Orion’s lips twitched at Ashure’s sour expression. For the past hour, Ashure had been arguing that Nali should be responsible for his lost inventory. Orion had to admit that Ashure had a point—about the size of a pinhead, but he did have a point when the Pirate King reminded Nali that she was responsible for the sea monkeys since they were under her jurisdiction.

“So, you want me to compensate you for the stolen items that you stole in the first place?” Nali asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Finally! You understand,” Ashure replied.

Jenny’s soft giggle drew a smile from Orion. He couldn’t resist caressing her shoulder where his hand rested. They were currently sitting in Ashure’s meeting room below decks. The glossy dark wood with gold accents, jewel encrusted lamps, and plush red velvet chairs and couch, not to mention the imported marble inlaid, magic-fed fireplace, proved that Ashure was either an excellent pirate or a cunning businessman.

“You could have at least thanked me for shooing all of the sea monkeys away first. Then, I might have considered it. Now, I will just take back the volt pistol that you cheated out of my Cyclops,” Nali said, rolling her head back to look up at Ashure with a serene smile. “I’ll also take a case of this brandy as a thank you.”

The scowl on Ashure’s face grew darker before he softly chuckled and his eyes danced with merriment. He picked up the bottle of whiskey he had been about to pour, walked over, and placed it in front of Nali. Bending over, he brushed a quick kiss across her lips before twisting away when she jerked upright.

“I’ll give you half a bottle of my best whiskey and take the kiss as payment,” he teased.

“One day, Ashure, you’ll meet a woman who will tame your flamboyant soul,” Nali warned before picking up the bottle he placed in front of her, refilling her glass, and taking a sip. “This is good, but I still like the brandy better.”

Jenny bent her head close to Orion. “Is he always like this?” she asked under her breath.

“Yes. This is why everyone wants to kill him, especially Drago,” Orion replied.

Ashure pointed his finger at Orion. “Drago does not want to kill me. Well, maybe he does, but Carly adores me, as do their children. I send them gifts,” he said.

Orion groaned when Jenny sat forward in her chair. Her eyes glowed, and the smile on her face grew until he swore it rivaled the sun. Her hands gripped the table, and he could feel the excitement in her growing.

“Carly… As in Carly Tate? She has light brown hair and brown eyes and is about this tall and…,” Jenny exclaimed, talking rapidly as she described her best friend.

“Yes, yes, and yes. She is most delightful, a bit on the dangerous side if you aren’t careful, but totally delightful. I have no idea why she refuses to leave that grumpy old dragon,” Ashure said. “I offered her the world, and all she had eyes for was a stupid, but exceedingly wealthy, fire-breathing dragon.”

“Which you are lucky wasn’t breathing fire when he looked at you,” Nali chuckled. Sobering, she leaned forward and looked at Orion. “Magna has to be stopped Orion.”

Orion leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. He nodded to Nali, knowing that the time had finally come for the true reasons for her being there. Magna’s dark reach had once again spread throughout each of the isles of the Seven Kingdoms.

“I will take care of her once and for all,” Orion vowed.

Nali and Ashure were both shaking their heads. “You cannot do this on your own. You will need Drago’s help, but he must not kill her,” Nali said.

“Stop her, but don’t kill her. I can see Orion being able to do that, but Drago…? I think that is asking for a lot, Nali. You know what she did to his people,” Ashure warned.

Nali shot Ashure a hot glare. “I know what the mirror has told me. Carly has started a chain of events that will lead to Magna’s downfall, but the time is not right,” she argued.

“Time is not right…? What do you want Magna to do? Take over half the kingdoms? The Elementals have already run scared and changed the seas. Orion, you must surely have felt the imbalance,” Ashure said, placing his hands on the table and leaning toward Orion.

“Yes. I can control the changes for now. Ashure has a point, Nali. There will come a time and a place when I will have a chance to stop Magna, and I will do it,” Orion said in a grim voice.

“Orion,” Jenny whispered, wanting to protest, but understanding that there wasn’t a lot she could do to help Kell and Seline if Magna caused any more damage.

Orion reached over and cupped Jenny’s hand. “I will do what needs to be done. If there is a way to save her, I will,” he promised.

“Great! You want to save her, Drago wants to kill her, and Nali wants to wait until the time is right. I need another drink,” Ashure groaned.

“Don’t forget my case of brandy!” Nali reminded him.

* * *

Later that evening, Jenny sat on a stool brushing her hair. Ashure had invited them to stay for the night. Jenny, eager to hear more about Carly’s adventures had agreed before Orion could say no. Orion had reluctantly agreed, much to the amusement of Nali.

The evening had been amazing for Jenny. While the pirate ships might look like something out of a swashbuckling movie on the outside, they were nothing like it on the inside. Lush and filled with all the modern conveniences, the Sea Wasp reminded Jenny more of a luxury cruise ship below decks. A decadent dinner followed by drinks and Ashure’s eloquent storytelling had made for a delightful evening.

