An Immortal's Song (Dante's Circle #6)

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Come back soon,” she said then kissed his jaw. He lowered his head and took her mouth in a passionate kiss before he pulled away. “I’ll be back soon.” He sighed, looking distracted, then grabbed his clothes from the floor and headed back out of the room.

  Both she and Seth watched him walk away.

  “You know, he might annoy me with the way he doesn’t tell us his thoughts, but damn that man can walk away like no other,” Seth said with a groan. “That ass? Seriously.”

  Despite the tension and uncertainty filling her, Amara laughed and leaned into Seth. “That he can. And your ass is pretty nice, too.” She reached around and pinched him, loving the gasp that sounded. “What do you say we find some robes or one of his shirts to put on and grab something to eat in this big place? I’m suddenly starving.”

  She ran a hand over her temple and the ink seemed to pulsate under her fingers. She was a siren, a mythical creature that, apparently, wasn’t so mythical. What that meant in the long run, she didn’t know, but if she didn’t take it one step at a time, she’d freak out beyond reason.

  “I can probably scent our way to the kitchen,” Seth said as he pulled on his jeans, leaving the waist unbuttoned. He held out his shirt. “How about you put this on so we don’t go through his things.” He blushed a bit and shrugged. “I know we just slept together and all, but since he didn’t actually give us a tour…”

  She nodded, fully understanding his hesitation, and pulled Seth’s shirt over her head. Since she was so much smaller than them both, the shirt billowed to the middle of her thighs. It covered enough of her, and frankly, she was too hungry to be modest. If she happened to meet up with any of the people who were inside Tristan’s home, she’d deal with it then.

  Amara took Seth’s hand, and they made their way down the large staircase. Instead of turning left toward the sitting room, they went right. The scent of cooked meat and bread filled her nose, and she knew they were going in the right direction. Her stomach rumbled, and Seth chuckled.

  “Let’s get you fed.”

  As soon as they entered the large kitchen she blinked. A door on the other side swung closed, leaving her and Seth alone.

  “It’s like they don’t want to be in the same room as us,” she said dryly.

  Seth just shrugged once again. “They haven’t been introduced to us, and since Tristan is royalty, there might be some protocol or something. I don’t think his family lives here since the place feels only of Tristan’s energy and not another high-ranking fae, but I could be wrong.”

  She frowned as he went to the fridge and opened it. “You can sense those sorts of things? Is that what mermen do?”

  He pulled out two plates and lifted his brows. “It seems they made us plates since there’s a third in there for Tristan.” He wiggled one. “They have our names on it. They must have just stuck them in here because they’re still hot.”

  They indeed had their names written on top of the foil with marker. She couldn’t help but feel touched and a little out of her element. She’d never had anything like this. The kitchen itself was larger than her apartment with two six-top ranges and two dishwashers and refrigerators. The island in the middle was a piece of artwork, and she wanted to lay prostrate at Tristan’s feet just so she would be able to cook in the room.

  Her stomach rumbled again and she suddenly didn’t care about the differences between her and the men she’d given herself to and wanted to eat whatever was on the plate.

  “Anyway,” Seth continued as he pulled off the foil to reveal still-hot roast beef, potatoes, green beans, corn, stuffing, and rolls. “First, I am hungry enough to eat my entire plate worth of food and possibly lick up whatever’s left. Let’s get forks. Second, as mermen, our powers are more about what we can do within water. The ability to sense other supernaturals is inherent in every supernatural. You’ll be able to gauge another’s presence and perhaps their power level too once we figure out your powers and you practice. First, though, we’ll have to teach you to glamour so you don’t end up showing up in the human realm with that lovely ink of yours.”

  Her eyes widened and her hand went to her temple, to the ink that felt natural even if it was brand new. “I forgot for a second. My brain isn’t working. How could I just not think about what others will see when they look at me now.”

