The Mighty Hunter

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “I can’t seem to get enough of you.” With a soft moan, he kissed her neck, right beneath her ear. She couldn’t help but grin. His hands had been wandering all day. “I see you and I just have to touch you.”

  “Then touch me,” she whispered, turning her face to his. He kissed her deeply. She cupped his cheek, feeling his jaw move beneath her fingers. Their breaths mingled together. Happiness welled within her and a giggle escaped her throat.

  “What?” Caderyn asked, pulling back.

  “Nothing.” She smiled. “Make love to me.”

  Eagerly, he obeyed, pulling the clothes from his body and tossing them aside. She lay on her back, watching him. When he came back to her, his touch was gentle as he stripped her of the clothing and then proceeded to make love to her slowly by the fire. The warmth of the flames caressed their skin as the sky continued to darken. Bridget rose up on her side, pushing Caderyn over to kiss his chest as she ran her fingers loosely over his erection.

  “I’ve been thinking a lot about this or-all,” Caderyn said softly, his breath catching as her fingers slid to his balls, rolling them in her palm.

  Bridget couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Have you now?”

  “Mm, aye.” He chuckled. “I want to taste you as well.”

  Bridget shivered.

  His hand ran down to her hip, kneading her flesh. “Is this done?”

  Slowly, she nodded, speechless as she thought of his mouth latching onto her sex.

  “Good. I was hoping you would say that.” Caderyn flipped her over on her back in one swift movement. He kissed her breasts, sucking on them as he twirled her nipples with his tongue. Then working his way down, he eagerly spread her thighs.

  Bridget tensed with anticipation, no longer feeling at all self-conscious with Caderyn. He licked her first, moaning softly, as he flicked his tongue over her folds. Then, almost aggressively, he growled and latched his mouth to her wet pussy. His fingers clutched her hips, dragging her closer as he enthusiastically licked and sucked at her clit.

  Bridget grabbed to the side trying to anchor her fingers in the soft grass as he practically devoured her sex. What he lacked in practice, he more than made up for with passion and enthusiasm. She’d never heard of a man enjoying himself as much as Caderyn. He grunted and moaned, taking his tongue in long strokes up her slit, covering every inch. A few times his wet caress dipped lower than any man had ever gone. He didn’t seem to notice.

  “It tastes so good,” he growled, drinking in her cream, before thrusting his tongue up into her body. “Mm, so addictive.”

  Bridget watched him in amazement. It was very erotic to see his handsome face between her thighs, as he so thoroughly enjoyed himself. Arching her back, she reached down to help him out. She pulled his chin, slipping his mouth over her clit. “Ah, there. Suck there.”

  He readily obliged, his gorgeous eyes lifting to meet hers before rolling rapturously back in his head. She bucked up off the ground as he re-latched his mouth over the sensitive flesh. He sucked deeply, flicking his tongue over her clit. A finger thrust up inside her body, curling slightly, automatically hitting that sweet spot.

  Bridget cried out. It was too much. Sensations flooded her until she was clawing her hands above her head to get away from his pleasurable mouth. He didn’t let up and she was glad for it. An intense orgasm hit her, rocking her to the core. When she was reduced to a trembling mass of incoherent syllables, he stopped sucking and looked up at her.

  A proud grin spread over his features as if he knew he’d done a good job. Bridget was too spent to move. Her heart hammered wildly and all she could do was stare at him with a stunned look on her face. He nipped lightly at her lower stomach, making her hips jerk, before crawling up over her.

  “Mm,” he said, kissing her neck. “We will do that often.”

  “Ah-ha-mm-oh,” was all Bridget could get out. Even her bones felt like they’d turned to liquid, melting into a sea of pure ecstasy.

  Feeling returned slowly to her body as Caderyn continued to have his way with her, kissing and exploring wherever he wanted. She was weak, but somehow managed to caress him. To her amazement, she became aroused again. She wouldn’t have thought it possible after such an intense orgasm.

  “Are you using your euphoria on me again to make me want you?” she asked, before letting go of a loud, long moan of delight.

