Page 41 of Siren's Kiss & Feral Beasts
Idreamt of her last night.
Sad. Miserable. My siren called out to me, her voice cracking like delicate glass.
Something was causing her pain, and each cry tore through my chest, leaving a gaping gash behind. Her pain was mine, and I felt it as if I were receiving a thousand lashes and each one was dipped in acid.
I wanted to touch her. Soothe her.
Nerissa was there, just a few strokes from me—her hair fanned out like an inky black halo while her tail flickered in the prettiest shades of purples, blues, and soft touches of pink.
My beautiful, sad mermaid.
I swam toward her. My muscles were burning, arms tearing through the current with everything I had, and yet it wasn’t enough. Because no matter how fast or hard I pushed myself, she was just out of reach.
Slipping further away.
Drifting into the shadows.
Leaving me.
I’d woken up drenched in sweat, my chest heaving and cock throbbing in time with my rapid heartbeat. The swollen head was sensitive, dragging across the cotton sheet with each jerk and leaving smears of pre-come as proof of my need.
There’s no peace in it, either.
I’m still hard, missing her and haunted by the unshed tears in her eyes before the sea cloaked its princess.
“I’m going to find you, little treasure. I’ll bring you home,” I groan to the empty room, cursing that fucking stone again. It was never a gift, but an empty tether.
Dragging myself from the bed, I stalk into my bathroom. Restless fury is riding me; I’m leaving soon, but each tick of the clock feels like an eternity, and the separation aches in my bones. Mates aren’t supposed to be without the other for long, especially newfound ones. I brace my hands on the counter, head hanging low as I force air into my lungs. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.
A deep rumble escapes my chest, and I look up, catching my reflection. I’m more beast than man: eyes a honeyed gold, hair damp with sweat, and muscles twitching with the restraint to hold him back.
And then I caught it.
Soft. Bright. Impossible.
Orange blossoms.
The scent slipped in like a blade, sharp and sweet and mine, slicing through me with precision. My head snaps toward the window, then I stumble toward it, shoving it wider. It’s stronger now. The fragrance is unmistakable.
“Motherfuck,” I groan out, my cock thickening to the point of pain when my eyes settle on four new bushes. They’re new. In full bloom. White blossoms are vibrantly thriving under the early morning sun.
My villa had been built for her, for the day I’d find my mate. Private. Secluded. No neighbors or interruption; my pack knows better than to trespass unless there’s a dire emergency or death, and yet someone planted these, and it’s a welcome surprise.
A low growl rumbles in my chest, cock dripping pre-come, and I rush out of the room. There’s an outdoor shower I added a few years back, built for convenience after long hunts or filthy journeys. Easier for me to clean off without tracking blood or grime into the house—I also enjoy it.
The freedom. The open air.
Tonight, though, it feels like a blessed curse.
The partial wall around it covers from my upper body down to my shins, with the open side facing my new plants. My nose twitches, and I smile as the faint remnants of someone else’s scent hit me. She also left a small shovel behind, one I gifted her a few years back with a floral handle.
I’ll thank Mom later.
A breeze sweeps my backyard, erasing the last traces of Mom’s marker while enveloping me in Nerissa’s as I turn the shower on. Immediately, I’m hit with cold water hammering my skin, but it does nothing to cool me. My hands brace against the wall, water cascading down my heated flesh, and yet she clings to me.
My siren. My mate.
“The gods are playing with me,” I hiss from between clenched teeth, and her scent thickens as if they agree. She’s burrowing into my blood—I can almost taste her in the air—and my cock gives a harsh, painful jerk. My knot thickens as the sea-breeze melds with orange blossoms. “Fuck, I need her. That pretty little pussy wrapped around me tight.”
