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Upon arriving at the pool’s wall, I lift Keri easily onto the ledge though I groan weakly when she chooses at that moment to capture my mouth with hers and draws me into a kiss. I shiver against her, and heat flushes through my body as the mating tide calls again. This time, I have control. I break our kiss and regard her from beneath lowered eyes as I drop back into the water. My mate watches with me with wide, curious, lustful eyes as I slowly spread her thighs in front of me.
“Ro, you don’t have to—” she begins nervously.
I growl deeply, desiring to possess every inch of my mate and experience every flavor she offers. I drag her bottom to the very edge, making my mate stutter on her words as she gasps with surprise at the very moment that I surge forward, fastening my mouth over her sex. I suck upon her little bud there until she tilts her hips toward me, inviting me within as I release that tender flesh and drive my tongue deep.
Ah, yes. This is my favorite flavor indeed.
Keri
I straightenthe hem of my dress as I peer down at my experiment. Distorted through the glass, Adiele frowns as she eyes it from the other side of the table.
“So what exactly are we doing?” she asks as she cranes her head to look into another beaker.
“Testing the nature of these different waters that I’ve gathered through distillation with various substances,” I explain. “Each has an energetic signature, but I’m trying to narrow it down to its various properties. Whatever I make for Ro is going to have to start from a similar base that will undergo more complex processes with other substances to finally get a reliable potion for Ro. I’m just not certain which to start with.”
Adiele shrugs. “They all look like tinted water to me. I mean, I can feel the energy, but nothing at all like what you said. Perhaps your aunt should be the one to help you with this. Katherine Durmont is the strongest energy mage I know.”
Like I didn’t try?
“She’s busy this weekend,” I admit. “Something about witnessing the formal construction of a fairy grove in some far-off mountain community. Fulfilling a promise, she said.”
“Oh.” Adiele tilts her head as she observes another beaker. “Well, which one feels most like Ro’s magic? Anything give a seafood special vibe?”
I chuckle at her wisecrack and shake my head. “I honestly don’t know. All of these are made with plants that have occult association with water properties. I have a distilled water base from a blue lotus. Then there’s this one from seaweed. Hell, I’ve even got one made from ground up shell material.” I scrub the back of my neck with one hand. “Maybe I just need to have Ro test them and get his opinion. He’s the aquatic, right?”
Adiele grins over at me. “Somehow I don’t think it will be quite that easy, but sure, why not? I take it that you’re seeing him again tonight.”
I blush at the knowing way she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. She just can’t help herself. That’s the last time I tell her anything about my love life. But then again, keeping secrets from diviners is nearly impossible. She somehow knew that Ro and I have spent the last few days intimately entangled without me having to say a word. All she needed was confirmation, and I haven’t been able to escape it since.
A sharp knock at the door saves me, and I rush over to let Ro in. I’m glad to see him, not only because I’ve been looking forward to today all week—and there’s no one else I would rather spend my day off with—but also because he can now share in his part of Adiele’s teasing while I finish getting ready. I’m trying not to appear too eager as I throw the door open, but I can’t keep the ecstatic smile off my face. His slow, answering smile is absolutely worth the kissy noises that my friend makes behind my back, even more so when he sweeps me into a hug like he hasn’t seen me in forever and I’m the best thing since shrimp was pulled out of the water.
Shrimp. Mmmmm. I can’t wait to introduce my “merman” to the way shrimp is prepared. Whether deep fried or boiled and smothered in cocktail sauce, it is all tasty and is my favorite thing to come out of the sea. Well, second favorite thing now, I suppose. Even shrimp have a hard time competing against the magnificence that is Ro.
It certainly can’t curl my toes the way he does. And that is my last clear thought as he turns his head and swoops in to slant his mouth over mine, stealing my breath, my every thought, and my heart with his kiss. A leisurely kiss of the sweetest sort of exploration is enough to distract me to where I completely forget we have an audience. It isn’t until Adiele clears her throat when his playful fingers skim just under the hem of my skirt that brings me crashing back to reality.
My friend exaggerates, fanning her face as we break apart and untangle from each other. “Wow. You’re so welcome.”
I drag my attention from Ro’s impressive chest to give my friend a puzzled look. “Huh?”
“You know… for getting you two together,” she explains, wiggling her fingers in our direction. “I wish I could claim it’s because I saw it but that would be a brazen lie and would tempt my great-grandmother to make the trip beyond the grave to smack me upside the head. But I’m still claiming all the credit because obviously there was some serious magic at work the moment you met—which, naturally, wouldn’t have happened without me.”
“Yes, because this tiny town is so enormous that there was no chance of Ro and I running into each other,” I reply dryly.
Adiele snorts in amusement. “You mean if you didn’t practically live at the library or in your apartment when not dragged over to my place for divination lessons?” She rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Like I said, you’re welcome.”
Ro’s nose brushes my cheek, making me aware of the fact that he has bent down to engulf me once more within his embrace. “Let her have her accolades, my sweet Keri. Even a hunter is quick to boast about his hunt regardless of how lamed a beast may be. Let her enjoy her moment,” he murmurs, his breath teasing my ear.
“Oh, fine,” I mumble, only because I’m far too distracted to argue with him or Adiele right now. We need to just get this date on the road, or we will never leave my apartment. Slipping my hand into the crook of Ro’s elbow, I tug Ro toward the door as I attempt and fail to get a comparable read on the energy signature of the magic woven through Ro’s being. “If you decide to poke around with any of experiments, feel free—just lock up on your way out.”
“Sure thing! And allow me the opportunity to point out how stinking cute you two are together. I can hold down the fort and keep an eye on this remaining work you have going. Go on and have a good time!” she shouts as we disappear back out the door with a small wave.
The docks areas crowded as I anticipated by the time we arrive. There’s no helping it because the locals all get an early start and everything is pretty much cranked up by noon. Ro gives them an uncomfortable look, and it occurs to me that he’s more accustomed to interacting in a small family group or being solitary than any sort of chaos such as this. I do find it strange the way he is looking at some of the decorations and mascots wandering around the festival. I’m more than a little concerned, however, when I see him give a particularly murderous glare to Mr. Landry who volunteers every year to wear the heavy costume of Seaside Sam the Crab and wave one overstuffed claw at guests. The elderly clerk freezes at Ro’s aggressive growl that could do a Pitbull proud and looks around warily in an attempt to locate the threat through the narrow eye window in the costume. Tightening my hold on my Aquana, I drag him in the opposite direction, tugging him down so that I can hiss furiously in his ear.
“Ro, what’s going on with you?”
“Do you not see that creature? Your entire festival is inhabited with monsters that stink of human flesh as if they’ve consumed your people for years, and yet you do nothing and stroll about them and approach them without concern for your own safety. For the safety of your young!” he adds in horror. “It would serve everyone’s best interests if you allow me to slay them now and mount their heads over the cooking fires.”
Mr. Landry’s head positively turns in our direction now, and I’m pretty sure he is staring at us. Ro certainly has his attention now.
