Love Me Tenderloin

“Putain, there.” Shadow released a small noise, something like a crossbreed between a grunt and moan. Amy smiled and leaned her weight more into the heels of her palms, which in turn increased the pressure on the hardened knot of muscle dominating Shadow’s lower back. She’d been meaning this favor for two weeks.

After a nice dinner provided by Woody, Amy had sprung up the stairs, eager to finally get a proper tour of Shadow’s bedroom the expansive house. At the top, she’d twirled, sly smirk on her muzzle. The expression dissolved to one of concern when she saw Shadow only halfway up the stair, leaning heavily on the handrail, one hand pressed at his back and an irritated grimace crinkling his snout.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, descended the stairs.

“Nothing.” He waved her away. “It’s nothing.” He took a step and sucked a breath through gritted teeth.

“Yep,” Amy propped a hand on her hip, totally not enjoying looking down at him for once, “that sure sounds like nothing.”

He gave her a withering glare, red eyes flashing, that sent a shiver down her spine.

Oh. Oh. Amy smiled. She was going to push that button again. And again. And again.

With visible effort, Shadow mounted the stairs, though half his energy was spent fending off Amy’s attempts to aid him. “I’m fine, Amy. Really. Today was a bit more physically taxing than I had anticipated.”

To be honest, Amy’s feet still hurt from playing dress-up with Meridian, but she could still climb a set of stairs. “You’re in pain. What were you guys up to?” Shadow had been vague about his plans, just saying he had taken the day away from the office.

“Just a bit of…sport. I’ll be fine.” He shook his head. “I’m just slightly stiff.”

“Let me help.” Her brow pinched. “Please?” Now that Amy had heard Meridian’s omega noises, she could detect a bit of similar whine in her own voice. Could she control it? Something to ask Meridian next time Amy saw her.

Shadow’s ears flattened and his pupils dilated slightly. “As you wish.” He relented, blinking a few times and touched his temple. “If it pleases you.”

And that’s how Amy found herself crouching over a supine Shadow, trying her best to work the steel slab of his back into something akin to mortal flesh once more. Goodness, he’d made it seem a lot easier two weeks prior. She lacked any experience in massage, but she was a quick study when Shadow’s tail worked like a flag.

Waging? That’s the spot. Ease as she goes.

Curling under? Not the spot. Reverse engines.

Curling upwards while trembling like a newborn fawn? Now, that was the spot! Full steam ahead.

Shadow’s back was a chiseled landscape of taunt muscle that would put a classical Apostan statue to shame. Amy explored every crevice and hill with her fingers, pressing and rubbing, silken fur parting before her like obscuring foliage.

She’d finally gotten to see Shadow’s bedroom. Room was a misnomer though, because the space was huge, easily nearing Amy’s entire apartment in the square footage department. The main area was dominated by a massive bed made with a dark burgundy coverlet. To a side, near a set of French windows, was a small sitting area and desk. A door led to a closet and another to a bathroom. The walls were spartan except for some abstract paintings of motorcycles in motion.

Amy straddled Shadow, trying every which way to find more leverage. Shadow grunted quietly into the pillow into which he’d buried his face, his gloved claws digging into the downy softness of the comforter. Amy bit her lip and her tail waged, smacking unceremoniously against his behind her. Making him feel better scratched something primal deep inside her.

She needed to hear him more. Her memory of her last three (god damn, really? they’d only met six weeks ago) heats were murky, but she remembered being different levels of irritated at his teasing. Amy would be lying if she said she wasn’t looking forward to being a bit obnoxious herself now that the playing field was a little more even.

The idea of Shadow begging for her to touch him was doing all sorts of things to her lower regions.

That Amy could touch Shadow at all was exciting on multiple levels. First, that he was here, under her hands at all, after the long, ridiculous week. Next was that contact of any kind was still novel to Amy. Not only was touching Shadow like this performed without pain, but she was enjoying the act.

She dug her hands through his back quills, seeking the hidden flesh underneath. Shadow started purring and Amy’s heart about melted. She could feel his chest vibrate. As she leaned down to put all her weight on her hands, she caught a strong whiff of his scent.

Fuck, he smelled so good. Even more than usual. Just- Amy drew in a deep breath- soooo good.

Shadow’s chest rumbled and Amy realized he was chuckling. He turned his head. “Excited?”

Amy’s face flushed. “H-how’d you-!?”

He grinned, his face in profile. “I find my lower back has grown quiet damp.”

Amy squeaked and dismounted him. Lo and behind, she’d soaked her underwear and leaked a small amount of slick into Shadow’s fur. “S-sorry!”

“It’s no bother.” He pushed up to sit beside her and Amy couldn’t help noticing how tight the front of his trousers had grown. She gulped. Oh, this was happening. “But, perhaps, we should stop before things progress much further.” His voice was deep and rough.

“And,” Amy tore her eyes from the tent he was pitching to Shadow’s crimson gaze, “what’s wrong with that?”

Her question lit a fire in Shadow and a predatory glint shone in his hungry eyes. Amy barely had the time to shiver before he gripped her face with both of his hands and pulled her into an intense kiss. She could taste earthy tones mixed with the exertions of his day.

Shadow broke from her just long enough to rip his gloves off with his teeth. “I have awaited tonight with uncommon eagerness.” He growled.

