Page 46

46

Claira

A spell for protection.

I wondered if Abyssal would find it amusing that a kiss with some biting had set off the necklace he’d given me.

It was sweet, though, knowing that he’d given me something to keep me safe before handing me back to Jagati. But it was also frustrating that such a minor sting could trigger its magic.

Poor Kai.

He’d looked so sad, thinking he’d hurt me. It was like watching a puppy get reprimanded for doing something it didn’t know was wrong.

At least the necklace was off me, resting safely in the coral above us. I’d put it back on before we left, but not now. Right now, I wanted Kai’s mouth on me, and I didn’t want him to be gentle.

My lips swept back over his, and a whimper escaped him as my teeth sank into his lower lip. Mmm. I loved hearing that sound.

Kai’s kisses could be so sweet and tender, or they could turn ravenous, a delicious stinging torment that hurt in the very best way. I tugged on his lip, craving more of that side of him when the firm parts of his tail pulled together underneath me.

Holy crap.

Every time that part of him moved, my body pulsed, my back arching and fingers curling. This time, it had startled me enough that I let Kai’s lip pop free, and he took it upon himself to bring us back into a tender kiss. His arms wrapped around me, rocking me in his lap.

Maybe he didn’t know what he was doing. Or maybe he did, and he thought I wouldn’t notice.

… Or maybe he was hoping I’d beg him to let me keep grinding on his claspers.

His teeth grazed my lip, and this time, when he bit down, it wasn’t quite as hard as the last. We stilled for a heartbeat, both of us waiting to see if the magic would repeat, and when it didn’t, he picked up where we’d left off, groaning into my mouth and rocking us again.

A callused palm slid over my exposed nipple, and the satisfied noise that worked up his throat told me just how much he’d missed this during my time in the Undersea. I could feel it in every touch, every movement. He wasn’t holding back nearly as much as he used to.

I wished I could give him the time back and assure him I’d never leave him again, but both felt impossible. Instead, I’d offer him what I could—and I’d do it gladly.

Another bite, followed by a slash of tongue that turned that little taste of pain into pleasure, making my brain go fuzzy. It was addictive, just like using magic was. But this was a feeling only he could give me.

As shy as Kai was, once he got going, he was insatiable. Every touch to my chest felt like an act of devotion, and I shuddered as his hand moved from my breasts to the smooth skin between them.

“That tickles,” I said, breaking our lips apart. I smiled to let him know I didn’t want him to stop exploring.

Panting, he sank to my shoulder. “Does it?” he murmured, lust-drunk, kissing his way up my neck. His hand stayed just where it was, rough fingers trailing between my breasts. He seemed to like that spot just as much as the rest of me.

Teeth nipped my earlobe.

Then, a whimper escaped me as his tongue soothed the spot, pointing circles with the tip before drawing it back between his teeth.

“Yes,” I breathed, leaning into him. “ That . Keep doing that.”

I was keenly aware of those bony parts of him pressing firmly against my scales. Did he realize what they were doing to me? What he was doing to me, with every touch, every nip?

When he finally removed his mouth from my neck, I was almost delirious, aroused enough to brace a hand on his abdomen and gaze down at my lap. “Those feel… interesting.”

Interesting? I had to blame Kai’s mouth for that one, turning my brain to mush. Because wow . That was the sexiest word I could come up with?

A light flush spread across his face, his breaths coming in rapid, shallow pants. “Um, yeah,” he stammered, a hand reaching back to fidget at the base of his neck. “I guess they can be… interesting.”

Gosh, he was so adorable when he was flustered. The shade of pink he turned was one of the colors I’d missed seeing the most while being in the Undersea.

His claspers twitched underneath me again, and this time, my stomach flipped.

What were they like? Were they different from a human’s penis? Would it give him pleasure if I wrapped my hand around one?

Those questions must have been written all over my face because his hand froze in his hair. “Do you… want to see them?” he whispered, his cheeks going even redder.

My eyes widened, and I nodded as I reached out, tracing the edge of his jaw. “But only if you want to show me.”

“Y-yeah! I’ll just…” He leaned forward, reclining me on my back in the sand. When he finished settling my tail, he swung his own back so that his hips were over mine.

Oh , wow.

His body swayed above me, his hands resting on my waist, and though his gaze darted away shyly, there was something proud in the way his hips moved.