  Seth pulled the foil off her plate and procured two forks from a drawer in the island, after some searching around. “It’s to be expected. Just breathe and eat—though not at the same time. That’s all you need to do right now. Between the three of us and the other women’s experiences when they changed and found their mates, we’ll figure it out.”

  She took the fork and sat on one of the stools at the island, careful to sit on Seth’s shirttail rather than just her naked butt. Some things should not be done in the kitchen, even if it might sound sexy.

  As soon as she took the first bite of roast and gravy, she almost orgasmed again. Seth must have noticed, but he was too busy tearing through his food to comment. She did the same, getting through a good quarter of the plate before she looked up again. Seth had apparently put a glass of water in front of her and she was grateful.

  “Sorry for zoning out. But, food.”

  He grinned at her and finished up his water before going back for more. “No problem. I did the same thing.”

  When he gulped half the glass in one go, she raised her brow. Something clicked about him and she wanted to know if what she’d thought was right. “You need water to survive, don’t you?”

  He nodded before taking another bite of food. She did the same, only this time, they were both a little slower since their appetite was at least somewhat sated.

  “Yes. If I dry out, I die. Each realm, each species, has their own weaknesses and that is one of mine. As for everything else? I’m not exactly like you and Tristan when it comes to looking human. Tristan uses glamour to hide the slight luminescence of his skin and his pointed ears, and you will do the same to your ink and skin. I’m a shifter, so I don’t use glamour. I actually just shift from one form to the other.”

  Her eyes widened. “I’d never thought of that.”

  He grinned and held out his leg. “See? No tail. I have a tail in my other form, and my skin sometimes has a gold or green sheen depending on the lighting. But it’s only in places, and only when I’m fully shifted. It’s like when wolves, bears, or dragons shift. They go from one form to another, depending.” He grinned. “That also means, like the other shifters, we don’t have sex in our mer form. That is only for the human form.”

  She choked on her roll and gulped water to wash it down. “How on earth did you know I’d thought about that?” Even if it hadn’t been a fully conscious thought.

  He snorted. “Because everyone does. They want to know how a merman or mermaid can have sex with a tail in the way. We don’t. We shift to human just like the other shifters do. It’s not that complicated once you think about it, but most people just want to make fish jokes.”

  She laughed despite herself and shook her head. “I’m sorry, then.”

  Seth waved her off and continued eating. “It’s no worry. This way you know. When we make love, I’ll look like I do now.”

  She heated just thinking about it. First things first, though. “And when do I get to see your other form?”

  Seth frowned. “It’s not safe for me to shift without a body of water near. I lose too much energy in the process and I’m not as strong. I don’t know if Tristan has a pool around and I’m not about to play rubber ducky in the bathtub.”

  “But you’d make bath time so much fun,” she said with a grin.

  He threw his head back and laughed before jumping off the stool and pulling her into his arms. He kissed her senseless and the laughter died, a heated tension and need replacing it.

  “I’ll show you once we go to my realm,” he said softly. “How’s that?”

  “I think I like that idea,” she whispered.

  “I can�
��t believe I waited so long,” he said so quietly she almost missed it.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Waited so long for what? To get me alone?”

  He met her gaze and swallowed hard. “No. Ugh…I actually meant… Well, crap.” He blushed hard, his ears turning red, and she saw the youth in him. He might be older than her, but he was far younger than most immortals. “I was a virgin before earlier. I mean, I’ve done things. Been with men and women, but I’d never fully had sex before now. At first, it was because I was training to be a warrior, and then because I seemed to be waiting for you and Tristan to show up. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but it never seemed the right time, and I didn’t want to pressure you into worrying about me when it was my choice in the first place. You know?”

  She blinked. “How…how could you keep something like that from us? What the hell?” She pressed her lips together; hurt filling her for a moment before she pushed it away. This was about Seth, not her. “Oh, Seth, I wish I would have known.” She cupped his face and he lowered his head toward her.

  “I wanted it to be with you two, and it was special because it was us. I didn’t need it to be even more so because it already was.”

