He continued his journey down, his lips finding my collarbone, tracing along the delicate ridge of bone with his tongue. His mouth was warm against my water-cooled skin, and every kiss felt like a promise, a declaration of intent. When he reached my breasts, he paused, his breath fanning across my nipple and making it tighten almost painfully. I whimpered with anticipation, and he smiled against my skin before closing his mouth around the sensitive peak.
The sensation was different underwater—more intense somehow, the pressure of the water adding to the sensation of his lips and tongue. He sucked gently, his tongue swirling around the sensitive peak, and then his teeth grazed across it—just enough pressure to make me gasp, to make my hips buck forward seeking friction. He lavished attention on one breast while his hand came up to cup the other, his fingers rolling my nipple in perfect counterpoint to his mouth. He seemed to know exactly what I needed—when to be gentle, when to add pressure, when to scrape his teeth across the sensitive flesh and make me cry out.
By the time he switched to the other breast, I was trembling, my core clenching around nothing, desperate to be filled again. He gave it the same thorough attention, his mouth and hands working in perfect harmony until both nipples were swollen and aching.
He continued his journey downward, kissing across my stomach, his tongue dipping into my navel, his lips tracing patterns on my skin that felt like lyrics, like melodies only he could hear. Each kiss was deliberate, intentional, placed with the precision of a composer writing his masterpiece. He followed the line where human skin gave way to siren scales, and here he paused, exploring the transition with his lips and tongue. The sensation was incredible—my scales were sensitive in ways I was still discovering, and his gentle exploration sent waves of pleasure through my entire tail.
"Beautiful," he breathed against my scales, pressing a kiss to each one like they were precious gems. "Every part of you is beautiful. Human and siren, flesh and scale—all of it perfect, all of it mine."
Then he went lower, following the line of my tail to my vent. His mouth found my core, and I nearly screamed at the intensity of it. His tongue was longer than a human's, more agile, and he used it to devastating effect. He started with long, slow licks from the bottom of my vent to the top, tasting me, savoring me, learning the flavor of my pleasure mixed with the release of the males who had come before.
"Delicious," he murmured against my sensitive flesh, his breath hot and teasing. "You taste like desire. Like need. Like mine." He traced patterns on my sensitive flesh—spirals and swirls that seemed choreographed, a dance of pleasure written just for me. His tongue found my entrance, pressing inside, tasting where Kaelan and Riven had claimed me. The intimacy of the act made me moan, my hips rocking against his face.
His tongue swirled around my vent with maddening precision, then dipped lower to press inside me, tasting where the others had claimed me. The knowledge that he was tasting their release, that he was adding his own pleasure to what they had started, sent another wave of heat crashing through me. He seemed to know exactly where to touch, exactly how much pressure to apply, exactly how to bring me to the edge and hold me there trembling. His tongue circled my vent in perfect rhythm, then flattened against it, then flicked rapidly—varying the sensation until I was keening with need.
"Please," I gasped, my hands fisting in his silver hair, my body tensing with approaching release. "Vale, please—I need?—"
He gave me what I needed. Two fingers slid inside me, curling to find that perfect spot, as his tongue pressed firmly against my vent. He stroked that spot inside me in rhythm with his tongue, building the pleasure from two directions at once, and I shattered—pleasure crashing through me in waves that seemed to go on forever. He worked me through it, his tongue never stopping, his fingers pressing against that spot until I was crying out with overstimulation, trembling and desperate. And when the last wave of orgasm finally faded, he rose up, positioning himself at my entrance.
His silver eyes held mine, glowing with emotion, with love, with endless devotion.
"Look at me," he said softly. "I want to see the stars in your eyes when I make you mine." He slid inside me slowly, inch by inch, and I felt every ridge as he filled me. His ridges were different from the others—more delicate, designed to stimulate rather than overwhelm. They spiraled around his length, catching against my sensitive walls in a pattern that felt almost like music, each one hitting a different note of pleasure.
He was long, reaching deeper than the others, his curved tip finding spots that made my breath catch with every inch hegained. When he was fully seated, we both paused, breathing hard, the connection between us almost electric.
"I've been waiting for this my whole life," he breathed, his forehead pressed to mine, his silver eyes swimming with emotion. "Writing songs about a love I'd never felt, dreaming of a mate I'd never met. And here you are—more beautiful, more perfect, more precious than anything I ever imagined."
