Page 18 of Hammerhead (Kinkaid Shifters #4)

“I have no doubt this ring is imbued with very potent magic. The High Priestess said it was protective magic that would serve you well,” Miguel told her as he held her hand and gazed up from the ring to meet her gaze. “I will love and protect you all the days of my life, Deidre, and this ring will add to that protection, for which I am grateful. I have no doubt we are living in dangerous days, and I want you to know the time for me to hide my true beliefs and allegiances is over. I have declared myself a servant of the Goddess and Her Light. So has Jose, and the rest of my pod will do the same. I’m allying myself to Sam and your Clan.”

“You’d do that for me?” She was touched by the distance he was prepared to go to make himself acceptable to her family. She loved him so deeply, it took her breath away. This time, it was forever. She knew that in her heart and in her soul.

“Of course. You are my mate, Deidre. I love you. I would move mountains, if you ask it.” He stood and swept her into his arms. “I’ve always been on the side of Light, though, if that makes any difference to you. I just didn’t allow anyone to know for certain. Sometimes, we sharks need to swim in murky waters.”

“Like the contract that brought you here,” she teased, reaching up to put her arms around his shoulders. He was everything to her. Her heart. Her soul. Her love.

“That was a mistake. If we’d known exactly what Kettering had in mind, we would’ve turned down the job,” he told her, cringing a little, “but ultimately, it worked in our favor. Perhaps coming to the Kinkaids as prisoners will preserve the bad reputations of some of my men so they can be double agents for our side. They do say the Goddess works in mysterious ways.”

He leaned down and kissed her then, very gently. When he lifted his head, she wanted to object, but their gazes met, and the look in his eyes was so tender, it made her breathless.

“I love you, Deidre.” His words sounded like a vow to her overflowing heart.

“And I love you, Miguel. Forever.”

There were no more words then. Not for a very long time. He swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed. Laying her down as if she was made of the finest spun glass, he untied the belt of the fluffy robe and proceeded to lavish every inch of exposed skin with hot, wet kisses that made her squirm with desire.

Her eyes flew open when he left her, and she realized he’d risen from the bed to stand at the side, above her, looking down on her naked body, the robe still on her arms, but spread around her like a fluffy white blanket. Then he started to strip.

He took his time, making sure she was watching him as he removed first his shirt, then his pants, in a slow, tantalizing striptease that made her mouth water. He was such a good-looking man, with a good heart too. Everything she could ever want, wrapped up in a hunky, muscular package.

She could easily see the evidence of his desire as he came to her, finally, as naked as she was. He joined her on the bed, reclining at her side. He leaned up on one elbow to meet her gaze.

“I am the luckiest man alive,” he breathed, pushing a tendril of her hair behind her ear with gentle fingers.

His words and his actions made her feel cherished in a way she had never experienced. Never had she been with a man who made her feel as if she was the beloved center of his universe. Of course, she felt the same way about him, so it was only fair. This, she realized, was what it meant to find your true mate. Never would she seek another. Nor would he. They were joined together, forever. Until the stars went cold and the universe itself ceased to exist. Two souls traveling through the realms of existence together. Forever.

The thought made her want to weep at the beauty of it. She had dreamed of finding her true mate but hadn’t been altogether certain she would ever find him. Now that she had, she knew her dreams had been pale imaginings of how it really could be. Now she knew the truth of it, and it was so much better than anything she could have dreamed up.

She reached for him then, bringing her mouth to his as she strained upward. He met her halfway, and their kiss was one of fulfillment. Of joy realized. Of happiness achieved.

Desire—which was never far away when they were together—sparked happily, and she let the flames come to engulf them both in a world where only they existed. Together.

She stroked his muscular shoulders, loving the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips. Then she caressed his chest and downward, over his washboard abs to the hardness that seemed to leap at her touch. She gripped him, and he growled, making her smile up at him.

“I didn’t know sharks could growl,” she teased, squeezing him gently.

“Keep that up, and I’ll show you all sorts of things you never knew.” His voice was a deep, quiet whisper that set her senses on fire.

“Is that a promise?” She looked at him coyly, enjoying this banter that was so new to her in this intimate situation. She liked that they communicated so well, even though their beasts were of different species.

He growled again and lowered his head to her neck, kissing her there and biting gently in a way that excited her. She almost laughed as she realized she’d just been bitten by a shark, albeit in his human form, and she wanted him to do it again.