“Me, too.” Amy smiled as she pulled her shirt over her head and unclasped her bra as Shadow lost his pants like they were burning him. Normal, boring, beta sex, here she comes!

Amy felt a blush of modesty starting to form as she revealed her bare breasts, but Shadow launched forward, gathering her up into his arms. She gasped as he laid her down in the center of his enormous bed, a vast flat plain, a blank slate onto which they’d carve the record of their lascivious acts.

Her vision was flooded with black and red as Shadow leaned down to bury his face into the right side of her neck. She gasped as he nipped and kissed her neck. Pleasant tingles ran rampant across her heated flesh. “Ahh…” She sighed as his affection graced her ticklishness.

Shadow hungrily trailed kisses, making his way to her clavicle and down her chest, threatening to consume her in bits and pieces. One of his hands gently cupped one of her breasts, paw pads kneading the pillowy flesh. Amy squirmed and made small noises as sensation continued to fully envelope her. She’d never been touched like this, and she had absolutely no understanding of how her body was reacting.

“I am ravenous for you.” Shadow whispered into her flesh. He papered her chest and breasts with pecks and nips. “I am starved for you.” Every soft touch, every ghosting of his tongue, every graze of his fangs sent heat rushing through her, down, down past her stomach into her deepest core, the part of her who’d been, to this point, her mortal enemy. “I can’t get enough.”

Oh god, they were really doing this. “I want-“ She breathed.

Shadow paused his application of kisses to raise slightly. His burning gaze met hers through the valley between her breasts. “Tell me what you want.” He growled, his voice a vestigial thing to the animal he was devolving into. “Anything, and you will have. You have bit to ask of me.”

“I want-“ Crap, this was going to sound so stupid, “to make love like we’re Betas.”

Shadow’s brow pinched and his head tilted in an adorable display of his confusion. He blinked furiously to clear his head and lifted. “Okay…” He said quickly. “What does that mean?”

Her mouth was dry. “No biting or knots. Pretend I don’t have a Claim gland at all. I just…I just want to pretend I’m normal.”

His face fell and his ears wilted. “Amy…You…There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Nevermind.” Amy bit her lip and rolled to her side, curling to hide her naked body. “It’s stupid.” She was stupid. He was only interested in her because she was an Omega…Stop it! When was she going stop trying to find excuses to doubt Shadow? Besides…she was a pretty low-quality Omega.

Now that she had met Meridian, Amy knew she wasn’t a normal Omega. She didn’t know how to whine or purr right. She didn’t know how to carry Shadow’s scent properly. She didn’t wear a mask or have a Claim mark. All these things she was supposed to know or do…

But she was a terrible Beta, too, leaking everywhere and causing untold amounts of trouble for everyone around her. The rut riot might not have been directly caused by her negligence, but it still happened because of her. And would Shadow even be with her if she was a Beta? Quit it! She was so tired of these thoughts!

Tears pricked her eyes and she squeezed them closed. The fur around her eyes drank the fluid and dampened her cheeks. Damn it, there she goes crying again.

“Amy…” She could feel his heat as he crawled over her. The bed sunk smoothly under their combined weight, forming to Amy’s curves like a glove. “It pains me to hear you say these things. Who told you these lies?”

Amy cracked open her eyes and glimpsed his face so near to her, the heated lust replaced with a warm concern. She swallowed back a sob and blinked up at him with moist eyes. “I…I don’t know.” There was no single instance to point to. No single callus individual listing her failures.

Her opinion of herself was built on a mountain of memories, some small, some enormous. Her family’s overcompensation and lack of understanding. Rough and Tumble’s violence. The separate dorm at college. The facets of society she was barred from participating in. Sonic’s chivalry. Geoffrey’s disdain. Rouge’s unearned attention.

And Shadow’s affection.

“I’m sorry, I’ve gone and-“ Amy’s apology was silenced as Shadow kissed her, sucking her contrition out orally. His body was warm, pressed into hers and she unspooled somewhat. Her fingers found his chest blaze and tangled into the long, soft hairs.

“You’re beautiful.” His fingers slipped between her legs. “And strong.” His fingers cupped the junction of her legs and pelvis, the sweet union that protected her deepest reaches. “And smart.” He touched her delicate nub, swollen already from Shadow’s kisses, sending a jolt through. Amy gasped. “And brave.” His fingers curled into her slickened sex and Amy was struck with the revelation that that was certainly not enough. “And kind.” Her back arched and she pushed herself up against his hand, grinding lewdly. “And perfect.”

Amy shuddered with need, the motion shaking loose all the dark thoughts that infested the corners or her mind. Shadow shifted, one of his arms slipping under her to lift her face up to hers as he continued to inspire waves of indescribable vibrations with his hand. She simply had no words to describe the feeling.

She’d spent hours pleasuring herself since meeting Shadow, but nothing she’d done came close to what he’d given her in less than a minute. She moaned into his mouth and fisted his chest fluff, attempting to draw them closer together. “Shadow!”

When they parted to catch their breath, Shadow’s chest heavied. His finger inside her slid in further. He squeezed his palm against the sensitive spot hooded on her pelvic mound and brushed against the sponge-like area inside simultaneously. Amy moaned shamelessly, her head falling back.

Amy chanced a look down his torso and beheld his iron-hard erection, eager and present. Her face flushed further, a mix of fear and excitement frothing inside her at his sheer grith. Holy crap, how had that fit inside her?

