Page 4 of Siren’s Kiss & Feral Beasts

NERISSA

“ P ulling the wrong tail will get you bitten,” Naia singsongs, her shoulder bumping mine before swimming past me and into my bedroom. She’s been with me all night, making sure I don’t get into trouble as any best friend should; the problem is, she’s worse than I am.

Curious. Unafraid. Instigator extraordinaire, and the complete contradiction to every word of warning.

She’s been doing this all night, too. Ever since we snuck the rogues in, we used our siren’s song to lull the wolfen patrol guards on the island's eastern side, then stayed to watch the uneven match.

Because I’d sent that rogue to his death. He and his friends, although the female remained semi-hesitant. She tried to fight back—run—but her brother was an accomplice and stood behind his idiot friend, Spiro.

It was easy. Almost too easy.

Lesson learned: Never steal from a mermaid.

We don’t forgive. We don’t forget.

And Spiro Marros’s biggest mistake was breaking into my small home in Port Avaria, his grimy hands going through my jewelry.

Mostly odds and ends, tide-hopper baubles of little to no value lost at sea that I’ve privately collected over the years without my king’s knowledge.

It’s against mermaid law to do so; my grandfather would be pissed.

He sees value in gold and silver—precious metals—but then again, I’ve never been one to walk a completely straight line.

More like a zigzag.

This is my rebellion.

Something that’s just mine.

Marros paid the price for his greed, though. A sweet lullaby, a gentle command, and he walked into the wolf's den without a fight…

“You’re stronger than him,” I cooed, my voice thick with honeyed intent. I ran my pointer finger across his shoulder blades as I walked around him, my touch designed to further entice. Manipulate. “A real alpha—filthy pirate—wouldn’t bow down to any man, much less rely on magic to keep his throne.”

“He’s unworthy,” Spiro spit out, jaw tight, eyes full of malice as my will became his.

“Find the stone, rogue. Find it, and I’ll reward you.”

The glamour took root slowly, like poison ivy, and it threaded through the cracks his pride provided. I didn’t push or yell, use the sharp edge of a shell to slash his face—I simply sang my request. Low and sweet, my words a pulse of magic thrumming beneath his skin.

“Remind them who you are, Marros,” I purred, brushing aside particles of dirt from his shirt. “Make the wolves kneel.”

His pupils dilated, and his breathing hitched. “I won’t fail you, Princess Nerissa.”

At that moment, he was nothing more than a puppet on a string.

And yet when faced against Alpha Daire, it was my enemy I…cheered for.

“There’s just something about him,” I mutter under my breath, turning away from Naia. She knows me too well. I can’t and won’t acknowledge whatever this pull is. From utter hatred to desire, and I want more.

Of him. Of the raw, animalistic power that exudes from his every pore.

Because there’s no denying how ruggedly handsome Kai Daire is. Both beast and human.

He’s tall, dark, and handsome with the blackest eyes that turn a warm, golden honey when the wolf comes to the forefront. Alpha Daire exudes power. It ripples off his tanned flesh in waves, while the tattoos decorating his back, arms, and neck only add to the allure.

Bones. Claws. A compass.

Each artful piece was chosen with care, executed with precision, and the result is a story etched in flesh. One I want to read. Memorize. Just once.

He’s the perfect male specimen. A werewolf. The enemy, Nerissa. Never forget that.

“War and revenge don’t follow the rules, Naia.

Neither do I.” Swimming toward the large window, I stare out onto the Marivelle kingdom below.

Most houses are asleep, but a few early risers drift through the coral-lined streets.

They’re opening shops, harvesting sea herbs, and preparing for the change in tides.

Then, there’s the switch of patrol on duty.

The brine-steel shoulder guard—a mix of crystalized salt deposits and abyssal brine pools—catches the streams of light, reflecting a myriad of colors, while the luminis kelp sash crosses their chest and weaves through a thick belt of the same material.

Each member of the royal army serves two monthly patrol rotations in twelve-hour shifts, between training and other duties.

Their title, ranks, and names are engraved on the right arm guard, while the left holds our kingdom’s crest forged in a bioluminescent ink mixture.

“Are you, Rissa? Having fun, that is?” she asks, gliding up next to me to watch the sun rise higher, reflecting over our water kingdom from the surface. It’s early, and we haven’t slept. I’m exhausted and confused. Exhilarated. “Because from where I’m floating, that wasn’t innocent or?—”

“I enjoyed myself.” My tone comes out harsher than intended, but my need for her to drop it far exceeds her penchant to be nosy. Do I love her and the inherent way she can read me like an open book? Yes. Absolutely. Outside of my immediate family, she’s the person I trust most.

