Teaq looked down at her and smiled.
She realized then that he hadn't changed at all. He'd been a battle-hardened soldier all along. That was part of his appeal.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her up again so their faces were at the same level.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way," she added.
"Me neither." He glanced back at the island for a moment, then looked at her again. "The course is set. As long as the winds don't change, there is nothing for me to do right now. What do you say we retreat below deck for a while?"
Liliwen's eyes widened as her heart started to beat a little faster. "I would like that very much."
Since the first time they'd met, right up to the time he took her up into that secluded cave, so many questions had been on her mind. So many fantasies left unexplored.
She would find her answers now that they were finally completely alone.
Epilogue
Teaq lay Liliwen down onto her back, admiring her beauty, which shone brightly despite the dim conditions below deck.
The simple cot was not fit for a princess.
None of this situation right now was as she deserved.
But in all its imperfection, this moment still felt completely right.
He kneeled beside the bed, fighting stiffness in his legs as he went down.
As she ran her hands up and down his aching body, all the pain started to melt away. He had not come out of this unscathed. The wounds would take time to fade. The fractured ribs, especially, would keep on bothering him for a while. That was fine, though. He was used to it.
But as he looked her up and down, he found that she also, had been changed. She was not as free in her movements, not as deliberate and in control as she had been previously.
She turned onto her side to make room for him, and he saw a glimpse of something different.
Her skin, which had previously been a flawless expanse of greenish flesh, had blemishes now. Red, and angry looking.
He leaned over to get a better look at her back. What he saw shook him to his core.
"My god, did my brother have you caned while you were locked up? Why didn't you tell me, I would have stopped it. I would have—"
"Shh," she said. "It's alright. Your brother did not do this."
He took her face gently into his hands. "No, it's not alright. I made a vow to myself to keep you from harm."
"It is the punishment my father chose. Considering what I put you through. And my brother, as well, it's only fair."
Teaq looked deeply into her eyes. They had both sacrificed. Fate demanded its pound of flesh from everyone, without exception.
He leaned in for the first kiss in ages. How parched his lips had been without feeling the softness of hers. How hungry was his flesh, now that they were free.
She responded instantly. The passion he'd felt earlier, when they had shared their first intimacies, was back with a vengeance. Their bodies were desperate, aching to become one.
Liliwen grabbed him by the back of his neck and guided him closer, onto the small bed with her. It barely fit them both, but it would suffice.
Through the grazes and cuts that still lingered on his skin, pain mixed with pleasure, until he could no longer distinguish one from the other. She seemed to feel the same.
The awkwardness from before vanished, and she took on a more active role with him.
Every touch of his, she answered with one of her own. Every exploration, she seemed to savor just as he did.
"You're so warm," she whispered.
Yes. Yes, he was. And she was not. Her cool skin was pleasantly soothing. Despite the fresh scarring on her back, her skin still had a smooth quality to it that he had not known before touching her.
It was addictive. Tempting. Seductive.
"We don't traditionally do this. Not without a formal union," Teaq said.
He wasn't sure what he meant by that, because he certainly did not intend to stop now.
"You mean, a wedding?"
"Yes." Teaq leaned down and kissed the dip underneath Liliwen's collarbone.
How beautiful she was. The greatest artist in the world could not have sculpted perfection like her.
"So marry me, then," she said.
Teaq pulled away from her to look her in the eyes. Golden, with a depth not unlike the seas they currently sailed on. The seas that were her home.
"There's a whole ceremony. It doesn't just happen."
"It doesn't just happen for us either. You'd have to ask my father for my hand. We both know that's not going to happen," Liliwen said. "But we're not like our people anymore. Perhaps we can make our own way."
Teaq smiled. "I like that. We'll do it our own way."
"So. What happens in your ceremony that we can do?" she asked.
Teaq thought for a moment, and looked down at the many items of jewelry that still adorned her gorgeous body. "We exchange rings."
She did not hesitate for a moment, and took off one of her rings and presented it to him.
"We have to say our vows first," Teaq said, while weighing the gold ring in his hand.
"Sure. How do they go?"
"I ought to know this, but then, I've never been married before," Teaq joked. This wasn't a joking matter, though. He'd never planned this for himself, but that didn't make it any less special or important.
He slipped off the bed and kneeled down again, with the ring in the palm of his outstretched hand. "With this ring, I promise to keep you safe, to love you and care for you, until death takes me."
Liliwen took the ring and placed it back on her finger. Then she removed another, as well as one of the multiple chains around her neck.
"With this ring, I promise to keep you safe, to love you and care for you, until death takes me." She leaned down and reached around his neck, fastening the chain on him.
He reached for it, feeling the little gold ring that hung from its lowest point.
"That was beautiful. The vows, they're so romantic," Liliwen swooned.
"I'm not sure those were the actual words," Teaq said.
She shook her head. "They are now. For us. I'll never forget them."
He wouldn't either.
Liliwen smiled and gestured at him to get back onto the bed. "Now nothing stands in our way. Neither tradition nor law."
"We're free to do as we like. Until death takes us."
"Until death takes us," Liliwen repeated after him.
She wrapped his arms around him again and coaxed him on top of her.
All this time he hadn't been sure how this part would work with her, and of course berated himself for thinking such crude thoughts about a woman so pure. He needn't have worried, though.