“Yess.” Shadow hissed, his voice reverberated with a deep purr from his core. Just her attention greatly pleased him. Her nose twitched. There was that intoxicating scent again, sweet and sharp, wrapping her senses in something that was a toss up between spun sugar or fiber glass. “Something you like?”

Shadow’s fingers suddenly became grossly inadequate as her deepness fluttered. She twisted, hypocritically whining as he withdrew from her, and repositioned herself to be closer to what she really wanted. “What are you waiting for?” She purred.

He chuckled darkly. “Eager?” Amy shivered, her every fiber resonating on a strange new frequency. Every time before they’d coupled, her body had been ravenous and selfish. Shadow had given himself willingly to her, but Amy’s heat had been solidly in control, dictating the intensity, duration, and frequency.

Now though…

Now, Amy suspected she was on the other side of the equation. She knew why. She could smell him. Taste him. Hear how his heart pounded the drumbeat of ages long past to carve the future from the unfeeling flesh of eternity.

“Yes.” She answered, unsure who was speaking.

The singular syllable did something to Shadow, his quills spreading and his pupils swallowing his irises. With a satisfied growl, deep and animalistic, he thrust into her, sheathing himself to the hilt in a single sharp motion, the way so prepared as to be frictionless.

Amy cried out, her senses overloaded. There was the stretch and the pressure and the maybe pain and the definitely pleasure. All the while, his flesh burned so good against her pelt and his scent intoxicating her, inviting her to submit melt into his embrace. Give of herself. Serve eternity her flesh and soul, wrapped tightly in his arms.

His chest rumbled with something that wasn’t quite a purr or a growl, but a low, constant combination of the two. A declaration both to anyone foolish to draw near and to her, that he was Alpha and all transgression against his authority would be swiftly punished.

This was Alpha’s territory and she his Omega.

“Amy?” He whispered against her forehead. He rasped his tongue over her lightly. She blinked, coming back into herself, and hummed. “I’m going to start moving now.”

Could she handle that? This whole experience was so different. Amy felt lost. Every time before, her instincts had told her exactly what to do and rewarded her handsomely for following their simple instructions. But now, she was at a loss. Did she want him to move? Was there something she needed to do?

He’ll tell you what to do. Until then, relax.

“Okay.” She assented.

Shadow pulled back and took her breath with him. Amy released a warbling moan, and he watched her face with electric fascination. His face dominated her vision, the dimmed lights forming a thin halo around the disheveled star formed by his quills. He was her world and she his.

He rolled his hips, gently reseating himself in her and Amy couldn’t help the purr emanating from her chest. With every undulation, Shadow strummed a sonorous deep inside her, filling Amy with music. She couldn’t help but give a throaty performance. “Yes, yes, let me hear you.” He coaxed her. “Who makes you feel like this?”

“Fuck…Shadow!” She moaned. “Shadow!” His grin spread further, his fangs on full display. Neck. In her neck. She had a better idea. Amy reached her hands into his quills and gripped.

Did he dive or did she pull? Either way, their mouths joined in a deep, passionate session. He sped up his thrusts and Amy shuddered into Shadow’s mouth. He growled with a deep, primordial satisfaction.

They broke apart and Amy collapsed back, gasping for air. “Shadow.” Shadow loomed above her, dark desire roiling what little remained of his crimson irises. “Shadow.” Her body thrummed, coiling tighter, and producing higher and higher pitched filthy noises from her throat.

Then she felt his knot press against her. It rubbed against her outer bundle of nerves, which felt amazing, but that wasn’t enough to make her forget what she’d just realized.

“Shit, wait!” Amy groaned and covered her face. “Damn it…” You stupid, bitch…

Shadow stilled, panting heavily. “What’s…wrong?” He blinked slowly, trying to clear the lustful haze clouding his vision. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, no. Nothing is wrong.” She spread her fingers to peek at him. “Just…well, I always feel terrible for like a day when I have to take afters and, well, I don’t want to feel like garbage tomorrow for the party.” Shit, did she even have afters? She hadn’t exactly packed an overnight bag when Meridian and Aphelion picked her up to go shopping. “So…could we- I just don’t- I-It’d just be a bad idea if we were…to…you know.” Was she really embarrassed? God, she probably sounded like such a virgin right now.

“Right.” Shadow swallowed and, though visibly reticent, pulled out of her. No! Her body cringed around her sudden emptiness, but Amy was getting high on being able to tell her body to stuff it. No, no, no! She was choosing to stop. Holy shit. You stupid fucking bitch, do you know what you’ve done?

“Do you…have any condoms?” Her face burned. Why was she feeling so much shame over this? She was far enough from her heat that she’d likely not conceive, but if the risk was even one percent…

Shadow grunted and shifted to the edge of the bed to dig into his side table. He shut the drawer and leaned down further, searching through a second one below the first. He produced a box and turned it upside down, scrutinizing it.

“Shit.” He ran a hand down his face and his ears twitched in agitation. “These are expired.” He tossed the box towards a wastebin in the corner of the room. It struck the rim and bounced off, landing near the door to the bathroom. “Putain.” He ran a hand through his messy quills.

He turned his gaze to her, expectantly. Amy frowned and looked at Shadow’s waist. His length glistened with her fluids, knot large, practically throbbing with his continued want. She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Perhaps we’re done with that for tonight?” She hated to disappoint him, hated how they kept getting interrupted or derailed or sidetracked.

