The Ocean's Roar: A Tiger Shifter and Mermaid Romance (The Protectors Quick Bites Book 3)

by Keira Blackwood

  She’d told the merman I was her mate, but did she mean it? Or was it a way for us all to leave?

  Whether she was sure or not, I knew she was it for me.

  I wished we were alone, but instead, we were with her father. The three of us took an elevator up to a room with a glass ceiling.

  There were seats, three of them, one more like a throne, while the others faced it. Orbs floated here just like the office in the tower. They showed little holograms of sea people going about their lives.

  “Tell me everything.” Aegaeon took a seat, in the throne of course, and turned to his daughter.

  Selene and I sat across from him.

  Light flickered down through the ceiling in waves of blue as the current moved above us.

  A school of silver fish swirled above us, and honestly, after everything that had happened, I was content. I should have been freaked the hell out, surprised or disheartened by my boss’s betrayal, but I wasn’t. I was only glad to be beside Selene.

  “Both the murder on the surface and that of the merman in the hall were committed by Ligeia,” Selene said. “She was working with Rose to steal the Source.”

  He nodded, like it was old news.

  “I don’t get it,” I said.

  Both of them looked at me.

  “I get that Rose would want that battery or whatever. Power’s a motivator,” I said. “But why would Ligeia help him?”

  “My best guess is to watch it all burn,” Selene said. “She’s always had a difficult time, my whole life it’s been that way. I think it’s because of what happened to her before she was adopted. She lived alone on the streets of the katopolis, fighting for survival. Or maybe it’s just because she’s a siren in a world where merpeople thrive and sirens struggle. But I didn’t think…”

  “We will see that there are consequences to her behavior,” Aegaeon said.

  Vague as hell.

  “Ligeia will no longer act as our liaison to the surface,” he said to me. “Tell your Tribunal it will be handled.”

  “Sure,” I said. I could tell them all of it, but who knew how that would go or what they’d have to say.

  He continued, “We will need to appoint a new liaison—”

  “I’ll do it,” Selene said.

  We both looked at her.

  In an even stronger voice, she said, “I will represent Thalassapolis.”

  “Very well,” Aegaeon said. “About your parents—”

  “It’s okay, Father,” Selene said. “I know.”

  Aegaeon’s eyes sparkled, almost like he knew how to smile.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Selene

  Three hours.

  I paced the hotel room. It had been three hours since Vaughn left for his meeting with the Tribunal. He should have returned by now.

  Peace between the surface and Thalassapolis was fragile, and it all came down to Vaughn’s report and the Tribunal’s response.

  Two of their leaders had been killed, both by my sister’s hand.

  What would happen if they ruled that Ligeia’s death was the only way forward? Ligeia was misguided, but she was my sister. Our father wouldn’t allow her to be harmed.

  What happened next? Vaughn knew, but he wasn’t here.

  So I paced. And I waited.

  Finally, there was a click at the door, and the handle turned.

  I watched as the door opened and Vaughn stepped in. It wasn’t until he shut the door and turned that I got a good look at his face.

  His tie was loose around his neck, the top buttons of his shirt undone. His brown eyes were tired. From his expression alone, I couldn’t get a clear read on what had happened.

  “How did it go?” I asked.

  “Honestly, better than I expected.”

  He draped his jacket over the chair, and then his tie. But he wasn’t looking at me, and he wasn’t giving me answers fast enough.

  “What does that mean?” I couldn’t help the urgency in my tone. I had to know.

  He looked over his shoulder, then turned to face me. His brown eyes sparkled, like seeing me was the best part of his day. When he looked at me like that, my breath caught and I lost my train of thought. This was what happiness looked like, being near Vaughn, seeing love in his eyes.

  “They’re content to let Thalassapolis deal with Ligeia,” he said. “They’re so appalled by Rose’s behavior, they want to pretend like none of this ever happened.”

  “That’s great news.” Better than I had hoped for.

  He took a step closer, and another.

