Page 92

And with each flick of her tongue, with every suckle, I understood the reason for the mist. The sounds coming from me were primeval, Nerys’s skill something I didn’t want to consider. There was little chance I could last much longer. Summoning a will I had no notion I was capable of, I lifted her head and pulled her up to me.

When Nerys licked the corner of her mouth, I nearly came undone.

Sitting up and reaching between us, I smoothed my hand down until my finger was inside her. “So wet already,” I said, helping Nerys get into position atop me as she kneeled with each leg on one side of my lap.

“I’ve been wet for you since the first day we met.”

Lying back down, I guided her onto me, the sight of her nearly my undoing. Again.

“I know,” I said, remembering.

At her mock indignation, now buried deep inside her, I began to move. Together, we found a rhythm as I blocked out the sight of Nerys between my legs. Thinking of that, of how good she felt now, would not allow me to prolong this lovemaking session, something I very much wanted to do.

But I also wanted to claim her. Possess her in every possible way.

I flipped us, though not gently, and let my need consume us both. Nerys called my name so loudly that I wondered if we’d need the mist every time.

Pinning her wrists beneath my hands, I drove into her, each thrust another promise. It was not the soft beckoning of the tide, rolling gently to and fro along this shore. This was a maelstrom of need and desire and lust. One of love too, and a trust so deep that neither of us were afraid of letting go.

I raised myself up, using my thumb to stroke her, and watched as Nerys became undone. She screamed, thrusting her hips upward as I buried myself deep inside her, flicking and circling her, waiting for that moment.

The one where she forgot everything, and everyone, including me. Where there was nothing but an explosion of pleasure so consuming that nothing existed but her pleasure. When that happened, when Nerys stilled to fully be present in that moment, I drove into her one last time and let myself go.

The vision came as quickly as I did into her. An impossible one, of something so rare in Elydor that I could not possibly give it any credence. One of a babe, not in any particular place or even within the arms of anyone I could decipher. I could simply see its face, rather quickly before the vision faded.

I dared not move.

If this had been my first, or even second or third, vision, I’d have dismissed it. Not trusting myself. Not understanding or even allowing hope to well inside me. But it wasn’t. And I knew, as much as I knew Nerys and I had been destined to be together, that the vision was real.

He, or she, was a child who would be born of love.

A rare gift.

And it was ours.

40

NERYS

It was a meal unlike any other.

Four days after Rowan and I agreed to partner, or marry as he called it… four days of upheaval in the palace, from a new staff to changing rules, such as the need to isolate visiting humans… four days of getting to know Mev and Kael as much as possible amid the chaos… four days planning this night with Rowan. And now, it was done.

After having fetched Aneri, and with very little ceremony, we were partnered. Rowan and I wished to do it before Mev and Kael returned north, and with the excitement of the challenge behind us, a big celebration could wait. Instead, we posted the banns, allowed all of Thalassari to learn of our plans, and said the vows that bound us together for life.

Or more accurately, his life.

For his part, Rowan was even more anxious than I to see it done. There were things, he said, that we could discuss after we were wed. But those would have to wait until after the meal. Aneri insisted, if a large partnering celebration was not going to happen, that she could at least plan and decorate for this meal.

Everyone, old and new, who worked at the palace had been invited. The Tidebreaker fleet, my fellow Stormcallers… The dining hall was filled to capacity with the glow of lanterns crafted from sea glass, casting shimmering reflections on the walls like waves in motion. Long tables were adorned with coral centerpieces and pearl-lined runners, evoking the beauty of the ocean depths brought to life above.

With Rowan beside me and the raised dais empty, we sat with those who had helped make this day possible.

“A toast.” Kael raised his silver goblet high. “To the new Queen of Thalassaria and her mate, a man I am proud to call friend.”

We toasted, not our first, as the final course was finished.

“Not always,” Mev said beside him. “Remember your first meeting?”