  “Any euphoria will be of our own making,” he said, rubbing his cock along her dampening slit. “I’m ready to be in you.”

  With a growl, she flipped him on his back. Pinning his arms, she kissed him. Her taste was on his mouth, mixed with the mint herb he’d chewed earlier. It was powerfully seductive.

  Lifting up, she lowered her body onto his, taking him deeply. He groaned. Feeling empowered, she held him down as she had her way with him, stroking his body slowly with hers. Bridget knew he was strong enough to break free, but he didn’t fight her hold on his wrists as he let her have her way with him. His feet braced as he lifted his hips off the ground, pressing deep into her.

  The firelight danced over his strong abs and chest. He was gorgeous. The soft sounds he made combined with the look and feel of his body were too much. Bridget tensed, shaking with her climax. Caderyn grunted, answering her call as he came inside her. Afterward, she lay on him for a long time, enjoying the feel of his hard flesh to her softer body.

  The cool night breeze hit her skin. Bridget shivered as the thin sheen of sweat on her body dried. Caderyn rolled her over and grabbed her cloak to cover them. She lay next to him, drawing circles on his naked chest.

  “Can I ask you something?” she asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

  He kissed her temple. “Anything.”

  “Will I get pregnant? We haven’t been using protection and, well, I just wondered. I haven’t seen any children around.”

  Caderyn stiffened and sat up. He turned his back on her, stretching his arms above his head. Her eyes lazily roamed over his muscular back and ass. “Do you want children? Would you want a child with a half-fish, half-human genetic mishap?”

  “Don’t say that,” she said, sitting up. Bridget ran her hands over his strong back. “I should never have called you that. I was scared and lashing out. I don’t think you’re a genetic accident.”

  He nodded, but still didn’t look at her. “Do you want a baby?”

  “I don’t know. Honestly, it’s never something I’ve considered,” she said. “Do you?”

  “I don’t think about it.” He sounded sad.

  Bridget brushed back his hair so she could see his face. “Caderyn? What is it?”

  “The odds of you conceiving a child are poor,” Caderyn answered, dejected. “Should you conceive, it’s highly unlikely you will carry the baby to its birth and even less likely that it will live beyond that point.”

  “I see.” Bridget rubbed her cheek along his back, as she hugged her arm around his lean stomach, stroking her fingers over the hard ridge of muscle she found there. “If we never have a child, it won’t be for a lack of trying.”

  He glanced back at her, his purple eyes questioning. “Does this mean you are happy in the marriage?”

  “I think it’s a little early in our relationship to have gotten married. It’s not the way things are done where I come from. But, if I had to be married to anyone, I’m glad it’s you.” Bridget kissed his shoulder, biting playfully. “And, if I have to stay married to anyone, I’d choose to stay married to you.”

  “Perhaps, with time, I will be able to change those words.” Caderyn wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close to his chest as he lay back down.

  Bridget didn’t say a word, as she stared at the dancing sea stars. How else could she have answered? It’s not like she could declare her love for him. That would’ve been stupid, wouldn’t it? So what if she thought that maybe she did love him? Or that she couldn’t imagine anyone else in her bed except Caderyn?

  But, to say she loved him? So soon?

  Br
idget closed her eyes, content for the moment to just be in his arms. What she felt wasn’t logical or rational. It wasn’t something she was willing to say out loud. Not yet. Not without him saying it first.

  Chapter 20

  Caderyn held Bridget’s hand as he led her along the path. The subject of children was always a sensitive one with the Merr and he’d been worried about how she would react to the knowledge. Truthfully, he would give almost anything for children—a boy to raise into a man, a girl to worry over and protect. If she had her mother’s fine looks, he would have to do a lot of protecting.

  Caderyn sighed. There was no point in dwelling on it. If he had Bridget, it would be family enough.

  Watching her face, he smiled to see the slight curl to her lips. She was chewing on the bottom one again, deep in thought. The woman was always thinking, always looking around at stuff—nature, the sky, him. Her eyes seemed to calculate and plan, analyze and study. It was quite adorable.