  “Seeing as how you volunteered to be liaison for Thalassapolis, I agreed to take the same job for the surface.”

  That had been Rose’s position, so this meant a promotion for Vaughn. And it meant we’d still get to be partners.

  “That’s wonderful.” I threw my arms around his neck and breathed in his scent.

  His chest was firm, and I felt small and cherished in his arms. This was forever, or at least I wanted it to be. The two of us, partners in life.

  His hands caressed my back, and I tilted my chin up to see his face.

  “Vaughn.” I was nervous, and he must have sensed it, because his brows furrowed in concern.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I said. “I just…”

  His cock pressed hard against my thigh, and I closed my eyes.

  I could see his naked form in my mind—his thick arms, his broad shoulders and expansive chest, taut muscles, and his big…

  I opened my eyes.

  “The practice of choosing one partner for life,” I said. “The shifter way.”

  “Mates, yes,” Vaughn said. His voice was rough, low, and it rumbled through me pleasantly when he spoke.

  “It’s my understanding that guardians also choose one.”

  “And you?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I whispered. “I have found mine.”

  His lips crushed mine, and his tongue delved deep in desperation. I knew I was his lifeline, because he was mine, too.

  I kissed him back, my hands exploring the hard form of his back, my lips learning his. Need coiled through me. His kiss sparked life into my body, every inch of skin aching, burning, yearning.

  Then he pulled away, leaving my lips sore and cold.

  He smiled, and I smiled back.

  “You mean me, right?” he asked.

  A small laugh escaped my lips. “Yes.”

  “Fuck yeah. Because I’ve known you were mine since I first laid eyes on you.”

  It was my turn to kiss him, to tackle him into the bed.

  I straddled him and tore open his shirt, finally getting the chance to run my fingers over his skin. His chest was firm, as was his stomach. Between strong hard muscles were smooth crevices, like ripples in the ocean floor.

  Vaughn watched my face, watched my reaction as my fingers traversed his frame.

  He reached up and pulled on my uniform. The nanofabric stretched, but it didn’t tear like his flimsy collared shirt had.

  “How do I get this thing off of you?” he asked with a smile.

  I bit my lip. “Ask nicely?”

  “Please remove your clothes so I can properly show you exactly what it means to be mine.”

  I stood and did as he asked, slowly sliding the fabric over my shoulders, down my arms.

  He rolled to his side and watched, his eyes filled with fire.

  The fabric slipped over my breasts and the cool air bit at my skin.

  Vaughn hopped off the bed and knelt before me.

  I stared down at him in surprise. “What are you—”

  He put his hands on my hips and pulled me against him. His beard tickled on my bare stomach, and he took the tip of my breast into his mouth. It was warm and wonderful as his tongue flicked. He lifted a hand to my other breast and gently squeezed me.

  A gentle graze of my nipple with his teeth made me gasp.

  He pulled back. “Too much?”

  “No,” I sa
id. “Never.”

  He smiled and kissed my nipple. I moaned and leaned into him.

  If this was what it was like to form an eternal bond with a shifter, I counted myself fortunate. My experiences with mermen were nothing like this. No one compared to Vaughn.

  He pulled the fabric of my uniform slowly down, taking my undergarments with it, as he kissed my breasts.

  When I was bare, he moved his hands over my legs, slowly getting closer to where I needed him.

  I ran my fingers through his hair, relishing the feeling of his fingers, his lips.

  “Is this your kind’s ritual?” I asked. “To cement the bond as a commitment?”

  He looked up at me. “Is this your first time?”

  “Taking a mate, yes, of course.”

  “Having sex,” he said.

  “No. But the things you’re doing were not involved. Only the penis inserted into the vagina.”

  “That’s very technical. And it seems you’ve been deprived,” he said. “That’s all going to change.”

  “So this is something your kind does more than once?”

  “Selene, I will worship you every night and every day if you’ll let me.”

  I smiled and nodded, gladly accepting the pleasure he offered.

