“I’ll extract the information out of her mind, Ed.”
“How—”
Sombertooth chuckled. “I’m a hellhound. Remember?”
Edwin blushed. “Right.”
Then, he passed Miranda over to Sombertooth before stepping aside. He watched as Sombertooth’s eyes grew redder by the seconds. Due to Sombertooth’s status as a fire creature from hell, Edwin knew the hellhound would be able to travel into Miranda’s mind in a matter of seconds. Sombertooth didn’t possess any pure mind-reading ability, but the hellhound could view anyone’s past. Since the abduction had already occurred, Sombertooth would be able to look at it through Miranda’s memory.
Edwin observed the entire scene passively, ignoring the spike of dark fire energy swirling within the room as Sombertooth delved deeper into the recesses of Miranda’s mind. Or whatever remained of it. After what felt like hours to him, the atmosphere in the chamber lightened up. Edwin waited rather impatiently for Sombertooth to inform him of the location.
“The place appears to be somewhere inside her cave deep within the Pacific Ocean.”
Edwin stared at Sombertooth in confusion. “Her home then.”
Sombertooth shook his head. “I’ve visited her house once. The room inside her mind doesn’t seem familiar. By the way, she’s the one responsible for all those missing merpeople. She also hypnotized Wade into leaving the ocean and going deeper inland. Now I understand why she didn’t seem interested in any information you presented the council with in the past, Ed. Miranda had known them all because she was the one responsible all along.”
Edwin nodded. “She’s crazy, but it doesn’t matter now. I just want to get my mate back, along with Cas and Balt. I’ll go to her house first.”
“I’ll come with you,” Jefferson offered. “You’ll need someone to watch your back for you.”
Gavin stepped forward. “I’m going, too.”
The three of them were about to leave when Zestus called for Gavin. “Can you remain here for a minute? The council has an important matter to discuss with you. You can catch up with your friends later.”
Edwin patted Gavin on the right shoulder. “Go ahead, Gav.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I have Jeff. We will be fine.”
“Okay. Later, guys.”
Then, Edwin created his portal of fire before turning to face Jefferson. “I’ll see you at Miranda’s house. We can search for clues of the secret cave there. It’s our only choice right now.”
“Sure. Later.”
He gave his best friend one more smile before he stepped into the portal. As tempted as he was to watch Miranda’s execution by the other members of the council, it was more important for him to rescue his mate along with Caspian and Baltic. Nothing else mattered to him at the moment.
Chapter Fourteen
Drake groaned when he felt the terrible aching all over his body. The battle with Miranda had zapped out almost all of his magic, but he was no match for the powerful mermaid. Not even Caspian and Baltic’s help made much of a difference. The three of them together might be stronger, but their magic was insignificant compared to Miranda’s.
“Dray?”
Drake glanced up and noticed Caspian grinning at him. “Cas!”
“We’ve been waiting for you to regain consciousness for a while now.”
Drake felt another wave of relief when he heard Baltic’s voice coming from the other side of the room. All three of them were lying on the ground. They might not be tied up, but they were too exhausted to move much.
“I feel like I’ve just been pummeled by the tail of a giant whale.”
Caspian snickered at him. “Same here. I think our physical wounds have already healed. My magic is low, though. What about the two of you?”
Baltic expelled a loud sigh. “Me, too.”
“I’m also in the same boat as the two of you. I don’t think I can even summon a drop of water to me at the moment. Where are we anyway?”
Caspian glanced around the room. “Not sure, but we’re definitely in the ocean somewhere. After all, we’re all in our original forms.”
Drake raised his head a little before wiggling the end of his tail. “Oh, yeah. We’re…”
Drake trailed off when he detected his magic somewhere above him. Caspian and Baltic eyed him in confusion for a moment. The three of them remained quiet until Baltic broke the silence.
“Dray, what is it?”
“It’s…it’s my magic. No, no, no. It’s…it’s my pearl. Ed must be above us somewhere. Ed!”
