Page 15 of Seducing Scylla (Mated Myths #1)

Morgan

O kay, Morgan. Be calm. You’ve read books. You had an idea this is what a mate bond meant. My heart rate picks up, and anxiety claws at me.

“Okay. I think we need to discuss this.”

I pry myself from her grip, ignoring the heat and wetness pooling between my legs as best as I can, and back out of the hot spring.

Scylla doesn’t resist my escape and follows quietly behind me, the water making calming lapping noises as she exits the spring.

My clothing is soaked again, the air in here gluggy with steam, and now that I’m out of Scylla’s arms, the humidity of the cave feels suffocating.

“Let us return to my cave, and we can talk along the way. How is your foot? ”

Scylla is unnervingly quiet, and calm, and it eases the frenetic energy bubbling beneath my skin just enough that I can start to think more clearly.

“My foot? Oh!”

I had almost forgotten the nasty slice I received on the way here. I lift the pad of my foot to check it.

Dumbstruck, I look back to Scylla, “It’s healed.”

Scylla nods, unsurprised. “Let us leave then.”

A high-pitched laugh echoes in the cave, and I flinch before I realize it was me.

“Of course, it’s a magical hot spring. I mean, we can understand each other now, so why can’t it also heal? Yep, makes perfect sense,” I babble as I follow Scylla out of the cave.

I’m starting to think this is all one big hallucination and my captors really messed up their dosage of whatever they knocked us out with. Us . Oh. My. God. I completely forgot about the others.

I let out a loud groan. “I’m the worst person ever.”

Scylla tenses in front of me, turning her head over her shoulder to look at me .

“You are a bad person?” She eyes me warily, looking me up and down as if I look like the least capable person of being terrible.

“No—I, yes? No? I don’t know,” I groan, shaking my head.

“There are more of us, and I left them. I’m a coward and I ran away.”

Scylla stops. “There are more of you?” she says slowly. “Humans? Here?”

I nod, biting at my lip.

“That is not possible.”

“I’m here, aren’t I? Unless this really is some wild hallucination and I’m going to wake up any moment.” I pinch my arm, hard, just to make sure.

“I think this is real.” I shrug.

“Tell me everything.” Scylla’s eyes are as wide as saucers.

“Sure, but I think we should probably head to the beach while I explain.”

“Very well.” Scylla nods and continues along the underground cave system.

I try to match her pace as best I can, especially while barefoot and trying to avoid any loose stones, but I’m huffing not long into our journey, and I haven’t even started telling Scylla the story of how we got here.

Scylla stops abruptly and with a yelp, I almost trip over one of her tentacles.

Scylla steadies me and then scoops me up in her arms like it’s nothing.

Instantly, the mate fire burns to life under my skin, and I scrunch my eyes and mouth tight in a bid to not let out a breathy moan again and add to my embarrassment.

“I will carry you. We will be quicker.” Scylla’s voice is choked, and I wonder if she is feeling the same heat when we touch.

I should feel indignant that I’ve just been bundled up like I’m helpless, but it’s actually a relief to not have to run after her anymore, so I stay quiet and try my hardest to ignore the aching that’s quietly building in my lower abdomen.

Some of Scylla’s tentacles gently wrap around my dangling legs, caressing me while I’m being held bridal style in her arms. I gnaw at my lip.

If they just moved a little higher… the tentacles tighten.

I breathe deeply through my nose, wetness pooling between my legs and I say a silent prayer to whoever is pulling the strings, thankful that my dress is still wet and hope it hides the telltale signs of my arousal.

Scylla’s nostrils flare. “Your smell has changed. ”

Curse all of the gods. Why me? This is so embarrassing. Play dumb.

“I just bathed?”

Scylla growls. “That is not it. You smell good enough to eat.” The silky rasp of her voice and her three rows of teeth send shivers down my spine.

“Did it just get hot in here or is it just me?” I fan myself.

My body is on fire, and I just need her to touch me everywhere.

“Maybe I should walk?” I squeak.

“If you think I am letting you out of my arms, you are sorely mistaken.” The seduction laced in her voice reminds me she is an apex predator, and I am nothing if not prey in her arms.

“Now, if you do not start telling me this story of yours, I will not be able to control myself. I will lay you here upon this stone floor and ravage those sweet breasts of yours with my tongue. But I want you ready and willing as my mate, so distract me. Please.”

That’s not a threat at all. I’m willing, I want to shout. Willing, at least, for the tongue part. The mate part is what has me opening my mouth to begin my story .

I tell Scylla about the men in the van at the library. A low feral growl vibrates through her chest when I get to the part about them drugging me. I tell her how I woke up in the shipping container and the storm that knocked us off the ship.

She nods, knowingly. “Charybdis.”

Something about that word strikes another chord in my brain, but I carry on.

I tell her of how I dragged one of the women to the beach, and of Elena who was stuck in the rising tide. Then I tell her of the two red creatures, and how they carried away the woman I had dragged onto the shore, and how I ran.

“That’s when I found your cave,” I whisper, shame sitting fresh in my heart for having left the others to fend for themselves.

She hums as I finish my story. “Ladon and Pytho have your friend.”

I don’t correct her on the friend part. “Who are Ladon and Pytho? The creatures?”

Scylla snorts, and I bite my lip. “They are Drakons.”

“Dragons?” I squeak .

“Drakons. They are mighty warriors. Zeus’ guardians before we were hidden away. We will not be able to get your friend back as I do not know where the Drakons keep their lair, but we can check for the others.”

Silence encompasses us as Scylla continues through the cave system. We take a left at the fork and Scylla gestures to the other path with a nod.

“That is the way to my home.”

This tunnel is dotted with streams of light filtering through worn holes in the ceiling that expose the world above. The smell of salt and sand wafts through a light breeze as we seemingly get closer to our destination.