  “We are close to home,” he said, breaking into her thoughts. She blinked and his grin widened as it took her a moment to shake out of her deep contemplation. He pretended not to notice the delay in her response.

  “Really? We are?” She glanced around in surprise. “Wonderful, I can’t wait. I would like a shower and a soft, warm bed to fall asleep in. I don’t think that I was built for this outdoorsman life. At least when I was out on boats I had a cot to sleep on and the ocean to rock me to sleep.”

  He laughed. She had already complained of the hard ground more than once since they had woken up. Pointing at the forest, Caderyn said, “There is a pond this way. We can stop and rest if you like. There should be some berries in bloom that we can eat and you can swim if you would like to bathe.”

  “Mm, sounds lovely.” Bridget smiled. ”A swim will be the perfect way to lazily while away the afternoon.”

  “Right this way, my lady.” Caderyn led the way into the forest, walking slower as they stepped over fallen, moss-covered logs. He automatically lifted his hand to help her over. “But I can think of better ways to while away an afternoon.”

  Bridget smiled at Caderyn’s continued thoughtfulness. She’d thought that being married to an antiquated man would be horribly stifling. But, it wasn’t. He was sweet and attentive. There was something to be said about a man who was constantly trying to protect his woman—whether from the dangers of the Abyss or from slipping on a mossy log. What made it even sweeter was that Caderyn didn’t seem to have to think about doing the small things. He just automatically did them. Her husband was a true gentleman.

  An easiness passed between them and Bridget felt comfortable with him. He was playful, funny and a really good lover. His enthusiasm and creativity were limitless. Sometimes, she’d catch him studying her with a devilish look on his face as if he were counting the minutes until he could get her naked again. That look alone could make her body respond. Her heartbeat would quicken. Her lungs would pant. Her pussy would become so wet and achy that just walking and thinking about sex with him stimulated her body into a feverish urgency.

  Like now. Bridget grinned, eyeing his tight backside. She loved his ass. What woman wouldn’t? And his abs? So tight and firm. Was it wrong to be glad the Merr didn’t have many women? She didn’t want to share him, not that she thought he’d do that to her. But, she did like to think of him as her delicious little secret—a secret from whom, she had no idea.

  Bridget slowly licked her lips, remembering the feel and taste of his kisses. His body was so sensitive, especially his ass. Since the euphoria had gone, she hadn’t gotten the nerve to take her hand back down to that part of him. Thinking of it, she wondered how long it would be before she could get him naked by the water.

  “Mm,” she groaned softly, thinking of licking water off the tight flesh of his backside. He glanced over his shoulder, catching her staring wantonly at him. She gave a sheepish grin, shrugging at being caught. With a soft laugh, he turned back around, continuing to lead the way.

  Bridget took off her red cloak. Then, throwing it over his head so he couldn’t see, she playfully nudged Caderyn’s arm as she ran ahead of him. He chuckled, pulling it off. She glanced back, seeing the mess she’d made of his wavy brown hair. Damn, but did the man’s sex appeal never cease?

  His eyes narrowed and he gave her a playfully stalking growl as he raced after her. Bridget squealed and ran through the forest as he neared in his chase. She pushed aside several low tree limbs, careful that they didn’t snap back into his face as she moved past.

  Without warning, the forest opened into a large clearing. Sandy shores led right into a dark blue pond. The water was brilliant in the daylight. If she hadn’t been watching where she was going, she could have run right into it. The trees grew close to the water’s edge, standing around all sides but one. On the treeless side there was a high cliff that rose over the shore, jutting out over the water.

  “Wow, it is lovely,” Bridget said, detecting Caderyn behind her. He caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning in to bite playfully at her neck. Before she could react, she heard a splash in the water. Caderyn loosened his grip on her at the sound. She stepped out of his arms close to the pond’s edge, curiosity getting the better of her. Stopping just a few inches from the water, she asked, “What was that noise? Fish of some sort? Is there something in this water?”