“Hush, Dray. Have you lost your common sense? Miranda may still be around here somewhere. Besides, Ed might be several levels above us. If that’s the case, he won’t be able to hear you.”
Drake blushed in embarrassment and threw Caspian a sheepish grin. “Oh, right. I don’t know why I did that earlier. I was probably too relieved to have my mate nearby.”
Baltic rolled his eyes. “Ugh. If mating turns you into such an idiot, it makes me glad that I’m not in your shoes.”
Drake was about to retort when something shimmered right in front of him for a second before a gigantic man appeared, fully encased in magic to allow him to breathe underwater. He gaped at the man with the black hair and eyes. This must be a giant. Or maybe half a giant. Not that he had ever met one before, but he was certain this stranger would qualify as one. Seconds later, a portal of fire materialized, and he beamed widely in delight when Edwin stepped out from it.
“Ed!”
Drake couldn’t deny how excited and thankful he was when Edwin rushed toward him and lifted him up bridal-style. He was so absorbed in Edwin’s jade-green eyes and red hair he didn’t pay attention to anything else that occurred around him. Caspian’s loud whining sound startled him, though.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Not Balt, too.”
Drake looked over Edwin’s shoulder and gasped. Baltic and the giant were locking eyes. Neither of them was moving at all. Drake yearned to shout out in joy, but he didn’t want to break the spell that enveloped Baltic and the giant. He was hoping that the giant would turn out to be Baltic’s mate. That would break the siren’s hold on Baltic, and Drake could have his younger brother back. He was so engrossed in the sight of Baltic and the giant that Edwin’s voice made him jump a little.
“I’m glad to see you again, sweetheart.”
“Me, too, Ed. We have to get out from here as fast as possible, though. Miranda—”
“—is being executed,” Edwin interrupted. Drake, Caspian, and Baltic gasped at the same time. “Or she’s probably dead by now.”
Drake felt the tension leaving him all at once. “That’s such a relief. She stormed into our house earlier and started attacking me, Cas, and Balt. We fought back, but her magic was much more powerful than ours. Oh, she’s also a siren. She’s the one responsible for all those missing merpeople—”
“We know.” The giant cut him off. “Ed and I will explain everything when the three of you are completely healed.”
“Okay. Who are you?”
The giant laughed. “You’re such an asshole, Ed. You should have brought your mate and his brothers to the bakery and introduced them to me and Gavin.”
Drake’s eyes widened in an instant. “You’re Jefferson, aren’t you?”
Jefferson grinned. “Indeed.”
“You’re an elf, but you look like a giant,” Drake blurted out before wincing in embarrassment. “Sorry. I must be more exhausted than I realized. I have zero filter between my brain and my mouth at the moment.”
Drake was astonished when Jefferson guffawed in amusement upon hearing his words. “No apology required. You aren’t the only one who thinks that way. My height and build are misleading. Anyway, Ed, you better get your mate home and into bed. He will have to rest up. I’ll take care of Caspian and Baltic here.”
Edwin nodded. “Are you sure you can transport them both back to their house?”
Jefferson rolled his
eyes. “Yes, Ed. Now, go.”
The last thing Drake managed to see was the gentleness in Jefferson’s hold on both Caspian and Baltic, but it was obvious to him the elf was smitten with Baltic. Drake wrapped his arms around Edwin’s neck and nuzzled into the crook between his mate’s neck and shoulder as the two of them stepped into a portal of fire. After he was placed on the bed, Edwin climbed up and embraced him from behind. He wanted to check on Baltic and Caspian, but he was so tired he dozed off within seconds of his head hitting the pillow.
* * * *
Edwin was having a fantastic dream. His cock was buried inside something warm and moist. He could also feel an incredible suction on the head of his dick and along the hard shaft. He wriggled a little and reached down toward his cock and balls. He was taken aback when he felt a thick amount of hair and smooth skin instead. He never shaved his pubes, but he didn’t remember having that much hair in his crotch area. He opened his eyes in a heartbeat before glancing downward. He was pleased and aroused when he took in the sight of Drake between his legs and his throbbing dick was inside Drake’s mouth.
