Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology)

by Chrissy Peebles

  It called to him. He had to taste her now.

  Placing his hands on the insides of her legs, he nudged them apart and lowered his body in between them. He looked up at her mesmerizing emerald green eyes then dropped his gaze back to his prize. The outside of her sex was glistening with her desire.

  Magna lost control when he took the first taste of her. She writhed against his mouth, wanting more.

  He stroked his tongue against her pink folds and felt like a god. Licking upwards he found her engorged clit and pulled it into his mouth, nearly causing her to leap off the bed.

  She was breathing heavily now but was unable to catch her breath because she felt her spasms beginning to peak.

  He felt her tensing and knew she was about to release. He was ready for everything she had to give him.

  Grasping the back of his head, Magna entangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him closer to her, giving him full access to lap up all her juices.

  Before she completely came down from her orgasm, she grabbed him and pulled his lips up to meet hers. She stroked her tongue along his wet lips and lured his gaze to hers.

  “It’s your turn, my amora.”

  She twisted him off her, forcing him on his back. Seductively crawling her way above him she settled the entrance of her sheath above his shaft. Then slowly she slid down, teasingly, until she took in all of him.

  He grabbed her hips and held her there, feeling her warmth encompass him.

  He wanted to explode and knew he couldn’t hold on for much longer. And as he assisted in guiding her movements, the wet heat of her walls gripped at him and he could no longer think of envoys and looming war, only her.

  He gave one final thrust causing her muscles to start to convulse around him. And as they did so he felt his own control begin to crumble.

  Crehon wrapped his muscular arms around her tightly, pulling her into him. Feeling her tremble with another powerful orgasm sent him over the edge and he shot his seed deep within her.

  They were both glistening with sweat and the minutes felt like a lifetime as the radiance of their pleasure subsided.

  Still sitting with Magna straddling him and his arms still holding her close, he rested his ear against her chest, listening to her heartbeat until his breathing calmed.

  Magna held him firmly against her. She didn’t want him to leave her.

  Even with this impending black cloud hanging over them, she felt content in this moment and knew she had to get something important off her mind.

  “Amora?”

  “Yes.”

  “There’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

  “You can tell me anything,” he said as he planted kisses in between her breasts.

  “I’m with child— ”

  Chapter Four

  Twirling with the excitement of her newly acquired powers, Naia spiraled through the water enjoying the freedom it offered. The cool intensity of the water against her skin had never felt so invigorating. She couldn’t fathom ever wanting this feeling to end.

  Now mated to Atargatis, she knew this was the life she was always meant to lead and she planned to take advantage of all her new life’s little pleasures alongside him. The existence of time no longer hindered her.

  After they woke up, Naia and Atargatis said their goodbyes and agreed to meet later in the day. Atargatis regretfully left to attend his daily meeting with Hekili, his captain of the guard.

  He impressed upon Naia that she should go straight home. That was her intention but as she headed in the direction of her home the sea life beckoned to her. So she decided today was going to be all about putting her shimmering pink tailfin to work and exploring the beauty that surrounded her.

  Not too far from their cavern there was a reef sitting atop of one of the many deep and dark trenches that ran along the ocean bottom. She had passed over the reef numerous times and decided that one day she’d have to investigate it.

  Atargatis warned her to never swim near the trenches. He said there were many caves throughout them housing the larger, more dangerous predators of the sea.

  She knew there was always the possibility of coming across the occasional shark or giant squid but they usually stayed away from the kingdom. Every now and then a stray wayfaring shark would find its way near the castle’s realm and the lower ranking members of the guard were charged with removing it without harm if possible.

  As long as she didn’t enter the trench, she didn’t see the harm in scouting out the reef.

  Swimming like never before, she was at the reef’s edge within what seemed mere moments.

  Hovering just above the trench, Naia watched as a large school of yellowfin goatfish changed their coloration and merged with an even larger school of blue-striped snappers. She giggled. There’s always safety in numbers, even the fish knew that rule.

  Below her the reef was bustling with life. Swimming within the protection of the reef were foureye butterflyfish, emperor angelfish, and yellow pygmy gobies. To her right she watched a hungry titan triggerfish being followed by a small moorish idol that was feeding on the trigger’s leftovers.

  Upon a closer examination, she saw a small school of blue-green chromis damsels hovering beside a nearby pillar coral. Then right in front of her she observed a clown triggerfish squeeze itself into a crevice within the reef, locking itself in place with its spines.

  The fish weren’t scared of her presence. She was one of them.

  Perching herself on one of the flatter areas of the reef, she watched in utter contentment as the fish went about their business.

  After a while she decided to lay across the rock and gaze up at the surface where the beams of sunlight broke through. The waves along the top caused the beams to flicker below from bright to dim and back again. The deep water above the reef prevented the sunlight from reaching the ocean floor.

  Still somewhat tired from her mating with Atargatis, she decided to stay there and rest. Lulled by watching the waves above her, she felt her lids getting heavier until she finally shut them and fell asleep.

