Page 63 of Siren's Kiss & Feral Beasts
“I’m worse.”
The crew lowers the rope ladder, and I haul her with me, one hand on the rope and the other around my siren. I’m dripping and concerned, but whole for the first time in months. No one speaks as we make it back on deck, but they drop to their knees in a show of respect, and her little mouth drops open. It’s adorable, and it’s going to get very confusing in a few short hours.
In the meantime, I need to get her alone.
The pack members stay like that as we pass, Torren giving me a nod of understanding that I reciprocate with one of my own. No one will bother us. Not unless it’s life or death, and I will kill anyone myself who does so without a good reason.
Across the deck, I carry her into my private quarters.
She’s exhausted and shaking, the thin cloak doing absolutely nothing to protect her after days of shock. Nerissa lets me remove the fabric, but grips my hand to stop me before I place it on a chair. “Do you see the difference now?”
It takes me a moment to understand, but when I do, her beautiful scent dances around me like a fairy. It dances across my senses, the tethers of our half-formed bond stroking my cock.
“Motherfuck, Nerissa. How is this…?”
“A gift from my grandmother years ago. It cloaks my scent.” Her smile is a bit cocky now, eyes playful. “Could probably mask a full ship if used as part of the sails. You know, hypothetically speaking.”
“We’d have to test that theory someday, but for now…” I trail off, picking her up and tossing her onto my king-sized bed. She bounces a few times, tits juggling enticingly in all her naked splendor. A tiny doll, well over a foot shorter than me, she has curvy hips and enticing thighs. A flat stomach and high, perky tits with dusty rose nipples that complement her sun-kissed skin.
Long black hair, a cute button nose, and pouty lips.
Nerissa Del Mare is all that, an ethereal fucking beauty, but it’s the violet eyes that hold me captive. They say so much when she’s quiet, like now, when she beckons me closer with the crook of a finger.
The mattress dips and redistributes my weight after I take off my clothes, tossing them over the edge of the bed, and crawl over her. I’m covering her from head to toe, giving her my warmth as the wolf rubs under the surface of my skin. Not stretching, but scenting her through my skin so she carries a bit of us on her. She doesn’t pull away when I do it, either. Instead, she patiently lets me drag my nose from one side of her neck to the other, leaving tiny trails of kisses in my wake.
I work my way down her body, collarbones, chest, stomach, and exhale roughly over her mound and back up again. Then her back and ass; not an inch of her hasn’t been touched or kissed, and we purr with unadulterated pride when orange blossoms and coconut also carries notes of wood and leather. Even the tiniest bit of pineapple fills me with pure male satisfaction.
“Now, we can rest.”
“Is that so?” Nerissa lies half on me and half on the bed, her leg across my cock. “Nothing else you want to do?”
“For tonight, yes.” Tipping her face up to mine, I rub my thumb under her eyes. “You look exhausted.”
“I’ve been worried. Haven’t seen or spoken to my father or grandmother in a while.” My hands begin to sweep up and down her soft back, the same way she traces the outline of a human skeleton on my torso. The point of her nails leaves a thin red line, as if she were playing Connect The Dots. I don’t mind, revel in it, actually, because this is the most relaxed I’ve seen her. “Last time, Dad crossed paths with me in the western seas. His birth pod resides there. Much smaller than our royal grounds, but they're a fun and happy bunch.”
“Did he give you any news on Lucienne? Was he going to be staying a while?”
“A vague update, and yes.”
“Explain.”
“So bossy.” She admonishes, pinching my side, and I flash my teeth at her. Fangs and all. “And rude.”
“Just that he’d be there a while, but was paying close attention. His older brother and his wife are helping him heal. And as for Grandma…” Nerissa bites me, not enough to break skin, but enough to leave a mark. “She’s playing her role, and will remain by his side.”
“What if he flips on her? Hurts her?”
“She’s a strong mermaid and literally born a queen. She wasn’t crowned through marriage, or for the sake of prosperity, but by her bloodline.”
“So your saying never underestimate her?”
“Never underestimate a woman in general, Alpha.”
“Noted.”
We lay in silence after that, her body relaxed against mine while the ocean rocks us. It’s lulling effect keeps us inside my room, warm and safe and oblivious to the outside world, until my look out sounds the alarm.
Then, it’s chaos. Boots pounding and shouting, my door banged on while Torren yells through the wood, “Sirens!”
