by Lia Davis
I cried out at the feel of him rapidly stretching me. He started moving, slowly at first then increasing his thrusts, each one taking him deeper inside. I scored his back with my nails, not caring if I left scratches, marking him as mine.
"Come," he whispered without releasing my neck.
His words were a command I was happy to obey. My climax pulled me over the edge of bliss. Noah followed with his orgasm.
His breaths came in pants as he let go then watched me behind a desire-drunk gaze. I kissed him. "Love you."
He blinked and stared at me for a moment before smiling. "Love you too." It was the first time either of us had said it.
That was when I felt it. The threads of a mating bond between us. Smiling I framed his face. "Apparently the time is right for the bond to form."
"Apparently." He kissed my lips, let it linger a bit before he kissed my nose. All the while the bond strengthened. "I love feeling you inside me."
"Me too." I let out a gasp as the mating link between grabbed hold and snapped into place.
Lying beside me, he pulled me close, holding me as I drifted off to sleep. Whatever was coming, at least I had them and my family.
Chapter Seven
As soon as I stepped foot onto the sandy beach behind Mom and looked around, my jaw dropped. Freezing in place, Meda and Tala jostled against me as they tried to come through.
"Ami, you know we can't touch the edges of the portal. Move," Tala said testily as she rubbed her arm. She must've gotten close.
"Sorry," I exclaimed, and scampered farther down the beach. They followed, and I glanced back to see their faces were as awestruck as my own.
"Welcome," a voice exclaimed in an exotic accent. "I am here to service your every need." It was difficult to hear him over the sound of the waves.
We turned toward the water to see a man walking from the ocean. His red, scaly skin sparkled in the mid-morning sun.
My sisters and I were supposedly the three rarest creatures on the face of the Earth. We'd met creatures of all shapes and sizes in our lives. The world wasn't only made up of vampires, Lycans, and humans. It was full of fantastical and mystical creatures.
But this guy? He was far beyond anything any of us had ever seen.
"Hello," Meda said hesitantly. Our mates moved forward, putting their bodies slightly in front of our own as our niswi moved toward the red creature.
"I am Delphin," the creature stated. "Your sire has entrusted your comfort and care to me."
He gestured inland, behind us. "We have anticipated many of your coming needs, but as water-dwelling creatures, we may have fallen short. Please do not hesitate to ask for anything you need. It will be provided with the utmost haste."
My parents stepped forward cautiously and introduced themselves. The red man bowed his head. "My people have been given a safe home in this realm. In exchange, we care for your sire when he stays here."
The Collective poured through the portal, filling the beach with shocked vampires, Lycans, and witches. Soon we had a clogged area right in front of the portal.
Meda nodded to Tala and me. "Let's move this along while they talk to Mr. Lizard over there."
"I think it's more like Mr. Fish," Tala murmured.
"What if he's a mermaid?" My world would be complete if mermaids lived in it. "I hope he is."
Tala snorted and held up her arms. "Okay, people, move on down the beach. Make room, now. Lots more people coming through."
We helped people shuffle along the beach until everyone was there. The last of the sentries, charged with bringing up the rear, walked through, and Phenex closed the portal. He eyeballed the strange man speaking to our parents as he joined us. "I counted as they went through. We told everyone to be there by nine, and it took until nine-thirty to get everyone through, so I closed it."
Meda nodded. "It's all we could do." She cocked her head at him. "Can you make a portal small enough to peek through?"
He nodded. "Yes, it's useful for spying."
"Are hellhounds the only creatures that can make these portals?" I asked.
"No, anyone with the power of Hell can," he said. "Including you, once you learn to fully embrace your powers."
I thought I already had learned to fully embrace my powers. "Oh."
The crowd on the beach grew restless. They didn't appreciate being confined to the sand when there was obviously so much to explore inland.
"Hey," I whispered. "We need to hurry them up." I nodded toward our parents and the mermaid. Please be a mermaid.
