Page 37 of Sunken Empire

Trying to push that button that I know must be hidden deep down inside somewhere, I remark, "Where's the Zale who held me down and kissed the daylights out of me, hmm? Having second thoughts?"

I'm not sure if it's the first question or the second, but they do the job. His nostrils flare and his chest expands as he sucks in a deep breath. Dropping his hands to his jeans, he undoes the button before letting the material slide down his legs to the floor. Then my beautiful mate stands before me like a naked bronzed statue of a divine being. I love the defined muscles that stand out in his shoulders and arms, leading down to a sculpted chest and abs not to dissimilar to that of his brothers. Almost without conscious thought, my hand reaches out to play with those beaded strands that hang down the front of his body. Of course, he's too far away for that, so I simply flip it over and motion to him with one finger.

When the wild glaze comes over his eyes, I expect him to march over the way Zanthus would, but he doesn't. Choosing to take his time in the way he swaggers to where I wait for him, he drops to his knees at my feet. I want that sexy mouth on mine again, but he seems to have something else in mind entirely. My head falls back on the soft padding as he lifts my leg and his lips press against the inside of my ankle. From there they come in small flits up the inside of my calf and then thigh. Just as I start to feel the tickle of those blond locks on spots that are craving his attention, he abandons that leg for the other one, repeating the process all over again. This time he doesn't stop at my thigh. Those lips blaze a trail up my hip bone and across my lower belly to the other side before he finally presses a kiss to the top of my mound.

Out of the many years of my sexual experience, I've never had a man's mouth between my legs before meeting these sexy mer. I always thought it'd be this awkward situation that wouldn't feel as good as what most women make it out to be. Now I'm kicking myself for not letting it happen sooner. Maybe it's for the best, though, because I like the thought of having this first with my mates.

His arms go underneath my thighs and wrap around, using his fingers to spread me even wider. The first swipe of his tongue has my back arching off the floor.When my fingers reach down to sink in his hair, I don't stop them and neither does he. I should be embarrassed by the noises coming out of my mouth and the fact that my hips are moving, burying his face even further into me. The only reason I'm not is because I can feel it as his cheeks lift in a grin. Then his tongue starts working figurative magic on my clit with a few quick brushes of his teeth and lips and all thoughts in my mind float away on the wind.

Between all of the teasing and the feel of his hair tickling the rarely touched skin of my inner thighs, I’m already at that peak of no return. When he hums, sending a vibration through his still flicking tongue, it’s enough to send me straight over that edge. My fists clench in their spot sunken deep into his hair, and I’m barely conscious of grinding my hips into his face as a breathless sound escapes my chest.

Lifting his head, he runs a hand down the lower part of his face, wiping away the wetness there that I should probably be slightly embarrassed about. Trailing a fiery path of kisses up the center part of my body, he takes his time showing each and every inch of skin its own personal attention. By the time those lips find their way to mine, I feel like a worshipped goddess beneath him.

I smile against his mouth, feeling his own match it. Wrapping both arms and legs around him, I tug his body tight against mine, pulling a soft moan from him in the process. It slides into my mouth easily seeing as his tongue is still plundering and staking his claim. All of it is enough to have my heart pumping over time. I don’t want to wait any longer.

“Zale,” I plead softly.

Another one of those sounds passes through his lips before he brings himself back up to his knees. Somehow he’s managed to see through the fog to remember to hand over the talisman. Jutting my chin upwards gives him perfect access to place it around my neck.

His fingers linger around my collar bones, and an unreadable expression crosses his face as he confesses, “I don’t like this, damselfish. I don’t like the thought of hurting you.”

Forcing him to look me in the eye, I reply, “We don’t have a choice if we want to break the curse.”

“Not necessarily. We’re not certain it has to be done this way,” he says with a short shake of his head.

I appreciate his concern, but it’s not worth the risk.

“I don't know about you, but I'd rather not take the chance over a tiny burn that can be healed almost instantly. We know next to nothing about any of this, Zale." Reaching up, I caress the side of his face as I tell him, "I want to see your kingdom and for you, your brothers, and our people to be able to return home. To ensure that happens, we do everything we've been doing in the right order. Now, are we going to lay here and keep talking, or are you ready to claim your mate?"

His face nuzzles into my hand as he presses a kiss into my palm, trying to hide the smile that flashes across his lips. Hooking my free arm around his neck, I pull them down to mine for another taste. This earns me exactly what I've been asking for.

Slipping a hand between us, he lines himself up at my entrance. I suck in a breath to hold, waiting for the moment he slides all the way in. Only it never happens.

"Look at me, damselfish," he tells me.

I didn't even realize my eyes had fallen closed. Now that they're open, I'm stunned by the reverent expression on my mate's face. I never knew it was possible to feel like this with a simple look. Cherished. Loved. Worshiped. Without another word, Zale sheaths himself fully inside of me, stealing my breath for a second time.

"Merciful gods, Rubi," he groans, forehead dropping to mine. "I don't think I've ever felt anything as good as you do right now."

I wish I could say something sweet or smooth at this moment, but as his hips start moving, I can't form a sentence to save my life. My mouth opens, but all that comes out is a soft moan of Zale's name. When his hips surge forward again, I lock my legs around his waist, wanting there to be no empty space between us. He obliges by dropping the rest of his weight on me, forcing me to sink further into the spongy material at my back.

A feeling of guilt tries to rise up as I think of the ways my other mates make me feel. I shouldn't be thinking of them in Zale's moment, but I can't help it. I adore the way each of them chooses to love and make love to me with their own unique personalities. The thought of them and the possibility of being with all three of them like this has my core clenching tight around Zale in a truly delicious way. He must think so too if the soft sound that slips through his lips is anything to go by.

Rising up to his hands, the angle in which this drives him hits a new spot within me that makes my back arch off the floor in pleasure. His pace is slow and sweet, building me up higher and higher. My fingertips brush across the skin of his back, and he shudders above me. Moving faster now, his hips start to drive into me with determination. As much as we're both wanting this moment to last, I can't help the pulsing feeling in my core when he pushes me over the edge, triggering his own release. His cock is still filling me full when he brings his lips back down to mine again. I get a few seconds to enjoy the moment before a fire demands attention on my chest.

Reaching up to rip it from my own neck, it scalds the hell out of my hand. The pain from both is worse than the other two times combined. Zale tears the thing from me, but the pain doesn't stop. I'm barely conscious of him yelling my name and shaking me before I blackout.

The darkness gives way to a light so blinding I have to bring my hand up to shield my eyes from it. Just as they've adjusted and can see I'm in a room I've never been in before, a voice calls out, "So good of you to call, child."

Blinking a few times, I try to make sense of the witch standing in front of me as I clear my throat and tell her, "I didn't call you."

She plops her ass down at a chair beside the table and snickers. "Of course you did, Eurybia. As soon as you claimed your third mate and tried to override my magic."

Doing a wave of her fingers, she continues, "And my work is impeccable if I do say so myself."

"What do you mean?" I ask. This feels like a dream, and my head is filled with fog.

"Your markings, of course," she says with a smile, motioning towards my neck then to a mirror hanging on the wall.

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