  What would that be like? Was it always just like—

  I lost all other thoughts beyond sensation as he kissed his way down my stomach. His breath was pleasantly warm against me, and my skin prickled as the trail cooled, leaving echoes of where his lips had been.

  Then he moved his tongue down over my clit.

  It wasn’t just hard to think, but also difficult to maintain balance. I leaned a hand against the wall as his tongue lapped over me. Pleasure twined upward, coiling like a sea serpent until it pooled in my middle.

  Vaughn’s hand reached my breast once again, and I clasped my hand over his as he touched my nipple.

  With his other hand, he reached around and squeezed my ass.

  A moan escaped me as his tongue explored. My eyes fluttered shut. The more he touched me, the more he licked me, the more I wanted him inside of me.

  With a swirl of his tongue, he teased my opening. And he kneaded my tender flesh with his deliciously rough fingers. Each contact brought me closer, each made me more desperate.

  “Give me your cock,” I said.

  He smiled up at me, and rose from the floor.

  “As you wish.” He scooped me up into his arms and laid me on the bed. “I love you, Selene.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He moved between my legs, tilting his hips so his tip found my opening.

  I grabbed his ass and squeezed, encouraging him.

  He kissed me, and pressed inside. It felt so good. He felt so right, but I needed more.

  I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him deeper. He rocked the entire bed with the motion of his hips, pressing in deep so our bodies were one.

  Yes. This was what I wanted, exactly what I needed. It was as if his body was built to fit mine, like two pieces of a puzzle that were only complete when they were joined.

  I held on and kissed him, never wanting to let go. Every moment together meant more, every movement taking me closer to the edge.

  And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better or I’d unravel, it did. That knot uncoiled, and I fell over the cliff. Head over tail, in the moment, in forever.

  As my body settled, I looked up at Vaughn, at his scruffy yellow beard and his warm brown eyes. All I could think to say was how much I loved him. How much I wanted to do this again, every day forever—the physical affirmation of our bond, the partnership in work and in life, everything.

  He smiled at me. “Ready for more?”

  “More? Right now, more?”

  He nodded. “I want you to get at least two more before we’re done.”

  I nodded slowly, not sure how I could handle all of that. But I wanted to, more than anything. So I agreed, using his words. “Fuck yes.”

  Epilogue

  Vaughn

  A pair of tower dudes circling the perimeter looked nervous as hell.

  They swam around the colosseum market like the little old merlady selling algae jam was going to shiv them given the chance. Spoiler alert—she wasn’t.

  The whole thing was Selene’s idea—take one place in the katopolis and invite everyone for a common goal. The market had been running for a few months, and it was a hit.

  To my surprise, the biggest fan was actually Ligeia.

  Aegaeon assigned her a rotating shift of guards at all times, but being a prisoner hadn’t stopped her from building on her sister’s idea. Selene started the market, but it was Ligeia who had convinced the people of the katopolis to come.

  The colosseum was only one piece, one place where tower people and katopolis people came together. But equality had to start somewhere.

  “What about this one?” Selene pulled my hand and pointed to what looked to me like a giant fortune teller’s ball.

  “How’s he supposed to sleep in that thing?” I asked.

  “It’s customary.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But I’m getting him a teddy bear. Or maybe a stuffed tiger. That’s a surface tradition. Every baby needs one.”

  “That seems reasonable.” Selene held her hand over the swell of her belly. “You pick the filled carcass and I’ll choose the sleeping orb.”

  “It’s not…” I shook my head. “It’s not a live animal. It’s a toy, for cuddling.”

  “Is it sanitary after it’s deceased?” she asked.

  “It’s made of fuzzy cloth. It was never an animal, it just looks like one.”

  She scowled like I made no sense whatsoever. She’d get it when I showed her.

  Soon we’d have our little tiger guardian, and we’d be prepared. As prepared as any first-time parents could be.

  “So you accept my terms?” Selene asked.

