besides, he knows he'll regret it if he doesn't finish beforehand.

"Have you ever been with a pred before?" he asks her.

She shakes her head and answers, "No, I figured I'd have my fair share of a pred by the time my contract was up."

Lux laughs. "You're lucky," he tells her, "not all preds are like me. They're not as... kind to their prey."

"I know," she replies, her voice suddenly serious.

Lux hesitates for a moment before asking, "How long was your contract?"

"Five years."

"Jesus." He knows she's young but still. A standard prey contract usually lasts at least ten years.

"I needed the extra benefits for my mom and sister," the girl explains.

"Right," Lux says quickly. He doesn't need to hear about the family his prey leaves behind. "Just be ready. This will probably hurt at first if you've never done it."

He doesn't give her a chance to respond before he enters her. She lets out a cry that's a mix of pain, surprise, and pleasure. Her hands shoot reflexively to Lux's arms, gripping tight, nails digging in. Lux squeezes his eyes shut and feels a warm shiver run down to his toes. Somehow he always forgets how much smaller prey really are.