Chapter 58: Tethered in Hunger II
The night was thick with quiet, the kind that made every breath sound louder than it should. Outside, rain whispered against the windows in broken rhythms, wind sighing through the battered boards like the world itself had grown tired of waiting.
Selene hadn't moved from the chair in the corner.
Her arms were folded across her chest, legs crossed, eyes unmoving. She watched the faint rise and fall of Aria's chest beneath the thin sheets. Every now and then, her body would twitch, a leg shifting restlessly, her lips parting in some unfinished word.
It had gotten worse.
The dreams weren't soft anymore. They shook her now — her entire frame tightening with tension, as if the hunger inside her had started to claw through from the inside. The scent in the room had changed too — sweet, heady, hot. Lust thickened the air, even though Aria hadn't said a word all day.
Selene leaned forward, her jaw tight.
She'd let this go too long.
Let Aria try to deny what she was becoming.
But denial didn't slow the hunger. It just made her suffer.
Aria whimpered again, low and broken, hips shifting beneath the covers.
Selene rose in one fluid motion.
She moved without sound, without hesitation, her bare feet silent across the warped floorboards. She crouched beside the bed, gaze locked on Aria's flushed face. Her skin gleamed with sweat, damp curls sticking to her forehead. Her tank top clung to her like a second skin, barely hiding how hard her nipples strained beneath the thin fabric.
Selene's voice came low, a murmur just above a whisper. "Aria."
The girl stirred, lashes fluttering.
She didn't open her eyes right away. Her mouth moved, soft and dazed, as if she couldn't quite wake from whatever world had hold of her.
"Selene," she breathed, like it hurt to say it. Like it was a confession.
Selene brushed the backs of her fingers down her cheek. "I told you before," she said gently, "succubi don't feed on lust because they want to. They feed because they have to."
Aria's brows knit together. "I'm… not one of them."
"But your body says otherwise."
Aria flinched, eyes blinking open, still unfocused. "I'm losing control."
"No," Selene whispered. She leaned in, her lips brushing Aria's ear, her voice like cool smoke. "You're finally claiming it."
Then she kissed her.
It wasn't deep. Not at first. Just a brush of lips. Soft. Barely - there.
But Aria gasped like she'd been hit.
Her back arched, eyes wide, breath stolen. That tiny kiss rippled through her like an electric shock, her hands fisting the sheets, her thighs squeezing tight.
Selene pulled back slightly, a hint of a smirk curling her lips. "See?"
Aria's lips trembled. Her voice was wrecked. "More…"
Selene raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You want another?"
Aria flushed, biting her lip. "Please…"
Selene's smile turned wicked. "You don't even realize what you're asking for."
"I do." Aria's voice came sharper this time. She reached up, curling her fingers around Selene's wrist. "I'm starving."
Selene didn't answer.
She was staring at Aria's eyes — pale grey still, but deeper now. Wilder. Something behind them pulsed, something ancient and needy, something that hadn't been there before. Not like this.
Then Aria moved.
She surged forward.
This time she kissed Selene — hard, clumsy, teeth knocking against teeth. It was messy and greedy and utterly untrained, but it burned with such raw desperation Selene couldn't help the low sound that escaped her throat.
"Mmmnh — okay, easy —" she murmured, but Aria only pushed harder.
Tongue. Teeth. A little growl caught in her throat. She was still trembling, but there was power behind it now — hunger clawing its way out, no longer hiding behind shame.
Selene gave in.
She grabbed Aria by the waist and pulled her into her lap, deepening the kiss, matching Aria's ferocity with a practiced ease. Her hands slid under the hem of the tank, finding soft skin, heat radiating like fire.
Aria gasped, then moaned into her mouth as Selene nipped at her bottom lip, tongue pushing past her teeth. The kiss turned molten — wet and open, tongues dancing, teeth grazing. It was too much and still not enough.
The mattress groaned beneath them as Aria straddled her, thighs tightening around Selene's hips, hips grinding forward instinctively.
Selene broke the kiss first, lips trailing down to Aria's throat. She bit lightly. Just enough to make Aria whimper.