But she loved being able to say no. No to her body, no to him, no to the world. What a ridiculous thing to feel empowered by, but Amy wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She had no fucking idea what she was doing.

Shadow looked down at himself and nodded. “Y-you’re right.” He shifted back on his haunches. “But please allow me the privilege to-” he grinned wolfishly, his sharp alpha fangs flashing in the dim light, “finish what I have started.”

Amy arched a brow. Was he going to masturbate? While she watched? The idea made her womb contract.

He motioned for her to lay down and she did. Shadow sank down and scooted back on the bed. Amy pushed herself up on her elbows, watching him position his face between her legs. She frowned. “What are you are you going to do down there?”

He looked up, giving her an unimpressed look, apparently incredulous. Did he think she was being facetious? His expression relaxed when her face displayed nothing but confusion. “Oh, merde, you’re serious.”

She frowned as her cheeks heated in embarrassment. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, dear. Just trust me.” Shadow said, his hands guiding her thighs open. “I suspect you will enjoy this.” He lowered his face toward her pelvic mound. What was he planning to do?

Amy wasn’t well versed in sex. Until she had met Shadow, everything sexual in her life had been just a reminder of the torment her body put her through monthly. She’d been repulsed by the act and had never touched herself, let alone let anyone besides Sonic touch her. She did not watch pornography and she skipped through the smutty parts of romance novels and movies.

So, she was caught completely unawares when Shadow rasped his tongue over the flesh right above her entrance.

Amy screamed. Her back arched and she squeezed Shadow’s head with her thighs. Holy, fucking shit, what was that?

“Amy?” Shadow sounded worried as he caught her gaze. “Are you alright?”

“Do that again!” She demanded.

Shadow’s ears perked like a satellite dish canting to receive instructions and a devious smile spread across his muzzle. “Aussitôt, ma pêche.” He dove back in, making a meal of her.

Amy bit her lip to stifled another scream and failed miserably. The moans she’d made before were lurid, but her screams now were utterly shameless. Loud, unhindered, high-pitched yowls. Gosh…she really hopes none of people who work for Shadow could hear her…

Shadow inside her had been magical: the contact, the satisfaction, and the heat of his desire cementing their connection. This, though? Well, this was sinfully indulgent, something purely for her. No means to reproduce, her instincts were blissfully silent on the subject, allowing Amy to just feel Shadow lavishing her.

Shadow watched her with boldfaced joy, his eyes sparkling at her every twitch, his ears quivering at her every sharp intake of breath. Just when she was starting to catch her breath and settle into a good rhythm of grinding her pelvis into his face, a mischievous glint joined the light in his eyes. Without warning, he slid a finger into her and Amy began to scream freshly, which only furthered Shadow’s enthusiasm.

A feedback loop formed, Amy’s pleasure powering Shadow’s oral ministrations. When her quivering legs threatened to lash out, he wrapped his free hand around him, holding her hostage to the building pressure. Her hands traveled aimlessly, sometimes rubbing her chest, running through her own quills, or fisting the silky, black comforter.

Closer and closer, faster and faster. His finger curling inside her and his tongue painting a masterpiece, Shadow lifted her higher and higher into heaven. Her muscles tensed as she crested the rise of glory and he, perceptive as always, sped up to a maddening degree, his devil’s tongue giving her no opportunity to relax.

She gasped and moaned, loud and filthy, as she plummeted over the precipice and her body spasmed with pleasure. Waves of resonating bliss echoed through every one of her nerves, reflecting and refracting until they concentrated in her brain to make a vast, thunderous chime.

Amy heard, for a just a moment, the symphony of the universe.

Laying in damp patch in the middle of the bed, Amy sighed contentedly. “That...” she tried to speak around great gulps of air, “was amazing.” She could get used to that. Damn…she could get addicted to that.

“It was my abject pleasure.” Shadow leaned over her and kissed her deeply. She could taste herself on his lips and tongue, sharp and slightly metallic. Amy broke the kiss to continue catching her breath, her head pleasantly fuzzy. Shadow shifted to sit next her, leaning against the headboard.

Amy twisted to look up at him. Shadow leaned his head back, his eyes closed. He still was fully unsheathed, lazily pumping his length with one hand and tightly gripping his knot with the other. Her dampness covered his muzzle, and Amy felt a great bloom of affection.

They weren’t done, she decided.

She crawled to the foot of the bed. “And where do you think you’re going?” He asked, his voice husky and eyes lidded. “Giving me a show?”

Amy gave him a mischievous smirk. “To return the favor.”

Shadow’s breath caught and his face flushed. His ears trembled, unable to perk any further forward. He lay deathly still as she positioned herself before him. He released his length and presented it to her, the glorious weapon that had saver her multiple times now from a terrible fate.

Apprehensively, she wrapped her hands around. She could feel his pulse throb through it and it radiated a searing heat.

Now that she had the thing in hands, Amy realized she had no fucking clue what to do with it. She attempted to copy what Shadow had been doing, rubbing her fists up and down. There was a loose sheath of flesh that moved with her and as she pushed down, the head emerged, a smooth bit of flesh split down the middle by a small slit that oozed a clear fluid.

Did Alpha’s produce slick? She was pretty sure they didn’t, so what was this? He hadn’t came or else he’d be soft, right? Should she wiped it away or just…just what?

