Hal looked up at Robin. They had spent the rest of the day yesterday and most of the night loving each other to exhaustion. He had never felt such pure unadulterated pleasure his whole life. Gray eyes turned and stared down at him.

“If you keep looking at me like that, then we are never going to make it to brunch with your family.” They had received the text at some point last night from Alec, advising them that Ellie wanted to meet up and check in on both of them. So did everyone else, apparently. The idea for brunch at the big house was decided before they had even seen the messages.

He made a low noise. “Maybe I don’t want to.”

She smiled and took a half step toward him before she turned back around. “You think I want to see my family? I’ve been putting it off for as long as I can. Just the thought of looking at my dad again makes me want to throw up. If it wasn’t for Caitlyn, I would probably never want to see them again. So, as hard as it is, we should go, and you have to behave yourself. Now, get that gorgeous butt of yours out of bed and get dressed.”

She shimmied into her jeans, her ass wiggling as she pulled the fabric over it, and suddenly going to brunch wasn’t the hard thing.

“What do you want me to do about this?” Hal chuckled, gesturing to his cock, which was getting harder by the second.

Robin looked over her shoulder and licked her lips, her eyes going dark with lust. He just about pulled her back onto the bed and ripped those jeans off in that moment.

“Think of something gross? I don’t know, but if you get up and we go to brunch now, I promise I’ll make it up to you later.” Her voice was a sultry caress over his skin as he started dreaming up ways she could make it up to him.

“Fine,” he ground out before standing, his arousal jutting out in front of him like a dowsing rod, except all it was going to lead him to was Robin.

He rummaged through the dresser and pulled some clothes on, his erection still straining at the front of his pants. As he turned around, Robin was pulling her thick fiery hair up into a bun, exposing the delicate line of her neck.

“Walk, jump, or fly?” he asked, hoping she would pick the latter. Hal wanted to feel her in his arms as the wind rushed over them. He wanted to show her the utter joy he found in having his wings spread as he flew over the ocean. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he expanded. “To get to the big house.”

“Fly?”

“Siren. Wings. Fly.” He made a flapping motion with his arms.

“Fly.” She grinned at him, and his heart soared.

When they stepped out onto the deck, he shook his shoulders and felt his wings emerge from wherever it was they went when they were glamored. Robin’s eyes widened.

“They . . . They’re beautiful,” she whispered as she outstretched her hand. “Can I touch them?” she asked at the last second.

He nodded with joy as her hand connected with the sensitive feathers. The sensation rocked through him, making his blood sing for her. She was his, and he would never let her go again, unless that was what she truly wanted. Her hand ran down the long feathers that made up the edge of his wing, and he extended it outward, inviting her to touch even more. With each caress, he felt the bond he had with her grow deeper, and though he wasn’t going to do anything about it at this particular moment, his desire for her increased beyond anything reasonable.

She giggled as her hand ran down to the very tip of the wing that was outstretched, and something in him snapped. He knew in that moment that he was completely in love with her, and that she was his soulmate. A small part of him demanded that he sing for her to confirm it, as only a siren’s true soulmate would be repulsed by their song. He wouldn’t do that, though. She had been under a man’s control for most of her adult life, and he wouldn’t risk that. Besides, he had known that it was true on some level ever since he first heard her at The Farm. There was nothing he wouldn’t have done to rescue her, and nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe and happy.

“Ready?” His voice was thick with emotion as the realizations left him reeling.

She nodded shyly.

“Do you want to look out or over my shoulder?”

“Out.” She bit her lip, which filled his head with memories of their love-making last night, her slowly riding him, her lip pinched between her teeth. He had been so relieved last night when they realized that the removal of the mark had worked and she was free to find pleasure where she wanted to.

“Turn around, then.”

She obeyed, and he wrapped an arm around her stomach and the other around her chest, just over her exquisite breasts. As he pulled her flush against him, she wiggled her butt. He gently bit the lobe of the ear closest to his mouth. “Keep doing that and I’ll drop you in the ocean just so I can peel your clothes off, and then we’ll never make it to brunch.”

A small moan escaped her lips, and Hal almost lost it. All he wanted was to take her back inside and make love to her again. Reining his desire back in and putting it under lock and key, he pushed off from the deck, his powerful wings lifting them higher and higher. Robin squealed in delight as they moved through the air. The trees flew under them, and he swerved, taking her out over the ocean. The ripples of the water blurred under them as he took them to the big house. It wouldn’t be a long flight today, but he would take her up whenever she wanted, if she enjoyed it. It was one of his most treasured abilities.

