Page 98 of The Song of the Void

Her voice softened. “Besides, I missed you these last few months.”

“I know, sweetheart. I missed you too.” Words had never sounded weaker compared to the truth. It felt more like Zephra had pierced my chest with loving, sharp nails and torn out my heart the first time she dove into the waters outside the wall surrounding Ghrysim Isle. Her absence hollowed me out, leaving me staring at the broken reflection of the moon on the waves, breathing in the salty spray to keep a taste that reminded me of her.

It was all for the best, and we agreed on the cadence of her visits. Three months apart, three days together. Three months of emptiness. Three days of bliss. A cycle so maddening I considered threatening the Human, Druinn, and Siren leaders into a damn peace treaty so we could just be together, but Zephra would never approve. Or rather, she’d say Ash wouldn’t approve, that the people needed to come together on their own terms.

The power bleeding through my pores snarled fuck their terms.

I dipped my finger into the bowl before me. Despite my brief loss of control earlier, the thick liquid inside was at a perfect temperature for my intended use. I faced her, unable to hide a mild smirk.

Her eyes fixed on the shine coating my finger. “What's that?”

Without answering immediately, I ran the pad of my finger across her lower lip, leaving a glistening trace of oil behind. It was so hypnotizing that I forgot to pull my hand away. Imagining what it would feel like to push the head of my cock between those soft lips, made even silkier by the oil, was even better. That look in her eyes, keen and already lustful…She may not have known what it was, but she definitely sensed my intent.

I cleared my throat. “Oil. Don't worry, it's safe for everything I'm going to use it for tonight.”

She curled her hot tongue around my finger, drawing it into her mouth. Gently ravenous. Gaze locked with mine. After a moment, she released the pressure and let me slide my finger free. She hummed innocently. “Tastes sweet, just barely.”

“Well, now I want to taste it too.” I pulled her closer to drown myself in the softness of her body. Warmth seeped through her sheer nightdress and into my skin, igniting each nerve like dry kindling tossed into a bonfire.

Zephra eagerly tilted her head up. Sweet oil coated my tongue as I swiped it roughly across her bottom lip. Siren venom struck me like a dagger to the lungs, dizzying and all-consuming. Everything that wasn’t her blurred. I nearly forgot where we were, what time it was, and what I had planned for the night. My only desire was to taste her lips until I lost all strength and ended up on my knees, and if she commanded me to kneel for eternity…I would. Without hesitation.

Her lips curved upward against mine.

Those pirate tales of how Sirens lured men fathoms below the waves sounded laughable to me until the first time I kissed her. Hell, I’d drown myself for it. The floor stabilized beneath me, and the dark walls of my bedroom came back into focus slowly, but my senses were sharper than ever. My focus shifted to the feel of her body beneath silk as I ran my hands down her back, gathering part of her skirt in my fists. Fire surged from my fingers in a constrained release. Careful not to even singe her skin, I kept a chokehold on every spark and flame until her dress disappeared in a flutter of ash.

Zephra made a face. “I liked that dress. You ass.”

“I’ll get you another,” I soothed, taking a damn good look at her body.

“Oh, don’t look so pleased with yourself.”

I leaned down, lips hardly a breath away from her ear. “If you didn’t want me burning your clothes off you, you should have told me last time. Tell me now, and I won’t do it again.”

Her pulse pounded as I kissed her throat, not-so-patiently waiting for an answer.

“I…You’d better get me the same one, Your Majesty.”

“You’re trying to test me, but it’s not going to work. Not tonight.”

Not when I’ve been missing you so much I haven’t felt whole in months.

I motioned for her to face away, but she completely ignored me. I sighed. “Turn, Blue.”

Even a mild command was enough to make her eyes light with heat, her cheeks darkening a shade closer to purple. She obeyed and drew her hair over her shoulder at my request.

The oil warmed my hands as I dipped them into the bowl and rubbed my palms together. I admired her dainty back and shoulder muscles, which hid a tremendous amount of power. I would know; when I’d dueled her, it wasn’t easy to hide how she almost knocked me off balance multiple times. I leaned over her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her temple. “May I?”

“What are you asking permission to do?”

“I’d like to…do a better job on one of your orders from back when I lost our bet.”

Her laugh—and the memory of that night—made me grin.

“Are you going to call me ‘mistress’ again? That was entertaining.”

“No. Better.”

“Alright then, impress me.” She said it with confidence, but the moment my hands landed on her shoulders and I smoothed out a layer of oil on her skin, she let out a shuddering sigh.