A flash of emerald caught his attention. Cori wore a shimmering emerald top. The ship tilted and the wind kicked up to gale force, all directed toward one lone woman, hanging on to the railing for dear life…a life the wind seemed determined to take.
The scene unfolded before him in small increments, and in spite of his great speed, time resisted and continued to propel him slowly across the deck. He would be too late to stop what was about to happen. For a fleeting moment, he regretted never mastering the elements.
A gale force ripped Cori away from her anchor; it pitched her over the side and tumbled her into the sea.
Xavior didn’t hesitate. Kicking off his shoes, he followed her over the side and into the familiar embrace of the liquid existence. As a child of the sea, he had no trouble finding an unconscious Cori within its depths. He kicked them both to the surface, then placed his mouth over hers to give her the breath she couldn’t take underwater. The boat moved past them, pushed forward by the movement of the ocean along with its own momentum. The sirens continued to blare, a different sound now, indicating someone had gone overboard.
No way for him to get her back on the boat or for help to get to them, not in this weather.
Xavior called out to the closest denizen in the water. A reply wasn’t long in coming. While he held no control over the elements, he communicated with and controlled most things living in the sea. A manta ray, as wide as his arm, approached them, but instinct made him spin around. Behind them, he saw a long shadow coming fast, churning the water in its wake, and heading right for them. Placing his precious burden on the ray’s back, he gave it a one-word command, Protect, and it swam out of the way.
He turned to face the real threat, calling forth his trident. The three-pronged bronze trident appeared in his right hand, just as the first tendrils of the sea demon reached for him. With a quick swipe, he cut off its thick flesh with the sharpened tips. Thick blue-black ink coated the water. Turning the prongs toward the dark weltering body, he used the power of the trident. The tips glowed red, and energy roared through his body, fueling the trident, blasting the beast back to the dark waters from whence it came.
He held no power over this creature. Another commanded this one and he knew who summoned it. The white witch would do anything to stop his union from bringing peace to their people. She could not kill him, but until Cori became his mate, she would be fair game. His bride was now marked for death.
Once the waters stopped churning, the stingray returned to his side. He stayed above the surface, the precious burden on its back—thankfully still unconscious. Xavior sighed in relief. Cori remained safe. He held her hand, his touch granting her the ability to breathe underwater. The stingray took them down to the ocean depth, leading them to a nearby underwater cave.
The cave, nothing more than a pocket cut out of the ocean, would provide shelter. There were many such places if you knew where to look. Like bubbles shaped from rock, containing oxygen created by moss growing upon its rocks.
Xavior took her inside the place, about the size of a small human bedroom. Wide enough to lie comfortably on its rocky ledge without having to touch the pool of water at the cave’s entrance. Plus, the glowing sea worms provided warm light to see by. At least they would be out of the water and on dry rock.
Xavior stripped out of his clothes, save for his briefs, and took Cori’s top and skirt off. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and it took all of his self-control not to stroke her small, yet plump breasts. Instead, he grabbed their clothes and rung them as dry as he could, then laid them on the rocks to help cushion the hardness of the ground.
During all of this, Cori remained unmoving. He noticed a bruise on her forehead. She must have hit it on something as she went overboard. He picked her up and laid her on their clothing, hoping she’d be more comfortable. At least the cave itself held plenty of warmth.
Stretching out beside her, he spooned his body around hers, hoping his heat would help. The goose bumps on her arms told him she might still be cold. He squeezed the water out of her hair the best he could and rubbed his hands along her arms. His natural body heat was higher than a human’s, so he didn’t feel the coolness of the cave.
After a while, the bumps on her arms disappeared and her breathing appeared more normal, but she still hadn’t awakened.
He brushed the hair away from her face, then kissed her temple, confident she would wake up soon, and knowing now that he had her—he would not take her back. “My bride,” he murmured in wonder, shutting his eyes as he joined her in slumber.
Cold. Wet. Pain. A world spiraling out of control. Tendrils reaching for her. Crushing her. No air! Then suddenly, she was free. Her lungs expanded, taking in much needed oxygen with a sigh of relief. Surrounded by warmth and a sense of peace and security, the dream changed. This one Cori didn’t want to wake up from, and she gave herself over to it completely. The man with her was the one she hadn’t even known she’d been waiting for. Xavior. Did she say his name out loud? Call him to her?
His arm lay possessively around her waist. He held her like the most precious thing in the world. His bare leg lay across her own and they both barely wore any clothes. When he pushed his hard core against her bottom, she could do nothing except push back. She continued to rub against him, letting him know how much she welcomed his touch and wanted an even more intimate one. When his hand moved from her stomach up, higher, until he cupped her breast, she groaned.
“Mmm,” he murmured in her ear.
His tongue licked the lobe and she shifted her head on her arm to give him better access. Heat rushed between her legs. She yearned for his touch. Her female core pulsed, coated in moisture, ready for him. His hand moved from circling her nipple back across her flat stomach, past her shaved mound. She raised her leg to guide him where she needed him most, until finally he cupped her core at the same time he thrust his tongue into her ear. Stars flashed behind her closed eyes as his thumb rubbed back and forth across her clit.