  “Yes?” Terms for what?

  “Good.” To the siren vendor, she said, “We will take this one, please.”

  Oh, the bed ball.

  Money was exchanged, and we headed back to the tower. One home for the surface, one for the water. But it didn’t matter where we were, because we’d found our home in each other.

  Partners in life and in our work.

  When a job needed to be done, I found it wasn’t best to just send in a tiger, but a guardian, too.

  Also by Keira Blackwood

  The Protectors Quick Bites

  Midnight Wish - Chase & Harper

  I Dream of Grizzly - Deckard & Valerie

  The Ocean’s Roar - Vaughn & Selene

  The Protectors of Sawtooth Peaks

  Running to the Pack - Cole & Hailey, part one

  Defending the Pack - Cole & Hailey, part two

  Uniting the Pack - Lance & Trixie

  The Protectors of Sawtooth Peaks Box Set - Books 1-3

  Howl for the Holidays - Harkins & Amy

  Revenge - Axel & Penny

  The Protectors of Riverwood

  Grizzly Bait - Liam & Emma, part one

  Grizzly Mate - Liam & Emma, part two

  Grizzly Fate - Liam & Emma, part three

  The Protectors of Riverwood Box Set - Books 1-3

  The Protectors of the Pack

  Bodyguard - Reynolds & Alex

  Enemies - Witt & Zoe

  Heir - Hunter & Grace

  The Protectors of the Pack Box Set - Books 1-3

  The Protectors Unlimited

  Can’t Prove Shift - Mason & Caitlyn

  Suave as Shift - Lincoln & Juliana

  In Deep Shift - Zane & Mia

  The Protectors Unlimited Box Set - Books 1-3

  Want more Protectors stories? Continue reading for a preview of Can’t Prove Shift!

  A Taste of Can’t Prove Shift

  Caitlyn Moreno’s no stranger to trouble. It’s part of the job for any cat burglar, let alone a thief who’s literally a cat. Well, ocelot shifter. No lock is beyond
her capabilities, no mark beyond her reach. When rumor has it that the priceless Vandervelt broach will be kept for two nights in a hotel safe, guarded by shifter mafia, Lyn is compelled to make it hers. One mistake could cost Lyn her life, or worse, land her drugged, tossed in a crate, and dressed as… a bride?

  When Tribunal enforcer Mason Blake returns home to his Alaskan cabin from a stressful assignment, he looks forward to a peaceful, quiet break. Alone. But a surprise late-night delivery leaves the anti-social polar bear shifter in an impossible situation—a gorgeous woman on his doorstep. Shut the door or let her in? Either way, she’s bound to be trouble.

  Mason

  With a flick of the knob, the stink of propane wafted from the burner. I lit a match and set my water to heat. The stove let out a faint whistle as the gas fed the flames. Heat grew while the last embers of the night’s pyre in the hearth behind me cracked and fizzled their final breaths. Me and my fires, so far from civilization—all was as it should be, save for the woman in my bed.

  Cool, tranquil water transformed into a steamy, bubbling boil. I pulled the pot from the heat, and stirred in the cocoa powder with my long, wooden spoon. The aroma was warm and rich, every tendril of steam wafting the sweet scent of chocolate toward my nose. It was routine and comfort.

  Then it hit me, a punch to the gut. Rich and creamy cocoa with just a hint of earthy cinnamon—it was just like her scent. Again I pictured her, the mystery woman from the crate, gorgeous and angry. The woman who slept in my bed.

  I poured my cup of cocoa and took a sip. It burned as it went down, the flavor filling my head with thoughts of a stranger. Her eyes shone golden brown, like butterscotch.

  The sweet taste of chocolate clung to my burnt tongue.

  I settled into my favorite chair, finally content. Finally ready to sleep.

  Whether or not she meant me harm, I knew I was in trouble. My guard was down. This strange woman, this vulnerable cat, had broken through my barriers in her sleep. There was no turning back.