  As if to answer her question, a head popped out of the water. It was a mermaid. Her long black hair was plastered to her head, and her green eyes glowed brilliantly, almost scarily, as she looked to the shore. Bridget was awed to see her, the nature of the scientist in her taking over as she tried to get a better look at the woman.

  The mermaid didn’t appear to see them as she lifted her hands above the surface and used them to pull her body up onto the rocky ledge. She thrust out of the water in one graceful movement. Her tail matched her eyes, a shimmering green in the sunlight. The fins along her forearms were smaller than Caderyn’s. Her naked breasts were large and she made no move to cover them from view as she leaned back on the rock.

  Bridget looked at Caderyn, feeling a little jealous as she checked to see if he stared at the pretty, naked woman. To her surprise, he was frowning at the mermaid. Very quietly, he said out of the corner of his mouth, “We should go, Bridget. Right now. Before they see us. Just back up slowly and try not to make any noise.”

  Caderyn grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back with him, but the green-eyed mermaid had seen them. Soon, a second head popped up from the water. This time it was a redheaded mermaid that pulled out of the pond like the first, her eyes the same bright color as her hair. The demonic shading caused Bridget to shiver with fear. The red mermaid lounged close to the green one, dipping her red tailfin into the water in lazy strokes.

  “Who are they?” Bridget asked as Caderyn again tugged her arm to come with him. She was mesmerized by the women. Despite the scary look to their eyes, they were so beautiful, so graceful, captivating.

  “Olympians. They hate all things human,” Caderyn said in a hushed tone. Another mermaid surfaced and then another, one blue and one violet. Suddenly, more surfaced, until nearly a dozen Merr women were staring at the two of them—their tails and matching eyes an array of colors. Some of the women climbed onto the outcropping of rock, others stayed in the water, bobbing along the gentle stirring of the pond’s surface. “We should really start running, Bridget. Now.”

  “What?” Bridget asked, confused. “Why? They’re so—”

  “Run!” Caderyn ordered, his voice a shout. He tightened his grip on her arm. Bridget yelped in surprise as he squeezed her, pulling away from him as a reflex. With an apologetic look forming on his face, he opened his mouth to speak. The words never left his lips.

  Just then, a hand darted up out of the clear water. Bridget hadn’t seen the mermaid swim so close to them. She screamed as the hand pulled her into the pond. Fingers gripped her tightly about the legs and arms, dragging her down. Salt water stung her eyes and burne
d her nose as she breathed a little of it in. It flooded into her opened mouth as she was pulled under the surface. She saw the mermaids clearly, their eyes wild with hatred as they pushed at her face and neck, keeping her down. They punched her stomach, making her wince in pain, causing her to gasp as if they were trying to force the water into her lungs to drown her. Their hair gathered over her, blocking out the sunlight in a colorful array of floating silk.

  Her body tingled and burned. It had only been a matter of mere seconds before she saw Caderyn beneath the surface in the chaos. He tore the mermaids from her body, pushing and throwing them from the water. But there were so many of them, and it took him a long time to fight the women off. Faintly, she heard them scream as they were tossed away. They persisted, coming back for her, attacking Caderyn from all sides, wielding their nails like claws. Blood from his chest clouded the water.

  Bridget was struck in the stomach with a swift slap of a mermaid’s tail. She gasped in pain, unable to hold her breath any longer as she took in a lungful of salty water. She felt the mermaids suddenly let go, as her body convulsed and as darkness threatened her mind.

  Chapter 21

  Caderyn stared at Bridget too stunned to move. Her body was floating in the water, her face pale and her mouth slack. The idea of losing her tore through him, making it hard to pull water into his gills as his heart squeezed in fear.

  ‘We’re too late,’ he heard an Olympian say. ‘It’s happened. We’re too late!’

  ‘Let’s go,’ another answered, the tone dripping with anger and hate. ‘There is no more we can do here.’

  Caderyn felt the mermaids swim from him, cursing him, hating him. He didn’t care what they thought of him. The feelings were mutual—he didn’t like them either. The Olympians were a horrible lot of women—depraved, angry, murderous, and most likely insane.