“Get me out of here,” Bridget whispered. She rolled off Caderyn and he jumped to his feet, pulling her up.
“Get her,” Maia ordered.
“How many are up there?” he asked, eyeing the cave. He looked as if he contemplated fighting them off.
“A whole lot,” Bridget answered. “Too many. We should run.”
“All right, then.” Caderyn held her hand, pulling her behind them as they ran into the forest. Calling over his shoulder he told her, “By the way, I love you, too.”
Bridget felt as if her heart exploded with happiness and joy at his words. They ducked under a tree branch. The Olympians called out in anger, giving chase. Bridget heard their feet crunching the leaves of the forest floor.
“I’m sorry I ran away,” Bridget said, gasping for breath as they ran faster. “I was scared and confused. I just needed some time to think about everything that’s happened. But I went about it all wrong. It was stupid of me to—”
“Bridget,” Maia yelled, interrupting her apology. “You are one of us. You know that you are. We offered you everything you’ve ever wanted. Don’t be a fool, Bridget. Come back to us!”
Caderyn and Bridget ignored the woman as they kept going. She squeezed his hand tighter. “It was stupid of me to leave you, Caderyn. I never should have gone like that.”
“I know all this. I know why you did it.” Caderyn jumped over a log, quickly changing directions. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry. I should have told you of the transformation. I should have been honest with you and told you everything from the very beginning. I just didn’t know how.”
Suddenly, Caderyn stopped, pulling her into the protection of an outcropping. He hugged her to his chest and she felt his heart beating wildly against her cheek. When she looked up, his face was turned to the distance, watching for the Olympians.
“I didn’t run because of the transformation,” Bridget said softly, staring up at him, breathing hard. She could look at his face forever. “I ran because I was scared of how I felt about you. I’m so sorry, Caderyn. I thought you lied to me and I was in love with you. I just needed to get away and think. I can’t think when you’re near me. Well, I can’t think of anything logical at any rate. I mean, naturally I can think—”
“I understand. It’s all right,” he said.
“But—”
“Mm, shh,” he moaned, giving her a quick kiss. Pulling back, he said, “No more of that. Now, come on. This way. Hurry. I hear them going the wrong way.”
He led her through the forest, not running as fast as before. When they reached the path, Caderyn slowed even more. He tilted his head to the side.
“What are you doing? We need to go,” Bridget said, trying to run and tug on his arm at the same time. “I don’t want to go back there, ever. There’s too many of them to fight.”
“It’s all right. You’re safe. They won’t follow us this far. We’re too close to the other estates,” Caderyn answered, though he did walk at a brisk pace, holding her hand in his.
“Those women were so bitter,” Bridget said. “I couldn’t stand to be around them any longer. They smiled, but inside, it was as if I could feel what they felt and they were so unhappy.”
“I know,” Caderyn answered. “The Olympians went crazy long ago. Queen Maia, as she calls herself, hated that we refused to let her hunt humans for sport and artifacts. She liked to lure them into the ocean and drown them to take what possessions she could.”
“The old stories,” Bridget whispered, remembering the few myths she’d read about mermaids.
“There was a big fight and she ran off from Atlas into the forest. There they have lived in isolation. ”
“Then, I think you should know something. They have a way out into the ocean from their cave. Some of the women went out this evening, night diving,” Bridget said.
At that Caderyn paused. “You’re sure? You’ve seen this?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “I saw it. They have men slaves too.”
Caderyn frowned slightly. “Um, that we know about.”
“Oh,” Bridget said. “Well, why don’t you try and free them?”
“Did you? I mean, did they have you…?” Caderyn swallowed visibly. He looked so adorably jealous that she couldn’t help but put him out of his misery with an answer.
“I could never be with anyone but you. They would have to kill me first,” she said, kissing him softly on his mouth.
His eyes drifted down over her transparent outfit. He leaned back to get a better look. “What are you wearing?”
“Hardly a thing.” She laughed at the steamy look in his eyes, feeling no embarrassment at his attention. There was only desire in his expression for her.
“Mm,” Caderyn bit his lip before swearing, “By all the gods! You’re beautiful.”
Bridget glanced over her shoulder, looking to see if the Olympians were anywhere in sight. Her body heated in response to his low, sultry tone. “We need to keep moving.”
He nodded. “All right. You walk ahead of me though. I’ll… ah… guard your behind. I mean, I’ll walk behind your—”
Bridget slugged his arm and grabbed his hand. With him, she wasn’t as scared of the mermaids, but that didn’t mean she was stupid enough to stand around and risk being found. “Nice try, smooth talker. Now come on.”
