Page 107 of Ensnaring the Siren

A week passed, then two, before his siren returned to shore. Her grief was still there, and always would be, but her smiles came a little quicker and her laughter a little fuller. Not forgetting but moving forward.

Tucked behind him on his motorcycle, Reid brought Nireed to his favorite stretch of woods at twilight, the star-encrusted sky chasing away the last remnants of sunset. Where forest opened to the bay beyond, the ocean’s glassy surface sparkled in the fading light. There was something he wanted to show her. Two somethings, but he was saving the second for later.

Beneath her helmet’s face shield, she wore a black silk blindfold, to help him time the reveal just right, but if he was being perfectly honest with himself, he loved seeing her wrapped in silk. Pressed up against his back with her arms hugged around his waist, Nireed nuzzled into him, using him for warmth and stability. God, it was one of his favorite ways to feel her.

I love you.

Ever since The Seriphus, those three little words were a ball of fire in his chest, but he wanted the moment to be right when he told her. Someplace quiet, calm, and just the two of them. Nowhere poisoned by Nautic’s evil touch.

His stomach was a fluttery mess of excitement and adrenaline when he parked his motorcycle in the empty grove and shut off the engine. So much so that his hands shook when he gently lifted the helmet from her head and withdrew the plugs from her ears. Taking her by the hand, he led her to the picnic table, seating her at the bench that faced both forest and water.

He climbed up behind her, sitting on top of the table so that she sat wedged between his knees. Smoothing his fingers over the silk and lightly brushing her skin, he asked softly, “You ready, Starfish?”

She nodded eagerly, vibrating with excited energy.

Tugging the tie loose, Reid slipped the blindfold from around her eyes.

Fireflies flitted in and out in between the trees, their flashing amber bodies dotting the approaching night in an ever-shifting constellation. The bioluminescence of his world.

She gasped, clawed hands clasping over her mouth. As she watched, he enfolded her in his arms, resting his chin on top of her head.

I love you.

But he didn’t say it. Didn’t want to interrupt.

When she twisted around, brow adorably creased by wonder, her eyes sparkled with their luminescent light. “It’s beautiful.”

He cupped her face with both hands and kissed her, taking his time, caressing her throat with his thumbs. Savoring the decadent push and pull of her lips, the way she grasped his wrists, holding him close. I adore you. I crave you. I want you to be mine. Always.

Releasing her with a smile, he said, “Go on. See if you can catch one.”

A wicked grin twisted her lips, equal parts amused and baited by the challenge. Slipping from his arms, she walked toward the trees, shedding his spare leather jacket, letting it fall from her shoulders to the ground.

Lifting her arms in line with the horizon, palms facing up, the bioluminescent nodes along her arms flickered to life. She dimmed their glow and matched it to the fireflies’ slow, lazy blinking. Drawn to her light, the fireflies flew in close, hovering, investigating.

One landed on her palm, and moving so carefully, each step unhurried, she spun to face him. “I only thought such light existed in the sea,” she marveled, turning her hand as the glowing beetle crawled to the other side. “Glows just like me.”

I love you.

Shrugging out of his leather jacket, he stood to join her.

“They only come out this time of year.” He stopped just in front of her, the toes of his boots nudging hers. Smoothing his hand along her outstretched arm, he drew back the strap of her tank top and pressed a soft kiss to her bare shoulder. “Reminds me there’s still magic left in the world.”

She smiled, a sweet contrast to the fangs it revealed.

The firefly flew away, and she rose on her tiptoes to kiss him, her claws skimming his sides as she drew up his shirt. “Swim with me,” she whispered against his mouth.

Heat prickled his skin, every inch pleading for her touch. Piece by piece, they shucked their clothes, leaving them in a heap on the ground. Reid paused only to pluck a condom from his wallet before taking her hand. Together, they picked their way over the boulders lining the shore, wading into the water.

Letting go of his hand, she dove in, slipping seamlessly into her mermaid form, silver scales shimmering in the moonlight. He set the foil packet on a rock near the water’s edge, then dove in after her, letting the sea take him whole. A cold, but invigorating plunge.

He followed her into deeper water.

All his life he chased the sea. That desire, that draw was always there, living deep in his soul, from his first kicks in a pool to long summer days spent at the lake. His life’s path was always bringing him here to this moment. To her.

She circled back, twisting around him in graceful, artful spirals, her tailfins caressing his skin with every pass.

Expelling the air from his lungs, he sank down to watch her and the mesmerizing ripple of amber starlight across her skin. She slowed, floating in front of him, waiting to see what he’d do. What wouldn’t he do, for her, to her, with her?

---