Rage and lust clouded my vision. Scales rippled down my arms as I stepped into the cavern’s entrance. My mate was right there, ripe for the taking, her glorious hair cascading down her back, skin gleaming like the rarest of sea pearls.
The incubus stood and stretched, his piercings glinting in the soft green light, but I took no notice. My lizard brain only cared about my mate. I growled as the incubus said something to her.
The witch was mine!
Then the chains on my self-control snapped. I shot forward, and before any of them could react, I had her in my arms. She shrieked in shock when we dove into the pool, my legs shifting into a tail before we hit the water. I locked my mouth on hers, gifting her with my magic so she could breathe underwater.
Her eyes widened for a moment, and then she smiled in delight once she realized I wasn’t dragging her to her death.
No, I was taking her somewhere the others couldn’t follow.
The light faded as we swam deeper. A tremendous splash sent ripples through the water as the bear dove after me, but he wouldn’t find us. Not where I was taking my mate.
I pulled her along, using my powerful tail to propel us through the water, deep into the abyss at the bottom of this thermal pool.
As my eyes adapted, a tunnel opened behind a rock, and I swam in with my mate tucked into my chest to protect her from sharp rocks as we moved through the narrow opening.
The bear’s angry roar followed us, but he didn’t need to worry. Our mate was safe with me. I would never hurt her, and besides, if he stopped panicking, he’d sense her excitement. Even though my mate couldn’t swim, she loved being in the water.
We reached a much smaller cavern, one alight with bioluminescent plants.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful down here!” Raven marveled as she clung to my arms, her hair floating in the gentle current. She seemed to have forgotten she was naked, but I sure as hell hadn’t.
The urge to mate was all I could think about. It wasn’t until she saw the way my eyes glowed in the dim light that Raven realized what was happening.
“Oh,” she said, releasing a trail of tiny bubbles as she gasped. “Have you kidnapped me so you can, um, have your wicked way with me?”
A deep sense of shame cut through my raging hormones. I’d behaved like a monster. What kind of male kidnaps his mate?
The worse kind.
A male with no boundaries or sense of propriety. We’d barely kissed, yet here I was, holding my mate hostage in an underground cave her other mates couldn’t access.
She must hate me.
“I’m sorry.” My shoulders slumped as the mating frenzy abated. “My hormones took over, and I couldn’t stop myself from stealing you away.”
“But I like it!” She grinned, unfazed by my unhinged behavior. “And I love being able to swim underwater without drowning!”
“I should take you back,” I offered, still upset with myself.
“What if I’m not ready to go back yet?” She chewed her lip and pressed closer, wrapping her thighs around my waist. I tried not to think about how close her pussy was to my cock sheath. Or how delicious her naked breasts felt against my chest.
“If we stay here, I’m not sure I can stop myself from mating with you,” I admitted, even though my lack of self-control shamed me.
Her eyes widened in confusion. “But…how? I mean…” A pink tint colored her cheeks. “In this form, you have a tail and no…”
Explaining how merman biology worked had me blushing too, but I forced my embarrassment down. “In my shifted form, my penis stays tucked away in a sheath. It’s there but hidden. This protects it while I’m in the water.”
Raven looked down between us, inadvertently rubbing against the exact spot where my cock pressed against the opening of my sheath. I groaned as my body reacted to the stimulus of lust pheromones being pumped into the water.
The mating frenzy surged forward once again, forcing my cock out from its protective pocket. Her eyes flared when she saw the small barbs protruding from my shaft.
Knowing my instincts would take over any minute now, I shoved her away. But she refused to let go of my arms.
“I’m not scared, Kai. I want to seal the bond.” She held my gaze while reaching up to touch the amulet she wore. “I need you.”
Any doubts I had shattered. My mate needed me, and I couldn’t hold back any longer.
