Page 2 of Traveling with Gentlemen (Tempting Monsters #1.1)

I raised them to my eyes and searched the water. Now everything was a jumble of waves, and it took me a long stretch of silence before I finally found anything of note. Just a lump of black interruption at first, and then—

"Oh!" I gasped as I made out the first rock, and the figure seated on top of it.

Even with the binoculars, they were blurry and small.

"Is that a…" It looked like a woman! A woman at the edge of the Mediterranean, seated atop a small outcropping of rock, a wet dress glittering and clinging to her legs.

"Mermaids," Amon said.

I pulled the binoculars away from my eyes in my surprise, and then huffed when it took me just as long as before to locate the rocks again.

There was a horizon of land behind them, and they were spread out in the water, but on each high tower of wet, black stone sat at least one mermaid.

Those weren't dresses at all that they were wearing – they were fins!

"I wish we were closer," I said, passing the binoculars to Ezra.

"It's for the best that we aren't," Mr. Tanner said.

"Mermaids are very dangerous," Amon added with a respectful nod. "And from here, you're missing the sight of their claws and fangs."

"Tails strong enough to drag a man to the bottom of the sea," Auguste said, pale eyes staring out over the water.

"I can hear them," Booker said softly. Around me, Amon, Auguste, and Mr. Tanner all hummed in unsettled agreement.

And they must not have been alone, because the imp's music had fallen into silence, and when I stretched to look around Mr. Tanner's protective frame, I found the railing of the yacht now lined with all the monsters, each one facing left, staring over the water. Listening.

"Close your eyes, little one," Mr. Tanner rasped, one arm holding me tight to his body.

I did so, and his heartbeat was steady in my ear.

A hush fell over the ship, over the sea, a peaceful stillness.

And then a breeze carried the mermaids' song, a painful melody, a pleading harmony.

A cry for help and a promise of peace. I arched into the music and tried to push away Mr. Tanner's arm, but he held me fast.

"Watch Ezra," Auguste warned in a whisper.

"I have him," Booker said.

Their voices were pure yearning, and tears pooled in my eyes at being restrained, my heart aching.

But there was comfort in Mr. Tanner's embrace too, his familiar warmth and rich scent.

He reached his free hand up to tuck my head against his chest, covering my ear and breaking the spell. I sighed and sagged against him.

"We're lucky we're not closer," Mr. Tanner said, his voice rumbling against my muffled ear. I couldn't hear the answer from the others.

"Are there mermen?" I asked, probably a little too loudly with my ears plugged.

Mr. Tanner didn't pull his hand away, but I felt his laughter as a warm and cheerful vibration surrounding me.

* * *

One by one, I kissed my gentlemen goodnight. My eyelids were heavy and the sky behind me was a soft blue-gray. The rest of the ship staff would be up and at work soon, and the monsters were retiring from their night of revelry at last.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," I said to Jonathon as we paused outside of his suite door.

He hummed and stroked his faintly stubbled cheek against mine. "Tomorrow night we'll all enjoy you in my room together, if you like. The witches gave us a charm for privacy, as well as my cure."

My eyes widened at that news, and Jonathon kissed me before I could suggest we go to bed together now rather than later.

"Sleep, Miss Reed," Jonathon murmured, pulling away and flashing a smile at Auguste over my shoulder. "Put her to bed."

I sighed and stepped back into the circle of Auguste's arms as Jonathon closed the door.

"Do you want to sneak up to the deck and watch the sunrise together?

" I whispered to Auguste. It was what we'd done most mornings since Amon's gift of turning Auguste into a daywalker, and I liked our little ritual, liked watching Auguste's face light up with wonder as the sky did.

"Mm…not today," Auguste said, holding onto one hand and sliding away, leading me to our own door.

"Are you tired?" I asked, eyebrows raising.

We were still learning the effects of Amon's gift, and I tried to recall if Auguste had spent an entire day and night awake yet. He was pale now, but he was always pale, and preferred to keep out of direct sunlight when it was high in the sky.

"A bit," Auguste said, opening our door and guiding me inside. His lips curved in a calm smile and I released a nervous breath.

I was grateful to Amon for arranging me in a room with Auguste. After nearly losing him to Birsha in the underground tunnels of Rooksgrave, I still suffered from anxiety when we were separated.

"Come here, mon coeur," Auguste whispered as I closed the door.

I turned to reach him, my eyes falling shut and a long breath releasing as Auguste pulled me close. His face pressed to my throat as I arched into his arms and he groaned, breathing heavily against my pulse.

"Oh. You're hungry," I said, smiling and blinking up at the ceiling.

Auguste's arms tightened around my waist and he ground his hips against mine. He was growing hard. Hungry and aroused went hand in hand.

"I've missed your bites," I said, reaching up and thrusting my fingers into his inky curls, holding his face to my neck. His mouth opened, but he only lapped at me with long, wet strokes of his tongue.

"Sometimes I can't tell which part of you I am most eager to have inside of me – your fangs, or your cock," I whimpered, rubbing myself against him and trying to arch my throat directly into the point of his fangs.

Auguste let out a low growl, stiffening against me. "Mon dieu, Esther, do you know the power of what you say?" he rasped.

I didn't, but I was eager to be shown, and I opened my mouth to say so but was interrupted by the rushing movement of being thrown to the bed.

Auguste stood at the foot, his skin rosy in the dawn light that bled through the shuttered windows, and he wrestled himself quickly out of his clothing, his eyes a beautiful black and his cock bobbing as it was freed.

