After their meal, the women retired to Cassie’s home. Several maidens settled in the main room. Whereas her villa was made of thick stone, Nazrin’s cabin and the ones near him, where the other Wind Borne lived, had been constructed out of wood. Birds lived in trees, not caves. Of course, they’d be more comfortable in log cabins than surrounded by cold stone.
Her home also possessed far more furnishings than his. Chairs, sofas, and a chaise longue, had been arranged in cozy patterns. Assorted plates of delicacies were placed about the room.
Cassie handed a chalice to Essa. “Try this. You’ll love it.”
“What is it?”
“Oh, mead. The humans make it. A farmer trades his mead to me for stockings. Can you believe it? Stockings. Of course, he does have sixteen children.” Cassie’s infectious laughter proved too much to resist, and Essa joined her, sipping the honeyed liquid. Delicious.
Two of the maidens were new to her—Kyme, an Amazon warrior, and Melita, a nymph. They’d both been away when she’d first arrived, and both passed curious glances her way.
Aedre reposed on the seat opposite her. “So, Essa. I heard a rumor today that you possess far more than ordinary Water Borne powers.”
Her demonstration must have roused more gossip than she’d anticipated. Just as she stiffened, Aedre’s hands shone a soft turquoise. Laughter chimed from the other women, and Essa gaped at them. Kyme’s hands glowed amber, Cassie’s a burnished chestnut, and Melita’s a vibrant green.
How was this possible? Her pulse quickened. Others. Like me. Her aunt had never mentioned them. Was this yet another secret concealed from her?
“It’s time you learned the truth behind Halcyon,” Aedre murmured. “Each of us possesses a gift from the gods. Kyme for the Moon, Melita for the Earth, Cassiopeia for animals, and I for healing. More of us reside elsewhere.”
More? Of us?
“A War is coming. Between the gods.” Kyme dropped her powers, strode toward Essa, and planted a hand on her shoulder. “Along with our mates, we’ve pledged ourselves to the rulers of the Underworld. This place, Halcyon, is where they train their army.”
“Together,” Melita chimed in, “we fight for Love.” She lowered her powers and smiled.
“You have no mate?” Essa frowned at Cassie. “Like me?”
The maiden blinked at Aedre. “It is likely my mate exists, but I’m in no hurry to meet him.”
Essa shifted in her seat at the silence in the room and stared at her hands. The bonding was a union between a male and female of a descendant species. An unbreakable connection, a steadfast proof of fidelity. Designed by Aphrodite, the thin black band around the bonded male’s upper left bicep served as a testament of his devotion.
Nazrin doesn’t have one.
“Do I have a mate?” She bit her tongue. If it wasn’t him, did she truly wish to know the answer?
“Perhaps,” Aedre whispered, haltingly.
“You don’t require a mate to join our cause.” Kyme’s hand clamped tighter on to Essa’s shoulder. “To fight with us.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m not a warrior like you. I don’t wish to fight.”
“I’m not a warrior, either,” Melita leaned forward. “I’m a mother who’ll do anything to protect my younglings. Well, except for violent acts,” she curved her lips, “since I’m a nymph.”
“Thereus more than makes up for that.” Kyme barked a laugh. “Centaurs sure are feisty.”
“I’d rather face a centaur than your mate, though,” Aedre intoned.
“Why?” Essa swung her gaze around the room, but the maidens all hedged.
Finally, Kyme droned, “Let’s just say he’s a son of Ares with a beastly temper.”
“Hmm.” Essa pursed her lips. “I might be having some difficulties with one particular brute.”
Aedre leaned in close. “Then you’re in luck. We know a thing or two about taming them.”
***
Three hours, eight inches of dark hair, and half a glass of mead later, the women deemed Essa acceptable. Her wavy hair no longer reached past her waist. Instead, it fell in soft layers around her face down to the middle of her back. Her nails shimmered an iridescent pale green.
They’d also slathered her entire body in a muddy paste, claiming the resultant effects would be irresistible.
Essa ran a finger along her leg. Smooth. Silky. A luscious, floral scent.
She’d learned much about her new friends this eve. Including how they’d each met their mates. Melita promised to introduce her to the other centaurs and their wives soon. Essa couldn’t wait to meet Aedre’s Wind Borne mate, who was still away from Halcyon.
As she finished her glass of mead, her mind clouded. How odd. Warmth in the pit of her stomach radiated throughout her body. Nazrin would be expecting her. She excused herself from the women, thanked Cassie for the evening, and headed home.
***
The cabin was dark and quiet, the hour late, as Essa’s footsteps crossed Nazrin’s ears. She stumbled against the doorframe and muttered a curse. He stifled a laugh, curious what she would do if she considered him asleep. In the shadows, she peeled off her clothes, donning her shift, and his body hardened at her display.
Would she stop, if she detected the force of his erect cock tenting the sheet?
