The next day, Patience entered town at half past two. All morning she drafted her plan to break the news to Schuler, reciting the scripted lines over and over. She bought a bottle of beer for the man, a peace offering, a pacifier. As resolute as she was, upon the steps leading up to Schuler’s floor, the girl hesitated. A nervous lump was lodged in her throat and her breathing came out in shallow wafts. This could be the stone that kills the sinner. She could lose Schuler forever.

“Oh! Patience! I wasn’t expecting you to drop by!”

The girl startled, rattling the upturned skull in her arms and the bottle resting inside it. She whirled around to lock eyes with Schuler. Immediately any lines she wrote flew out of her head. All she had to fall on was her gift. Fortunately though, seeing his face ignited the hope and trust that he would accept her and Anax.

“I was h-hoping to see you today,” she stuttered.

“I was just out dropping off some mail,” said the man as he loped over the remaining steps. Patience followed him. She shyly peeked at the seat of his pants as he hunched over to unlock his door.

“Can I come in? I have something important to tell you.”

“Of course.” He ushered her inside.

Patience sat on the sofa in the same spot as she had the other day. Her back was straight and rigid, arms tensely cradling the skull in her lap. Schuler stood before her.

“Can I get you something to drink?” he offered.

“Nothing for me, thanks. But here, I brought this for you,” the girl said, handing him the beer.

“Thanks, Patience.”

“Please, go on and open it. Drink up,” Patience squeaked, shifting her eyes to Anax. She flipped him right side up again. Her fingers flexed nervously under the shade of the skull.

“Um, okay,” said Schuler.

Taking a jackknife from his pocket, he opened the bottle with a quick flourish. Patience looked up expectantly at him. His lips wrapped around the brown glass.

“So what did you have to tell me?”

“Maybe you should sit down.”

Obliging, Schuler plopped into the armchair. Another sip slid down his throat. He turned his head slightly to look out the window, taking note of light. “Will this take very long? I made plans to have supper with my friend Whit and his wife tonight.”

“Well, depending on your reaction … er, no. It won’t take too long,” Patience croaked.

“Is everything all right?” asked Schuler, knitting his brows.

“Yes! Everything is quite fine! It’s just …” Patience swallowed and mustered her courage.

“I’m all ears,” said the man supportively.

Patience lifted Anax to her chest. “This skull. It—well, it talks. It’s a living—is he alive? In a way I guess. Er, he’s a living being.”

Schuler lifted an eyebrow.

“I’m … his life-donor,” the girl gulped.

She quickly put on the skull, partially to hide her own embarrassment.

“Hi. I’m Anax,” said the skull.

Schuler reeled backward with a yelp, tipping the heavy armchair slightly. “What IS it?”

“Just your average monster from a faraway land, I suppose,” Patience laughed nervously. Seeing that she seemed to be unaffected, Schuler leaned closer toward her, eyes wide open. He took another swig of beer.

“How long have you had … this?”

“Just over two weeks now.”

Schuler rubbed a hand against his forehead, a feeble attempt to process this news faster. “You’re his host?” he asked.

The girl nodded, Anax bobbing with her head.

“Is he hurting you in anyway?”

“Sure, disregard my presence,” sighed Anax. Schuler noticeably jerked again at the sound of the skull’s voice.

“No! He doesn’t hurt me at all,” Patience explained. “I mean he can be taxing to talk to and deal with but—”

“I give her pleasure,” Anax interjected.

“Anax! Don’t tell him that!”

Schuler choked, “You two HAVE—” Unable to utter another word, all the bewildered man could do was gesture at Patience, beer in hand.

“Yeah. Sorry,” the girl said.

Schuler ran a hand through his hair, sweeping it back against his scalp. His eyes bulged as he exhaled. To Patience’s surprise, he started chuckling.

“Only you, Patience! Only you!” Schuler chortled.

Patience turned beet red and pulled Anax from her head. “I’m sorry! He’s just so persistent and I’ve never felt anything like it!” she cried.

Schuler snapped upright, a puzzled expression across his brow. “Hey! What are you apologizing for?”

“It’s shameful,” Patience whimpered. “Any upstanding lady would never have gone near this skull, let alone enjoy what it does with her. I’m a harlot.”

The man left his seat to crouch in front of the girl on his sofa. “Patience, I’m sorry if what I said came off in the wrong way. I meant only you would look at the stranger things in life and find beauty. And that’s what I love about you.”

