“With my abusive, zealot grandmother?” I deadpanned. “The one who tied me up in a basement and lied to the bishop so I’d be forced to undergo an exorcism... for days until I could escape? That one?”
He slammed his notebook shut and glared at me. Even as he feigned his anger, I could see the discomfort in the way he shifted in his chair. “I can’t help you if you are unwilling to be serious.” Dr. Bradley stood up and power walked from the room, leaving me alone in one of the numerous counseling rooms on the first floor.
“If that man’s a psychiatrist, then I’m fucking sane,” I grumbled to myself. The cold feeling ran down my spine and I sighed at the interruption.
“You arenotsane,” Monty countered, unhelpfully in my opinion. “But neither is he.” The words had me glancing up at him. He was sprawled out on the desk, head propped on his hand, and one knee bent while the other outstretched. It was likely meant to be seductive, but he’d already piqued my interest.
“He’s not?” I asked, fishing for more information when he refused to keep going. “What do you know?”
“Nothing,” Monty promised, but it was an obvious lie. His chuckle confirmed that and had me standing up and walking away.
“You know, I liked you better before I came here,” I said sadly. “Now you’re just an unhelpful dick.” His quick response had my hand freezing just over the doorknob.
“Monster. Not dick. Though, I do have one of those too if you’d like to see it?” he promised, gesturing down. And like the idiot I was, I tracked the movement, letting out a choked gasp as his shadow-covered erection jutted from his body. His shadows had fallen away so I was forced to focus in on it. My mouth went dry at the sheer size of him, and it took everything in me not to reach for him, to touch it, to let him fuck away the frustration this session caused. His massive cock grew at my attention, and if not for him speaking again, I’d likely have finally found the courage to act on my impulse. “I also dealt with that little problem. Don’t worry, no one will touch you here again.”
I froze at his words, studying my monster to see if he was lying. It was impossible to tell. But then again, Monty never lied. Teased and spoke in circles sometimes? Yes. Lied outright. No. At least as far as I knew.
“What did you do? Is he dead?”
“Sadly, no,” he said and it sounded as if he meant it. “I’d have loved to burn him alive, letting the flames gradually spread over his body as he screamed for mercy that wouldn’t come until he passed out from the pain of his flesh melting off.”
“Um, gross.” I laughed, though I couldn’t argue it would have been a relief for the man to be gone for good.
“I meant what I said, Harlow,” he whispered as he walked over and put his hands on my cheeks. Monty was always careful not to touch me often, if at all, and he felt oddly solid at the moment. Cold, but corporeal. A shiver ran down my spine, a mix of lust and confusion.
“About what?” I asked. Having him this close made it hard to breathe. I’d missed him. He’d been my only friend and protector even before the hallucinations amped up. He may be just in my head, but sometimes I questioned if that were true. His presence felt too vivid inside Dark Haven, too real to deny.
“That I’m no guardian angel. I can’t always be here to save you, but I will punish those who wrong you and intervene when I can. He’s been... warned.” His smirk clued me in to what his warning meant. Pain. But even with the excitement of the pain he’d caused, I could read the emotion in his words. The sincerity there had my chest clenching. The impulse to hug him was too strong, and I pushed past his hold to wrap my arms around his body. It was the first time touching him this way, and it was comforting. He felt pretty real and strong for being covered in bones. I squeezed tight before letting go.
“Thank you, Monty. I’m glad to know it wasn’t because you didn’t care,” I managed to whisper. My voice broke, but I needed to get those words out, to finally give voice to how I felt. Having him close by, helping me out of tight spots and listening to me when I needed it, meant everything to me.
Before I’d been medicated, the world was too chaotic and full of shadows to give him much thought other than relying on his presence. Now, with a mostly clear mind, I could see it for what it was. I’d formed a friendship with my imaginary friend, and sure enough, I needed him in my life. Having him here felt like the world was right again, the scent of his embers, the feel of his cold, the taunt in his voice, it all called to me on a primal level.
“If you touch me like that I’ll be forced to show you what you mean to me, little human. You’re mine, think of that before you look at any other man,” he husked in my ear, the lustful promise sending a shiver through me. An image I hadn’t considered before formed in my mind and my pussy throbbed with need at the thought of him fucking me. Was it beyond friendship? Did I find him attractive? He was a monster ... it was wrong, right? Not to mention, he wasn’t real. But if this encounter taught me anything, it was that hefeltreal. Maybe that was enough. “I’ll spear you on my cock until you babble my name like a fucking prayer. But you’d be at my mercy, suffering until I allowed you to find your release. Would you like that, little human?”
I fucking loved the picture he painted.
Monty moved closer as he seductively purred out his promise. A shadowy finger trailed down my cheek, and it felt like my skin was on fire for a moment, then soothed away to a soft sting.
A whimper escaped, and his low chuckle did nothing to calm my now raging lust. Then the door opened and he disappeared, leaving me flushed with my chest heaving, and if I had balls, they would be blue.
“Hey, are you okay?” Hiro asked as he rushed forward. Thankfully, it was him of all people, and he seemed concerned, not realizing why I looked like a mess.
No worries, Hiro, just lusting after the monster in my head.
Instead of saying that, I defaulted to the weird session I’d just endured.
“Dr. Bradley is crazier than I am,” I said with a sigh, shaking out my body and grabbing my backpack. I’d been sent here after virtual class and had to bring it with me.
“He tries.” Hiro shrugged. “He’s better than Vane.” He whispered the last part, and I found myself reaching for him, letting our fingers clasp around each other in solidarity. For a moment I thought he was switching to Roman. I’ve noticed he freezes in place, eyes going vacant, but it seemed this time he fought it and won.
Hiro might not have come out and said what had happened to him. But I had a feeling I knew, and it made me hate the doctor more.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. Seeing him shake had me squeezing his hand harder and resisting the urge to pull him into a hug. I didn’t want to make it worse. Trauma was hard to face even in small doses. “How long have you been here, Hiro?” I asked quietly. We were walking down the hall with no real purpose in mind. But I was starved for touch enough that I didn’t want to pull away.
“Do you want to sneak outside?” he asked instead of answering. I nodded and he rushed to the security station.
“Hiro,” the old man greeted with a familiarity I hadn’t expected. This was not their first encounter it seemed.