Page 97 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

‘Fuck… Si!’ she gasped, her voice breaking, but she clung to me all the same, wrapping her legs tight around my waist as if she could fuse us together.

‘You begged for this,’ I murmured against her mouth, my words hot, ragged. ‘Take it. Take me.’

The beach became a blur beneath us—sand on my knees, salt in the air, the crash of waves syncing with the relentless rhythm of my body pounding into hers. She writhed beneath me, hair tangled, lips swollen, every gasp a prayer and a curse.

I angled my hips, thrusting deeper, harder, until I found the spot that made her cry out like she was breaking. I stayed there, merciless, hammering into her until she was nothing but moans and shudders, her body convulsing around me.

‘That’s it,’ I groaned, biting at her throat, leaving marks I had no intention of hiding. ‘Scream for me, Little Red. Let the sea know you’re mine. Milk my cock like a good girl.’

She shattered, screaming my name as her release tore through her, dragging me with her into the abyss. My vision went white, my roar echoing against the cliffs as I spilled deep inside her, every thrust a claim, every ounce of me buried in her where no tide could wash it away.

When it was over, I collapsed against her, chest heaving, my arms caging her in the sand as though the ocean itself might try to steal her from me. My lips brushed her temple, softer now, adoring.

‘I want to do the blood oath. I—’ She panted softly, then hesitated. ‘I want you to claim me again. I want to be yours. I want you to be mine.’

For a heartbeat, I thought I’d imagined it—then the world roared back, brighter, sharper, alive. Pure happiness surged through me, fierce and unrelenting, a tide I couldn’t hold back. My chest ached with it, my pulse thundering like surf against cliffs. Claim her? She was already mine in every way that mattered. But to hear her say it—gods, it tore me open.

I couldn’t stop the smile breaking over my face, raw and unguarded, the kind I hadn’t worn in centuries. My chest felt too tight, as if my ribs couldn’t hold what was surging inside me. She’d chosen me… not out of fear, not because I’d demanded, but because she wanted it—wanted me.

‘Kardia mou…’ My voice broke, rougher than I meant, reverent and hungry all at once. Slowly, carefully, I cupped her face in my hands; her skin was soft, warm against my palms, her pulse thrumming under my thumb. I searched her eyes for even a flicker of doubt, terrified this was a dream that would vanish if I moved too quickly.

I’d faced Titans, monsters, betrayals from my own kin—but nothing had ever undone me like this woman’s trust. A laugh, raw and disbelieving, tore from my throat. ‘Do you know what you’ve just given me?’ My forehead dropped to hers, needing the contact, needing her close. ‘You are the one thing I never dared to hope for. My kardia. My storm. My redemption.’

‘I swear to you,’ I whispered, my lips brushing her skin, ‘I will honour this. I will honour you. Not as a chain, not as possession, but as the only truth that matters. You and me. You are mine… Gods, you are mine.’

The words left me shaken, but I meant every one of them. For once, the god who ruled oceans felt like he was the one drowning—and I welcomed it.

CHAPTER 33

CORDELIA

We arrived back at Genesion, and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.

Si’s reaction had undone me. The raw happiness in his eyes, the reverence in his touch—I’d never seen him like that. For once, he wasn’t the terrifying god of storms and wrath, or even the brooding king of Genesion. He was just… Si. My Si, and for the first time, I didn’t flinch at the thought.

The way his whole being lit up at my words burned away the last of my doubt.

We were still wrapped in that fragile bubble of quiet when Perseus appeared in the doorway, his expression grim.

‘We’ve got word from Theseus,’ he said. ‘The auction date has dropped. You need to inform Hades and Zeus, today. No delays.’

Si’s jaw tightened, and I felt the shift in him—the tenderness shuttering behind duty.

‘We’ll need to return to the Underworld,’ he said at last, his voice low, resigned.

Frustration burned in me. We’d planned the blood oath—something solemn and binding, something that mattered—and now it had to wait because gods and their politics demanded centre stage.

‘After,’ he promised quickly, his hand closing around mine with a weight that steadied me. ‘As soon as this problem is dealt with, kardia mou. Nothing will keep me from this.’

I nodded, though unease prickled through me. Auctions. Zeus. Hades. It sounded less like a strategy and more like a tsunami gathering on the horizon.

‘It’s fine. Honestly. I want to wait until it’s… the right moment.’

He nodded, but I felt the edge of his disappointment slip between us, cool and heavy. That didn’t stop a silly, ridiculous warmth blooming in my chest—way too bright and embarrassingly tender. I shoved the feeling down with a too-bright smile, pretending I hadn’t just turned into some soppy fool.

Gods, look at me. Since when did I care about vows, or perfect timing, or whether a man stuck around? I wasn’t a heart-and-flowers type of girl. Never had been. So why the hell was I suddenly acting like one? Ugh—I needed to slap some sense into myself before I started writing his name in hearts.

We packed quickly, and Si teleported us in a burst of seafoam and mist, back to my suite in the Underworld. My boots hadn’t even touched the marble floor before I froze—because Sephy was already there, waiting as if she’d been perched on the edge of my bed the whole damn time.