Patience met his gaze, blinking back tears.

Schuler smiled at her. “You’re not a harlot.” He bent toward her, planting a light kiss on her forehead. Pulling back, he grinned slightly wider. “There’s nothing wrong with indulging in the pleasures of the flesh.”

“Even with … this?” she whispered, peering down at Anax between her hands.

“Er, well. It’s certainly unconventional …” said Schuler, tipping the bottle into his mouth. “But if he’s good to you … then … why not?”

Schuler returned to his seat, hanging his arms off the side of the armrests. He exhaled sharply again and drank a bit more. The bottle was now nearly half empty. “Thanks for this, by the way.”

Patience bowed her head with a small smile.

Schuler raised an eyebrow. “So … he was your first?”

Patience looked away from him, flushing. “Y-yeah.”

“Can I talk to him?”

She nodded, returning Anax to her crown.

Schuler stared into the sockets of the skull. Anax’s orb appeared as barely a glint in the bright afternoon sun streaming in through the windows. The man cleared his throat and said sternly, “I hope you know how lucky you are to have Patience here. Don’t take her for granted.”

“I don’t,” replied the skull, “I may be a bit rough at times, but I care for my pet above all else.” Anax formed an arm and placed it over Patience’s chest. Schuler jerked back again. He coughed a couple of times to brush it off, taking another sip. Patience could not help letting out a quiet giggle. Reassured, Schuler relaxed into the armchair and shot Patience a glance.

“Is that all the news?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Patience.

“Good. I don’t think I could take any more without another bottle or two,” Schuler huffed, breaking into a chuckle that was soon joined by Patience’s own. They then fell into a comfortable silence. A weight lifted off of Patience’s chest. With the air cleared, she could breathe again.

“So,” began Schuler with a small smirk, holding the bottle to his chin, “is he any good?”

Patience recoiled and gasped, “I’m not going to say!”

“I make her sopping wet,” Anax purred.

“ANAX!” she shrieked. The girl stood up with a start and headed for the door. “I should go now.” All she could hear aside from the pounding of her heart was a gentle string of snickering. The man got up to see her out.

As Patience stepped toward the front door, she whirled around to catch Schuler’s gaze. “No one can know of this. If word gets out of what this skull can do …!”

“I promise you, Patience. I won’t make a peep about the skull. I don’t want you harmed or inconvenienced in any way. So long as you are happy and healthy with this … Anax, was it?”

“Mhm,” the skull affirmed.

The girl met Schuler’s eyes, taking Anax off. “I know it’s odd, but I hope this doesn’t affect us in anyway. Even with Anax in the picture … don’t be a stranger. Please, Schuler.”

Falling into her honey gaze, Schuler curled his lips into a smile and passed a finger under Patience’s round jaw. “Hm, what can I say? You’re still you. You got my word.” Patience felt her face tingle, she flashed him one last smile before ducking behind the door to enter the hallway.

“He took that well!” mused Anax in the lobby.

“Perhaps save the fact that we’ve laid with each other for the next meeting? And not disclose how I respond to you?” Patience grumbled, the heat in her face cooling off by a degree.

“What can I say? I take pride in my work.”

Patience scoffed.

To celebrate, the pair made a quick stop at the butcher’s for a slab of pork belly. Anax fell silent in awe of all the meat displayed in the shop. His slim tendrils wove through Patience’s braid to prick the back of her neck, sharing his excitement with the one person he could. As an additional treat, she bought several ounces of jerky. However, they could not dawdle long. The girl made sure to leave Keaton before the sun dipped too low, avoiding the street of traveling merchants for good measure.

Anax could barely contain himself as the pork belly popped and sizzled in the pan that night. Patience had to smack away errant tendrils trying to sneak a taste. Of course his touch would not affect the meat in anyway, she just thought it rude that he would savor it before herself. Once the pork was seared appropriately on both sides, she tossed in some chopped greens and placed the whole pan in the oven to finish cooking. Anax cursed the iron black chamber detaining the succulent meat.

“What books have you read?” asked Patience, entering the parlor. She glanced over the shelves as she awaited supper.

“These so far.” Anax reached a tendril across two spines. Patience recognized them to be some of her father’s favorites, one was a compendium of world cultures, the other a brief history of Eureban colonization. Patience had read them before, ages ago.

