Knox (Monsters of Veridia #1)

Chapter 7

Chapter

Seven

Adrian’s fingers trembled as he booked a hotel room on his phone, standing just outside the brothel in the bright daylight. He barely glanced at the details, his mind focused on one thing—finding a place where he could be alone with Knox.

Knox’s hand rested on Adrian’s shoulder, the touch sending a shiver down his spine. "What are you doing?" Knox asked, looking at Adrian’s phone.

Adrian swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. "Booking a hotel room. Nearby." The words came out in a rush.

Knox’s eyebrows rose, his storm-cloud gray eyes studying Adrian’s face intently. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Adrian nodded, but when he tried to speak, no words came out. His heart raced, pounding against his ribcage. Was he really going to do this? It seemed insane, and yet…

His phone vibrated, startling him. The booking confirmation had arrived in his inbox.

No turning back now.

He took a deep breath and met Knox’s gaze. "Come on," he said, his voice steadier than he felt. "The hotel’s just two blocks down the street."

As they walked, Adrian’s mind whirled with a thousand thoughts. What would it be like, being with Knox?

Adrian hadn’t been intimate with anyone in a long time. Not since Chris—and that hadn’t been enjoyable. And while Adrian was fairly sure that being with Knox wouldn’t be anything like being with his ex…

Chris had never been the problem.

The problem was Adrian himself.

Would Knox see that too?

Would he be disappointed?

Adrian tried to shake the thoughts, the doubts. Knox was an incubus. Surely that would make things different.

Eventually they reached the hotel, and Adrian checked them in, acutely aware of the strange look the clerk gave Knox. Adrian tried to ignore the attention. Knox’s attire was none of the clerk’s business, after all.

And he had other things to worry about.

Adrian’s fingers clenched around the key card as they stepped into the hotel room. The place screamed "budget accommodation"—carpet floor, a dull floral print, and the scent of industrial cleaning products clinging to the air. The bed, neatly made but visibly uncomfortable, sat in the center, its white linens too crisp to be inviting.

Adrian’s eyes drifted upward, landing on a framed photo above the bed. A young couple laughed on a sunny beach, carefree and joyous. Adrian’s stomach twisted; it looked like the beach where he and Chris had their first date. The memory surged back unbidden: warm sand between their toes, the ocean’s roar, Chris’s laughter. They’d been happy then, before everything fell apart.

He tore his gaze away from the photo, feeling the sting of old wounds reopening.

He chose to look at Knox instead. Already, the incubus was starting to undress. Adrian couldn’t help but stare as Knox pulled off the pajama top, revealing a lean yet muscular torso that seemed too perfect to be real.

But that was because it wasn’t.

Knox was a fictional character, after all. Even if he somehow, impossibly, stood before Adrian now, catching his gaze and holding it.

"I could use what’s left of my powers," he murmured, his voice low. "Put you under my spell to make you forget whatever is causing the sadness in your eyes."

Adrian’s heart skipped a beat as Knox approached him, shirtless and oh so touchable. The incubus reached out and gently lifted Adrian’s chin with two fingers, forcing him to meet his eyes, now tinged with molten gold.

"But I remember what you said about consent. I remember my promise not to touch you." He withdrew his fingers.

What the hell was that about?

Knox wasn't going to touch him? But then, what were they going to do in this hotel room?

Stand and stare at each other?

That wasn't what Adrian had come here for. "Don't treat me like a child," he said. "If I'm asking for… for this," he gestured lamely at their surroundings, "then I know what I'm doing."

"And I know what promise I made," Knox insisted.

"Then what do you want with me?" Exasperation crept into Adrian's voice.

"I don't need to touch you to feed on you," Knox said. "As long as you don't mind giving me a show."

Adrian blinked, trying to process the words. Give Knox a show? "You want me to strip?"

The thought sent a jolt through him. It didn't sit well, which felt silly considering he had gotten this hotel room with the expectation that Knox would see him naked. But standing here now, in the stark light of the budget hotel room, everything felt far too real.

Knox shook his head slowly, his eyes locked onto Adrian's. "I want you to touch yourself," he said. "I want to watch."

Adrian’s heart hammered in his chest.

"No." The word came out more forceful than intended.

Secretly, he wished he was the sort of person who could give Knox a show, but he wasn't—because he didn't have anything to show off.