He moved slow, each thrust deeper than the last, each movement perfectly timed to draw the maximum pleasure. His ridges stroked against my inner walls in waves, stimulating every nerve ending in patterns that seemed orchestrated, composed, designed to bring me to heights of pleasure I'd never known. It wasn't just physical—it was something else entirely. Something sacred. Each thrust seemed to resonate through our developing bond, amplifying the sensation until I couldn't tell where my pleasure ended and his began. I felt what he felt—the tight grip of my walls around him, the flutter of my internal muscles, the heat of my body welcoming his.
"I love you," he whispered against my lips, his voice breaking with emotion. His hips moved in that perfect rhythm, building us both toward climax with patient, deliberate skill. "I've loved you since the first moment I saw you. I'll love you until the stars burn out and the seas run dry. You're my song, Lily. My masterpiece. My everything."
"I love you too," I gasped, pulling him closer, wrapping my arms around him, feeling tears prick at my eyes. The emotion was overwhelming—his love pouring through the bond and mixing with my own. "Vale—I love you?—"
We moved together through the water, our tails intertwined, our bodies connected in the most intimate way possible. The circling continued around us, but I was barely aware of it—my entire world had narrowed to Vale, to the way he moved inside me, to the pleasure building with every perfect thrust. Whenthe orgasm crested, it was like a wave finally breaking—pleasure crashing through me in slow, devastating rolls. I felt Vale follow moments later, felt his knot swelling inside me with a gentleness that matched his lovemaking, and his release flooded me with warmth.
His bite was gentler than the others—more kiss than claim—but no less binding. His teeth sank into the tender skin just below my ear, and the bond snapped into place with a burst of warmth that spread through my entire body. His love poured into me, endless and devoted and achingly beautiful, and I felt tears streaming down my face even underwater.
"My heart," he breathed against my throat, his tongue tracing over the mark with reverent attention. "My song. My everything."
"Yours," I whispered, a deep purr rumbling through my chest. "Forever." We floated together, locked by his knot, and I could feel all three of them now—Kaelan's steady strength anchoring me, Riven's fierce protectiveness surrounding me, Vale's boundless love filling me. Three bonds humming in my mind, three presences warming my consciousness.
One more waiting.
When Vale's knot released, when he slipped from my body with a reluctance that I felt through our bond, Thane was there. Sweet, tender Thane, with his honey-colored hair floating around his face like a halo and his golden-brown eyes shining with emotion.
His vent had already opened, his arousal pressing against my tail, and I looked at him—really looked. His length was the warmest in color, almost golden, matching his tail and his eyes. The ridges were softer than the others, more rounded, designed for gentle pleasure rather than fierce claiming. It was beautiful and slightly intimidating and I wanted it inside me immediately.
"I've never done this before," he admitted, his voice small in the water. "Not like this. Not with a mate. I'm afraid I won't be good enough. That I won't compare to them." I reached for him, pulling him close, cupping his face in my hands. His skin was warm beneath my palms, his cheeks flushed with emotion and desire, and I could feel his heart racing through the bond that was already forming between us.
"You're perfect," I said softly, pressing a kiss to his lips. "We'll figure it out together. I want you, Thane. Just you, exactly as you are. I don't need you to be like them—I need you to be you."
Something shifted in his expression—uncertainty giving way to determination, nervousness transforming into resolve. He kissed me back, slowly at first, then with growing confidence. His lips were soft and sweet, his tongue gentle as it explored my mouth, and I melted into him, a purr building in my chest.
His hands explored my body with wonder, touching every curve like it was sacred, like he couldn't believe he was allowed to have this. His fingers traced along my collarbone, down between my breasts, circling each nipple with reverent attention. He touched my scales with the same reverence, learning their texture, finding the spots that made me shiver.
"You're so beautiful," he murmured against my skin, his lips trailing down my throat, pressing kisses to each of the marks the others had left. "So perfect. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm going to spend forever trying to be worthy."
"You're already worthy," I promised, pulling him closer, wrapping my arms around him and pressing our bodies together until there was no space between us. "You've always been worthy. Now show me. Show me how much you love me."
