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As he spoke, he traced one fingertip over her cheek, then he leaned in to kiss her on the lips. Riella smiled and kissed him back. His fingertips progressed down the side of her neck, over her clothed breasts and stomach, coming to a rest on the tender, flaming spot between her legs. At his touch, desire ignited in her stomach.

“Turn around, my siren,” he murmured. “I’m going to make you feel better.”

Heart thudding, she faced the tree trunk. She placed her palms on its rough bark to steady herself while he tugged down her trews. He knelt and placed his huge hands on her bare cheeks, easing them apart to expose her raw pinkness from behind.

He ran his tongue from her pearl, over her flushed folds, and dipped it into her aching slit, which was swollen and tight from Jarin pounding it the night before. Riella inhaled sharply, her spine tingling. The sensation of his smooth, insistent tongue against her inner walls made her feel better indeed.

Her hands gripped the tree bark. The pressure inside her core grew, begging for release. Jarin stood up, towering over her from behind. He undid his pants and she felt his rock-hard shaft spring against her back.

Sighing in anticipation, she let him position the head of his cock against her slick opening. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other across the front of her shoulders, her head falling gently back onto his muscle-bound chest. He jerked his hips to snatch her off the ground and plunge himself into her tight depths, clamping his hand over her mouth to stifle the cry she let out.

He held her in place with his steel-threaded arms as he thrust himself in and out of her with relentless strength, her feet dangling in midair. His strokes were frantic and fast and Riella could hardly catch her breath, moaning into the palm of his hand and gripping his wrist with both hands as she bounced up and down on his cock. As he pumped against her taut interior, he snaked his fingers down to caress her aching clit.

His direct touch pushed her over the edge. Her body shuddered on his cock as she climaxed, more powerfully than she had before. A moment later, the pirate groaned as he filled her core with his hot surges, holding her upright with only his massive erection and his arms.

As the final waves moved through their bodies, he leaned in and pressed his lips to her neck. She tilted her head to the side, wanting his tongue in her mouth.

He obliged, and they kissed feverishly while the trees of the forest whispered around them.

CHAPTER 24

Every person in the tavern looked up when Riella and Jarin walked in.

She supposed they mustn’t see strangers often, living in such a remote hamlet. As the patrons and elderly bartender peered from the shadowy interior, it occurred to her that Polinth might have spies among the local populace. If anyone left in a hurry, she and Jarin would have to follow them.

Riella sat at a long wooden communal table while Jarin went to the bar. She shifted on her stool, unsettled by the curious gazes of the other patrons. To distract herself, she looked around. Candles lit the tavern and the floor was packed with earth.

Most patrons drank from flagons, but a few had steaming plates of food and the scents caused to Riella’s stomach to rumble. The horse riding and the forest sex had made her particularly hungry. Jarin’s seed trickled hotly from her throbbing entrance even as she sat with a carefully impassive expression.

But she did not wish to dwell on Jarin either, because feelings would only muddy the waters. She needed to focus on her mission—not the way his deep voice was like a caress down her spine. Or the way his smile made her pulse quicken. Or that she now craved his touch every second she did not have it, and even when she did, it never seemed like enough.

Such yearning had to be why sirens lacked the drive to mate. It would compromise their ability to fulfill their purposes. Although they possessed seductiveness and beauty, these qualities were only ever meant to ensnare men, not themselves. And Riella felt dangerously close to being captured by Jarin. Not in a net, or a brig, but in a different way altogether.

She looked at his tall form leaning on the bar as he spoke quietly with the bartender. Her growing feelings didn’t matter, really. After all, she’d be gone soon. Jarin would remain, and she’d be just a memory to him. The thought made her heart ache, but what could she do?

He carried flagons of mead to the table and sat opposite her. She sipped the foamy liquid. It was somehow sweet and bitter at the same time.

“We’re in luck,” said the pirate in a low voice. “The local people loathe Polinth. All manner of children, women, and animals have gone missing since he set up his workshop on the cliffs. They blame him for the disappearances, though they have no proof.”

Riella’s hand tightened around the flagon. “I’m sure their assumptions are correct. Any word on how we might access his caves?”

“No one’s been up there, save those who don’t return.”

“I know there’s a narrow path of stairs next to the cave. That must lead down the mountainside, surely.”

“Sounds promising.” Jarin shrugged. “And if there isn’t a way, we’ll make one.”

The bartender carried a heaving tray to the table, setting down plates and bowls in front of the siren and pirate. Riella sniffed dubiously at the plate of food, sided with bread.

“Roasted vegetable stew with rosemary bread,” said Jarin, pointing at the plate, then at the bowl. “And peach pie with cream for dessert. You’ll like it, I promise.”

She cocked her eyebrow. “You promised I’d like riding the horse.”

“No,” he corrected. “I promised I wouldn’t let you fall.”

“Oh. That’s true.”

He picked up his spoon and started on the stew. Riella was unsure how it could possibly taste nice, when it looked like sludge. The steam curling from the plate smelled enticing though, so she put a spoonful in her mouth.