His alluring mate winked at him before swallowing even more of his cock. Drake might not be able to deepthroat Edwin’s dick, but his mate’s skill was improving day by day. He gently grabbed onto the sides of Drake’s head before pumping his cock into his mate’s mouth. The sensation was beyond marvelous. It felt even more amazing when Drake scooted down lower to suckle on his balls. Edwin allowed Drake to pleasure him for a few minutes longer before pulling his mate’s head away from his balls.
“Dray, give me your butt. I want to lick your hole.”
He was delighted when Drake decided on the classic sixty-nine position. He was able to press his face against Drake’s ass, licking and eating out his mate’s hole while his cock was soon taken inside a nice, wet mouth. The two of them remained in that position for a while. The only sounds that could be heard in the bedroom were their mutual slurping noises and also their moans of ecstasy. It drove him crazy when Drake sucked really hard on the head of his dick. It caused him to double down on eating out Drake’s ass. Soon, he could feel his balls tightening, and he regretted having to push Drake off from above him.
Drake whined at him, but Edwin ignored it. Instead, he trapped Drake underneath his much larger body and grinned at his mate. Then, he lifted up both of Drake’s legs to expose his mate’s hole. It was wet with his saliva. He stared at it for a brief moment before reaching toward the bedside drawer for some lube before remembering about Drake’s naturally lubricated hole. He leaned down to kiss his mate and pushed his cock into the merman’s welcoming heat. It was as tight as ever. He had to fight much harder to stop himself from coming. He was going to hold back for as long as he could before climaxing inside Drake’s ass. Once he felt his dick completely engulfed by Drake’s ass, he pressed his nose against his mate’s neck and inhaled deeply, panting a little from the exertion.
“Come on, Ed. Fuck me, please.”
“Not yet, sweetheart. Your ass needs to adjust. Otherwise you will be in pain for days.”
Edwin gritted his teeth when Drake squeezed those ass muscles around his pulsing dick. He had to shut his eyes and breathe in slowly to regain control of himself.
“I want it to hurt, Ed. Fuck me hard.”
Edwin opened his eyes and smirked at Drake. “Okay, sweetheart. You asked for it.”
He started with gentle movement, pulling his cock almost all the way out before thrusting in hard. He repeated it multiple times, ignoring Drake’s pleas to be pummeled much harder. Then, he wrapped his arms around Drake and began to pound into his mate. He drove his cock at a brutal and merciless pace into Drake’s hole. The louder Drake screamed out in pain and pleasure, the wilder and rougher Edwin became. He was determined for Drake to reach orgasm before him. He did his best to do that, but Drake’s ass was too tight. It felt alive, as if it was massaging his dick with fabulous touches and squeezes.
In the end, he gave up and simply clobbered Drake’s ass over and over again. He was about to come when he felt Drake’s ass tightening even further around his dick. The next thing he knew, Drake’s body grew taut in his arms. At the same time, his body arched up. Moments later, he could feel the warmth of Drake’s cum between their bodies while he filled his mate up with his own cum. Their orgasms seemed to last forever. It was perfect and mind-blowing. By the time he slumped down onto Drake’s relaxed and sweaty body, he was breathless and exhausted.
“If sex between us continues to get even better, I’m sure I’ll die from the pleasure.”
Edwin snorted at Drake. “We can die together, sweetheart. I have a feeling you’ll kill me someday.”
Drake chuckled in amusement. “Death by sex. What a way to go.”
Edwin chortled while nodding in agreement. “There are worse ways to die.”
“True.”
Edwin rose up a little and beamed at Drake before bending his head down to kiss his mate with all the love and passion deep within him. He ignored his twitching dick, which was still buried deep inside Drake’s ass. It was valiantly trying to grow hard once again. He wasn’t in a hurry to get to the second round of lovemaking with Drake, though. The two of them were mated. They had an eternity together. He would have plenty of opportunities to prove to Drake how much he loved his mate, this beautiful merman who’d captured his heart and soul. Forever.