Her loyalty to the crown is unfaltering. Her love for my grandmother is honest and pure.

She’s my person. My chosen sister.

“Or you enjoyed the sweaty, muscle-glistening-under-the-moonlight wolf?” Naia’s shoulder bumps mine, her lips curved in a salacious grin when I turn to look at her. No judgement or reproach. “I’m not blaming you, Nerissa. That man is gorgeous, even if he’s the descendant of a rotten beast.”

“Drop it,” I grit out, not liking her admiration for his body or the insult. Neither sits well with me.

“That wasn’t a no.” No. It wasn’t. “Will his looks prevent you from…” she trails off, but the implications are there.

What needs to be done goes beyond reclaiming the stone and returning it to its rightful place around my grandmother’s neck.

And yet, I can’t control how my core clenches at the memory of him playing with his prey.

The raw, animalistic strength behind each strike and the flush of want they caused; I felt the heat from my cheeks to my nipples. The tingle of awareness and desire.

I’ve never experienced goosebumps before, but I’m an expert in them now.

Every time he searched the open water for me, I bit back a whimper. Shivered when Kai Daire recognized my scent, focused, and forgot everything but the perfume carried over to him by a soft breeze.

Not Naia’s. Not other wolves. Me.

“I need to see him again.”

“What was that?” Naia asks, her brow arched. We both know she heard; she just wants me to say it out loud. “Come on. Say it.”

“I need to see him again.”

“And why is that?” Again, no reproach. If anything, I detect a hint of worry for me.

“Because this will all end on my terms.” Not a lie. My grandfather’s plan and mine differ. “It’s my fate.”

“Nerissa, I’m just?—”

“Let’s get some sleep before I’m summoned by our king,” I say, cutting her off. “I’m exhausted.”

Not a lie, and yet not the whole truth either. My body wants the rest, but my mind is awake. Too aware.

“Sure.” Naia exhales roughly and extends her arms up and back, stretching her limbs. She doesn’t push or call me out right now. Instead, she turns and heads toward the exit, but pauses at the threshold. “Lunch today?”

I shake my head when she looks at me from over her shoulder. “Can’t. I’ve got something to take care of in Avaria.”

“Want some company?”

“Not today.”

“Then I’ll run interception with your grandfather.” A devilish smirk curls on her lips. “I’m sure His Majesty will be interested to learn about the problems young merwomen face. We can begin with the growing pressure to accept arranged marriages versus fated mates.”

I snort. “Oh, he’d be thrilled at that.”

My grandfather was a patriarch. At times sexist.

He believed a man should rule the siren kingdom, even though a woman was better equipped. Sure, my grandmother held power and her opinions were valued, but at the end of the day, her observations became his to take credit for. It was his protection and love that allowed her to be so free .

That wasn’t freedom. It was chains disguised as jewelry, and I wasn’t going to end up like her.

I played my part, did my duty as heir, but my position was clear to all:

No marriage agreement, unless it’s to my fated mate.

“Right? Our king is always so worried about his constituents.” The smile on her face drops then, her expression now serious. “Be careful, Nerissa. Come home safely. You’re needed here.”

“I promise.”

Thick corded muscles ripple with every movement while beads of sweat slide down his tanned skin. He’s gorgeous, every inch of him attuned to my need as he picks me up and flips me into position.

I’m on all fours. My head is low and ass high.

Every inch of me is on display as I revel in his strength. In how easily he manhandles me.

But then again, I crave his control. Need his bite.

“Such a perfect little mate.” Lips trace from the base of my neck to my shoulder, his canines nipping the skin along the way. A bite of pain before a touch of pleasure. “Are you ready for me, Princess?”

“Oh, Gods,” I moan, clenching hard at the feel of his teeth. My hips push back against his thick length, silently begging him to take the gift I’ve saved for him. “Please.”

“Not Gods, Nerissa. I’m your beast.”

“Mine. Only mine.” Low; it leaves me on a needy whine, and he chuckles above me. That laugh turns into a hiss, though, a rough curse as the thick head of his cock notches at my entrance.

It feels so good. So right.

“No man or wolf will ever love you more.” His hips snap forward ? —

“Oh, fuck me,” I gasp, sitting up in my bed.

Chest heaving and inner thighs slick; I’m in my human form.

What the… Two legs are lying on my clamshell bed, not my tail.

I’m naked, and my body feels sensitive as if he’d touched me.

As if it hadn’t all been a dream, and I have no way to explain or justify the tingling pulse of need causing me to clench.