He stilled further, even as his pulse raced. He’d promised his raptor half, if Essa consented, he’d satisfy them both this night. He’d not claim her yet, but he’d leave some mark upon her. Enough to scour all thoughts of the myrman from her mind.
Nazrin stifled a groan as she crawled onto the bed. He knew enough of these female gatherings to anticipate the beauty treatments, but not this. They’d bathed her in some seductive concoction that served to enhance her natural, mouth-watering scent.
He tightened his grip on the post above his head and prayed she didn’t intend to go straight to sleep. Praise the gods, she rolled to the middle of the bed. Her fingers landed on his wing.
Essa rose onto her elbows and leaned over his face. Her warm breath fell across his mouth and the sharp scent of liquor breached his nostrils.
“By the gods, what have you been drinking, Sirena?”
She gasped and scrambled to her side of the bed. “Oh. You’re awake. Ah… Cassie gave me mead.”
“How much did you consume?” He propped on one elbow and examined her, grinning at the bright flush in her cheeks. “You’re intoxicated.”
“No, I’m not,” she stumbled on the words.
“Nay? You should know I never take advantage of women when they’re inebriated, especially ones who sneak into my bed smelling so luscious.” A low rumble echoed in his throat and Nazrin prowled on top of her, caging her against the mattress.
Defiance sparkled in her green eyes. “Well, I’m not intoxicated.”
“Good, because if you were, I’d not be able to do this.” He flipped her onto her stomach and traced a finger along her spine, stopping short at the curve of her bottom and trailing it up again. Her respirations came short and heavy, and her pulse pounded against his fingertip. Good. She was unnerved.
As unnerved as she made him.
Sweeping her hair aside, he pressed hot kisses through the fabric of her shift, from her neck down to the small of her back. Then he stretched out beside her.
“You have a beautiful back, Sirena,” he murmured, resting his cheek against the curve of her waist. She moaned, her face tilted away from him, and he scented her arousal. With his left hand, he caressed her hip, giving her bottom a gentle squeeze. She tensed at the intimacy, but his siren arched her spine, pressing into his palm. He gripped her more tightly, her sighs coaxing him lower.
“Tell me to stop, Essa, and I will,” he purred against her while his hand skimmed under the hem of her shift. She shivered beneath him, but uttered no objection. His fingers wasted no time in finding her sex. In finding her delightfully wet.
Nazrin groaned at the slippery silk he encountered between her thighs. She bucked at his first pass of her opening, but he held her firm. “Easy, sweetling. I promise you’ll enjoy this.” As her bonded male, she’d experience intense bliss at his touch, or so everyone proclaimed. Time to test the theory.
The weight of his head and shoulder pinned her to the mattress, while his right arm snaked around her waist. His fingers crossed her delicate bud in steady circles, the pressure causing it to bloom and swell. Her lips parted. A sensual panting replaced her deep breathing and her toes curled. Her hands clutched the pillow until her creamy skin became even paler.
His ballocks grew heavy, the weight torturous. Essa’s slick honey coated his fingers, her softness a temptation he struggled to resist. He clenched his jaw and denied his hips the thrusting they so craved. Tonight, he’d offer her absolute pleasure.
Lifting her shift, he bared her to her waist and admired the perfect curves of her rounded flesh, kneading it in his hands. Gods, how badly he wanted to pump himself inside her. But as his exploring fingers determined, she was still innocent, her barrier unbroken. While that revelation caused his raptor to squawk in victory, Nazrin refused to claim her virtue yet. There was much more they needed to discuss first.
Lowering his head instead, he flicked his tongue across her silken petals, lapping gently and teasing her with his brushes.
Essa gasped and spread her legs wider, no hint of a shy maiden. Not in his arms. This was the vixen he’d nearly claimed in their watery vortex.
His cock hardened and his eyes shuttered at the taste of her nectar, even more succulent than he’d envisioned. He didn’t ever want to stop. Burying his face, he devoured her sex, his hands raising and parting her bottom so he could spear his tongue inside her core and lap up every drop.
“Oh, gods, yes,” she whimpered, arching into his kisses.
Growling, he thrust deeper, sucked harder, feasting as a man close to starvation. He might be indulging on her delicate flesh, but he was the one consumed by Essa.
Her mewls grew louder and more melodic. His raptor half soared in triumph as he sensed her climax near.
“Come for me,” he commanded, stroking her bud with a firm pressure. She thrashed against his fingers, so close. His hand cupping between her thighs, he felt the first spasm clench her core. “Aye, that’s it, Sirena.” He lifted his head to watch while her cries reached a crescendo, her scream of ecstasy one long musical note.
Nazrin pressed kisses against her back while she writhed in ecstasy. Her body inviting, compliant, and so trusting in his embrace.
At length, she stilled, her sex no longer pulsing in his hand. Even though his passions were nowhere near gratified, he slid his fingers from between her legs, nestled her against him, and whispered, “I was right.”