Epilogue
Drake stood next to Edwin while Baltic and Jefferson were on his other side. He barely managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes when he glanced downward. Baltic and Jefferson were much closer now, and their fingers were tentatively rubbing against one another. He couldn’t help but let out a snort when Jefferson grabbed Baltic’s hands and intertwined their fingers together.
Those two were like puppies. For the past couple of weeks, their mutual attraction had been palpable and the affection between them was so obvious. However, both Baltic and Jefferson were too frightened to make the first move. Drake was relieved Jefferson had finally grown some balls and held on to Baltic’s hand. He had been tempted to scream at them and tell them to mate already.
Then, he turned toward Caspian, who was gazing at Gavin like a lovesick puppy. Not that Gavin was any better, judging by how often the man would turn around from his seat in the center of the chamber in order to beam at Caspian. The water dragon shifter was about to be inducted as the new council member in charge of all water shifters, replacing Miranda, who had been executed by Sombertooth two weeks ago.
Drake’s heart ached when he, along with Caspian and Baltic, had been informed about all the merpeople whose blood had been drained and consumed by Miranda in order for her to hide the fact that she was no longer a mermaid. He didn’t have the courage to imagine how the victims’ families and friends must have felt when they received the news from the council. That was all in the past, though. There was nothing else to be done about it. They could only move forward from this moment on.
The ceremony was private. Only he, Edwin, Jefferson, Baltic, and Caspian were invited since they were friends with Gavin. Not that Gavin considered Caspian a mere friend. Drake was certain both Caspian and Gavin would be mated to each other soon enough.
He couldn’t decide which potential mate-pairing was the worst. Baltic and Jefferson threw each other shy smiles once every few seconds while Caspian and Gavin were more obvious in their desperation for each other. Drake wished he could slap some sense into all four of them, but Edwin had told him not to interfere. Drake agreed with his mate, but only because he was highly entertained by the adorable antics displayed by his brothers and their potential mates.
“Sweetheart,” Edwin called out to him, startling him. “You’ve been staring at either Gav and Cas or Balt and Jeff. Try to be more discreet, please.”
“Sorry,” he whispered at his mate. “I wish they would stop circling around one another. I’m itching to lock Jeff and Balt in one room, and I won’t let them out until they’re mated to each other.
”
“Don’t forget Cas and Gav.”
Drake shuddered in agreement. “Them, too. For fuck’s sake. How small are their balls anyway? Cas and Gav are like two dogs in heat while Jeff and Balt are like two cute puppies nipping at each other.”
Edwin snickered softly. “Remember your promise, sweetheart. We’re not going to force them together.”
Drake sighed. “I know, and I won’t.”
After that, he glanced up and observed as Tarragon recited the spell that would swear Gavin in as the new leader for all water-shifters. Once the spell was completed, a brilliant blue light shone above Gavin’s head for a moment, indicating the end of the ceremony. Everyone clapped while Gavin walked toward the seat that used to belong to Miranda. The other council members headed toward their respective seats, as well. Then, Drake bowed his head down to show his respect toward all five council members. Edwin, Jefferson, Caspian, and Baltic followed suit. Later, while Caspian and Baltic were preoccupied talking to Gavin and Jefferson, Drake dragged Edwin out from the chamber.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just want a little privacy.”
“Okay…”
“I also want to thank you for rescuing me from Miranda’s lair.”
Edwin smiled and wrapped both arms around Drake’s waist. “It’s my duty, sweetheart. You’re my mate. You will always be my number one priority.”
Drake nodded. “When I left the ocean to live on land with Balt and Cas, I never thought I would ever find a mate to spend eternity with. At least not for a while. Besides, my seer magic is useless when it comes to predicting my own future. I felt so helpless and lost back then. I expected to be alone for a long time to come. I’m glad that I’m wrong. You’re an unexpected development, but I’m glad about it. I truly am. I love you, Ed.”
The Mark of the Phoenix [The Triplet Mermen Trilogy] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 11