The cock twitched in her hands and Amy startled, squeaking. “It moved!”

Shadow stifled a chuckle. “Oui, it is want to do that on occasion.”

She studied the thing closely, running her fingers along it and around the circumference of his knot. Shadow was thicker and longer than Sonic, but maybe that was because of the swollen knot? Jeese, was she really thinking about Sonic right now? He was her only basis of comparison, but still…

“I don’t mean to push,” Shadow’s usual diction did not disguise the lust that dripped from his voice, “but the anticipation is driving me insane.”

Amy blushed. He was waiting for her to do something. “S-sorry. I’ve never, uh, done this.”

Shadow hummed, staring at her with lidded eyes, his lips parted as he panted. “I have faith you will dissolve me into a puddle.”

Amy swallowed. Well, that was one of us.

She thought back to how he’d stripped her to ribbons with his tongue. Perhaps the principal was similar. Amy leaned down, pulled the protective flesh away with her hands to expose the smooth tip, and gave the head an experimental lick. The clear fluid had a slight salt taste to it that seemed to blossom across her tongue. Amy began to salivate heavily.

Shadow sucked a swift breath through his teeth and his length twitched again. His bare paws dug into the rumpled comforter. “Je suis vraiment bête.”

Amy went for another taste, withdrawing one of her hands to expose more of Shadow’s cock, and licked a stripe from midway to the tip. It smelled amazing. Another bead had oozed out of the slit and it somehow tasted even better than the first.

Gently, she kissed the very end and pressed her tongue against the slit in the soft flesh.

“Putain, être sur le fil du rasoir du paradis est un enfer en soi.” He hissed.

Amy pulled away. “Should I stop?” She frowned.

“Nique-moi, no!” He barked, his normally controlled features contorted like a hungry beast’s. A chill ran down Amy’s spine, and she swallowed some of the excess moisture in her mouth. “Please, continue” He said in a more leveled tone, “Please.”

Amy shivered, loving his wrecked voice, and her tail slapped back and forth across her ass. She returned her lips to the weeping end of his member and encompassed the head. Slowly she lowered herself, drawing more and more of his cock into her hot, sucking maw.

“Fuck! Amy!” Shadow moaned through clenched teeth as his body shook against his urge to thrust roughly into her. Amy’s ears shot straight up and the fur along the back her neck rose. Her tail wagged animatedly. God, she loved how he said her name.

She took him in until his shaft pressed uncomfortably against the flesh webbing at the back of her mouth. Her gag reflex gave her a stern warning and she backed out slightly. There was still a bit of length before she reached his swelling knot. Amy wrapped her hands around that which she could not fit into her mouth.

Shadow continued to mewl her name. Her carded a shaking hand through her quills and caressed the shell of her ear.

Amy began to move, lifting and dropping, doing her best to keep her teeth away from the sensitive flesh. She looked up at him.

Shadow looked wreaked. His eyes seemed to glow as he huffed rapidly, his lip twitching in a half snarl. Amy blinked at him, curious at his serious expression. Was she doing this right? “God you are so perfect, Amy.” He rasped. “Fucking beautiful.” His hand idly carding through her quills ghosted his claws across her scalp, sending a shiver through her.

She smiled around his member, reassured. She returned to pumping herself along his cock while maintaining as much eye contact as she could manage. The blowjob took a lot more effort than she had expected but – “That’s it…god.” Shadow groaned – it was worth the exertion.

He drew in shallow, heavy breaths, his gaze glowing like the fires of hell. Excitement shook Amy’s spine and she misjudged a dip. Taking Shadow’s cock too deeply, Amy gagged. Her eyes watered as she mostly disgorged him, long strings of saliva trailing her exit.

“Putain!” His hips snapped up, pursuing her retreating heat, and his hand in her quills gripped, pulling her down. Amy squeaked as his hot, viscous load filled her mouth. Shadow cried out incoherently, his hand fisting her quills and his hips jittering back and forth erratically. Partially held in place, Amy tried to keep her mouth on Shadow’s smaller head.

Shadow’s seed filled her mouth and she tried not to choke on the gift. It was thick and sharp, but the longer he came, the sweeter it grew, taking on a honey-like quality along with…something else. She attempted to swallow. She needed to swallow. She needed all of it in her!

Amy got lost in Shadow’s jerking ecstasy. His taste, his smell, his sounds: all delicious. A deep feeling of satisfaction spread throughout her. Alpha was happy and she’d made him feel like this.

At last, he stilled, panting rapidly and staring vacantly at the ceiling, spent, satisfied, and exhausted.

Amy sat up, also trying to catch her breath. Her face and fingers were sticky. Sucking the sweet fluid off her digits, she found Shadow’s discarded boxers and wiped her face with it. The garment was strong with his scent and it, paired with the strangely sweet, heady taste of his seed, made her head feel warm and fuzzy. She was getting drunk on him, some part of her though absently.

No sooner had she wiped her face and hands than Shadow wrapped his arms around her and pulled them down onto the bed. He rolled on top of her, pressing her lightly into the soft surface, and buried his snout against her neck, right above her claim gland. He drew in such a deep breath, Amy’s skin cooled.

“Stop!” Amy gasped.

Shadow froze. “Right. Right.” He murmured into her neck and pulled back. “No biting…Beta sex…” He said to himself. He lifted off her and sat back.