"Yeah. Come on." Meda turned toward them, and our mates still blocking us from being in the direct sight of the creature they didn't know—or trust. "Oh, move, you overprotective nannies."
Tala snorted and pushed through them, chuckling. "Nannies." Randell raised his eyebrows at her as he watched her walk past him but didn't contradict her.
"Hey, sorry to break up the talk, but the kids are restless," Tala said as she approached our parents.
"Tala, Meda, Ami, this is Delphin. He is the ruler of the merfolk that live in this realm." My cheeks flamed and blood pumped harder as Dad inclined his head to Delphin, so my sisters and I did the same.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said breathlessly. "I'd love to hear more about your people while we're here."
Delphin smiled, and his teeth were all pointed like my fangs. Ouch. "I'll send my daughter to make your acquaintance when you're settled." He returned his gaze to my parents. "I must return to the water. We cannot stay long without suffering consequences. The magic is strong and will hold as long as you need to stay."
Mom thanked him again, and he walked into the sea, disappearing under the waves. "Wow," I whispered. The desire to follow him was strong and didn't abate until I felt a hand on my shoulder.
Noah. I turned and looked up at him. "Yes?"
"You looked like you were going to go for a swim," he said ruefully.
"Don't think I wouldn't have if I thought I could get away with it."
Mom laughed. "I knew as soon as I saw him that we'd have trouble out of you."
"Did you know?" I asked.
She shook her head. "Never imagined such a creature could exist."
"I knew," Dad said. "Why do you think I never told you?"
"Because you would've never seen me again?" I asked and gave him a cheeky grin.
"Exactly. Come on, let's get everyone moving."
He held his hands up and moved toward the crowd. "Where is Sterling? Or Fenton?"
Fenton stood behind Randell. Slightly shorter, he was hidden from view. "What's up?" he asked, walking into Dad's path. "Sterling is helping his parents."
"Can you amplify my voice?"
Fenton put his fingers on Dad's neck. "There. It'll last about two minutes."
"Thanks," Dad said, and the word boomed over us, assaulting our ears and making the people closest to him wince.
"Sorry," he whispered, but the magic still made the whisper unbearably loud, even with the sound of the water.
Mom turned him away from us. "Fenton, have you ever done that before?" she asked.
Fenton's eyes widened. "No."
Randell's gleeful face made us all chuckle as he teased his friend. Mate? Did our guys call each other mate? It was a question for a calmer moment. "I think you overdid it, brother," Randell said through his chuckles.
"Try to speak softly," Mom murmured to Dad. "Or you'll overwhelm their sensitive hearing."
"Hello, all," Dad said in a hushed tone. If anyone waited on us on the other side of the—apparently huge—island, they knew we were here now.
"Sorry about the volume," he continued, shooting Fenton a glare. Fenton shrugged.
"There are merfolk here, and they're friendly. They have strong magic. They've worked at my father's orders to make this place as inviting and comfortable as possible. To the left," Dad said and pointed inland toward three large buildings. "You'll find what amounts to hotels. We don't have staff or help, but you'll find
clothes downstairs that change size to fit their owner. There is plenty of food in the kitchens that won't run out no matter how much we cook. He did say it's mostly seafood and fruits grown on the island. Vampires, we will set up a donation schedule between the Lycans and witches."
A few faces darkened at the idea of sharing blood, but we'd end up with enough volunteers, mainly from the younger Collective members. My mom leaned over and whispered something to Randell, but with the sound of the water and murmurs of the crowd, I didn't catch it. He tapped Harper on the shoulder, and they walked toward the hotels.
"To the right should service our entertainment and training needs. He mentioned pools, golf, and other sports options, as well as an advanced training facility. We will be setting up a training schedule for every able-bodied Collective member. Which is nearly all of you, so be prepared. In a war against Hell, we must all prepare."
