The Siren's Bride

by Helen Scott

  “You sure?” He rasped the question out. This wasn’t a position they did very often, and he didn’t want to misinterpret what she wanted.

  “Do I look sure?” She looked over her shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow as she wiggled her butt even more.

  “Yeah”—he gulped—“you do.” Alec moved forward and rested the tip of his cock against her opening. He always found this position a little overwhelming, just the visuals with the sensations—it was almost too much.

  Before he had a chance to move into her, she backed herself up onto him, her butt smacking against his hips with the force of it, and the moan that escaped her let him know that this really was what she wanted. Ellie wasn’t in the mood for sweet and gentle. Alec gripped her hips and slowly pulled out before sinking into her again, hard. He pulled out slowly, feeling each inch of her tight pussy before slamming into her again. Each time he did so, she cried out, and before long, she was moving with him so they were crashing into each other like waves in the ocean.

  If he kept this pace up, he wouldn’t last, so he slowed, reaching around to cup Ellie’s breasts, pinching her nipples between his thumb and finger. She gasped and panted with each movement, her body sticky with sweat as they began to move together once more. He sat up straight, brushing her hair to one side so he could see the beautiful tattoo on her back. He leaned to the side and lightly spanked her butt. She gasped, startled by the action. It wasn’t the first time, but it wasn’t something he regularly did during sex. Before, after, and randomly throughout the day, sure, but during sex was different.

  “Harder,” she whispered.

  He wasn’t sure whether she meant his movements or the spanking, so he tried both, smacking her ass hard enough that it left a slight tingle on his hand while he rhythmically thrust into her and watched her butt bounce against his hips. He was getting close, but he wanted Ellie to come with him. So, he reached around and began circling her clit in time with his thrusts.

  It took some coordination, but that was one of the benefits of having supernatural abilities—things like balance, strength, and speed were all enhanced. Alec used all those talents, his fingers circling her faster than her own could, while his hips pumped in and out of her at a rapid pace. Her gasps turned into moans, and he was sure that he would be able to bring them both to orgasm.

  He felt her tighten, and she moved from putting weight on her hands and knees to her elbows and knees. They had learned the hard way that when she had an orgasm and they were in that position, the energy would burn through the sheets and the mattress. The change in angle only heightened the sensation for him as he felt his cock rubbing on one of the walls of her vagina. Ellie crossed her arms in front of her so each hand faced outward. Now that she was settled, he resumed his attentions in earnest. Her body tightly clenched around his before her back arched involuntarily and a guttural cry escaped her. He could feel her muscles tightening around him as the orgasm took over, lightning flying from her fingertips as he reached his own release.

  Alec gripped her hips tightly as he plunged into her once more and let his own orgasm overwhelm him. He growled her name as he held them locked together while his cock spasmed inside her, flooding her with the evidence of their lovemaking. He pulled out slightly before thrusting into her again as another wave of the orgasm hit him, leaving him a little lightheaded and gasping for breath.

  Finally, when they were both done twitching from their orgasms, he gently pulled out and rolled off her to his side of the bed.

  Ellie collapsed and rolled onto her back, breathing heavily. “That was brilliant.”

  “Very glad you think so,” Alec said, his voice a low growl.

  “Aye, I do.” She smiled sleepily then and rolled toward him.

  He extended an arm, welcoming his love to use his body as a pillow, which was exactly what she did. Contentment washed through him. Even if there was some distance between them occasionally, they always found their way back to each other. Alec stroked her hair, her chestnut locks sliding between his fingers like satin. He sighed deeply and resolved that the next day, he would completely crush the wall that had been between them until a moment ago. Ellie would tell him what was going on, even if he had to beg her to do it. Once he knew, then they could work on it and fix whatever was broken between them.

  Alec’s strong hands pulled on Ellie’s hips as she woke. They must have fallen asleep after their lovemaking that afternoon. The sheets were tangled around her ankles, and one leg trapped her. His rough fingers dug in as he pulled her tightly against him. She breathed deeply, inhaling the most comforting scent in the world, that of her soulmate. The spicy, salty scent of him wrapped itself around her heart, and she sighed in contentment.