“Thank you.” Amy rolled to her side.

He frowned. He blinked a few times and shook his head. Shadow’s brow glistened with perspiration. “What-“ he panted, “whatever for?”

“For keeping your promise.”

Shadow smiled softly. “I try to maintain a high valuation on my word.” Her heart swelled so much she thought it might burst.

Suddenly, he grimaced and looked down. He was still fully erect and his knot was swollen. He groaned. “It won’t soften until my knot has settled.” Shadow leaned off the bed and opened a drawer in the side table. He retrieved a thick rubberized band loop. A knot band.

He stretched it over his phallus before easing it solidly in place over his knot. Encompassing pressure established, Shadow gave a sigh of satisfaction. “Not nearly so pleasant as you, but it will serve.”

“Does that…always happen? Your knot swelling?” Amy asked.

Shadow hummed. “No. Generally only when I am especially excited.” He gave her a wry smile. “I suspect you shall see it often.”

Amy ignored the heat reawakening in her gut. “It hurts if you don’t wrap it up?”

“Yes.” Shadow grunted. “Now and the next day. An unsatisfied knot is sure to make its Alpha regret displeasing it.”

Amy cringed. “I’m sorry.”

Shadow leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “A small price to pay for heaven, ma pêche.”

She shoved him. “Quit being so romantic!”

He flopped backwards on the bed that seemed to go on forever, laughing. “Jamais!”

Lifting back to sitting, Shadow rolled his shoulders, his lips a tight line, and Amy suspected he was still very sore. She glanced towards the on suite bathroom. “How about we get cleaned up? Do you have a bathtub? I bet a hot soak will help your muscles relax.”

“That’s sounds like a wonderful idea.” He gave her a look that made her blush. “As it happens, I possess a suitable vessel for such a thing.”

A few minutes later Amy luxuriated in the largest bathtub she’d ever seen. A panel on the wall controlled the exact water temperature and an indulgent pour of lavender scented bath salts had been added.

Amy could stretch nearly all the way out and the walls of the tub were so high she could fully submerge herself. As relaxing as the bath was, the best feature by far was the firm, yet soft surface against which she reclined: Shadow.

Amy released a long sigh. “This is nice.”

Shadow hummed in assent. His arm curled lazily around her waist and his fingers idly toyed with the fur on her hip.

Though she was tired enough to just drift off, Amy found herself wanting to take advantage of the quiet moment. “Is it going to be an ongoing thing that your family pops out of nowhere?”

Shadow stiffened. “I apologize. I had forgotten to tell you.”

“It’s fine.” Amy smiled. “Meridian and Aphelion were really nice.”

“I’m happy you enjoyed yourself. Though, I certainly did not mean my brother’s apology to you for surprising you to surprise you as well. I suppose I now owe a debt.”

“I forgive your debt.” Amy twisted and nuzzled her cheek against his sodden chest.

“You are as fair and magnanimous as you are beautiful.” He intoned. Amy flicked water at his face and Shadow’s nose twitched when a few droplets struck it.

They lapsed into silence once more and Amy recalled her day. She felt like her single day had lasted a whole month given all the new things she’d done and learned. Such as…“Your brother and Aphelion…were in an arranged marriage?”

“Yes,” Shadow sighed, “my father has a…transactional approach to all things. My sister was also exchanged in a similar arrangement.”

Amy looked up at his face. Shadow’s gaze was distant. “Were…you as well?” Curse her stupid, jealous heart, not this again!

“No.” Shadow shook his head. Oh, thank god. “The privileges of being eldest, I suppose. Perhaps the only unadulterated freedom Father has granted me.” He sounded bitter.

Amy shivered at the mention of Shadow’s father. He arched a brow, because nothing she did got past him it seemed. “It feels like something from a long time ago.” She tried to distract him. There were a million things she’d rather think and talk about right now than his bastard of a father. She secretly wished to never meet the man. “Like, I didn’t know arranged marriages were still a thing.”

“My understanding the practice mostly survives the same purposes as it always has, to consolidate or exchange wealth and power.”

“Aphelion said that she married Eclipse over computer chips?”

Shadow hummed. “The terms of one of Father’s settlements with the State Department prohibits any commercial concern operating in the City or any of its provinces from selling any company Father owns or manages high grade microprocessors.” He sighed. “So, to circumvent the sanctions, he made a deal with Chun-nan’s leading producer. The partnership had provided great returns thus far.”

The man sold his son for silicon. What the fuck…

“And your sister?” Amy was almost too afraid to ask, but a morbid curiosity possessed her. “What did he get for her?”

Shadow’s chest swelled below her as he took a deep breath of the lavender scent air. “Maria’s marriage was meant to…knit back together a schism.”

“Meant to?” Amy’s brow pinched. A schism. She thought back to what Eclipse had told her in the coffee shop. “You mean for your family and the Robotniks?”

Shadow’s expression darkened. “How do you know that?”

“Eclipse told me your sister passed away as Maria Robotnik.” The words were out of her mouth before she could think better of them.

A loud screech echoed off the wall and Amy jumped, the hot water sloshing turbulently.

Shadow was clutching the edges of the porcelain tub so tightly, his claws drew screams as he tightened his grip. “She was murdered as a Robotnik.” He snarled with such hatred, Amy retreated, her back hitting the far side of the tub, her tail curling under her and her ears laying flat.

