Echoes of the Tide (Deep Waters #3)

Chapter 35

CHAPTER 35

H e had so much he wanted to say to her. But first, he had to do what his brothers had advised. The mating needs were riding him too hard, and right now, he needed to focus on fulfilling all the parts of himself that he had been denying.

He’d already stolen her. Brought her to the peak of desire. He’d fed her, made sure that she was well and safe and whole, but he had yet to find her a treasure that would show her just how much of a provider he was. What he needed was proof that he was better than all the others. Proof that he was the only one she should consider as her mate.

Such a task would make him feel better. Then he could know that he had done all that he could. After that, it was her choice to measure him and to decide if he was a valuable enough male or if she would choose another.

He hoped she would choose him. Forever. Even his people stayed mates if the male had survived the coupling. He’d never wanted to know what that was like, but now? Now he did. Now he had found a soft place to rest, and he wanted to dive so far into her body that neither of them knew where the other began.

“Maketes?” Ace asked, affixing his tentacle to her neck. “Where are you taking me?”

He’d already zipped away from the pod, just now realizing that he hadn’t made sure she could breathe before he was carrying her off into the sea.

“Sorry,” he muttered, running his finger over the gooey seal where his tentacle now pierced her skin. “I should have thought to do this first.”

She smiled up at him. “It’s all right. I know where it goes.”

By all the gods, she was just the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. With those lovely round cheeks and a face that lit up his entire world, she was the sun in his entire world. She was his guiding light, and as he swam her through the sea and toward the surface, he hoped to show her the sun once more.

But as they got closer, he could see that a storm had already reached them. White foam sprayed even underneath the surface, the waves inverting on themselves and churning air into the water. There was nowhere above he could bring her that would be safe for them to talk, which was a shame.

If he was going to give her a gift, he wanted her to see it in the light of the sun.

“I’d thought to bring you to the surface,” he muttered. “But I think that’s going to be hard to do today.”

“That’s all right.” She rested her hand against his chest, her fingers spreading over his hearts. “Would you take me to a cave again? I’d like to just talk.”

Right, a cave. She’d said she wanted to talk before, and he hadn’t thought much of it. Fine. If she wanted to talk, then he would give her the conversation of her life. After finding her a gift. After begging her to tell him that she wanted something, anything, in the ocean. He would spend months of his life finding it if she would just tell him a single thing that she actually wanted.

He knew a cave nearby. It was very close to the surface, but he didn’t think the storm would affect it too much. The waves might be a little higher, but there should be plenty of room for her to sit. Plus, the entire thing was coated in glow worms.

Zipping through the sea, he brought her to the entrance and wiggled his way in. Ace wrapped herself around him like they’d done this a thousand times. When in reality, he supposed it was only a few times in her own towers.

Strange how long ago that felt.

Once inside, he popped up to the surface and expelled all the water through his gills. Sealing them, he took a deep breath for her to make sure that the air wasn’t stagnant. But this close to the surface, the air was always much cleaner than some of the other caverns. Satisfied, he brought her to the edge and lifted her up onto the edge of the rock.

“Cold?” he asked, when he saw those goosebumps pop up on her arms.

She shrugged. “A little. But it’s not too bad in here.”

He could offer her something to warm her. Perhaps that would be a good gift. But the only things that would warm her would get wet on the way into this cave. A wet blanket wouldn’t warm her…

Her hand reached out and curved around his jaw. “Maketes, I’m fine.”

“I just want you to be comfortable.”

And happy.

He wanted her to feel the joy he had named her after. She deserved that more than anyone else he’d ever met.

“I’m comfortable,” she said with a laugh, drawing him closer to her.

And then he really looked. Just stared at all the golden light haloing around her head from the glow worms attached to the ceiling. The glimmering green from the water around him turned her skin paler than normal, an unusual shade that only made those brown eyes of hers look even more stunning. She was smiling down at him, her gaze softened with an emotion he couldn’t name but one that echoed deep inside of him.

He couldn’t stop himself. He circled her hips with his arms, staring up at her like she’d hung the sun.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said quietly. “Beyond what I ever expected when we first started talking.”

That smile turned even brighter. “You say the sweetest things.”

“I mean every word.”

“I can tell.” Her fingers toyed with the gills at the side of his face, watching them fan out and flutter for her. “I think... No, that’s not the way to start it. I don’t think. I am nervous that what we’re doing is going to change our lives, and I want to make sure that nothing changes between us.”

He wasn’t following. “Why would anything change between us?” Then he held up his finger for her silence. “Wait, unless you mean because you’ll be living here now and your things aren’t here yet? I’ll figure that out. We have our ways to get into the cities, obviously. You just tell me where you used to live.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Ah, it’s probably because there are other males of my kind here. The People of Water are very welcoming, and you are unmated. There will be many males vying for your attention.” All his gills snapped back against his face and he glared at some imagined male behind her. “You are not to entice them with your curves or your smiles.”

“Maketes.”

“What? I am allowed to request that you not look at other males. You’re too pretty and they are too stupid for you.” He nodded. “That’s exactly the reason. The People of Water are good at many things, but I do not think there are any males that are a good match for you.”

Other than him. Which was where he was trying to go with this, but now he’d made it sound like none of them would be a worthy match for her beauty. Had he talked himself into a corner?