The wind rushed over them, and as they approached the big house, he saw his brothers already waiting inside. They landed on the patio by the back door, and he relaxed his hold on her. She spun in his arms, turning to face him.

“That was the most amazing experience of my life next to having sex with you.” She kissed him, her supple lips molding to his under the pressure, until she nipped at his lip.

His hands moved from where they had been resting and crushed her to him. One hand went to the nape of her neck while the other slid and cupped the firm globes of her ass. His tongue traced the seam of her mouth, and when she opened it, it tangled with her own. Her kisses took his breath away.

A cough sounded behind them.

“Not that we don’t enjoy watching you two make out, but we are all getting ready to eat, so if you could withhold the PDA at least through brunch, that’d be great.”

Hal broke the kiss. Glancing down at her swollen lips, he had to give his amazing woman one more peck before turning around.

Alec stood there with a big grin on his face as he tried not to laugh.

“Hey, Brother,” Hal said, slapping his brother on the shoulder hard enough to sting.

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. You know how we get when we’re hungry.”

Hal turned slightly and took Robin’s hand. As they walked into the giant kitchen, he was greeted with a knowing look from Thad and a scowl from Dem. Par for the course from his other two brothers. Ellie ran up to him and gave him a big squeeze. He returned it with one arm, unwilling to let go of Robin’s hand.

He noticed Cin was standing by the back of the kitchen as though she was ready to bolt if she needed to.

“Heya, Cin.”

She gave him a wave and a smile.

“She’s keeping some distance between herself and Robin in case her fury rises to the surface again, not that it should, but we don’t want to trigger the scream if we don’t have to. No offense, Robin,” Alec said quietly as the rest of the family started getting food and sitting at the enormous table that took up most of the space.

Robin’s family was standing quietly off to one side, looking slightly overwhelmed. He knew he should feel sorry for them, but he was struggling with it, especially when her father exuded resentment. He would have to have a chat with the man at some point about that. His banshee stayed glued to his side, radiating unease. Hal wished he could help, but this was something she would have to figure out on her own. Either she could forgive them, or not.

Aster came bounding into the kitchen, happier than he had seen her in a long time. He watched the young woman fill her plate with eggs and a big quarter of a waffle. Tugging on Robin’s hand, he tried to move them toward the food, but she stood stock still, like her feet were cement blocks. A small smile played on her face as a song bubbled out of her. It wasn’t anything he recognized.

He raised an eyebrow at her in question.

She just shrugged and kept singing. The sound was beautiful. It wasn’t lyrical so much as it sounded like nature. If he had to compare it to something, he would say a babbling brook, water flowing happily downstream. As he watched, Robin’s eyes closed and a peaceful expression passed over her face.

Her mother was by his elbow then.

“Robin? Can I talk to you?”

Her gray eyes snapped open, and the song stopped. Anger bubbled low in Hal at this woman stopping something his woman was clearly enjoying, but then he saw the confusion on Robin’s face, and the anger dissipated. Had she not known she was singing?

“Mom?” The strong voice that made his heart light was tinged with worry. Something wasn’t right.

“Sweetheart, I know you are still upset with me, and that’s fine, but I need to talk to you and it can’t wait.”

“Okay.” Her red bun bobbed as she nodded.

Hal went to let go of her hand, but she clenched her own tighter around his. Evidently he was going with her.

They went around the corner into the living room, and when Tamara turned around, her face didn’t hide the shock that Robin had brought Hal along.

“We should really talk in private, little bird.” Her eyes kept darting between Hal and Robin. He wasn’t going anywhere unless Robin told him to, though. She wouldn’t have brought him along if she didn’t want him there.

“Whatever you want to say, you can say in front of Hal.” She squeezed his hand as she spoke, and another wave of love filled him.

“Fine.” Tamara sat on the couch opposite them, and they followed suit. She took a deep breath. “Your song, it means . . . well, it means that you have given your heart to him.” She gestured at Hal.

“What do you mean?” A blush scalded Robin’s cheeks.