“They’re like freaking torpedoes,” I decided, grinning as his chest puffed up from the compliment.

“Yeah?” His gaze grew heavy, a glazed look settling in as he sank lower, his body coming close enough for his claspers to brush my scales.

Now that I was on my back, all my exhaustion came rushing back. I was so damn drained. But I wasn’t too exhausted for this.

Those lilac eyes were locked on my neck, his tongue slowly sweeping across his lips as he asked, “What’s a torpedo?”

It didn’t really seem important, did it? Not with his tail flicking back and forth, the light sweeps tormenting my scales, my body loving every movement.

“They’re… long. Sleek. Explode on contact,” I listed off, barely aware of what I was saying. “Can I touch one?”

As soon as I asked, his gaze lifted from my neck. “Just one?” he questioned, his smile turning bashful.

I gulped nervously. “Or maybe both.”

Pacific mers didn’t use both of them at the same time, did they? It didn’t seem possible, although I didn’t know much about spike-tailed mers or shark anatomy.

Cyre prodded my mind, eager to share his knowledge on the subject. And while I was beyond thankful that he was feeling better now that Abyssal had found and healed him, I shooed him back away. “Not now, buddy.”

“Claira?” Kai’s concerned gaze hovered above me.

I smiled reassuringly at him, pushing away thoughts of my familiar. “Have I told you how cute you are?”

Bright red flashed across his nose.

I brought my hands up, sliding them down his toned chest. “You’re so adorable. Especially when you’re flustered.”

Kai’s cheeks grew even darker, and he shivered when my hands reached his waist. There was a distinct change in the texture from smooth skin to the roughness of his tail when— Oh . Everything became smooth again. My fingers grazed, gliding along the firm flesh.

So, these are his claspers.

They were hard, almost like bone, but still with a slight give. Meanwhile, Kai kept sucking more water into his lungs, his chest expanding like he’d forgotten how to release it.

It was fascinating, touching him like this, in more than just a sexual way.

Finally, a torrent of water escaped him in a single rush. “ Cl–Claira ,” he gasped, his face collapsing forward, nestling into the curve of my neck. His claspers pulsed in my hand as his tongue struck a ravenous line up the side of my throat.

Okay, now that was sexual.

“Do they feel good?” he nearly whined out the question, his teeth a light grind against the sensitive area behind my ear.

“I think I’m supposed to be asking you that,” I teased, feeling him shudder as I skimmed my fingers back along their length. “They feel amazing. Does it feel good to you when I touch them?”

His tail bucked against the contact. “Yeah… f-feels good.”

Oh, really? His reaction only made me more curious, and I changed my angle, giving both of them a firm squeeze.

The blissful whimper he let escape against my neck was better than anything. Every tense of his muscles, every jump of his tail, I couldn’t get enough.

Then, the quietest whisper tickled my ear. “Do you… want to feel more?”

More. Heat flushed through every part of me, my hands still grasping him tight. I wasn’t completely sure what he meant, but I knew the answer. “Yes.”

He seemed to like my response because his mouth pressed a series of love bites across my shoulder that made every one of my nerves sing. He took hold of one arm, then the other, pulling my hands away from his claspers. Then he held them above my head, pinning my wrists in the sand.

Stunned, I gazed up at him, his blush deepening until it had spread to both of his ears, his eyes glazed with something unreadable.

Now this… This I really liked.

“Are you sure?” he asked, almost like he was afraid of my answer. He leaned in closer, slowly and purposefully opening his mouth wide, letting me see every sharp tooth inside. “I’m not…” He paused, swallowing hard. “I don’t know if I can keep control.”

He might have thought he was warning me, but thinking about Kai losing control only made me want this even more.

My nod was all it took for his hungry mouth to descend. His tail sidled up to mine as his mouth moved along my captured arms, planting heated kisses and playful nips until he had my shoulders squirming underneath him.

Then I felt it, that sudden firm press of bony flesh against my scales. A jolt of panic hit as soon as the pressure built, my body tensing as the slit in my tail started to stretch. “Just one, right?” I said, the words tumbling out.

He whined, a soft, pained sound, and gripped my wrists tighter.

“ Seriously , Kai, not both?”

“Just one,” he rasped, and hearing his voice going so rough made a thrill spark in my core.

Okay, one. I could do one.