I sat up on the bed, pulling my skirts up and reaching back to my buttons, doing my best to undress myself as Auguste stroked his length and studied me.

"Do you know what my favorite part of this trip is?" Auguste asked.

"The sunrises?"

He shook his head.

"Having a room with me."

"A bit, but no."

I hummed and tried to think, but it was useless as Auguste rounded the bed, prowling closer. My tongue flicked out to lick my lips as I stared at his eager staff.

He reached out and took my chin, lifting it up so I could stare back at him.

"Ezra getting all the best gossip from the wait staff?" I teased.

Auguste's lips twitched and he bent over me. "It's calling you wife ."

My breath caught in my throat and then Auguste's hands were on my dress, yanking it down to expose my breasts. He pushed me flat on the bed, spreading my thighs and settling easily between them. His back bowed and I sighed as his mouth grazed over the rise of my breasts in a light, stroking kiss.

"I love that part too," I said, smiling and arching into his mouth.

"I hope you don't intend to make it to breakfast today, mon coeur," Auguste growled, his hands sliding up the backs of my thighs, head lifting to stare up at me.

"Ezra will sneak me something. I need you ," I said, wiggling in the trap of my dress as it pinned my arms to my side.

"And I need you," Auguste answered, stroking his cock against my sex, black eyelashes fluttering and head falling again, lips eagerly latching onto my right nipple.

I moaned, managing to grasp the back of his neck, stroking my thumbs behind his ears. I squirmed and gasped at the scratch of August's fangs. I loved when he bit my breast, it was like he was pulling a rope of pleasure straight from my—

"Oh, god, yes!" I cried out as Auguste worked the head of his length against my clit and then moved it down to tease at my opening.

"My pretty wife," Auguste murmured, kissing between my breasts, moving to lap at my left nipple. "My needy, slick, desperate wife."

I panted and wrapped my legs around Auguste's waist, tried to pull him into me, but he only went back to rubbing himself against my clit, stirring up more arousal.

"My wicked, teasing, patient husband," I answered with a whine. "Ple—"

But the word husband had struck Auguste like a lightning bolt, a shudder racing through him, and I found my breath stolen from me as he shifted and plunged suddenly inside of me.

His hands braced on either side of my shoulders and he pushed himself up, glaring down at me with those vast dark pupils, breath rushing out of his parted lips as he watched me arch and gasp and adjust to his entry.

"Do you like this dress?" Auguste growled.

"I don't care about dresses, Auguste, please, move! More!" I cried out.

I did like the dress, as a matter of fact, but Auguste was the one who’d purchased it for me, and if he was fine with the sudden tear running down the middle, so was I.

I hurried to pull my arms free of the tight sleeves, but ignored the tangle of the skirt bunched around my waist. I pulled Auguste to my chest, breasts just pressed over the edge of my corset, and started to ride him from below.

His snarl was warm and sweet in my ear, and he nipped at my jaw as I writhed and worked myself into a frenzy.

"Bite me," I gasped, my movements becoming jerky, desperate. "Please, Auguste, fuck me. Bite me."

His hands slid between us, grasped roughly at my breasts, and then found the hooks that held the corset closed.

He only had the patience to unfasten three and then I winced at the sudden popping and ripping of seams and stitches and boning.

Auguste pulled out of me and I let out a garbled note of protest before I found myself swallowed in fabric, wriggling to get free.

"I want nothing between us," he said.

"You could've thought of that before we started," I laughed, devoured in flounces of silk. "Now we've ruined a gown and a corset and—"

Auguste threw the whole mess of ruined garments to the edge of the bed, his mouth devouring my words and my groan of relief as he thrust back inside of me.

His body was immediate in its need, not holding still to watch me struggle but fucking me without mercy, tongue thrusting against mine in time with the pound of his hips.

I sucked on his tongue, tangled my arms and legs around him and clasped on his pumping cock, twisted my hips up to rub against him for friction.

But I wanted more. Auguste needed more.

I pulled away from his kiss with a gasp and arched my throat, smiling at the steady rumble of hunger that rang out from his chest.

"Bite," I pleaded. "Bite. I need you. Bite, my love."

Auguste grew less rough and more determined, pushing in as deep as he could and then digging down, forcing me into the soft mattress until I keened, before drawing nearly out again, over and over.

"You are mine," he breathed out, the words thick with a growl.

"Yes!"

With a final thrust, one that rang down to my toes and up to my throat, Auguste dove down, latching onto my neck with a sharp and smooth bite.

I came at the pinch of pain and the throb of pleasure, sang eagerly and tightened myself around him like a knot as the pound of release beat through me, Auguste bucking into me and sipping gently.

When I went limp and my limbs loosened, he rested with me for a moment, licking at the small wounds his fangs had made, soothing them. And then he was sliding away, down the bed, kissing my breasts, teasing my belly button with his tongue, before settling between my thighs with a cheerful smile.

I laughed at his boyish expression and sighed as he leaned in, nuzzling my tender sex.

His tongue flicked out and I held my breath as he stroked my release over his lips, eyelids fluttering shut, intentional breaths tasting my flavor on his mouth.

I stroked my hands over his hair. He'd already warned me I would not have time for breakfast this morning.

I relaxed in the gentle aftershocks that raced through my veins as he took another soft lick.

I was in for a long and delightful morning.

Auguste hummed in approval and then opened his eyes again, gaze meeting mine. " This is what I've needed," he said, before promptly helping himself to his feast.