Knox's brows furrowed. He probably thought he was offering Adrian an 'easier' solution.

In reality, though…

It was as if he was painting a target on Adrian's insecurities.

"What's the issue?" Knox asked. "You don't want me to see you?"

Adrian licked his lips. "I’m… I don’t…" Goddammit, he couldn’t say it. He was small. So small that his ex had never let him be on top after the first time. You can’t get deep enough. You can’t hit the spot.

It shouldn’t matter because Adrian wouldn’t ask to be on top with Knox. Hell, he’d never ask that of anyone again.

But still…

It was embarrassing.

The worst part was that he didn’t enjoy bottoming. Not the way some other men did. Any time Daniel saw a picture of a hot guy he wanted to be under him.

Not Adrian.

It was one of the reasons Adrian liked to fantasize about Knox. If anyone could make Adrian enjoy being on the receiving end, it had to be an incubus.

"You don't want to undress?" Knox ventured. "You don't want me to touch you, you don't want me to see you naked…"

Adrian cringed. In a second, Knox would tell him that he was being insane and that he should stop wasting the demon's time.

But that wasn't what happened.

"I'm not all out of ideas, yet," Knox said. "Lie down on the bed. Get comfortable on your back."

Adrian shot Knox a questioning look, but the incubus only waited, patiently, for Adrian to do as he had been told. So Adrian blew out a breath, took off his shoes—and nothing else—and climbed on the bed. 'Getting comfortable' was a difficult task, but he lay down and shot Knox an expectant look. What now?

The mattress dipped as Knox moved onto the bed. He didn't touch Adrian, but he climbed over him, stared straight down at him with those beautiful eyes of his.

"Relax," he commanded, entirely in his element. He'd seemed a little off-kilter ever since Adrian had met him, but that was likely the result of finding himself in a world whose rules he didn't understand.

This, Knox understood.

Yet, for Adrian, relaxing was easier said than done. The proximity of the demon, even hotter now that he was full of confidence, sent adrenaline coursing through his veins. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to move, to reach out, lean up—but he stayed still, trapped in the web of Knox's gaze.

Knox's smile turned predatory. "I may bend the rules of my promise a little," he said softly. "Tell me if you hate it."

Before Adrian could process the words, shadows began to swirl around Knox, like living extensions of his will. Their tendrils reached out toward Adrian. His heart pounded harder.

And then the shadows slipped under his clothes, oddly warm against his skin. They whispered across his chest, teasing and exploring in ways that made him shiver.

This was weird.

These shadows were part of Knox, weren't they? So technically, Knox was touching him.

But Adrian couldn't quite muster up the brainpower to debate technicalities while he was being teased by tangible shadows. They knew exactly where to touch too, where to linger—places even he hadn't known were sensitive.

Knox watched intently, his eyes never leaving Adrian's face. "Do you hate it?" His voice was a low rumble, vibrating through Adrian's core.

Adrian's breath hitched. "No," he managed to choke out. "I don't…"

The shadows intensified their caresses, making it harder for Adrian to think clearly. They slipped under the waistband of his jeans, tracing patterns on his hips and thighs that sent jolts of electricity through him.

Adrian bit down on his lip, stifling a moan as one shadow slid up his spine and another circled around his neck like a phantom kiss.

Knox leaned in closer but still didn't touch him. "That's it," he murmured approvingly. "Just feel."

Adrian couldn't help but obey. The shadows seemed to know exactly what he needed—what he craved—and they provided it with an intensity that left him breathless and yearning for more.

Adrian’s breath caught in his throat as the tendrils of shadow slid further down, curling around his cock. The sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced—warm, insistent, and so, so perfect. He clenched the bed sheets, knuckles white, as a moan escaped his lips.

Knox’s eyes darkened with desire, but he stayed just out of reach.

The tendrils tightened their grip, moving with a deliberate rhythm that drove Adrian wild. Every touch seemed intended to maximize pleasure and tease him toward the edge without pushing him over it.

Adrian’s hips bucked involuntarily, seeking more contact. The shadows felt so real, so intimate, yet there was no physical weight to them. It was like being caressed by whispers and secrets, an experience so foreign it left him dizzy.

Knox's gaze remained fixed on Adrian's face, a predatory hunger lurking just beneath the surface of his composed demeanor. "You're doing well," Knox murmured, his voice a dark caress in itself.