“Banshees only get to decide once—don’t ask me why—but once you give your heart as completely as I think you have, then you can’t get it back. He will have your love forever. Even if you hate him, your banshee will still love him. If you try to leave him, it will feel like you’re cutting off a limb. Why do you think I’ve stayed with your father all these years? It’s not like I still love a man who has sold one of my daughters into slavery and continues to gamble away every penny we have.”

Robin started to interrupt, but her mother just barreled on, silencing the interruption with a wave of her hand. “Your father and I aren’t important right now. The song you were singing . . .” She sighed, as if suddenly tired. “The song is a skill your banshee develops once it knows true love. You now sing for life that is coming into the world as well as scream for life that is leaving it.”

His fiery redhead seemed to fold under the weight of her mother’s words, leaning back against the couch.

She took a breath to speak and stopped, shaking her head as if to clear the mess out that her mother had just dumped on her. She took another breath and started again. “So you mean you are only with Dad because your banshee side still loves him?”

Her mother nodded. “He knows it too.” Tamara scrubbed her hands over her face, lines of exhaustion taking up residence around her eyes.

“And that song means that someone in that room is pregnant? Or about to become pregnant?”

Another nod from mommy dearest.

“Oh my god.” She whispered the words, almost to herself. “What am I supposed to do with that?”

“You know I never liked you sharing your visions with people. The scream usually scared them enough, let alone you running after them telling them how they were about to die. I always held to the same philosophy when it came to the pregnancies. A woman will eventually find out that she’s with child. You don’t need to tell her that it’s about to happen.”

Robin was quiet, her whole body still.

“I assume you know who it is or will be? You had a small knowing, right?”

The red bun bobbed again.

“Well, my advice is to keep it to yourself. You’ve never really listened, though, have you? So do what you will. Just try not to hurt anyone.”

“I still don’t understand why you can’t leave Dad.” Robin picked at some imaginary lint on her jeans as she spoke.

“Because my banshee doesn’t want to. As much as I hate him, I still love him. He will always be my true love. I just wish my heart had picked a more responsible true love than him.”

“How’s Caitlyn?”

The question seemed to be out of place to Hal, but then when he thought about it, he could see why she had connected it. She was still scared for her sister, still looking out for her. Even after all she’d been through, she was still worried that her father would sell out Caitlyn too.

“She needs her big sister. She needs to know you’re okay, that life will be okay again. It’s not something she’ll listen to coming from me, and you know how stubborn she can be.”

Tamara smiled tentatively, as though waiting for Robin to shut her down. When his beautiful banshee didn’t respond either way, Tamara’s face crumpled just a little. She stood, pulling on the edge of her T-shirt, as though she wasn’t used to being so underdressed. “You should talk to her.”

With that, she left the room. Hal looked at the woman next to him. She might be slender and seem breakable, but inside she was pure titanium. Her big gray eyes looked up at him, worry pinching the corners.

“I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable,” she said, tucking imaginary hair behind her ear.

“What would make me uncomfortable?”

“My feelings for you.”

A bark of laughter escaped him. “Rin, nothing you could feel or do would make me uncomfortable. You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I’m not giving you up without a fight. And you should know I feel the same way.”

She grinned, the pinch of worry leaving her eyes. “And what way is that?” He knew that she wanted to tease him, but there was an underlying seriousness to the question that made him cautious. When Robin had admitted her feelings before, she had probably felt like she was dying, judging by the screams that came from her. He got the sense that she wanted him to admit his feelings first since they were both conscious, sober, and neither of them were in peril. He understood, but his nerves still jangled in response to his coming declaration.

“That I’m in love with you.” His voice was quiet, nerves getting the better of him at the last moment. He watched her absorb the words, her eyes glittering as they filled with tears.

“I love you too.” Her voice was hushed, as if they were sharing a secret. It wasn’t a secret he would be able to keep for long, though. Joy filled him. He wanted to shout from the rooftops, but he settled for a kiss.

It wasn’t like any of their other kisses. The passion was still there, but the sweetness, the tender emotions, added new layers. His lips brushed against hers, feeling the velvet of her mouth against his own. She made a small sound in the back of her throat, and his hand came up, cupping her cheek as he deepened the kiss. His tongue tangled with hers in a possessive way, and yet, when hers did the same, it was a welcome feeling. He wanted to possess her just as he wanted her to possess him. They belonged to each other now, and that was just fine by him.

Something inside him locked into place in that moment.