Xavior shifted his head, his lips moving to her shoulder then suckling at her neck. Meanwhile, his hand shifted the strip covering her and patted her opening gently, teasing her before moving to her thigh. He straightened his body, raised his hips to take his briefs off, and then removed her underwear.
She frowned, when he moved off her, but then he was back, his body pressed to hers and she stopped thinking. He took her leg and held it over his hip, opening her so his long hard shaft could slide back and forth between her thighs, until it lay in a perfect position. Reaching between their bodies, she grasped his thick flesh to help guide him into her waiting chamber.
He pierced her slowly, fully, completely. Pausing once, he lay nestled deep inside her and her inner muscles quivered, only then he moved.
Cori’s eyes flew open. “Oh God!” Not a dream. The thought flashed through the neurons of her mind. She didn’t know what the hell she’d been doing. She knew she should pull away and put her leg down. Maybe even say something. But he moved his hand to her hip, holding her fast, all the while continuing to take long deep strokes in and out of her.
Xavior, my God! It was Xavior.
Nerve endings took over, directing her body. Her hips rose up to meet him, instead of away. Too late to stop. She clung to the rock in front of her, to anchor the riot of emotions swirling through her, and all the while, he kept driving deeper, binding them together, taking them both under. Yes!
Xavior moved his hand back to her clit and stroked his thumb back and forth over it as his dick worked her. She couldn’t have stopped him. If the world came to an end, this was the way to go. She used her own hand to hold her leg up for him. What started out as a beautiful dream turned into sensual reality. Nature took complete control. She knew who held her and what she was doing. Most of all—she wanted this.
“Come for me,” he whispered, holding her head up, so he could lick her lips before placing his mouth over hers and mating their tongues. He asked as well as commanded. That’s all it took for he
r to shatter. Her body seized in pure bliss.
But he wasn’t done…
Xavior released her lips and withdrew his still-hard dick from inside her. She gave a sharp cry of denial. But he rolled her to her back and covered her completely with his body, crafted from steel. She spread her legs to welcome him. He slid smoothly into her, taking her to the depths of pleasure once again. In his arms, she had no control, no choice but to come apart, not really caring if she might ever be put back together again. His sex filled her, pulsing against her walls, echoing in every cell in her body, building the pressure within. He put her knees up against his chest. He hit her nub with every caress of his sex. His forehead touched hers and he spoke in a voice gruff with need. “Open your eyes. You are not sleeping, neither am I. Yes, that’s it, look at me. Now, Cori, now. Come with me. Make me come!”
She opened her eyes to stare into the depths of an endless sea, and her body shattered against the rocky shores as her lover roared out her name and filled her completely.
Just then, Cori’s consciousness woke up. Never in her life had she experienced such contentment. This must be a dream. Why else would she give herself to a stranger? Yet, Xavior wasn’t a stranger. He eased his weight off her, and she felt the loss of him filling her. Slowly, reluctantly, she focused her eyes and gazed upon a world of wonder. The sky overhead wasn’t a sky at all, but gray and green glowing rocks. While she watched them move around, she concluded they weren’t quite rocks but some sort of glowing worms. As long as they stayed on the ceiling about six feet away from her, and nothing crawled on her, it worked. She hated creepy crawly things.
She felt his body snuggle against her. Glancing down, his muscular arm lay over her slender one, her own tanned hand covered by a much larger, paler masculine one. Her body reacted before thought could even form in her mind. She shifted further into his embrace. When he nuzzled her neck, she moved into the caress. Xavior held her so possessively and she thought about how they’d ended up here. Xavior. After she’d fallen overboard, he’d saved her life. And the ache between her legs confirmed he’d made love to her as no other man ever could.
She turned to face him, ignoring the rocks they lay upon. Placing both hands in front of her, she stretched her fingers open to stroke his chest. A chain rested around his neck. He raised his leg and placed his heavy thigh over hers trapping her to him, possessively, yet she felt no fear, only belonging, and again a sense of familiarity. Beyond what they just shared. “You saved my life.”
“Yes. I did. Do you remember what happened?”
“Yes. I recall falling into the water, and you diving in after me. Kissing me, saving me.” She wanted to add, Making love to me, but held back. Instead, she glanced around and felt the bump on her forehead. “Ow. I think I hit my head.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just a little sore.”
“Good. We also made love. Do you remember that?” He didn’t give her a chance to reply, but leaned forward and captured her mouth with his.
Any pain as well as all other considerations took flight. Being trapped in a cave seemed insignificant compared to his kiss, his touch. In that moment, he again became everything to her. She wrapped her arm around his neck and he drew her closer to his body. His hardness pressed into her and she pulled herself even closer. In one move, she lay on her back, but he kept his leg over hers. All she wanted was to spread her legs and to hold all of his exquisite heat within the cradle of her body. Again.
He pulled his mouth from hers and raised his body, so he could look at her face. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to do this.”
She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You can keep doing it, too.”
He smiled and his eyes lit up like a lightning-infused sky. “Oh, I want to, but this really isn’t the time or the place to linger. Not to mention the rock we’re lying on. We both probably have bruises.” He laughed.
