Torun held her close as he flew through the brilliantly green, organic passageways of her new home.

The plant-cell rooms flew by. Sparkles traced their flight, as though the castle had stood empty and their heartbeats were bringing it back to life. Veins pulsed with energy and gemstones gleamed in the breathing walls. They connected with her, energizing her. She resonated with Torun, and her new castle welcomed her just as Lassie had welcomed her. Here, she belonged.

She gripped onto her handsome husband’s wide back. He flexed powerfully, darting through the narrow corridors. Eager. So wonderfully eager.

Lucy loved him.

Except…

He stopped in a dead end and touched the wall. “Put your hand beside mine.”

She did.

The wall was cool and smooth as marble. It sparkled around their hand prints, and then the marble flexed inward, opening to reveal a secret, inner chamber. Soft, cinnamon-gold light gleamed with promise like a treasure chest reflecting riches. Torun pulled her into his arms and crossed the threshold. The door sealed behind them.

Her nerves jangled.

His fins retracted to human feet and he embraced her gently in the still, soothing water. His tattoos matched the cinnamon-gold, and everything softened in this private chamber. These inner walls were soft and warm as a fluffy bed, yet smooth as the tile of a Turkish bath, and delightfully sensuous. The room itself seduced her.

She tangled her fingers in his silky black hair. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

His aquamarine eyes glowed with delicious blue fire. “Your journey begins now.”

Yes. This was the first night of their marriage. It began a new adventure, one that would change them both forever.

And she had never been more nervous in her life.

He kissed down her jaw to her sensitive neck. She clung to his broad shoulders. The muscles flexed. These muscles had carried her so safely to the city. She savored the dips and bulges.

This was how love-making was supposed to be. How it used to be. Before the failures. Before everything went wrong.

Her heart clenched.

Don’t think about the failures. Don’t think about past. Don’t think about tomorrow. She closed her eyes and tried to recapture the delicious magic from moments before. Lose yourself in Torun right now.

His hands withdrew.

She opened her eyes. “Torun?”

Hurt scarred his face. “You do not wish to join.”

What the heck? She jerked upright and covered her chest. “Yes, I do!”

“No, Lucy. You lie.”

“But I do,” she insisted. “We’re kissing. I’m into it.” And the sooner they got back to it, the easier it would be to push away the fears rising in her mind.

“Then why is your light dim? Now, of all times?” He gestured at her closed position.

Oh. Stupid light that only he could see. Her shoulders sagged. She covered her face. “I do. But…”

“But?”

“Well, I just keep thinking about how to make it work.” She dropped her hands. “You’re going to leave me if I can’t have kids, and we haven’t done anything to—”

“Hold.” Torun gripped her biceps. “I will not leave you.”

“But you—”

“You are mine.” His aquamarine eyes gleamed with command. “I am yours. Our hearts connect. You will carry our young fry.”

Okay. This again.

“Think only about us now.”

“But I am thinking only about you!” She blazed at him. “Do we need to do a special position? Or special fertility food? A ritual?”

“No, Lucy. Mermen are the same as all others.”

“That tells me nothing!”

She had read all the how-to-conceive books, the scientific literature, the case studies. All the anecdotes. All the old wives’ tales. She was supposed to be relaxed and not think about it, but she hadn’t been relaxed or stopped thinking about making babies in two years. Clinical terms flew around her head at the most intimate moments, and there was nothing like instructing her body, now implant the ovum to take the magic out of the moment.

And when it hadn’t happened and it hadn’t happened, not only did she feel bad. She also leaned on Blake. Leaned on him until he broke.

What happened when she broke Torun?

“You cannot break me,” he said softly, swiping his large thumb across her cheek. Gentle. “I am strong.”

“You say that now, but what about when you wake up and realize that nothing cured my problems?”

“Have faith.”

“But—”

“If you truly are ill, then it is true, nothing we did today will cure you. You must drink the nectar of the Life Tree’s blossom.”

Ohhh. She pushed back. “So what’s even the point?”

His expression looked as though he were thinking, Truly? But he answered her. “I wish to connect with you. Body. Heart. Soul. You are mine, Lucy, and I want to wrap you in me until you have nothing but me in your mind.”

“That’s all I want too.” She sagged against him. He released her biceps to capture her body and she curled her arms around his shoulders. She held onto that strength. He was steadfast. Like a rock. “I just don’t want to disappoint you.”

“That will never happen.”

He didn’t understand. She was part mermaid and part way through becoming his official wife, and she felt no different. Not deep down. The day he approached this chamber with trepidation, rested with her with open eyes staring at the ceiling, and looked away when he told her he loved her … that would be the day that the final brightness in her soul died.

She hid her face in his gorgeous shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m freaking out. I really do want to join with you. I’ve had a bad time. You’re probably not even interested anymore. Right?”

He slid his hands around the curve of her back and drew her against his powerful erection. It poked like an iron against her thigh. This serious talk did not frighten him. His desire was stronger than her fears.

He rumbled. “You want to have a young fry now.”

“Yeah. I guess it’s stupid.”