  Ellie’s eyes flickered open, and she glanced over her shoulder, taking in the astonishingly handsome man lying behind her. Hooded blue eyes watched her, and the stubble on his face scratched at her neck as he leaned in and started trailing kisses up to her ear.

  “Alec . . .” She sighed in contentment.

  “Hello, love,” he growled before nipping her ear.

  His fingers wandered up to her breasts as he toyed with her sleep-laden body. Desire flamed to life as he rolled one of her nipples between his fingers. Ellie gasped at the sensation before wiggling her hips against him.

  Alec’s hand traveled down her stomach and skimmed the delicate skin of her core, sending little jolts of pleasure through her. A tightening sensation began low in her as her body prepared itself for him.

  The sound of glass shattering pierced their quiet home as something crashed in the kitchen. They both froze. Adrenaline pumped through Ellie’s system, and she waited for one of the brothers to call out to them.

  No sound came.

  Alec’s eyes darted around the room, motioning for her to stay there as he hurriedly pulled on the jeans and T-shirt that he had torn off and scattered around the bed. While she knew that he wanted to keep her safe, Ellie was no wallflower—at least, not anymore—and she could defend herself. The main question rolling around in her head was, how did someone get on the island? It was warded from magic and humans, and now, thanks to Robin, it had some fancy new tech that monitored its shores. No one, except the brothers, knew where it was. A few people could get there, but they were all family members and all of them would have announced themselves, probably making some crude joke about her and Alec not being able to leave each other alone.

  As Ellie pulled on her leggings and a T-shirt, she caught him scowling at her. She grinned and made an energy ball in her hands, the bluish-white light illuminating her face as she stood in front of the window. He smiled and shook his head, knowing she wouldn’t back down. He raised a finger to his lips, as though she needed to be told to be quiet, before they descended toward the kitchen.

  A stair creaked as they moved, and they both froze. When no other sounds came from the kitchen, they continued. They passed through the living room and edged slowly to the opening that led to the kitchen. Ellie’s heart stuttered in her chest as her eyes took in the scene.

  The Morrigan was sitting at the kitchen table.

  Sitting was a strong word; it was more like she was passed out. The goddess was slumped over, with her head resting on her arms. The shattered glass had come from the back door. Tapa, Ellie’s horse, stood on the other side of the mess, shaking his head and whinnying at her.

  “Easy, lad, everythin’s okay,” she cooed as she moved around the table toward him, trying to avoid the glass on the floor.

  The Morrigan and Brigid had given Tapa to Ellie to bring her home to Alec from Tír na nÓg. She’d loved him from the moment she’d set eyes on him. His tan and blond coat had shone in the sunlight against the green hills of the fae realm. She’d been taken there to heal from a mortal injury. The healing spring could only do so much, though, and now she was stuck wearing a necklace that kept her connected to the realm, and Tapa, for the rest of her life, or her injuries would return.

  The war goddess di
dn’t stir as she passed, which made Ellie’s stomach fill with dread. When she touched Tapa, the silence broke and the Morrigan gasped, bolting upright in her chair. Her eyes fixed first on Alec and then on Ellie, but they seemed dazed, as if she was confused as to where she was.

  “I’m calling in your debt,” she breathed. For a moment, she just stared at Ellie. Slowly, her eyes cleared as she sat straighter in her chair, her royal posture returning. “Three young fae have gone missing since they ventured into your realm. You are going to find them.”

  Ellie dropped into a curtsy, bowing her head. “My lady.”

  Alec dipped his head, too, and gave the same greeting.

  “Ellie, Alec.” She nodded at each of them. “I apologize for your door, but your wards were not pleasant for me to pass through, and I did not have the energy left to move as I normally would.”

  “There is nothing to apologize for. A door can be replaced.”