She loved the sound of his joy vibrating against her chest from his.
“But don’t worry,” he continued. “I want you, and I’ll have you again. Soon.”
“Hmm, sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Her stomach rumbled. “Oh—how embarrassing.”
He hugged her to him, kissing her shoulder. Rolling off her, he sat up. Though, he didn’t move far from her side, just pulled his underwear on and so did she, along with her damp top. Then he shifted, lay back down next to her, and raised his hand to trace her features with his fingers.
She couldn’t believe she just had sex with this man, and she dare not think it any more than that, regardless of what he said. It could be all blamed on an adrenaline rush from having escaped death and wanting to celebrate life. What else could it have been? In truth, given half a chance, she’d jump him again. She shook her head. “Why do I feel as though I know you? Like we’ve met before.”
“I feel the same way, and maybe we have.”
“Trust me, I’d remember.” She drew her gaze away from his and glanced around again. “Where are we anyway? This looks like some sort of cave.”
“It is.”
“But—where? We were in the middle of the ocean. Are we on an island? How’d you find this place?”
“I just did. And no—not an island, we got lucky, it’s an underwater cave.”
“Underwater?” She gasped. “But how are we able to breathe?”
“Pockets of oxygen. See the moss along the cave walls?” He pointed.
She could just make out some sort of greenish brownish growth all over the rocks around them.
“They produce oxygen. That’s why the air in here is so clean.”
“Thank God.” She inhaled deeply. “Yeah, you’re right. What are you, some sort of oceanographer?”
“Of sorts.”
Sitting up, she looked over his shoulder at the dark water. She couldn’t see the bottom. They lay upon a wide flat rocky ledge, surrounded by more rocks and a pool of water about five feet wide lay beyond his shoulder. “Ah, how are we going to get out of here? And what happened to the ship?”
“We’ll leave the same way we got here, swim. As far as the ship, I’m not sure. When I dove in after you, I couldn’t get us back on board. The ship had already moved off because of the storm. Since you were unconscious, I was more interested in trying to get you to safety.”
“It’s a miracle you found this place, much less that it even exists.”
“Yes,” he agreed.
She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “How far underwater are we?”
“A mile maybe.”
“What?” she screeched. “How?”
He just grinned.
“There is nothing amusing about this. How on earth were you able to hold your breath to swim so far? How was I?”
“I grew up in the water. I breathe underwater.”
“Well, whatever you did, I’m glad, but there’s no way I can swim back through a mile of water to the surface. I’m not that good a swimmer, nor can I hold my breath for so long. I’m still not even sure how we both made it down here.”
A splash made her look toward the water. “My God, it’s a dolphin. What’s that in its mouth?”
The dolphin swam over to them, its head held high above the water. It stopped at the edge of their ledge. Xavior sat up and moved forward, so he could remove the strap wrapped around the mammal’s mouth. When he took it off, the dolphin dove back under and disappeared.
“What the hell….” Cori glanced over to see Xavior pull on the strap and bring up a large waterproof brown saddlebag. At least she thought it was waterproof, since the water seemed to bead on it instead of soaking through.
He placed it in front of them and opened it. Then he took the things out and placed them on the rock beside her.
Cori stared at them in confusion, speechless for a moment. “It’s like a grocery list of things we need,” she concluded, finding her voice. A waterproof blanket, a couple of bottles of water and two roast bee
f sandwiches wrapped in plastic bags lay spread out before her. “All that’s missing is a change of clothes, a phone and we’d be set.”
Xavior grinned in her direction. He seemed to be enjoying this way too much and didn’t sit right.
“Okay, I give. What’s going on?”
“You fell overboard and I rescued you.” He shrugged. “As soon as you’ve rested a bit, had a little snack and water, and regained some of your strength, we’ll leave.”
She glanced at the water, to where the dolphin disappeared. “Okay, I’ll bite. Tell me what’s going on. How did that dolphin know to come here and who gave it the stuff?”
Instead of answering, he continued to open up the things he’d set out for them.
She frowned, her mind no longer in a sexual haze. “Are you going to answer me or what?”
He raked long fingers through his hair dark hair. “I will, but not just yet. It’s no mystery really. Maybe they just found the stuff? I’ve heard of dolphins saving people from drowning.”
“Yes, but that’s not what this is.” She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “Why are you being so evasive?”
He stopped and stared at her. Taking her hand, he turned the palm up, lifting it to his lips. “Can you do me a favor and trust me for a while? I saved your life. No harm will come to you. I…I promise I will explain.” He picked up one of the sandwiches and offered it to her.
Could she trust him? Something weird was definitely going on, but he did save her life, not to mention made incredible love to her, so surely it must count for something. “Okay, only until we get out of here.” She took his offering. “So, we leave here, go back in the water and somehow make it to the surface, then what?”
Xavior shrugged his massive shoulders…those massive bare, wide, hard-as-the-rocks-they-sat-on shoulders. “Then, we’ll see what we can do to make sure you enjoy your vacation. But first, I would like it if you spent a little time with me, getting to know me. My home’s not far from here.”
Sea Bride- Children of the Waves Page 3