  She shook her head, unable to think straight. “When Tristan comes back, we should talk about it because he deserves to know. But Seth, don’t keep things from us from now on. Okay?”

  He kissed her softly in answer, and she sighed. Being with two men was more than hot sex, she knew that, but damn if she knew what she was doing. One day at a time, she reminded herself. Just one day at a time.

  Seth pulled back and licked his lips. “Are you still hungry?” From the look in his eyes, she had a feeling he wasn’t talking about just food anymore.

  “I think we should go back up to the bedroom and get to know each other more,” she said teasingly. She would have thought she was a succubus instead of a siren from they way her body craved.

  Seth’s eyes darkened and he took her lips once more. “Let’s clean up before I make up for lost time.”

  She smiled and reached around to grab his ass. When he rocked toward her, she had to pull away so she could find some semblance of control.

  “I’m not doing it in a kitchen,” she said dryly. “Sorry.”

  Seth winked then moved to start cleaning up. The two of them did their dishes side by side and left them in the drying rack. Sure, there might be literal cleaning fairies around the home, but she didn’t feel comfortable letting them do everything. She wasn’t even fully comfortable in her own skin yet, let alone in Tristan’s royal life.

  When they made their way back into Tristan’s bedroom, Amara ran her hands over the shirt she wore, suddenly nervous. Seth stood in front of her and lifted her chin with his knuckle.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice soft.

  “I’m suddenly nervous,” she whispered. “I mean, before it was the three of us…”

  He visibly winced. “And you only want to make love when it’s the three of us?” When he moved to pull back, she gripped his wrist, keeping him in place.

  “No,” she said firmly. “That is not what I meant. I’m going about this all wrong. Before, when it was the three of us, it was different because we were not only coming together for the first time, we were hoping the bond would come. And it didn’t.” She wouldn’t let the tears fall from her eyes, but they wanted to.

  Seth cupped her face and lowered his lips to hers, giving her a gentle kiss. “You changed into a siren, Amara. We are your mates. The bond might not have worked the first time, but it could still happen.”

  She raised a brow, trying to add levity to the situation. “You’re saying we should just keep having sex to see what comes up.”

  He snorted then reached around her to cup her ass. “Well, I think we should keep having sex period. You know what’s already come up.” He rocked against her, his hard cock pressing into her belly. “And once Tristan comes back, we’ll see why things are taking longer than they should. Until then, live in the moment, be with me.”

  I can do that, Amara thought sadly. She could push away the pain like she always did and try to find the good. And Seth was good. He was far more than anything she’d dreamt of. The light in his eyes, the way he tried to make things better even if it hurt to do so. She could and would fall in love with this man, just as she could and would fall in love with Tristan.

  And if she lived in the moment, she could maybe find the happiness that had been denied her for so long.

  Instead of saying any of that, she leaned forward and kissed him. Hard. When he moaned, massaging her ass with his large hands, she pressed her body more firmly into his.

  His hands slid under the hem of the shirt and he cupped her more firmly, his fingers playing in the crease of her ass. When they dipped near her center, she spread her legs, wanting him to touch her deeper. Seth kept his lips on hers, possessively kissing her even as he slid his fingers in and out of her, running the pad of his middle finger over her clit with each pass.

  When he curled them and hit her in that magical spot inside, she gasped, throwing her head back. Seth latched on to her neck instead, the sensation of his lips on her ink sending bolts of electric heat over her skin. He continued to fuck her with his fingers, first two, then three, before going for four. She had one leg over his hip, and he sped up, the sound of their panting and his fingers moving through her wetness echoing in the room. When he moved even harder, she sucked in a breath, her back bowing. She came with a shout and her body clenched around him.

  Before she could fully come down from her high, Seth had her on her back on the bed and her shirt off. He’d also shucked his pants as he hovered over her. He crushed his mouth to hers then thrust into her in one hard stroke.