He could tell Robin felt it too. For a moment, she paused, her breath caught as the connection settled between them. He could feel her emotions radiating out of her more clearly than ever before. As his lips brushed hers once more, he felt the spike of excitement, lust, and something deeper than he had ever believed possible—love. Hal knew as his hand brushed down to her hip, squeezing and pulling her closer, that Robin was debating asking him if he wanted to sneak out and make love in the forest. An idea that had its merits, but one that he knew they shouldn’t act on. One day he would claim her in the forest, but when they had plenty of time so he could love her as thoroughly as she deserved.

“You feel that, right?” He had to know he wasn’t alone in this new connection.

“Yeah.” Robin’s breath tickled his lips as he dipped his head once more, unable to resist the warm honey flavor of her. It seemed to crash into him whenever he kissed her, and he loved it.

“Um, excuse me, lovebirds? Food’s getting cold and there won’t be any left if you don’t hurry,” Aster’s voice called out from the doorway behind them. “Just thought you should know.”

Hal could tell she had been smiling as she spoke, and he was relieved that some of the anger that had almost swallowed the petite blonde whole seemed to be passing.

“We should eat.”

“Umhum.” Robin nodded, her eyelids heavy as dirty thoughts ran through her head. He couldn’t wait to explore those later.

“You’ll need energy for what I have planned for you.” He planted one last hot kiss on her before standing and hauling her to her feet.

He watched her walk into the kitchen in front of him. The sweet curve of her ass and hips swinging to and fro as she moved made his mouth go dry, his need for her becoming a finely honed edge. Later he was going to show her exactly how much he loved her and what a siren was capable of, but that could wait, though. For now, it was family time, a time to be thankful that they had all come through the last few days relatively unscathed.

* * *

Robin’s head was spinning, and not just from the kisses, although those were phenomenal. The connection she now had with Hal was almost overwhelming. She was surprised by the depth of the emotions she felt coming off him.

She moved along in her dazed state, through to the kitchen, where someone clapped as they walked in, and as her eyes scanned their faces, she saw happiness all around. Even a flash of it from Dem before he fell back into his permanent scowl. She picked up a plate and loaded it with food, intending to make sure that she had plenty of energy to play with her siren later.

His hand never left her. Whether he was holding her hands or it was resting on the small of her back, it comforted her. As they sat, she looked at her sister, her emotions raw. Glancing over at her father, she was swamped by rage, most of which wasn’t her own.

Looking up, she saw that Hal was watching him as well, his face almost contorted into a snarl. She reached out under the table and stroked his thigh, bringing his attention back to her.

“I can feel you now, remember?” she said quietly.

“What he did to you was unforgivable.”

“I agree, but once we get them off the island, I won’t have to see my parents again unless I want to.”

Hal grumbled an agreement, and she felt him rein his anger in. Her mind churned over the possibilities of what had given them this new connection. She doubted her parents had it—otherwise, her mother would have warned her—so this was something from his side of their magics. He had told her he had a small talent with emotion, sensing vibes, putting his own out there. Robin wondered if this was the result of that skill.

As they finished lunch, his hand ran up and down her back, sending shivers along her spine. Finally, after saying their goodbyes and Robin promising a big-sister chat with Caitlyn, they were free. She stepped out of the door onto the deck. The warm salty water of the ocean seemed to brush up against her, greeting her in a way she had never experienced before.

“Do you feel that?” An elated smile spread over her face.

“What?”

“Like the wind and the ocean are greeting you?”

“No, but I feel something like that whenever I go somewhere new.”

“It’s amazing!” She held her arms out as the breeze wrapped around them, playing with her hair as it left. “Can we fly home?”

Hal’s dimples popped out as he wore the biggest smile she’d ever seen on him. Her heart lifted with joy that they could make each other so happy.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

He pulled her tight once more and took off as she reveled in the hard muscles pressed against her. Robin could feel his blissful exhilaration as he swooped and soared through the sky. Their trip down had been nothing like this. Now he was showing off, but not just that—he was showing her the joy he found in flight, in the ocean and feeling the air on his snowy white wings. She felt euphoric. Not only was she free but she was in love with the most amazing man, and he loved her back with all his gigantic heart.

Her banshee side had picked a good one. She knew that life was never going to be easy as long as Randall and the Order of Talos were still out there, but at least now they could face it together. Feeling Hal’s arms squeeze her a little bit tighter, she knew he agreed. Together they could take on the world.