As more and more of his armor and clothing came off, to be discarded on the floor, their bodies knew exactly what to do. Instinct took over.
Liliwen's body had already adjusted to being on dry land; her transformation had become easier each time she had come out of the water.
Two legs, much like his own anatomically, which spread to reveal very human, or islander-like features. Her hands continued to explore him. His chest, with its chiseled muscles and bit of hair that she seemed utterly fascinated by.
His back and buttocks, along with the fresh scars that still occasionally stung. It was a sweet pain, one he could not get enough of so long as it had been caused by her touch.
Finally, her hand reached down, where his manhood was already standing proud. Her grip sent shivers down his entire body.
She was firm, with him. Self-assured, just like a lover should be.
Their love knew no shyness. No shame.
"I've been wondering what this would be like, right from the start."
She had said exactly what had been on his mind all along.
He reached down between her legs, and found that indeed there was one spot where she wasn't cool to the touch. She was red hot, and wet for him already.
"Ohhh, that feels
so good," Liliwen moaned.
Her words were superfluous. Her entire body had told him already.
As her hands gripped him tighter, his inner beast was raring to get out and take over. His most base instincts were clawing their way to the surface.
"I'll pleasure you the way you deserve to be pleasured," Teaq spoke in a low growl. "My princess."
Liliwen moaned again; her voice was musical. It enchanted him, spurring him on to do better.
He positioned himself between her legs, and sought to enter her.
"Please me, my husband," she said.
That last statement sent him over the edge of control. He pushed his way into her, and felt her body close around him.
If this was somehow wrong, if it was against the rules, even against nature, their bodies had no idea. Everything about it felt absolutely right.
She bucked her hips upward, drawing him in closer.
He responded with a kiss to the side of her neck.
So beautiful. So fragile and yet so strong.
His wife. His Liliwen.
He thrust into her, again and again. Deeper and deeper. Her hands found their way to his hips, guiding his movements. They were in perfect harmony. Two bodies, one soul.
Like waves on the ocean's surface, they rocked back and forth, breaking into one another, both of them drowning in ecstasy. They both gave it all they could. Whatever their bodies had left to give; working toward the ultimate aim: supreme pleasure.
Teaq felt it creep up on him. Like a growing tension, simmering underneath the surface of his skin, until finally he could ignore it no longer.
Liliwen also was in the throes of desire, moaning with each of his strokes, louder and louder, until she screamed out and dug her fingernails into his ass. "Oh yes! Oh yes, take me!"
He did.
With one final push, he claimed her. His inner wolf rejoiced.
Liliwen gasped for air, as did he.
Drained as he was, he sunk down on top of her and rested his head on her shoulder.
"You know I love you, right?" he whispered.
"As you should. I am your wife," she replied.
"That you are. And I am your man."
"Forever."
- THE END -
Will the Sea Folk attack again? If so, how will the Black Isles fare? Find out in Book 3, which is coming in November. Preorder it today! Alternatively, you can sign up to Lorelei's mailing list to find out about the release of book 2, and get Scottish Werebear: An Unexpected Affair absolutely free!
Shifters of Black Isle started with...
Claimed by the King
Want to read all about Broc and his human queen, Kelly, from their perspective? Read Book 1 in the Shifters of Black Isle series today, if you haven't already!
Buy Now
About the Author
Dear Reader,
Thanks for reading The Soldier and the Siren. This is the second book in my brand new Shifters of Black Isle series, a collection of stories set in a fantasy world full of mystery, magic and fantastical creatures. I hope you're as excited about the rest of the series as I am!
I may have only released my first book in 2015, but I'm not new to writing in general. In fact, my mom still tells me to this day about how I would make up stories, and attempt to record them in my clumsy, shaky handwriting from the moment I learned to read and write. From there I went on to write fan fiction and other stuff meant for my own eyes only.
I've always enjoyed stories of the fantastic and paranormal. Vampires, shape shifters, witches and magic, all featured in the books I loved the most, even when I was still growing up. But it wasn't until much later that I got into romance. One of the first writers (an independent author just like me!) I came across was Tina Folsom, via her Scanguards Vampire series. I was hooked. From there I went on to read more paranormal romance until I found a new kind of hero I loved: bear shifters, like the kind written by Milly Taiden, Zoe Chant, and T.S. Joyce. What I love about bears is how they can be all strong and independent, a bit reclusive, and almost grumpy, but they always end up having a heart of gold (plus they tend to know their food, and we all know that a man who can cook is doubly sexy). All that (except for the shifting into a powerful bear) almost exactly describes the sort of man I ended up falling for and marrying in real life, so it's no surprise that this is what I started my publishing career with.
As thing stand right now, I plan to release all of my work on all major ebook retailers. Most titles are also available as paperbacks, as well as in audio, as length permits.
To find out more, check:
LoreleiMoone.com
Sign up to my mailing list and be among the first to find out about new releases and sales,
or get in touch via Facebook or email at [email protected]
x Lorelei
The Shifters of Black Isle:
The Alpha Squad Series:
Scottish Werebears:
Vampires of London:
The Soldier and the Siren: A Wolf Shifter Fantasy Romance (Shifters of Black Isle Book 2) Page 11