“It is admirable.” He stroked the curve of her derriere. “Your eagerness is as beautiful as the rest of your body.”

She snorted. “Well, there’s the problem, then.”

He squeezed. Sizzling heat streaked to her center. Her channel clenched. “Lucy, you feel your body betrayed you. It did not give you a young fry when you tried so hard. But your body is strong. It listened to your soul light. And your soul light was waiting for me. For now. All those times you called upon it to give in and make young fry with another man, it did not give in. Honor your body’s dedication. It is strong and beautiful. Just like you.”

His words caressed her like a song. Her heart lifted. Tears burned in her eyes.

Torun said everything she needed to hear.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I don’t think I can honor it. It’s been too long and I’m still too angry.”

“That is okay.” His wide palm moved down to her thigh, bent her knee, and hooked her leg around his waist possessively. “Until you can find forgiveness, I will honor it for you.”

His lips covered hers. His tongue stroked her mouth, slow and hot. This was not the rushed let’s-get-it-on strokes of moments before. This was a promise. He was going to honor every single piece of her. And he followed by kissing her cheeks, her forehead, her lashes, and her chin.

“So beautiful,” he murmured.

Her skin grew hot.

He kissed down the column of her neck to where it met her shoulder. She arched her back, opening herself to him. Here was her husband. Her true husband. Her body recognized him and opened, inviting in his complete possession.

He gripped her hips, stilling her. There was no rush. Only pleasure.

He sucked one hard nipple into his mouth and lashed it with his tongue. Her center throbbed. Her moans rose. He moved to the other, palming the first in his hot hand. Had any other man completely focused on giving her pleasure?

He kissed down her thigh to her calf to her flat, human feet. Another symbol of her failure to transform. He kissed every stubby human toe. “Beautiful.”

Her chest glowed.

Torun’s silken kisses rose to the back of her knee. Tingles shot out and once more her channel clenched. No man had ever kissed her there. He smiled and massaged her thick thighs. “Strong.”

She wanted to make a snide remark about size, but, weird as it sounded, she really did feel more beautiful. He healed a deep rift with his mouth and his tongue. With his kisses and his words. With him.

He kissed up her trembling inner thigh to her softly curved mons. One hand palmed the hot flesh. Finally. The ache receded and pleasure shot through her. She curved around him. “Torun!”

He parted her dark curls and lowered his mouth to worship her nub.

Her core throbbed with an incredible ache. Every stroke of his powerful tongue intensified it. His eyes latched on hers and she could almost feel his command. Let go of thinking. Feel his devotion. Forgive herself.

This time didn’t count. She could have him however she wanted. No rules, no blame, no sadness.

Then, she wanted him now. While her body was glowing inside and out. While she ached for his possession.

She yanked his dark head up and wrapped her legs around his taut waist. His long, hard cock pressed against her slick entrance.

His eyes flared, gold-rimmed. “Lucy?”

She was ready. She was so ready. Lucy tightened her legs. His hot tip teased her.

His pounding heartbeat echoed in her ears.

She felt exactly the same way.

Lucy arched her hips to take him.

He groaned and pushed in, coating his hardness with her slippery arousal. Oh, yes. This was the connection they both craved. It felt amazing. She lost and found herself in his first soul-searing thrust. He made this pleasure. He had kissed her and worshipped her and made her glow with aching need. It was all her husband. Torun.

In return, she gave him everything she had.

His buttocks tightened under her calves. He rocked his length all the way to her needy center.

Their connection locked together. Hot and sweet and eternal. He was hers. She was his. This was forever. No matter what.

She tangled her fingers in his hair. “Please.”

He eased out and thrust in, deeper, and again, deeper yet. His hard cock filled her completely, stroking her channel with sparkling tingles of pleasure. He touched a place inside herself she didn’t know still existed.

Her heart pounded. “Please. Oh please.”

“Lucy.” His deep bass thrummed in her soul. “Lucy!”

She gripped his buttocks. This was his first time? It felt like her first time too because she had never had a connection so pure, so deep, so hot. His thick cock plunged in and out of her channel. The orgasm built, uncontrollable. She clenched her teeth on a scream.

He tightened in perfect sync and shouted with triumph. Her pleasure erupted. She saw the moon and the stars and the sky, the bottom of the ocean and the top of the universe. His male seed poured into her channel. Her soul flew, entangled with his.

And then her orgasm shattered and she plummeted back to the castle, nestled safely in his trembling arms.

Her strong, beautiful, tattooed warrior held her so close. Emotion glimmered in his eyes. He stroked her.

She kissed his chiseled cheeks. “Hey. Are you okay?”

“Ah.” He rested his forehead against hers. “It was more intense than I imagined.”

Hah. Her too. And she knew what to expect. “I saw a flash of light.”

“That was your soul and mine, taking flight.”

Ha ha. She’d had the same idea. Funny how their thoughts seemed to mirror each other sometimes. “You did great.”

“I will never forget this.” He pressed his lips to hers, softly and firmly, sweetly. “Never.”

Neither would she.

Because someday she would look back on this moment and think, At least we had one amazing night.