Page 17 of Bind Me

Chowder’s scratching at the bedroom door. I dart down the corridor to let him out, noting his sharp teeth are gone, and he darts into the living room, searching for the guard.

“Oh, Chowder, I adore you, and thank you for protecting me,” I murmur, lifting him into my arms.

“He can’t hurt you,” he says, licking his mouth, which still has a bit of blood on it. I might have cringed if I didn’t find him super cute.

“This may just plunge us into major trouble.” I hold on to him in my arms, contemplating my options. Go into hiding? Or maybe come up with a plan to explain to Asbesta that it was all a mistake after the guard forced himself into my home, threatening me? Already, I’m running through the details in my head.

Blood is on the carpet and the walls, so I jump into doing the one thing I can control. I start cleaning it up before I completely break down. As I scrub the floor, Chowder tries to help me by mimicking my actions.

The truth of what might come next looms over me like the growing murky clouds outside. Whatever happens, I know one thing for sure. A huge, dangerous storm from the House of Sea and Serpentine is just beginning, and it’s headed straight for us.

Chapter 5

Kaden

Ironic how I’ve spent a lifetime hunting for a way out of Tartarus to find answers on who betrayed my family, yet here I am, hunting for the mermaid.

She’d been spying on me in the fjord earlier in the day, and whether she wanted it or not, she got my attention. Waters talk to me, sending ripples of awareness through to me even when I’m on land. Her presence in the fjord had raised every hair on my body from the pull to her.

Right now, she’s in the swimming pool at the rear of her cabin, and I’m in the woods surrounding her property.

Watching.

I’m darkness, desperate to capture her.

A growl vibrates in my chest.

She’s fucking stunning, a surprise I wasn’t expecting, and a great one at that, considering the uncomfortable conversation I had with Asbesta earlier in the day. I said what she wanted to hear, to appease her, but I bow to nobody’s commands. I’m no idiot and know having someone like me in her House gives her a great advantage over her enemies, so of course, she lets me use her fjords while I remain here.

Whether I return to her House once I’m finished with my business in Norway is a completely different matter. If she wants to bring war down on me for it, I’ll show her exactly why I’m not someone to be fucked with. Sure, I may not survive against her powers and army, but I sure as fuck will have fun trying.

I shake off the unease clinging to me and refocus on something delicious.

I followed my little mermaid from the fjord to uncover who she is. I wasn’t letting her out of my sight. Now, primal curiosity pushes me to get closer, to claim her, and I’m grinning, knowing it won’t be long until I do.

Her aquamarine hair catches the moonlight, shimmering like the surface of the water as she splashes playfully in the small pool. Her tail, vibrant blues and greens with hints of gold, splashes in and out of the water, drawing my attention to every flick. Besides her, some small creature frolics, its significance lost to me.

There’s a pull, a nearly physical ache that courses through me toward her, toward the water, a thirst only joining her can fill. Yet I’m standing on land, feeling the distance like a dry crackling in my throat.

Back in the Tartarus prison, many stalked and kidnapped their mate. That same temptation simmers under my skin, but I’m biding my time, needing to first understand if she’s my true mate. My cock’s already hard, close to losing control, so I’m not under any illusion that this could just be me being horny as fuck and needing to sink into that gorgeous mermaid.

Compelled by a need to see her closer, I begin to move. Each step down the sloped hill is calculated to avoid making any sound.

I’ve been in Norway for a couple of weeks now, finding a very different world from Tartarus, but I’m adapting quickly, finding my footing, setting up Grandfather’s home as my own, and slowly putting out feelers as to his past dealings on how the fuck he ended up in Tartarus.

The night air is cool on my skin, and each breath feels warmer as I approach the pool. I pause within the line of trees in her yard. I stay hidden in the shadows, yet my view is crisp.

Tracing her every movement, I watch her gracefully pull herself up to sit on the ledge, a side view to me. Her hair drops down her back, cascading like liquid, and under the moonlight, her skin almost glows with a silvery luster, her tail shimmering with each movement. She’s mesmerizing.

My gaze falls to her exposed breasts, large enough to fill my hands, firm and curvy. Aquamarine nipples are hard, and each time she moves, they jiggle in the most hypnotic motion. I lick my lips, and the desperation to pull them into my mouth, to suck on them, to make her moan is pure torture.

Just as I adjust my cock and shift my stance, a small twig underfoot snaps. The sound is slight, but in the stillness of the night, it carries. Her head snaps up, those piercing eyes scanning the woods in my direction.

I lock in place, waiting to see if she’ll notice me, ready to step out of the darkness.

Her brow creases as she scans the woods, but when she doesn’t spot me, she lowers her gaze to her lap. Part of me is disappointed she didn’t see me.

She’s absolutely breathtaking, the kind of mermaid I’d crash a hundred ships just to be ensnared by her.

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