  When she woke up, she realized she must have slept longer than she intended because the sun wasn’t right above her like it had been.

  Naia sat up and stretched her arms high above her head. She felt completely euphoric.

  Then it hit her.

  Looking in all the directions of her immediate vicinity, she slowly lowered her arms, resting her palms against the reef. She noted the silence surrounding her. There was no movement anywhere.

  Where are all the fish? What drove them away?

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw what she thought was a large moving shadow. It disappeared in the trench.

  She rubbed her eyes. Am I seeing things?

  Suddenly a chill ran down along her spine and into her tailfin. Her face went flush and she felt an overwhelming feeling of dread pass through her. She darted off the top of the reef and hid, putting it between her and the trench. Panic was rapidly taking over her body. She was frozen in place and could now see where all the small fish had gone. They were hiding within the reef’s confines.

  What do they know I don’t? She tried to convince herself it was nothing to worry about. It’s probably just a shark. She’d just wait it out then go home.

  From the direction of the trench she felt a shift in the water and began to tremble. Something sounded like it was heading in her direction.

  Mustering up all of her inner strength, she slowly crept upward and took a peek over the reef to see what was coming.

  She gasped. Her eyes went wide and her jaw fell open.

  This was no shark.

  This was a sea dragon.

  Her eyes were locked on it. She’d never seen anything this colossal before. Twice as long as a whale shark and covered with enormous bluish-gray scales, he could kill her with just one sweep of his massive claw-tipped flippers or the spade at the end of his tail. He had a single wicked horn centered between his menacing eyes.

  Sh
e finally gathered her wits and quickly dropped back down behind the reef, hoping it hadn’t seen her. Then she remembered the stories she’d heard about the dragons. They could smell their prey from immeasurable distances.

  It passed over where she was hiding and she turned her head to follow its path. Relief washed over her when it didn’t see her and disappeared off in the scoping distance.

  She waited a couple more minutes until she was sure she was in the clear to come out from hiding and head home. And as she pushed off the reef, there he was.

  The cold black slits in his piercing yellow eyes narrowed. He snorted and the rush of warm water blew her hair straight behind her.

  Terror shot through her, she snapped her fin, pushing her body backwards against the water. Bubbles engulfed her, blinding her to the monster.

  She snapped her tailfin again, faster, propelling herself backwards. Desperately, she flipped to race forward.

  There was nowhere nearby for her to hide. He was gaining distance on her. She had no choice but to swim to the trench. In the back of her mind she could hear Atargatis’s warning.

  Feverishly, she swam until she reached its edge. She looked over her shoulder. He was closer than she thought. She closed her eyes tightly, slipped over the edge, and blindly plunged down into the dark abyss.

  She wildly searched for a hiding place, surprised to find that she had near perfect vision in the darkness. She assumed if she was able to see in the darkness so could he.

  “Hide! I’m on my way.”

  Naia jolted as she heard Atargatis’s voice in her head again.

  “Naia, it’s me. You’re not imagining this.”

  Gods, she was relieved to hear his voice, even if it was in her mind. She dove deeper as she felt the vibrations of the dragon’s roar.

  “Oh please! Atty, help!”

  “Wedge yourself inside a crevice. Wait for me. Don’t leave until I come for you.”

  With a flick of her tailfin, she picked up speed and swerved around the tall rock pillars that littered the trench. She heard the dragon bellow as it crushed into one of the pillars behind her.

  Ahead she spotted a narrow crack that ran down the side of the canyon wall. Even though it was thin, it looked wide enough for her to fit into.

  She glanced behind her once again. He was nearly on top of her. She was exhausted but a rush of adrenaline kicked in. She sped up.

  Almost there.

  She entered her safe haven at full speed, slamming into the rocks. They scraped against her shoulders, arms and along the sides of her tailfin. The water around her swirled red with blood.

  The sea monster smashed against the opening, rattling her against the rocks.

  He reared back and circled around, bashing into the opening once more. Boulders rained down the trench walls.

  Naia was paralyzed with fear. The metallic scent of her blood lingered in the red, cloudy water.

  Just as the creature was about to hurtle itself into the rocks again she saw a disturbance in the water. A blurred wave came from the left side of the dragon, forcing him off his path of destruction and into some nearby rock pillars. It stilled, as if dazed. Then it shuddered, regained its strength, and charged where the bizarre wave had come from.

  Out of sheer curiosity, Naia slowly edged her way to the opening to see what was happening outside.

  She couldn’t believe her eyes.

  Atargatis had arrived.

  She watched in awe as the dragon streaked through the water heading straight towards him. As the creature did so, she saw Atargatis’s eyes close. He crossed his arms over his chest, as if gathering his strength. Then his arms flew out and his chest emitted an enormous sonar wave.

  The blurry wave burst outward through the water at an immense rate of speed. It struck the dragon with a force unlike anything Naia had ever seen, driving him into the trench wall, crushing him.