“Maketes,” she said with a laugh, gripping his head and making him look at her. “I don’t want anyone but you.”

She was squeezing his cheeks, so his words were garbled as he said, “That’s good news.”

“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. I want you. Only you. The idea of being with anyone else drives me crazy, and I know that no one will ever compare.” She drew him even closer, her breath fanning over his lips. “I think I’m in love with you, you crazy undine.”

She was still holding him a little too tightly, but that didn’t matter. Because the moment she said she might love him, all of his lights flared brighter in the room. Everything inside him felt lighter. Better.

“You think?” he asked.

Her hands slid from his cheeks down to the gills on his neck. A bright red stained her cheeks as she replied, “I’m pretty sure.”

“That’s good, because I know I’m madly in love with you. I have been since that first moment I saw you jump into the water with me. From the moment I saw you face your fears and challenge the world head on. I was in love with you before we even said a single word to each other, and now having you beside me is my reason for breath. I didn’t know I could need someone the way I need you, but now my need is endless.”

“Stop talking,” she whispered.

“I don’t want to stop talking. I want to tell you a thousand more ways of how I love you. I only said it once so far, Ace. There are many more ways I could tell you. For example?—”

She kissed him, and all the thoughts fled out of his head.

Those lips against his were the softest things he’d ever touched. He loved it when she did this. He loved kissing her and feeling her little inhalations when he surged forward so their chests were pressed against each other. He loved holding her, feeling her tiny hands pressing against both of his hearts that beat only for her.

He loved it even more when she made those little noises in the back of her throat. The little moans that filled the entire cave with the sound of her pleasure. The sounds that made him see stars and want to feast upon every part of her body. All of it and more was what he loved about her.

She was a fantasy come to life. Better than any dream he could have dreamt up with his own mind.

“I meant every word,” he said against her lips, urging her backward until she was leaning against a stone. “I do love you.”

“I know you do, Maketes. Because I love you, too.”

“Fuck,” he groaned, tilting his head back slightly before looking back at her.

By the gods, she was perfect. Those blush stained cheeks. Her lips were already red and swollen from his sharp teeth and little nips he couldn’t stop giving her. She was breathing hard, those perfect breasts heaving with every single breath.

Spread out in front of him like this, she was a feast for the senses. Just the scent of her, that sunshine touched skin, drove him wild. But hearing her? Seeing her like this? All it made him want was to know what she tasted like right now. He wanted her desire to coat his tongue, and then he wanted to never leave that taste behind. He wanted her with him forever, every moment he dove into the water and every moment he was parted from her.

“Maketes?” she whispered.

“Yes, kefi?”

“I don’t want to stop this time. I want to know what it feels like to have you inside me. I know that maybe that’s rushing things, but...” Those cheeks burned even darker. “I want this to be forever, you know? Why not now?”

He blinked a few times, the words sinking in before he blurted out, “But I haven’t brought you a gift yet.”

Fuck, he hadn’t. He was so stupid! He should have found one before bringing her here, because he was going about this all wrong. She needed a treasure. That was how it worked.

Kidnap, feed, treasures. It was always the same for every male and every pairing. If he didn’t do all that, then would the sea even bless their union? He might bring about an age of storms underneath the sea if he did all of it wrong.

And he wanted this to be real. So badly. He wanted every ounce of her need and desire and want to be for him because he’d earned it. She deserved that much from him.

But she was looking up at him with a grin on her face that was so wicked it gave him pause.

She didn’t usually look like that.

At least... Not without good reason. She’d looked at him like that when she’d sucked on his cocks and just the memory made him harder than he’d ever been in his life.

“What?” he finally asked. “What is that look for?”

“What look?”

“That look on your face that you usually only get right before you’re about to do something mischievous.” He leaned closer to her, nipping at her chin in the hopes to get her to talk. “What is on that beautiful mind of yours? Quickly, because I need to go find you a treasure that will convince you to say with me forever.”

“I have a treasure in mind,” she said, those talented fingers dancing down his chest. “And it’s one that you don’t have to leave to give me.”

That... wasn’t possible. Treasures had to be found. That was why they were treasures. A simple rock wouldn’t do. If it was that easy to just grab whatever was nearby, then people would be mated all the time. But it wasn’t that easy. It wasn’t meant to be that easy.

But he couldn’t focus all that well when her fingers were now at his stomach, toying with the grooves between his abs. “The treasure I’m thinking of is something only you have.”

His breathing grew ragged. He was trying his best to remember he knew how to talk, but her fingers were at the edges of his scales now. “Do you want one of my gold scales? I can rip them off for you, but they grow back. I don’t think they’re worth all that much, either. It’s not a treasure.”

She waited for him to stop babbling before her fingers played over the largest scale that hid his cocks. She knew exactly where they were now, it seemed. Clever girl.

“No, Maketes. These. I want these as my gift.”

These?

What were these?

He stared down at her, hoping his expression wasn’t one of pure panic. He didn’t know what she wanted and he could only pray that she would tell him soon, because he felt like he was falling apart at the seams.

A soft laugh escaped her, and then her fingers were toying with the seam that held him away from her.

She wrapped an arm around his neck and jerked him closer to her. Then she whispered in his ear, “Give me your cocks as a gift, undine. I want to feel them both inside of me.”

By the sea, she always made him see stars.