Witnessing Amy’s concern, Shadow’s wrathful expression evaporated and he detached his hands from the edges of the tub. “Forgive me. That is…a sensitive subject for me.” His words were stilled, as if he was weighing every syllable carefully. He stared at his hands as they lay limply in the water, palms up. “My sister was dear to me and the circumstances of her…passing inspire great…emotion in me.”

“I’m sorry.” Amy whispered. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“No, no.” Shadow shook his head. “I apologize for my poor reaction. You can’t be held accountable for bringing up an event of which you are unaware.”

Amy frowned. “Do you…want to tell me? That way I’ll understand?” Share your burdens with me. She moved through the water, pressing her back into him. She could feel both their heartbeats, his wild, hers furtive. She took a deep breath, willing the beats to synchronize.

Shadow looked down at her, his pupils slowly growing back to normal. He swallowed thickly. “She…perished in a room that locked from the outside.” His voice was hallowed. Amy’s damp quills attempted to rise. She knew exactly what it felt like, being locked inside a room for your own good. “The coroner’s report revealed that cause of death was dehydration and malnourishment.”

Amy’s mouth fell open. In this day and age, his sister died of neglect. Her eyes stung from a sudden rush of righteous indignation. “That’s heinous!”

“Her Alpha,” Shadow snarled the word, “claimed it was an accident. But I have no doubts, he locked her in there to punish her.”

“Punish her?” Amy’s heart was racing faster than Shadow’s now.

“For failing to conceive with his putrid seed.” Shadow’s muzzle distorted in abject disgust. “He left her alone for most of her heat to allegedly make her body more fertile…more desperate for conception.”

“That’s horrible.” Amy blinked away tears. She dipped her head to hide them from Shadow. “He was arrested right? That’s manslaughter at least.” Amy knew she was being naïve. No jury convicted an Alpha over a dead Omega. “He faced justice…right?” She knew the answer, because it was always the same.

No.

Shadow studied her. “In a manner of speaking.” He answered finally. “Ivo Robotnik will never be a danger to anyone again.” She looked up at him with damp eyes. Shadow frown. Sighing, he deflated, “But nothing will bring Maria back. Nothing can change the past.”

Amy curled into him, suddenly cold even though the warm, scented water held her gently. She wrapped her arms around Shadow and pressed her face into his chest. “Thank you for sharing this with me.” She whispered. Shadow said nothing.

She closed her eyes and listened to the rhythm of his heart, every beat taking them further and further away from the tragedies of the past.

“Perhaps,” his chest rose and fell quickly, “we could change the subject.”

“O-okay.” Amy swallowed. She wracked her brain for something lighter to talk about. “Um, Meridian helped me pick out a dress for tomorrow.”

“I am excited to see it.” He said automatically. “Meri has always had an eye for aesthetics. Even as children, we-“

“Children?” Amy sat up. “You’ve known her that long?”

Shadow’s brow pinched. “You know of how Eclipse met Aph, but not Meri?”

“Uh,” Amy frowned, “I guess I was so surprised about the whole them-never-having-met-before-being-engaged thing that I forgot to ask.”

Shadow closed his eyes, still in the process of calming himself. “I will have to defer the storytelling to Meridian then. But, yes, Eclipse met Meri when we were children. I faintly recall him at the wise age of eight declaring to me he would marry her. Maria…” Shadow took a slow breath. “Maria was ecstatic and eagerly took part in the play of planning said wedding, but I had a more jaded view.” He huffed. “Goes to show how poorly my futuresight is, no?”

“Wait…” Amy tilted her head as she did the math, “Eclipse and Meridian wouldn’t have presented by then, right? They wouldn’t have known they were a matching pair.”

“Yes, that’s right. Eclipse presented as an Alpha at sixteen, same as me. I think Meridian presented at the age of twelve, but we’d left Avalon by then.” Twelve? Amy knew there was a range, but that seemed early. Though she vaguely remembered Shadow telling her Maria presented at eight, so maybe there was something about Avalonian Omegas. Amy’d been a late bloomer at fourteen…just having started high school.

“He knew he wanted to be with her that early?” Amy sighed. “Oh my gosh, that’s romantic.”

Shadow’s chest rumbled as he chuckled. “I suppose so. I thought he was being naïve.” Amy gave Shadow a sour look. He returned a flat stare. “I already admitted to poor foresight.”

Amy turned and laid against Shadow. “They seem happy.”

Shadow hummed in agreement.

Something terrible rose to the forefront of Amy’s consciousness. Something nasty and poisonous. She couldn’t stop it from getting out. “Is that…something you’d…want?” Amy asked slowly. “A Pack?”

Shadow stiffened beneath her. He was scarcely breathing, but she could feel his heart pounding in his chest. After a pregnant pause, Amy looked up at his face. Shadow stared intently into the middle distance. Amy could clearly see the wheels of his mind turning as his face twitched minutely.

She regretted asking the question, even though the alternative was to stew away in uncertainty forever.

Eventually, his crimson gaze turned to meet hers, his expression completely blank. “Are you interested in forming a Pack?”

No! The answer sprung instantly to mind, but Amy swallowed it down.

Was he asking because he didn’t want it and was afraid that she did? Or because he did and was afraid that she didn’t? Shit!

If she said yes thinking he would want her to say yes*,* would he say yes but really mean no? Then they’d both be miserable trying to make the other happy when they wanted the exact opposite!