  As if time slowed down, she watched as the lifeless body of the dragon slid down the wall until it reached its final resting place on the jagged bottom.

  Still wedged inside the safety of the crevice, she stayed there frozen, staring at the destroyed animal.

  “Naia? It’s okay for you to come out now.”

  Slowly turning her head, she looked at Atargatis. He could see the clear crystals falling from the corners of her eyes. She was crying.

  “Naia?” he reached for her, his brow furrowed with concern.

  Releasing herself from the crevice, she rushed straight into his arms.

  Chapter Five

  Wrapping his arms tightly around Naia, Atargatis stroked her hair, calming her. Even though the last of the crystals had fallen from her brown eyes, he could still feel her heart pounding against his chest.

  Suspended in the center of the eerie trench, they continued to cling to one another. Neither one wanting to let the other go.

  The water surrounding them was quickly turning crimson.

  Atargatis unwrapped his arms from around Naia’s waist, lightly gripped her shoulders, and gently pulled away from her. His gaze skimmed over her until he spotted where the blood was coming from.

  “We need to stop the bleeding before we get anymore unwanted visitors.”

  Naia followed his gaze to the left side of her fin and watched as the blood escaped from her wound. The under current seemed to be pulling it directly from her body, causing it to spread in ribbons and clouds around them. The scrapes on her shoulders and arms were superficial and would heal quickly, but the gash needed to be taken care of right away.

  Atargatis saw her eyes widen in fright as she looked back at him.

  Silently, he reached down and covered the wound with his hand. She shuddered at the pain as he touched her. Naia watched his hand inquisitively and felt a soft vibration. She looked up only to see that his eyes were closed in concentration. Looking back down, she saw a light form within the center of his palm. The halo of light got brighter and brighter until it shifted from the palm of his hand onto her fin.

  His hand remained in place for a few moments longer while he finished healing her. Once he removed it, she looked down at her fin and saw that the wound was completely healed. There was no evidence that she had ever been cut at all.

  The blood that had surrounded them slowly dissipated until it was eventually gone.

  “How did you do that?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

  “You too have the same ability, now that we are one.”

  “Really?— Wait, how did you know where to find me and how did you speak in my mind?”

  Atargatis cupped his hands around her face and with the pads of his thumbs he caressed her cheeks. “Naia, now that we are mated, as you may have already noticed, we have many powers we didn’t have before. Our minds are now connected. Anytime you need me, just think of me. Then reach through your mind and imagine you’re speaking to me. You will never be alone again.”

  ***

  Darkness was settling in for the evening back at their hideaway and Naia was nestling herself down on the kelp bed as Atargatis swam over to join her.

  He saw his reflection in her smoldering brown eyes. He searched for the words to tell her what was going on above the surface. He had to tell her he had pledged himself and his guard to fight along with Atlantis.

  Reaching up he caught a lock of her hair that had swayed across the front of her face. He wove the lock between his fingers, feeling how soft it felt as it slipped away, floating back in place with the others.

  “Atty, why do you look so serious tonight?”

  “Naia, you know that I would never do anything without discussing it with you first. Though I know you could reach into my mind and know what I am thinking or how I am feeling, I would still come to you the moment I was thinking about making a life altering decision.”

  Confusion flickered across Naia’s face in the wavering light of the orbs. “Yes, I know. Why are you telling me this?”

  “This morning after I left you, Hekili sonared me a m
essage saying Crehon needed to meet with me.”

  “Don’t you usually meet with Drakon in the mornings?”

  Drakon Stathos was Atlantis’s ambassador. He was the one who usually met with diplomats regarding social relations in Crehon’s place.

  “Yes, under normal circumstances, I would. But today Crehon asked to speak with me.”

  “It must have been something important to bring him down off the mountain.”

  He chuckled, knowing what she meant by her statement. Naia had always thought Crehon was a bit pompous. “Yes, it was. He brought news of impending war.”

  “What? How is that possible? When did this happen and how didn’t I know of it?”

  “During the night a ship arrived with orders for Crehon. He was given an ultimatum. If he doesn’t accept it, he will have no choice but to go to war to keep his country intact.”

  She sat there absorbing the information. “What does this have to do with you?”

  “Naia, he has asked the kingdom to rise up and fight with him.” He paused for a moment, swallowing hard. “And I have accepted.”

  Her eyes went wide and then stern. “Why would you do that, Atty? Why? We finally have our chance to be together after all this time. You would jeopardize our future like this to protect a world that isn’t yours?”

  “I have to Naia. It is the right thing to do. I know you do not understand this now, but one day you will. It’s about honor and defending your brothers, no matter if they are human.”

  She was fuming now and he knew she wouldn’t listen to anything he was going to say at this point. So he decided he wasn’t going to argue with her and instead make sure she was safe.

  “If this happens, and I believe it will, I want you to stay here. It will be a much safer location.”

  “I’m not staying here by myself, Atty. I have to make sure my family stays safe.”

  “Naia, please—”