Most of the crowd nodded, looking angry and ready to fight. I was glad to see they were willing to stand up for themselves. "If anyone needs anything, find a sentry and explain. We will do whatever we can to provide for your every need and most of the wants as well."
He moved his arms in a waving motion. "Go find your rooms and settle in."
The crowd turned toward the paths leading away from the beach and hurried inland. "They seem excited," I said.
"They're safe here, most of them have their entire family here. Nothing else to do but try to enjoy it," Papa said. "Hell, I'm a little excited myself. When was the last time we went on a vacation?"
Tala snorted. "I think we were thirteen."
"Exactly. We have a lot of work to do, preparing for whatever Trinity is going to throw at us, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the setting." Paw shook his head. "At least, they can. We have strategies to plan and you girls have magic to learn."
My shoulders sank. It had been easy to push it to the back of my mind and focus on the beauty of the island. But all it meant was that we'd be working in a different setting. The work still had to be done.
When the last of the crowd went up the paths, we followed. Meda, Tala, and I went first, followed by our parents, our younger brothers and sisters, who had returned from traveling with Grandpa and Grandma, then all our mates and sentries.
Without warning, Tala jumped and laughed.
"What?" I asked.
"Randell popped into my head without warning and it startled me," she said between chuckles. "Now he's teasing me about it." She didn't speak for a moment. "There, I told him what would happen if it didn't stop." Meda and I laughed with her, knowing exactly what she meant.
Turning her head over her shoulder to look back at the rest of our crowd, she said, "Randell said we're on the top floor in the far-right building."
At the next path split, we went right, toward the innermost hotel. "Is that why they left?" I asked.
"Yes, I asked them to go find us appropriate rooms that could be defended," Mom said.
"You think we'll need defense here?" I asked, worry lining my stomach.
"I think we, and especially you three, need defense everywhere." She stepped forward and squeezed my shoulder. "Sorry, baby. It came with the crown."
I'd never wear that crown. Why did it have to apply to me?
Even as I thought it, I felt bad. I'd never leave Meda to fight alone. Or Tala.
"How much power did it take to make this place?" Meda asked.
Fenton, bringing up the rear with our other mates and sentries, stepped forward. "The realm itself would've taken a considerable amount."
"He did that years ago," Dad said.
"Then all this stuff on it? Not so much, especially if the merfolk helped." Fenton straightened his glasses. "It's a matter of conjuring."
We stepped off the path and onto a boardwalk. The crowd was already spread all over the place. Some still worked their way into the hotels, but others had opted to go check out the amenities first. Just from our vantage point, I saw an arcade, what looked like unmanned food stands, and shops full of clothes to our far right. Closer to the right several pools sat waiting for occupants. Slides, swings, and all manner of fun pool toys waited on the kids.
"I wonder if any homeowners are waking up this morning and wondering where in the hell their pools went?" I asked.
My family all laughed. "That's an awkward call to the insurance company," Fenton said.
"What's an insurance company?" Tala asked. Fenton gave her a blank stare. I knew what it was thanks to the human books I loved to read. "I'll tell you later," he promised. "Let's go put our stuff up." We headed toward the hotel, passing Collective members as they hurried back out of the building.
"I guess they already put their stuff in their rooms and want to play," I said with a chuckle as a tiny vampire girl pulled her intimidating-looking father toward the shops. "Come on, Daddy, I want to look for a princess dress."
He nodded his head as she dragged him past us.
The niswi chuckled as they saw his plight. Dad patted the man's shoulder as he went by. "It doesn't get any easier, my friend."
"Hey," Tala said. "We're a friggin' delight."
The niswi laughed harder.
"What's so funny?" Meda asked in mock outrage. "We weren't difficult."
I stayed silent, enjoying the sight of our niswi clutching each other in their laughter. There wasn't much to laugh about at the moment. They needed it. Mom rolled her eyes. "Girls, go ahead and get settled. I'll get these buffoons moving."