But if she said no and he said no, but only because she did when he really wanted to said yes, would Shadow then resent the constriction of their relationship?

The logic looped and looped back on itself and Amy quickly lost track as she tried to think of what he’d say to what she’d say, but what would he actually want and was it worth it to try to pick what she thought he might want, but that she didn’t?

She was developing a headache quickly.

“Amy?” Shadow prompted her. “Your heart is racing.”

She frowned.

And why was this on her anyway? She’d asked first but then he’d just dodged the question and laid it all back on her! And if she said what she didn’t mean just to try to align with what she thought he might want, wasn’t that just lying with extra steps? Amy puffed out her cheeks, her head throbbing from the heat and riddles she’d been running through it.

“Amy?” Shadow asked again, concern gilding the edges of his voice. “Perhaps we should talk about this another time?”

“No!” Amy twisted in the water to face him, her breasts rubbing against the starburst of white on his chest. She pressed against him tightly, so there was no space between for anything, let alone another body. “No, I couldn’t do it!”

“Amy-“

She cringed. “But if that’s what you want then-“

“No, Amy-“

“Then, maybe-“ She grimaced, “No, I can’t, I can’t!”

“Amy.” He gripped her shoulders tightly and gave her a little shake. His arms encircled her and squeezed, forcing her to break her frantic train of thought. “I could never share you, ma pêche. Never.”

She stared into his eyes, two smoldering coals in the steam and dimness. “Really?” She breathed.

Instead, he raised a hand to cup her cheek and pulled her forward, pressing his lips against hers in a gentle, chaste union. Amy, already pliable thanks to the warmth of the bath, melted further into him. “I will never share you.” He said into her lips.

“You’re mine.” She whispered, her voice almost petulant, like someone had threatened to take away her favorite toy.

His pupils blew wide and he crushed their lips together again, the hunger from the bedroom returning. One of his hands threaded through her quills and the other snaked around her back, holding her closely. Amy returned the craving, reveling in the taste and smell of him.

“And you are mine.” Shadow whispered, his voice rough and dripping a jealous desperation. The declaration strummed a beautiful chord somewhere inside Amy. “Only mine.”

When they were together, there was no fear or doubt. The world trembled before them and Amy felt perfectly safe in his arms. She could meet the person she was underneath all the fear and anxiety. The Amy that could live in the sun, unafraid and free.

Amy closed her eyes, relaxing into the warmth of the water and Shadow’s embrace. She began to purr. It had an unfamiliar, but comforting harmony. She smiled as she realized that Shadow was purring as well, their sounds combining, resonating, and amplifying.

---

Shadow lay wide awake, his unfocused gaze aimed at the ceiling over his bed, as Amy slept beside him, her head of damp quills pillowed on his chest while his arm wrapped protectively around her.

Fatigue drug heavily upon him but sleep itself eluded him. By all accounts, he should be satisfied and enjoying this long dreamt of moment. Amy, in his bed, safe and sound. Unfortunately, his tumultuous mind would not settle and allow him peace.

He shouldn’t have had sex with Amy. He certainly shouldn’t have finished, but the sight of her choking on him did disgusting things to his mind.

Fuck, it had been such a near miss he should be ashamed.

If Shadow hadn’t been crippled by exhaustion, stress, and the lingering effects of Dr. Quack rut suppressant regime, he would have gone into rut the moment he tasted her. He should have told her no, should have begged off, but her proposition carved a tunnel underneath his resolve. Shadow had simply lost the ability to refuse his Omega, refuse Amy, intimacy.

What’s wrong with that? She’d asked. God, that woman! He would break the world like an egg for her.

What was he going to do? His home was about to be swarmed. He could sequester himself in the basement, but that would leave Amy at the mercy of his mother. Shadow ground his teeth.

Then, come Sunday, Amy and he were to have the day together. If he were to excuse himself then, how would she feel? He’d been powerless before her tonight, so what chance did he have to deny her assistance when he was even further into his pre-rut?

Zero. Zero fucking chance.

Therefore, he had to avoid any situation wherein Amy would feel compelled to offer herself to him.

He bit his lip fiercely as the idea of having Amy with him for his rut sent an unabashed shuddered through him. He felt his length stir and he became acutely aware of Amy’s scent permeating his bedroom and her delicate body curled peacefully into his.

Shadow drew in a series of slow, ragged breaths until his body settled. He swallowed thickly. He pinched his eyes shut, cursing himself, because there was also the matter of his niece’s performance Sunday night, the one he’d sworn up and down to attend.

Le destin l'avait placé sur d'un tonneau, prêt à le niquer sans pitié.

Could he manage? Could he hold out until Monday?

He blew out a long breath through his nose.

What was the point of worrying?

There was only one answer: Shadow would persevere, because he had to.

By strength of will alone if needs be, Shadow would hold his wretched body at bay until Monday, once Amy was safely away and his home was once again his own, and then he would descend into the depths of his depravity and endure his penance: a week of utter hell beyond his mortal comprehension.

He would be abandoning his many duties to his employees and the world at large, but a man can only hold up the vault of heaven for so long before his arms buckled. His empire had endured without him for short periods in the past, and now it must needs to again.

In the meantime, Shadow himself would endure like a statue cast from marble, solid and indifferent to the wanton lusts of man, unyielding and unfeeling to the weakness of the form in which he is carved.