“ Oh—! ” Bliss tore through me when his hips jumped forward, that sudden, sharp stretch spearing through my tail. His teeth were on my collarbone, tension clear on his face as he struggled to hold back from clamping down around it.

But I was desperate for it. I ached for it.

“Please,” I begged, needing to see him give in to his instincts as much as I wanted to feel what it was like. “Bite me. Really bite me.”

That was when he lost it. He let out a whimper, and his hips jolted again. His jaw clenched, his clasper slipping in fully, and once it was in me, that was it.

Yes. Goodness, yes.

His body shuddered as he released a guttural cry into my collarbone, marking me, claiming me, and it was the most exquisite mingling of pain and pleasure I’d ever experienced. The force of his thrusts grew more frantic and feverish before we rolled.

I hadn’t expected the rolling.

Sand kicked up in a cloud around us as we tumbled, Kai’s grip on my wrists never letting up. Neither did his teeth or the pressure of his tail flat and urgent against mine. It was bliss—the exhilarating sensation of falling without knowing where it ends and trusting that he’d be there to catch me at the bottom.

Then, a sudden twinge disrupted the euphoria. Something was happening, a stretch building inside me, a fullness that my tail had no choice but to accommodate. It felt so odd at first, but also?—

“ Oh ,” I moaned, overcome with an unexpected thrill. It was deliciously wonderful.

Kai let out another strangled gasp, but now I was the one whimpering, twisting, and fighting against his grip on my wrists for no other reason than I needed to feel his strength holding me down.

He did just that, keeping me pinned to him until his tail finally went rigid, and my vision filled with a pulsing explosion of stars.

“I’m locking,” he grunted, holding my body perfectly captive. “S-sorry.” I was barely listening. His torpedo had hit its mark, and it was pure ecstasy.

We rolled again, but the pressure, whatever it was pressing against that spot, didn’t let up.

I hadn’t even recovered when Kai was in my ear, murmuring, “You like the way that feels?” Desire soaked each word.

“Mmhm,” I answered as his teeth pricked at my skin, urging me on, causing everything to start building again. Oh, god. It didn’t take him long to get me to that peak once more, every muscle tense and trembling.

It was like he couldn’t get close enough to me. Like he wanted to push my body to its limit. For someone so innocent, he was doing a damned good job of it.

As the newest waves of pleasure subsided, my mind finally focused on what was beyond the swirling sand. Holy crap.

When the heck had this happened?

The cave was alive with color. Plants in varieties I’d never even seen before were bursting from the seafloor, stretching and unfurling, tangling over one another as their numbers grew. It was like magic. It was magic.

“Kai, wai— ohhh, ” I moaned, temporarily losing myself to the next surge of bliss. He’d moved to the other side of my neck, his lips soft and hot and wonderful. His teeth felt less sharp now, and their gentle scrapes were only adding to the pleasure.

Goodness , I loved his mouth.

I swallowed to compose myself and nudged him with my chin. “You’re using magic.” How he hadn’t noticed that yet, I wasn’t sure. The plants were tickling my sides now, spreading and flourishing, filling every inch of the cave with vibrant life.

“S’fine,” he slurred, his tongue busy tracing patterns on my throat.

His clasper pulsed inside me, and I took in a shuddering breath. “It’s not fine, the trident… Oh! ”

It did that thing again, the thing that made my eyes roll back and my mind forget everything else.

I couldn’t believe how good this felt.

Judging by Kai’s reaction, he felt the same way. His lips started hungrily devouring my neck, alternating between hard sucks and gentle pulls before teasing the spots with flicks of his tongue.

Maybe Kai using magic wasn’t a huge deal? They were just plants, after all. It wasn’t like he was summoning lighting or a whole freaking storm system.

So, I let it go, refusing to let my mind wander back to the trident or the future. Just this moment, right here—Kai and me.

Only after he’d helped me through yet another wave, with my body completely drained and every muscle spent, did he finally release my wrists. “Is anything uncomfortable?” he asked. His lips became gentle, returning to soft kisses on my neck. “Should I adjust your tail?”

I was too dazed to answer. But when he pulled back to look at me with those gemstone eyes, and I saw how eager he was to take care of me, I managed to shake my head.

“We’ll be locked like this for a while,” he whispered, and a pleasant shiver raced through me as his lips returned to my neck.

How long was a while?

And then he bit down, causing that beautiful rush of pleasure-pain, and I realized that even an eternity wouldn’t be long enough.