  “Tapa brought me here. You’ve been taking good care of him.” A brief smile touched the Morrigan’s lips before fading into concern. “The missing fae were inexperienced in the ways of your realm. Two of them had escorted your friend Robin home. The third made the trip to your realm by herself. I warned them not to stay long and to stay out of sight while they were here, but, as youngsters are known to do, they disobeyed. They have not been seen for days, which, given the time difference, means weeks or a month over here, I’m not sure. We have tried multiple ways of tracking them, only to hit dead ends at every turn.”

  “It would be our honor to help you.” Alec bowed his head once more.

  “Can I get you anything?” Ellie asked. She knew the trip from Tír na nÓg was draining, having made it herself.

  “Do you have any of those treats that are black and white and sweet?” Her eyes flashed to Ellie, and the war goddess looked much younger than she was for a moment.

  “I think I know what you mean.” She opened a cupboard and pulled the blue crinkly bag down, setting some of the cookies on a plate before putting them on the table with a glass of milk and a glass of water. The queen of the fae sitting at her kitchen table slightly jarred Ellie.

  “So, tell me about your missing fae,” Alec said, inhaling a cookie in two bites while looking expectantly at the Morrigan, who delicately nibbled at her own.

  “They are young by our standards, not so much by yours, but they have only been to the mortal realm a handful of times, and each of those was with an older, more experienced fae, until this last time. Two young women and one young man in total. Although we are discouraging the other young fae from visiting your realm, they will do as they please. If more go missing, I may have to decide to close the passage to the mortal realm completely, at least until we feel it is safe once more.”

  “Will that harm Ellie?” Alec asked immediately.

  The Morrigan looked at him with concern clouding her features. “I don’t know. We’ve never had someone connected to Tír na nÓg who would want to stay on the outside before.”

  “What are their names?” Ellie asked, concern filling her.

  “Aoife, Bran, and Granuaile.”

  “I dropped Bran in New York City a week or so ago to meet up with Aoife after he’d seen what he wanted to of Florida.”

  “Foolish fae,” the Morrigan muttered under her breath before continuing. “While it doesn’t surprise me, it was something I discouraged them from doing, but the younger generations are fascinated by your realm and how quickly it changes. The bright colors, the crowds, it is all foreign to them, so they are drawn to it, even though it can never be something they take part in. When fae come to your realm, I generally discourage them from going to big cities. They are too different from our own lives, and being around so much iron isn’t healthy.”

  Alec bowed. “Forgive me, my lady. I was unaware of your warning. If I had known, I wouldn’t have transported him there.”

  “Do not fret, siren. It is not your mistake. Merely my own for allowing them to leave at all, knowing that their curiosity would get the better of them.”

  “Well, if we ken where they were, can’t we track them?” Ellie asked, feeling silly for wondering the obvious.

  “No, I don’t have anything of theirs to begin with. Also, the simple fact that they are fae makes them infinitely harder to track.”

  “Oh.” No wonder she hadn’t started with that.

  “Let me get in touch with my brothers. They may have some ideas on how to circumvent this.” Alec pulled out his phone and tapped away on the screen as he sent a quick text.

  Ellie’s stomach turned. How the hell was she going to repay the Morrigan if they couldn’t find these missing fae?

  Chapter 3

  The elaborate three-paneled mirror seemed to be mocking her as Ellie stood in the dressing room, staring at herself in disgust. When Aster had swung by to pick her up for her appointment at a bridal store, Ellie had tried to back out. There were missing fae, and a goddess resting in her living room; both of whom were more important than dress shopping. It didn’t help that she hadn’t been looking forward to it. Something about the idea of stuffing herself into dresses too small and expensive for her just didn’t appeal.

  Months ago, when Aster had mentioned that she knew a girl who worked in a prestigious bridal salon, Ellie had agreed, thinking she’d find her dress before then, or at least have started the wedding planning process. But the day had rolled around, and instead of feeling like she was closer to the day she would become Alec’s wife, she felt further away than ever.

  She’d never been the type of girl who’d dreamed of her wedding day growing up, so she had no idea what she was doing. She’d only attended a couple friends’ weddings; both of which were not her style at all, not that she knew what was, and those friends had promptly disappeared after their weddings, settling into their happily married lives. The idea of a wedding was great. The practicality of it? Not so much. The one question that kept swimming around in her head was why? Why was she doing this? Why did Alec want a wedding?