“You are still smiling,” Orion complained. “He was not that entertaining.”

“Yes, he was,” Jenny laughed, gazing at where Orion was lying in bed.

“I can be more entertaining,” he suggested.

Jenny saw the wicked gleam in his eyes. Deciding two could play that game, she lay the hairbrush down on the vanity table in front of her. Reaching up, she slowly pushed the borrowed silk dressing gown off her shoulders. She was rewarded by Orion’s loud hiss of appreciation.

“I forgot to put on the nightgown—and panties,” she said, slowly standing up so the dressing gown pooled around her feet. “Oops.”

“Goddess, Jenny. Remind me to install mirrors in the hut,” Orion choked out.

Jenny felt the power of her effect on Orion and reveled in it. The knowledge that she was loved and that she loved him swept away any feelings of doubt. They were the perfect match. Lifting her hands, she cupped her breasts.

“Come here,” Orion ordered, throwing back the covers to reveal his throbbing cock.

“Do you like what you see?” Jenny teased, pinching her nipples to make them harder.

“You know I do,” Orion replied, his gaze following the movements of her fingers. He licked his lips. “I can make them hard for you.”

Jenny’s right hand slid down to the red curls between her legs. She stroked her finger across her swelling clitoris. Orion’s gaze was glued to the reflection in the mirror.

“Can you make this wet?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Orion softly cursed and quickly slid out of the bed, and the giggle Jenny was about to utter turned into a choked cry of arousal when he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other under her knees. He swung her up into his arms and turned toward the bed.

Jenny felt the silky material of the bedding under her back as he laid her down. Her eyelids drooped with desire when he climbed over her until he was straddling her chest. Bending forward, he wrapped his hand in her hair. The movement aligned his hard cock with her mouth. He reached behind with his other hand and tweaked her nipple.

Her lips parted, and he pushed his hips forward. His cock slowly slid into her warm mouth. Jenny rolled her tongue around his bulbous head, tasting his pre-cum and savoring the pleasure of being held captive in his embrace as much as he was in hers.

“Suck it,” he murmured.

Jenny’s throaty hum of agreement pulled a hiss from Orion. Realizing the effect she was having on him, she raised her hands to add to the torture. Using her lips, tongue, and hands, she made love to his cock and heavy sack. She gently kneaded his balls with one hand while using the other hand to massage his taut buttocks. She had discovered that he had a relatively small amount of body hair the first time they made love. It made sense when she thought about the professional swimmers back home. Hair could create a drag in the water. The sea people had evolved to have very little hair besides that on their head. The light coating Orion had on his arms and legs was very fine and light in color.

Jenny didn’t mind. She had been around enough professional swimmers during her years as a lifeguard to know that hair does not necessarily make the man. Running her hands up his smooth butt cheeks to the crack of his ass, she teased it. He rewarded her by throwing his head back and rocking his hips. His cock slid in and out of her mouth, growing fuller.

“My turn,” he suddenly said.

“But…,” Jenny groaned in frustration when he pulled his cock out of her mouth and slid down her body. “I… Oh, yeah.”

* * *

Orion knew if he didn’t stop, he would come in Jenny’s mouth. Bending down, he picked up her legs and placed them over his shoulders. This position opened her for his tongue. She reached down and spread her lips, opening up for him. He could see the small, swollen clit. He loved how when he pleasured her there, she would lose control until she came. Leaning forward, he began his quest to bring her pleasure.

Her body stiffened at the first touch of his tongue. The tip of his tongue caressed her swollen clit, pulling a low, guttural cry from her. Clamping his lips around it, he began an assault that drove Jenny wild. Her loud cry echoed through the room. She pulled her hands away and lifted them to grip the headboard. Orion loved how her body twisted and turned, fighting to break free from his touch. He wrapped his hands around her thighs and held her in a tight grip as he nipped and stroked her with his tongue. Her gasping cries drove him on until a rush of her warm juices filled his mouth.

Releasing her, he sat up and gripped her hips. He turned her and pulled her up onto her knees. Positioning himself, he bent over her and drove his cock into her still pulsing channel. Jenny pressed her face into the pillow to smother her scream. Her body, over-sensitive from her orgasm, reacted by coating his cock with her hot cum.

Orion, half mad with need, grunted and pinched her nipples. He pressed his cock inside her as deep as it could go. Rocking back and forth, he felt her body greedily sucking him in. The nerve in his jaw throbbed as he tried to hold on as long as he could. Reaching down between her legs, he played with her swollen clit until her head jerked up, and she pressed back against him as she came again, her gasping sobs revealing the intensity of her orgasm.

His body tightened, his ballsack so hard he was afraid it would explode. When the pressure finally reached critical level, he rocked his hips forward, digging his fingers into her soft flesh and releasing the floodgates, which were holding back the dam of his seed, into her in a long wave of ecstasy.

