A soft huff of air is the last thing I hear before he backs away. However, it's only long enough to guide me over to my belly. When his hands grasp my waist, I bring my knees up, giving him a full display of everything my body has to offer from the back. Hesitating for only a moment like he did in the pool room, Zeph then settles himself deep at home within me while I struggle to catch up. It doesn't help that the mattress beneath us moves. With every jerk of his pelvis against my ass, the water rolls with him. All of it makes me feel like we never left the pool at all. Which brings a question to that tiny corner of my mind not consumed by Zephyr.
Mentally tapping into the magic given to me by my other mer mate, the water trapped under the surface responds to my calling. Instead of rolling forward with our natural movement, it forces me back even harder on Zephyr's cock. I gasp at the new level of sensitivity this brings to my clit. Especially as his balls start hitting it with every thrust. My playful mer unleashes a whole new level of wildness that could rival that of his magic.
His release hits him with such force, it drives me right over the edge of mine. My name is a shout so loud on his lips that it leaves my ears ringing. As he bends down to kiss the small of my back, that long hair brushing against tender skin has me tightening down on him again, but not in release this time. Just an automatic response.
Zeph groans as we separate, and he crashes down to my side on the bed where I instantly curl up against him. Those tanned arms go around me as he kisses the top of my head.
After a few moments of nothing but our breathing breaking the silence, he finally says, "I can see it now."
"See what?" I ask, drawing lazy circles on his stomach.
"Why we went to war. The sacrifices of so many lives. All of it," he admits.
I raise up on an elbow to gaze at him as he tries to explain. "Not the befores when all of the Kings were trying to best the others, but after when the other clans went rogue and stole the females from our Kingdom. The least I'd do is go to war for you. And if someone took you, it'd be the last thing they ever did."
A repeat performance of history spikes my gut with worry and fear at the thought, but what woman would be able to resist a man who says something like that? Probably makes me a pretty sick individual considering wars are a nasty business with blood, betrayal, and heartbreak. Regardless, it doesn't change my feelings.
"You know what, Zephy?" I jest with a ridiculous nickname.
His chest inflates like he's getting ready to laugh as he replies, "What's that, little siren?"
I give him a second to let the amusement float around us before I repeat his words, "I think I'm in love with you."
Time comes to a stop around us. His hands still against my back as the air freezes in his lungs. Then his lips drop to mine, and everything comes rushing back in full force. I would totally be up for going another round or two with him, but his energy seems to be waning. I'm not sure how I know, but I just do. It mentally pulls me down like an anchor.
Giving him one last peck, I force him to lie back again so I can drape myself on top of him. Within a minute or so without another word, his breathing evens out, and I know he's asleep. It doesn't stop his hold from tightening on me, though; if anything it gets worse. Luckily, I'm content to lie within the comfort of his embrace. His may have been at a low, but my energy feels like it's spilling over the edges. It's so bad that I lie awake for hours lost in my thoughts, while examining his room. I'd have imagined it being messy with things lying around, but it's the exact opposite. As a matter of fact, it's so clean that it makes Zanthus' immaculate space look grubby. The walls are sky blue but patchy in places, resembling damn near translucent small clouds. It works with the plush, light-brown colored carpet. Overall, it reminds me of a warm day on the beach, relaxing without a care in the world and a seriously sexy man at my side.
At some point, we shift. Zeph doesn't let me go, but I do get a better view of his barrier window. When I reach out with the magic he gifted me with, I concentrate on one thing to see how far I can stretch this new power. There's nothing for a few moments, but then the water is crowded with gliding gray bodies. Their fins flap at their sides like birds, but also like they're trying to talk to each other.
"In a pack like that, they're called a fever," Zeph's sleepy voice tells me with a wide yawn.
I rub my face against his chest, loving the vibration when he speaks.
"Did you get any sleep?" he asks, clearly not having gotten enough himself.
Shaking my head, I admit, "None. I couldn't get my brain to shut down."
"Could have something to do with you coming into your magic," he says. Sitting up, he adds, "I shouldn't have been so selfish and fallen asleep. Coming into one type of power is exhausting. I didn't stop to think about the repercussions of two mixing."
Not ready to let him go just yet, I wrap an arm around his stomach and bury my face into his back as I tease, "Careful. You're starting to sound like Zale."
His body stiffens slightly, but I can tell there's a smile on his face when he answers, "My brother isn't the only smart one around here. Maybe I choose to appear ignorant so as to escape responsibilities. But, no longer, little siren, because there's now something more to protect than my freedom."
My heart skips happily, and I move in to kiss his lower back, only to get stuck in the motion. For the first time, I notice black lines peeking out from his left hip. One of those tattoos he tempted me with on one of my first days here. Choosing this spot to shower my attention instead, I ask, "What does this say?"
"It's Luanerick," he replies without answering. "You should be able to read it. Can you not?"
I don't bother to mention that even if I were able to read the language, I still wouldn't know what it said, because half of it is hidden by the angle of his thigh. I shake my head, and he glances thoughtfully at me as he mumbles, "Strange. I wonder if taking on my magic chased his away since you aren't mated yet. Something you should fix soon."
"Ready to get rid of me already, huh?" I tease, knowing it's not true as much as I know he isn't truly pressuring me into mating with Zale.
His response is better than I could have hoped. Twisting in the sheets, he throws it over his head, hovering over my body so that it traps us underneath in a deflating tent. Our positions make it easy to get a visual on the rest of the tattoo, clinging greedily to the crease in his leg and working its way up to his back. More cover the top of his thigh, but he doesn't give me room to inspect them as his weight settles on top of me.
Pressing a soft kiss against my mouth, he mutters, "I'd keep you right here beneath me forever if I could."
"Zanthus would come looking for me eventually," I warn, sinking my fingers into his sandy brown locks.
He huffs, "I'm surprised he isn't here by now, actually. It's going to be even worse when we get back to the kingdom. You're never going to be allowed out of our sight."
Out of all three of them, he should know better than any how skittish a person can be about their freedom when the reins are being tightened. Rather than feeling the choking sensation of being held down too tightly, a warmth settles deep in my gut. All things considered, I know I'll be safe, and that means more than my freedom. Especially since there's no doubt it's going to be unspeakably rocky trying to get the people and the kingdom back on their feet. That kind of stress might make things unpredictable.