He followed that gentle bite with little nibbles going down her body. She had to let go of him, but she was just about mindless as he paused at her breasts, then moved lower. When he spread her legs and kissed her more deeply in the most sensitive spot she owned, she just about came off the bed. She stifled what would have been screams of pleasure had they been in a place where they wouldn’t be overheard by nosy relatives.

Someday, she promised herself silently. Someday soon, they would be alone in a place where they could let their passions run wild without worrying about making too much noise. She could hardly wait!

After bringing her three hard little climaxes, he stalked up her body and claimed his place between her thighs. She was already wrung out but ready for more when he slid inside and began to pulse within her. Gentle movements, at first, increasing as he watched her response until he was rocking her world with hard thrusts that sent her back into the stratosphere.

She stifled her moans and exclamations by hiding her face in his shoulder. She thought, at one point, she might have even bitten him, but at the moment of crisis, she was too far gone to care. He joined her in bliss a moment later, and they spent a long time coming down from the pinnacle. Together. As it should be between mates.

A long time later, Miguel held Deidre in his arms as they lay side by side in the small bed. Neither of them were asleep, but they were both tired from their exertions. They’d made love a few more times until they were able to just lay quietly, though they still felt the need to touch one another with gentle caresses and outward signs of their commitment and care.

“Where do we go from here?” Deidre asked, seemingly out of the blue.

Miguel leaned up on one elbow to meet her gaze, his eyes narrowed in concern. What did she mean? They were mates. Where she went, he went, and vice versa. She must have realized his confusion because she clarified.

“I mean, after I finish my task here, do we go back to my home or should I try to extend my stay here, or what?”

Ah. That settled his inner beast. She was talking logistics. The shark went back to sleep, allowing the human side to deal with that sort of thing. The shark only cared about swimming, hunting and being with its mate. Not necessarily in that order. It was a creature of basic needs. Scheduling wasn’t its strong point.

“Well, I’ll talk with Tom and the Alpha, but since your family already wanted to expand their business, I think me and my men would serve as a ready-made crew, if your family is willing to hire us. We know the work already, after all. We could help you expand and train others.” He loved how nicely this plan dovetailed with their needs.

Sending the hammerheads as a group up to Deidre’s home wouldn’t seem suspicious if they were being watched by the other side, and they’d be in place to act as agents for the lion Alpha and the side of Light. Miguel hadn’t forgotten about Kettering either, and since he was based in Europe, being a bit closer might help Miguel shut that avenue of evil down. If the Goddess so willed.

He’d come clean about everything to do with Kettering, wanting there to be no secrets between him and his mate. She’d taken it all in stride, admitting to having heard some of it from Tom when he’d been trying to talk her out of mating with a shark.

“I think he was just testing my resolve, to be honest,” she admitted as they cuddled together. “But nothing could shake my seal from wanting this. From wanting you, Miguel.”

“I’m glad. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t accepted our mating. I know I’ve always cultivated a shady reputation and I’m not saying I’m a saint. I’ve done things I shouldn’t have done. Accepted jobs I shouldn’t have accepted. But that’s in the past now, though your Alpha may ask me and my men to take a walk on the wild side if push comes to shove. I told him I was done doing the really dangerous stuff, but he reminded me that if the coming battle heats up, we all may have no choice. Just living in this world with armies of Light and dark at war will be dangerous. But I want you to know I’ll always be on your side, Deidre. Always.”

He kissed her then and she melted into him. He loved how responsive she was to his slightest touch. They were going to have a magnificent life together, despite the rough start he’d had in life and their differences. They’d work it out. And he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.

He wouldn’t do anything that might put Deidre in danger, but if he could quietly gather intelligence, surely that wouldn’t be too big a risk. He might not be able to stop Kettering himself. Not with his mate’s safety to consider. But he might be able to help in the process. It would irk him a little not to be in on the actual take-down, but as long as the work got done, he would console himself with the fact that he had a mate and would never risk either her or the happiness they had found together.

Miguel could still do good work from behind the lines, so to speak. He had the skills and the experience. It was time to let the younger, unmated men have their shot at glory in the field. It was a thought he’d have to get used to, but having Deidre in his life made it so much easier.

“I think you going back to Ireland with me will work out nicely,” Deidre replied with a hint of excitement in her otherwise tired voice. “It could look like Kinkaid is handing you off to a subsidiary for good behavior, or something, to preserve the bad-boy reputation of you and your pod. I do love a bad boy.”