  Before she could get too wrapped up in her thoughts, a shuffle of feet sounded behind the door, followed by a light knock.

  “How’re you doing in there, Ellie?” the sales associate’s voice cooed. She was clearly used to brides who were ecstatic to be getting married, and her level of enthusiasm and general peppiness turned Ellie off.

  “I think I’ve got it on, but I need ye to zip me up.”

  “I’m coming in!” she announced cheerily.

  Ellie glanced at the sleek silver name badge pinned to her black ensemble. Linda. She didn’t know why she couldn’t seem to remember the woman’s name, but it was like sand slipping through her fingers every time she tried to remember it.

  Linda’s icy fingers tugged the dress tight around her breasts before clipping it to her bra and sliding the zipper up just over her bum. She wasn’t usually one to feel ashamed of her body, but trying to fit in dresses clearly designed for someone with no more than a B cup or no larger than a size six was wearing on her.

  The door opened, and Linda ushered her out onto the small raised platform surrounded by mirrors. Aster, Cin, and Robin ooh’d and ahhh’d over the dress, but Ellie could see the discomfort and embarrassment in her own eyes. She tried to look at the dress objectively, she really did, but all she could see when she looked in the mirror was every flaw the unforgiving sheen on the satin highlighted. She felt worse in this one than she had in the other ones she’d tried on. There had been a backless disaster, a flapper-style dress, and a plain white one, which was so clingy, it had made her look like an overstuffed sausage, among others.

  “I don’t like it.” She said the words slowly and in the best American accent she could, because she couldn’t take the sales associate beaming at her and squealing at her Scots accent one more time.

  “Okay, that’s no problem, shug. We’ll get ya into something you’ll love by the end of the day. I guarantee it. Let me go grab some more options. I’ll be right back.” A
s Linda spoke, Ellie could see the white piece of gum moving around her mouth, and it made her nauseous.

  She wanted to throw the sparkly tiara displayed on a nearby shelf at the woman’s head as she walked away. Why was this so difficult?

  All three women looked at her with expressions ranging from pity to disappointment, and she didn’t know what to do to fix it.

  “Do you like anything about it?” Aster asked, standing up and fluffing the skirt out as much as she could. The sleek material didn’t budge, and the petite blonde glared at it for its disobedience, making Ellie smile. Her friend’s baby bump was starting to show, and it was like her mom genes had kicked in already. “What about the silhouette?”

  “I feel like all you can see is my chub,” Ellie said quietly, covering her stomach with her hand.

  “No!” Cin and Robin both exclaimed from her right side, before Cin added, “You look elegant.”

  “What about a bigger skirt that fluffs out more?” Aster’s amber eyes pierced hers in the mirror as the younger woman looked over her shoulder.

  It was almost funny how seriously she was taking this whole thing, but then again, she knew how difficult this place was to get into for a one-hour appointment, and since they had booked multiple appointments, Ellie could only imagine what kind of haggling had gone into it. Aster had asked her before she booked it if Ellie had any idea what kind of dress she would like, and after being on the end of her blank stare, she had patted Ellie’s shoulder and told her not to worry about it.

  “Maybe . . .” Ellie paused. “Maybe something with some lace or something to it. These plain ones just make me feel sad.”

  “That we can work with,” Aster said, her eyes sparkling in the lights.

  “Can you unzip me?”

  She smiled and nodded. “Want the clips off too?”

  “Please.”

  After the plastic that had been digging into her back was withdrawn, Ellie hitched the fabric up and walked back into the room, softly shutting the door behind her. She took a deep breath, only to be greeted by the smell of the plastic bags the dresses were kept in, some kind of scented cleaner, and an undertone of sweat. Letting go of the material, Ellie watched as it drifted to her feet, pooling on the floor—at least, as much as it could before she stepped out of it and slipped her complimentary robe on. The fabric was a thin cream satin and cool against her skin as she picked the failure of a dress up off the floor and put it back on the hanger.