“Did you enjoy them?”

“I enjoy learning from them.”

The girl wondered how long it would take for the skull to complete their entire library. Aside from the several books stored in her father’s atelier, the entire collection was housed in the five levels of shelving barely the width of the armchair. A modest and unremarkable collection among learned men, the Firmins treasured it nonetheless. Patience hoped it was adequate in staving off Anax’s boredom for the time being.

“I’d like to see these places one day,” he said.

The girl’s heart sank. Patience was not averse to travel now that she had a partner, however she only had the means to keep herself from starving. To go across the country or oceans would require a hefty sum. There were her savings of course, but that was sacred. The girl restricted herself from dipping into the cache. It was meant only for something special.

She watched Anax glide his tendril over the neighboring tomes, the orb of his eye tracking the titles. She could only imagine the depth of his thirst for knowledge. If his appetite for her body was any indication, he would finish this collection within months. Perhaps she could visit town hall and have Anax read through the records there, if he would even be interested in that sort of thing. A light murmur of a growl snapped Patience from her pondering.

“Which are your favorite books?” asked the skull.

“Oh!” Genuinely surprised he inquired, Patience fumbled to find the spines of her adventure novels. “I’m quite fond of these. A couple are true accounts, but my absolute favorite is this one.” Her finger brushed against a read leather spine, tracing golden stamped letters. “It’s about a group of men who travel to the center of the earth.”

“It is a fiction?”

“Yes.”

“Why write stories about things that never happen?”

“It’s fun. Certainly real life can be mundane, cruel at worst, so people enjoy reading fanciful tales to get their minds away from things.”

“Hm … there is no useful information to be gleaned.”

Patience smirked. “There is no useful gain in coupling with me, but you do it for pleasure. It’s the same idea.”

Anax had to agree with that.

“What’s this?” he asked, tendril tapping a wide brown leather spine.

“A bestiary. Incomplete, obviously, as I’ve never heard nor read of a beast like you.”

“Wouldn’t it be fun to go out and discover more creatures to fill it!”

“I’m sure it would be,” said the girl with a frown. “But that costs money. Even the most renowned adventurers have to have institutions fund their expeditions.” She straightened her back. “At the very least we get to read about their exploits.” Patience pulled a book from the shelf, the archaeologist’s diary that her parents had gifted her years ago. This diverted Anax’s attention well enough.

After sharing a few of her other recommendations, the two returned to the kitchen to enjoy supper at last. Anax could not get to the meat fast enough and nearly knocked the hunk of pork belly off the plate as the girl brought her meal to the table. With admonishment from Patience, he restrained himself and lapped it daintily with a tendril. Patience could not help but smile between mouthfuls.

Hours passed into the evening until each lamp in the kitchen and parlor extinguished. Washed and dressed, Patience strode through the dark hallway and clambered into bed. She reclined onto her side, arms tucked under her pillow. She breathed in her own familiar scent. The dancing flame over her nightstand charmed her, casting shifting shadows on the walls. Inexplicably, her mind wandered to that vision of Schuler bedding the chorus member. A shiver ran down the her body.

“You seem preoccupied. Thinking of something?” Anax remarked.

“Huh? I wasn’t,” said Patience absentmindedly. Her mouth wrinkled. She rested there a moment before speaking meekly, “Anax …”

“Mm?”

“Could you form your body?”

She felt the familiar form materialize behind her: chest, arms, torso, pelvis, legs. Slowly, she twisted her way around to lie on her other side, ultimately staring at the back of Anax’s skull, blind in the darkness. Patience did not need her sight however, she only needed to feel the hard chest against her breasts, his bulge against her groin. Face buried in the thick of his throat, she wrapped her arms around his waist, bringing him closer. She expected her right arm to be uncomfortably wedged between Anax’s body and the covers, but he allowed her to partially phase through his body. For a moment, he brought his arms around and held her.

Patience could have almost fallen asleep in his embrace until Anax started to remove her nightgown. She protested as much as a rag doll could. His claws grabbed into her backside, forcing her closer. He began rubbing into her gap. The firm motions ushered an aching heat inside. Patience’s hand traveled around to his buttocks, feeling them clench as he flexed against her. Matching his hip rolls to her breathing, he teased out drips of fluid and delighted in the sounds it made between flesh. Anax clutched her waist and shifted them so that he was on top of her.