Their bodies melted down to the bed, his body wrapped around her and his cock still firmly buried inside her. Orion felt Jenny release a shuddering breath before her body relaxed. He softly chuckled when he heard a soft snore a few minutes later. Their long journey, the excitement of the day, and their intense lovemaking had finally overwhelmed her.

Orion lay holding her until he was sure she was in a deep sleep. He carefully pulled free, smiling when she released an unconscious groan of disappointment. Rising from the bed, he went to the bathroom and cleaned up before bringing back a warm cloth and towel to clean Jenny. Tossing the items into a basket when he was finished, he climbed back into bed and pulled Jenny back into his arms.

His mind wandered while his body began to relax. He smiled when he thought of Jenny’s teasing. It had driven him wild. His smile faded when he thought of Ashure. One of these days that damn pirate was going to meet his match. Orion hoped that he was around to witness it when that happened.

Ashure’s constant flirting, earlier in the evening, had left Orion wanting to kill the pirate king. If Ashure had given Jenny one more seductive smile, Orion swore he would drown the man the first chance he got. It didn’t matter that Ashure had been the perfect gentleman and host in all other aspects.

Of course, Nali’s knowing looks of amusement had been almost as bad as well as the quiet reminders that Ashure was like this with everyone. Orion didn’t care if the pirate king had a reputation as a rogue and a flirt; the man had no business flirting with his woman. Jenny had ignored Ashure’s overtures and spent most of the time chatting with Nali when Ashure wasn’t trying to dazzle her with his stories of adventures. In the end, Ashure had given up and only talked about Carly and Drago before Orion finally decided it was time to call it a night.

One of these days, Ashure, Orion thought as sleep began to pull at him, I really hope Drago, Nali, and I are there to see it.

* * *

Early the next morning, Orion was making the same wish he had the night before. Standing near the railing of the ship, he glanced up as Nali shouted down a reminder. He waved his hand in acknowledgement.

“I know, capture Magna, and don’t kill her. I’ll know when the time is right,” Orion muttered with a shake of his head.

“She is as cryptic as ever. I swear she makes up half the stuff,” Ashure remarked.

“She has the mirror of the Goddess. She sees things that we don’t,” Orion reminded Ashure.

Ashure shrugged. “Sometimes you see things that aren’t what you think,” he retorted.

Orion frowned. He hadn’t missed the slightly bitter smile or biting tone in Ashure’s remark. The sound of footsteps pulled his attention to Jenny. She was walking across the deck and chatting with Kapian. Something his friend said made Jenny laugh.

“You are a very fortunate man, Orion. I hope you appreciate the gift you have been given,” Ashure quietly murmured.

Orion glanced at the pirate king in surprise. Ashure was staring at Jenny with a shuttered expression. Once again, he saw a part of Ashure that he had not seen before. Ashure’s expression changed the moment Jenny looked their way. The easy smile and flirty manner were back in place, making Orion wonder if he had imagined Ashure’s moodiness a moment ago.

“I have never in my life had someone so beautiful walk the plank before,” Ashure said, grasping Jenny’s hand and bowing over it before he pressed a kiss to the back of it and stepped back. “Parting with you will be a very sweet sorrow. I truly hope we will meet again.”

Jenny laughed. “I’m sure we will, and I’m not walking the plank, I’m jumping overboard,” she teased. She stepped forward and gave Ashure a hug and a kiss. “Thank you for telling me about Carly. I can’t wait to see if it really is her,” she quietly added with a sincere smile.

Pulling back, she lifted her hand before she turned and walked over to the side where the railing had been removed. She balanced on the edge for a brief second before diving off and disappearing beneath the waves. Kapian followed a second later.

Ashure turned and grinned at Orion. “I love a woman with a sense of humor,” he chuckled, watching as Jenny gracefully disappeared over the side.

“I hope you get one with a healthy dose because she’ll need it to put up with you,” Orion remarked. “Send word if you hear anything of Magna. I will do the same.”

“I will, my friend. I’m sure I can convince a sea monkey or minnow to deliver a message,” Ashure dryly retorted, watching as Orion disappeared over the side.

* * *

“Where to now, Captain?” LaBluff asked.

Ashure was thoughtful for a moment before he smiled. “We have not paid the King of the Giants a visit in a while. Let us see if Koorgan is in a more favorable temper to receive some guests,” he said.

LaBluff drew in a deep breath and released it with a shake of his head. “Yes, Captain. Pull up your big-boy pants, men. We are heading for the Isle of the Giants,” he announced to a chorus of groans.

Ashure didn’t bother trying to contain his amusement. Some would think that the Isle of the Giants would belong under Nali’s domain, but these were not your typical monsters. His mind rifled through his inventory of treasure as he considered what he could use as a bargaining tool.

“Fill the sails, men. LaBluff, did Nali leave behind any of that brandy she likes so much?” Ashure yelled.