  They both froze as soon as he was fully seated, their bodies shaking as she stretched to accommodate him.

  “Fuck me,” she panted. “Make me yours.”

  Seth licked his lips, his shoulders straining as he held himself back. “I’ve never tried this position you know.”

  She grinned and pulled one leg high so it rested on his shoulder. The other she wrapped around his waist. The position forced him to go deeper and they both gasped.

  “Don’t worry, honey,” she said on a sigh. “I’ll take care of you. Now fuck me.”

  She cupped her breasts and he moved.

  He thrust in and out of her with a vigor that nearly sent her over the edge once again. It took a minute for him to find his rhythm, but when he did, she had to cling to his shoulder with one hand so she could stay firmly in the middle of the bed. Her hips lifted, meeting him thrust for thrust, even as he latched on to one nipple with his mouth. He laved at her then went to the other one, never once pausing his motions.

  Once he lifted his head, she met his gaze and licked her lips. He kissed her then, even as he slid one hand between them. The action forced her leg on his shoulder to tighten as he leaned on that arm, but it only made her want to come. His fingers slid over her clit, already wet from her arousal. With that one touch, she shattered, her pussy squeezing him like a vice. He soon followed, filling her up so hard she could feel the hot seed deep within her.

  He shouted her name even as she did the same with his. He kept moving, though, his body never quitting. She thought she’d pass out from the way her body had already climaxed, but, apparently, they weren’t through.

  He lowered her legs so she was fully flat on her back and he rocked himself in and out of her, in and out. He met her gaze, one arm keeping him steady above her, the other moving to graze her body, then cup her face.

  “Come again, Amara. Come for me.”

  She’d never thought Seth would ask that of her and expect her to do so, but just his sexy voice and the way he felt deep within her made her come again. This time not quite as hard, but rather soft and slowly. The ache slid over her body like a wave, tingling through her nipples and over her neck.

  Lazily, she wrapped one arm around him and cupped his cheek wit
h her free hand. “Mine,” she whimpered, not knowing why she would say that right then.

  “Yours, my sweetling. Yours forever.” He kissed her, this time slow and wanting. “As you’re mine.”

  When he pulled away, tears slid down her cheeks, and he kissed them one by one until she found herself weeping in his arms, both of them on their sides as she tried to understand why fate had decreed him and Tristan hers yet wouldn’t allow her to have what came with it.

  Seth kissed her temple and held her close. “Sleep, Amara. We’ll bond, my siren. I promise.”

  She wanted to believe him, wanted to know it was true. She let herself drift off, and when the bed dipped slightly and the spicy scent of Tristan filled her senses, she let herself sleep fully in the arms of her men.

  Amara would never let them go, even if there weren’t a bond. That was what she vowed to herself right then. She’d fight for this, fight for them. They were worth it. And with the way they looked at her, she was just starting to figure out that she was worth it, as well.

  Chapter Five

  Tristan held a sleeping Amara in his arms and met Seth’s gaze. It seemed he’d missed a few things, but he knew that they needed time as a couple as he and Amara would. As he and Seth would.

  He let out a breath and sank deeper into the pillow.

  “You okay?” Seth mouthed, and Tristan nodded slightly.

  He looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms and back up at the merman who already held a part of his heart. “Later,” he mouthed back.

  As soon as Seth closed his eyes, Tristan did the same and fell asleep, despite the events of the day. Trepidation skittered over his skin as well as uneasiness as to what he’d discovered at Court, but he would talk about it with the others in the morning.

  They would also have to travel soon. While he had wanted to show Amara his realm and take his time, it seemed they, like the other lightning-struck before her, would have to be on the run.

  When he woke up, the others were still sleeping and he quietly slipped out of bed. While he’d have liked to wake them up in his own special way, as well as share a shower with them, he knew he didn’t have that kind of time. Instead, he padded toward the bathroom and took a quick shower on his own. As soon as he got out, his phone started to buzz and he cursed.