Page 9 of Siren's Kiss & Feral Beasts
Not that it matters. No one can save him.
With a vicious growl, I raise my blood-soaked paw and bring it down hard. There’s a crack, and his eyes widen; his lips part in a scream that never escapes as his heart gives way beneath the force.
He’s dead, vacant eyes on the shore, and I follow their line of sight.
Feminine silhouette. Flowing dark hair.That same mouthwatering scent.
It hits me with the weight of a thousand-pound boulder…
“Son of a bitch.”
Every cell in my body contracts. It’s a painful blow to my wolf as he goes from feral to almost docile as he recognizes what this means.
Whatsheis to us.
Mate.
3
NERISSA
“Pulling the wrong tail will get you bitten,” Naia singsongs, her shoulder bumping mine before swimming past me and into my bedroom. She’s been with me all night, making sure I don’t get into trouble as any best friend should; the problem is, she’s worse than I am.
Curious. Unafraid. Instigator extraordinaire, and the complete contradiction to every word of warning. She’s been doing this all night, too. Ever since we snuck the rogues in, we used our siren’s song to lull the wolfen patrol guards on the island's eastern side, then stayed to watch the uneven match.
Because I’d sent that rogue to his death. Heandhis friends, although the female remained semi-hesitant. She tried to fight back—run—but her brother was an accomplice and stood behind his idiot friend, Spiro.
It was easy. Almost too easy.
Lesson learned: Never steal from a mermaid.
We don’t forgive. We don’t forget.
And Spiro Marros’s biggest mistake was breaking into my small home in Port Avaria, his grimy hands going through my jewelry. Mostly odds and ends, tide-hopper baubles of little tono value lost at sea that I’ve privately collected over the years without my king’s knowledge. It’s against mermaid law to do so; my grandfather would be pissed. He sees value in gold and silver—precious metals—but then again, I’ve never been one to walk a completely straight line.
More like a zigzag.
This is my rebellion.
Something that’s just mine.
Marros paid the price for his greed, though. A sweet lullaby, a gentle command, and he walked into the wolf's den without a fight…
“You’re stronger than him,” I cooed, my voice thick with honeyed intent. I ran my pointer finger across his shoulder blades as I walked around him, my touch designed to further entice. Manipulate. “A real alpha—filthy pirate—wouldn’t bow down to any man, much less rely on magic to keep his throne.”
“He’s unworthy,” Spiro spit out, jaw tight, eyes full of malice as my will became his.
“Find the stone, rogue. Find it, and I’ll reward you.”
The glamour took root slowly, like poison ivy, and it threaded through the cracks his pride provided. I didn’t push or yell, use the sharp edge of a shell to slash his face—I simply sang my request. Low and sweet, my words a pulse of magic thrumming beneath his skin.
“Remind them who you are, Marros,” I purred, brushing aside particles of dirt from his shirt. “Make the wolves kneel.”
His pupils dilated, and his breathing hitched. “I won’t fail you, Princess Nerissa.”
At that moment, he was nothing more than a puppet on a string.
And yet when faced against Alpha Daire, it was my enemy I…cheered for.