"Oh god…"
"Not quite," Selene teased, lips dragging down the slope of her neck. "But I'll take the compliment."
"You —" Aria panted, nails digging into Selene's shoulders. "You make me — Selene, I feel —"
"Hungry?" Selene purred, licking the hollow of her throat.
Aria nodded, breathless.
"Good."
She flipped them.
One second, Aria was on top — then the world turned, and Selene had her pinned beneath her, wrists held to the mattress, legs spread wide beneath her own. Aria gasped at the sudden dominance, but her hips bucked up eagerly.
Selene grinned, breath brushing her ear. "You're a terrible liar, you know that?"
"I - I wasn't —"
"You said you didn't want this," Selene murmured. "That you weren't like them. But you're dripping for me."
Aria flushed deep red. "Don't say it like that…"
"Why not?" Selene dipped a hand between them, pressing her palm against the soaked fabric of Aria's panties. "It's true."
Aria cried out.
Selene rolled her hips against her hand, fingers sliding under the waistband, stroking over slick heat. Aria's entire body jerked, mouth falling open in a silent moan.
"You've been dreaming about this for weeks," Selene whispered. "Moaning my name like I'm the only thing keeping you alive."
"I didn't —" Aria gasped. "I couldn't help —"
"I know." Selene kissed her again. "That's the point."
Her fingers moved slow and deliberate — teasing swirls, barely - there pressure. Aria bucked, trying to chase it, whimpering.
"Please," she begged. "Don't tease — don't —"
"Oh, now you don't want teasing?" Selene smirked. "You've been teasing me in your sleep for days, baby girl. It's only fair."
"I didn't mean to —"
"I liked it."
Aria moaned as Selene slipped a finger inside her, then another, curling just right. Her body arched, muscles clenching.
"Selene —!"
"You were made for this," Selene whispered, curling deeper. "Made to be fed. Made for me."
That pushed her over.
Aria shattered.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream as her body convulsed, hips jerking helplessly, thighs trembling around Selene's hand.
But Selene didn't stop.
She moved lower, pressing kisses down Aria's stomach, her thighs, then settled between her legs. Her tongue followed her fingers.
Aria cried out again, hands flying to Selene's hair, back arching high.
Selene didn't speak this time. She devoured.
Every flick. Every moan. Every plea. She took it all, drank it in like water in a desert.
Aria came again — harder this time. Louder. Her hands clawed at the sheets, body writhing beneath her like she didn't know where she began and Selene ended.
A third time built slower.
Selene's mouth gentled, her fingers stroking in tandem. Her voice rose soft between kisses.
"Breathe," she whispered. "Let it happen."
And Aria did.
It broke her open — full body surrender, tears running down her cheeks not from pain but from overwhelming pleasure. From the release. The relief.
When it was done, Selene crawled back up and wrapped her arms around her.
Aria curled into her like she'd fall apart if she didn't.
For a long while, neither of them said anything.
Then Aria's voice came soft, muffled against Selene's shoulder. "That was real, right?"
Selene kissed her temple. "Every second."
Aria's fingers tightened in her shirt. "I've never… felt anything like that. I didn't know it could feel like that."
Selene smiled into her hair. "It's not about what you knew. It's about what you are."
Aria pulled back just enough to look at her. Her eyes still glowed pale grey — but now with depth, with clarity. Hunger had settled into something warmer, more controlled.
"Then what am I?" she asked.
Selene's smile turned quiet, reverent. "Mine."
Aria flushed again, but didn't argue.
Instead, she leaned up and kissed her — softer this time. Sweet.
She curled into Selene's chest, one leg thrown over hers, arms tight.
And for the first time in weeks, her body stilled.
No tremble. No twitch. Just peace.
Selene exhaled slowly, brushing a hand through her damp curls.
The storm outside had faded.
Inside, the girl in her arms was finally asleep.
And this time, Selene stayed.
Because Aria wasn't just tethered in hunger anymore.
She was tethered to her.
And Selene intended to keep it that way.