Adrian could only manage a strangled gasp in response. The tendrils tightened slightly around him, eliciting a low moan that escaped before he could catch it. His fingers dug into the bedspread as he fought to maintain some semblance of control.

"Don't hold back," Knox whispered. "Let yourself go."

Adrian's vision blurred at the edges as the shadows intensified their ministrations.

Let yourself go.

Like he had any other choice.

Desire overtook reason, and before he knew what he was doing, Adrian reached out to Knox and pulled the demon into a kiss.

For a split second, as he pressed his lips to Knox's, fear clawed at him—what if Knox rejected him? What if he pulled away and spouted some shit about his promise?

All his fears seemed realized when Knox did pull away—but the demon only leaned up long enough to take Adrian’s glasses off his nose. It was an oddly thoughtful gesture, one that made Adrian’s heart leap into his throat as the demon’s lips returned to his and kissed him in a way that made Adrian understand he hadn’t put the glasses away only to protect them damage. He’d done it because he couldn’t suffer the least bit of barrier between them.

Knox kissed him as if he’d wanted to do nothing else for the past several hours, as if he was hungry for Adrian.

And that hunger was intoxicating.

Adrian felt himself being swept away by the force of it. He clung to Knox, fingers digging into the demon's shoulders as if afraid that letting go would break the spell.

Knox's hands gripped Adrian's waist, pulling him closer as their mouths moved together. The shadows that had been teasing Adrian melted away, leaving only the heat of Knox's body and the weight of it against Adrian's.

"Knox," Adrian whispered, his voice shaky.

Knox pressed a finger to Adrian’s lips, silencing him. "Don't start thinking."

The incubus moved on top of Adrian, the bulge of his hard, thick cock pressing against Adrian’s as Knox drew him into another kiss, pulling Adrian further out of his mind.

And there were the shadows again, stroking him once more.

The combined sensations were maddening—Knox’s body against his own, the incubus’s skilled mouth moving against his lips, and those relentless tendrils that made him want to rub himself against Knox.

He moaned into Knox’s mouth, fingers digging into the demon’s back as he tried to anchor himself in reality. But it was no use—the pleasure was too intense, too overwhelming. He felt like he was going to shatter at any moment.

Knox pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss but staying close enough that their breaths mingled. "Not yet," he murmured against Adrian’s lips. "Hold on just a little longer."

Adrian whimpered in response, his entire body trembling with need.

"Just one tiny moment, can you do that for me?" Knox’s eyes seemed to glow brighter. "You taste so good right now, you have no idea."

The incubus’s mouth moved to Adrian’s neck, lips brushing against his skin with featherlight touches. Adrian could feel Knox’s breath hot against his pulse point, and he moaned softly, tilting his head to give Knox better access.

It was all he could do.

"Good," Knox whispered against his skin, sounding so pleased it made Adrian’s heart race even faster. "You're so good for me."

Adrian squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel himself teetering on the edge of release, every muscle taut with anticipation. The pleasure was so intense it bordered on pain, and he clung to Knox like a lifeline.

"Please," Adrian whispered again, his voice barely more than a breath.

Knox pressed another gentle kiss to Adrian’s neck.

"Now," he said softly.

And with that single word, the tension inside Adrian snapped. He cried out as pleasure crashed over him like a tidal wave, every nerve ending alight with ecstasy. He felt himself shatter and come apart in Knox’s arms, the incubus’s shadow drawing every last drop of energy from him as he found his release.

Knox held him through it all, strong arms wrapped around Adrian as he drowned in his climax.

Adrian’s body felt boneless, drained in a way that was both satisfying and terrifying. He had never felt so completely used, yet simultaneously so cared for.

"Are you alright?" Knox asked.

Adrian nodded weakly, struggling to find his voice. "Yeah," he managed to whisper. "I think so."

Knox smiled softly and kissed Adrian’s forehead. "You were incredible," he murmured.

Adrian blushed deeply at the praise, not entirely sure how to respond. He had not been incredible. He hadn’t even taken his pants off.

Knox hugged him close. "Shut your eyes now. Relax. You’re okay."

That actually sounded really nice. Adrian didn’t put up a fight as he let Knox’s words lull him into a sense of safety. For once, his brain was absolutely, blissfully empty.

Before he knew it, he was asleep.