We flipped our hair in unison, a move we'd practiced over the years. Our mates detached themselves from the crowd and joined us.
The outside of the hotel was fairly plain, a large blond-brick square. The inside was another story entirely. Fountains in the lobby welcomed us into the building we'd be staying in for the foreseeable future. A sign past the fountains gave directions. The kitchens were on the main level. Each floor had several suites of rooms. A wardrobe room was also on this floor, as well as a library.
Oh, a library. I know where I want to go.
"Well, I guess we'll lose Ami soon," Meda said, pointing at the word library on the sign.
"I'll try to resist," I said softly. Noah put his arm around me. "No need to resist. Let's get settled, and I'll go to the library with you happily."
Tala and her guys were already headed to the stairs, so we followed.
Our rooms were perfect. Big windows gave a great view of the ocean. Randell and Harper found us the largest suite, so they said. It had bedrooms for the three of us and connected to another suite with rooms for Mom and the niswi, Grandpa Graham and Grandma Sissy, and our younger brother and sister. I needed to spend some time with them. They'd traveled with our grandparents all summer and we'd barely seen them.
"Come on," Harper said. "I snagged us a room with a balcony." She tugged me through the large bedroom and past the bathroom door. I peered in to see a giant tub. Nice.
The balcony wasn't large, but she couldn't wait to show me. "I keep picturing you out here with a book, snuggled in one of the big, soft blankets from the bed."
I looked back to see the two enormous beds were made up with a quilt, then draped at the end two fuzzy throw blankets. "It sounds amazing," I said, pulling her toward me. She wrapped her arms around me, and we looked at the ocean.
"At least we're safe here." She kissed the top of my head. "That's what matters."
Chapter Eight
No matter how safe we all felt, we couldn't hide in the paradise island realm forever. I rested my head on Harper's shoulder and looked out over the beach. "It's beautiful." The crashing waves called to me. They must've been unbearable to Tala.
Harper nodded. "It is."
I took her hand and tugged her toward the door, unable to contain my excitement much longer. Besides, I needed something to think about other than the war against Trinity. When we stepped into the living room area of our suite, I found Noah with his head stuck in the refrigerator. "Noah, let's go explore."
Instantly he stood by m
y side. Smiling, I led my mates to the main floor of the hotel. As much as I wanted to get lost in that amazing library, I wanted to see the island a bit and pretend for a few moments that a psycho bitch didn't want to kill us all. And that I wasn't missing a huge part of myself.
When I stepped outside a breeze swirled around me. I inhaled and closed my eyes as a longing in my chest made me ache. Although I felt the air kissing my skin, I couldn't connect with it. Sadness filled me. Both Harper and Noah felt it and wrapped an arm around me. We were bonded now and could feel each other's emotions. They knew I was missing my air.
Harper kissed my cheek. "We'll find a way to break the curse and get your elements back."
I nodded and leaned into her. Noah cupped my face. "I bet Phenex is working on that now."
"He is." I knew Phenex was because—even though he didn't show it—he was pissed that Trinity was able to take my sisters' and my elements in the first place. "Come on. Let's go explore."
We met up with many of the Collective families and chatted with them while watching the kids play. As one of the Collective princesses, it was my duty to know my people. Normally, I was the one who liked to hide out with a book. Large crowds made me nervous. However, right then my people needed everyone in my family and the sentries to be visible and willing to help without hesitation.
Of course, I never saw Meda or Tala walking around, helping the people acclimate to their temporary home.
By the time Harper, Noah, and I made it back to the hotel, I was peopled out.
My mates noticed, of course, and directed me to the library. I lost myself in the fantasy section, stacking book after book in a pile to take back to my room until I felt his presence. Glancing up from a book, I locked eyes with Gino. He raked his gaze over me and darn if it didn't feel like a physical caress.
I suppressed my shudder as he stalked toward me. His sensual lips slowly lifted into a wicked smile.