“Lovely how many ways humans can mate. You’re a flexible bunch!” Anax commented. It was strange feeling his voice hit the top of her brow. Anax reached around behind her, arranging the pillows so as to rest his snout and she her neck. The very base of the back of his skull rested on the bridge of her nose, a misty hide padding it. She thought it would be difficult to breath stuffed into his neck like this, but his being passed through her lungs as any fog rolling over gray hills.

“You’re so soft too!” He gripped onto the meat of her thighs.

She shuddered as his growls peppered her jaw.

Although he kept a hulking frame, Patience welcomed the weight atop her, it only aided in providing delicious resistance for the pit of her pelvis. Anax resumed rubbing his cock through her drooling bottom lips, coating his shaft with her fluids. Patience briefly wondered if this was what it felt like being with a human man, the current feeling from her neck up aside. He pressed his length against her slit, drawing a soft moan from her mouth. Patience arched her hips to urge him on.

“Eager, are we?” he chuckled. Without so much as a grunt more, Anax inserted himself. His length slid in smoothly, much to Patience’s chagrin. “Hm, very eager!”

As Anax began thrusting, Patience’s hands wandered across his back. She explored every hill and valley of muscle and wondered how odd it was for him to be solid, yet she could breathe through his neck so easily.

Suddenly Anax let out a loud grunt as he shoved her harder into the bed, “I could do this every day with you!”

Patience smirked. “Am I the best you’ve had?”

“I’ve not been with many—but this is much better than the way my kind mate. I’ve witnessed deer and small mammals rutting at home, but never thought it’d feel so nice,” he huffed.

The image of his original penis formed in Patience’s mind. She had seen insects mate before and imagined his species’ process to be similar. It did not seem to be that comfortable. Patience silently thanked Anax’s ability to shift shape. Her hand smoothed over his ass as he continued to pump.

“I can get addicted to this,” he rumbled.

Patience chuckled, “Aren’t you already?”

Anax groaned, reaching his claws underneath her body. He clutched her cheeks as he spread his legs to straddle her and the bed. He plowed into her hole, enjoying how tightly she held her legs together.

“Maybe.”

She warmed at the thought of how much Anax desired her. Feeling his chest grind against hers with each of his thrusts was a physical affirmation. How he lost himself to his basest instincts aroused her even more. The slick slap of wet flesh met her ears. At that moment, she noticed the gentle swirling of a misty coil on her side. It then multiplied around her body.

Sightless, Patience could not forecast where tendrils would touch her next. She felt the hefty presence of Anax’s limbs and cock, but every little surprise caress from some stray tendril sent a tingle of excitement over her skin. As Anax drove her closer to the peak, more and more tendrils licked her. From her shoulders, to her hips, to her thighs, the sparks fed into a blaze. Patience jerked her head backward into the stack of pillows when it all became too much. Stifled cries fell from her mouth as her entire body quivered, inside and out.

“Yes! That’s my pet!” Anax hissed. Patience could barely hear him amidst her own moans and pants. Her inner walls pulsed around the cock wedged between them. Driven to his own ecstasy, Anax slammed into her, gripping her ass as hard as he could without piercing her skin with his claws. His cock swelled and pumped out its seed.

They remained connected as Anax relaxed atop her. Patience’s mind drifted to the words she spoke earlier in the day. Harlot. This was the second day in a row that she had coupled with the skull. To enjoy the touch of this monster was surely not a thing to be encouraged. She was confident she would be shunned even more harshly than witches once were, should the pious ever find out.

But Schuler accepted her. He said there was nothing wrong. A smile graced her lips. That was all that mattered. What did she care for the presumed opinions of people she barely even knew. Anax was her secret. A sultry, ravenous secret, burning hotter than red, glowing coals. Schuler had no qualms about living a free life. Patience figured she ought to do the same. If this path did lead to debauchery and the damnation of her soul, then she would try and enjoy it each step of the way.

Patience brought her hands up to twist Anax’s skull the right way around again. However, he stopped her and fulfilled the task himself. He withdrew and dissipated into an amorphous fog. He slid behind Patience’s neck, righting the skull, before seeping around her head and neck to cushion her as he did every night ever since she had first worn him. Blinking, the girl was surprised to find the lamp had burned out. The chemical concoction running through her body was too intoxicating to resist, so she nestled into the sheets as sleep overcame her.