She giggled a bit, and he was enchanted by the sound. He wanted to make her laugh every day of their lives. He set that as a goal with an inward smile of his own.

“Great minds think alike,” he agreed. “I believe the Alpha already has that plan in place. The man thinks three steps ahead.”

It was a sincere compliment. Miguel admired that about the lion Alpha. He was a strategic thinker, which was probably one of the main keys to his phenomenal success in both business and with his Clan.

“Yeah, Sam is a sly one,” Deidre agreed, smiling. “He’s been good for the Clan. Even for us, back in the old country. Since he’s become Alpha, we’ve prospered like never before.” She was silent a moment, then spoke more softly. “I can’t wait to show you my home. I hope your shark will like the waters.” She sounded a bit worried about that last part, so he leaned over to kiss her.

“I’m sure I’ll love it. Anywhere you are, is perfect for me. Truly.” He kissed her forehead and then leaned back again to lie beside her. They’d had a long, loving, luxurious night, and it was getting close to dawn, he reckoned. He could sense her worrying, so he added a bit more. “I’ve been in those northern waters before. My shark enjoyed it. Have no worry about that, my love.”

“I can’t believe the island was actually from the fey realm,” she said, surprising him with the change of subject. “I hope your brother is all right.”

“Having spoken with the lady on the island, I think Jose will be fine, but I confess, I’ll miss having him around,” Miguel admitted.

“I’m sorry,” Deidre whispered, stroking his arm.

“Don’t be. It is as the Goddess wills, and I think Jose would have been both happy and sad to see me draw back from the truly dangerous missions, now that I’ve found you. He was happy for us, of course. But I think he would have been sad at the constant reminder that he hasn’t found his mate.” Miguel shrugged. There was nothing to be done about the situation in any case. He just had to accept it all.

“Yet.”

“What?”

“He hasn’t found his mate…yet,” she clarified. “I like to believe that any shifter who truly wants to find their mate, will. No matter how long it takes.” She turned to face him. “It feels like I waited a lifetime to find you, Miguel, but it was definitely worth the wait.”

She reached over and kissed him and that effectively ended their conversation for the next hour or more.

Later that morning as they were standing on deck, enjoying some fresh air and looking out at the waves together, Miguel put his arms around her from behind. He didn’t care who saw them together. They were mates now, and nothing would ever keep them apart. Her people would just have to get used to it.

So far, though, there hadn’t been any overt objections. A few of the selkies had congratulated them quietly and even welcomed Miguel to the family.

“I think I’ll miss this warm weather when I get back home,” Deidre murmured as the sun sparkled off the water. “But it’ll be good to get back there, see my family again, and start the new branch of our business.”

Miguel had already been introduced to her parents and brothers during a video call in which they’d announced their mating. If Deidre hadn’t called them, they would’ve found out from someone in the extended family, she’d explained. Apparently, selkies were terrible busybodies, according to her. Miguel was intrigued by the idea and couldn’t wait to learn all about her people.

“You know I’m happy to help in any way I can. Your brother Dermot has me making notes to give him about what we’ll need for a training program to expand into multiple crews,” Miguel reminded her.

“Yeah, give Dermot an inch and he’ll take a mile. But I won’t let him cut into our together time,” she promised him. “And I know you’re going to be doing some kind of super secret spy stuff for Sam and Tom, too. I know how those guys operate.”

“Well, none of us are happy that Kettering is still out there, trying to lure my brothers-in-arms into nefarious deeds,” Miguel murmured close to her ear. “Being closer to his base of operations might help me do a bit of in-depth research on him and his operations. Maybe even some in-person surveillance.”

“As long as you always come home to me, I can support that idea. I don’t like that he’s out there, either. Men like that should be stopped, and I know it’s personal to you and your men after what he tried to get you to do.”

“You never cease to amaze me, my love,” Miguel said, rubbing her cheek with his from behind. “And I will always come home to you. Never fear.”

“I’m not afraid of anything as long as you’re by my side,” she whispered, and her words melted his heart. “I’ve been searching for you all my life and I can hardly believe you’re finally here.”

He squeezed her waist and felt his heart warm with joy. She was so amazing. How had he been so blessed as to find a mate as perfect as Deidre?

“I waited a lifetime to find you too, you know,” he whispered in her ear as they watched the waters. She turned in his arms to face him.

“And I’m really glad you did.”