They jogged down the path toward Caderyn’s home. Seeing its majestic structure outlined by the light of the sea stars, she finally felt safe again. Caderyn glanced down over her outfit, his eyes straying over her breasts. “Let me tell Sirius and Afra that you are safe. They’ll be worried.”
“Sirius and Afra?”
“The caretakers. They’re like family. When I’m at the palace, they take care of this estate for me.” Caderyn reached for her breast, only to pull away. “Yeah, it’ll only take one second. Wait just inside the door for me and I’ll grab a cloak for you.”
“Shouldn’t I at least introduce myself to them?”
Caderyn again looked her over, his face that of a starved man. “Ah, no. No, it’ll be fine. You can meet them later—much later.”
Bridget nodded, secretly grateful that she wasn’t going to be led through the house naked. It had already been nerve racking enough to be seen naked by the den full of crazy women. He led her into the entryway of his home, looked her over, moaned softly, kissed her and then ran into the atrium. Bridget suppressed a giggle at his eagerness. But, she well understood. She couldn’t wait until she could safely be in his arms. In less than a minute, Caderyn was by her side, holding a green cloak to his chest. She reached to take it from him, but he artfully swept past her out of the house without letting her have it.
“Caderyn?” she asked, following him. “What are you doing? Where are you taking me?”
“Are you tired?”
“A little. All the running around has gotten my blood pumping though.” Bridget followed him.
“But are you too tired?” The side of his lips curled in seductive meaning.
Bridget found herself blushing. “Why? Where are we going?”
“I want to show you something.” Caderyn led her around to the back of his house. A long fence protected it from view. He slid open a secret gate. Bridget ducked under and stepped inside. After replacing the gate, he led her into the backyard.
Bridget gasped. The sea stars seemed to be closer. She walked across the wide, open yard, drawn to the dancing lights. They came so close she felt as if she could touch them.
“What is this?” she asked in awe.
“Our borders,” Caderyn said. With the trees and the house, she hadn’t been able to see the boundary before entering the backyard. She would never have guessed they were this close to the border. When she stretched out her fingers, the sea star was almost as big as her hand. It was so close she could see its black eyes looking at her, as if curious.
“This is your backyard?” She didn’t touch it, but ran her hand several inches away from the star. It followed her wiggling fingers.
/> “This is our backyard,” he corrected. “All that I have is yours, Bridget.”
She smiled, glancing at him before turning back to the star.
“Can I touch it?” she asked, scared that she would puncture a hole in the side and cause the whole ocean to come flooding in on them.
“Aye,” Caderyn lifted out his hand and ran it against an invisible barrier between them and the sea stars. The small creatures jolted a little like fish in a fish tank, spreading wide to leave a black trail behind his hand. But they soon settled as they became used to Caderyn’s presence. They swam back, eyeing him as curiously as they had her.
Bridget’s fingers shook, as she reached her hand out to find the barrier felt like moist glass to the touch. She asserted a little pressure, testing its strength, but she couldn’t push through it. “This is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s almost like we’re in a giant aquarium and they’re looking in on us.”
She glanced at Caderyn. He looked confused, but she didn’t explain. She didn’t want to go into the concept of fish tanks at the moment.
Bridget took a step back, looking around in awe. “The ocean is so beautiful. I can’t believe I’m actually seeing creatures of the Abyss. I’ve dreamt about this since I was a little girl.”
“Aye, it’s almost the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” His voice dipped, becoming hoarse.
“Almost?”
Caderyn glanced down her body, letting his gaze linger on her breasts barely hidden by the transparent gown. “Mm, almost. I see one thing better before me.”
She blushed in pleasure.
Caderyn closed his eyes and lowered his head. He appeared to be concentrating. Bridget turned back to the barrier. The sea stars scattered and a large eye, nearly a foot long, swam past.
“Oh!” She jerked her hand back, instantly grabbing onto Caderyn. “That scared the crap out of me. What was that? What did you do?”
Caderyn laughed. “I want to give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”
She didn’t move, staring at the barrier.
“It is the squid you requested, my lady. We tend to think of them as large, ugly pests. More often than not they just get in our way when we’re out hunting.”
The creature came closer to the glass and its gigantic body drifted by slowly—first its large eye, then its gelatinous body, its sucker-covered arms, and finally its two large feeding tentacles. Bridget watched in wide eyed amazement, her body shaking in excitement. The squid had to be at least fifty feet long.
“It’s so…” She took a deep breath, trembling as she reached out toward it. “It’s so beautiful, so big. I never thought I’d see one up close—not like this, not alive. I can’t believe it.”
The large tentacles continued by the glass, seemingly endless in length.
“Did you call it to us?” she asked, lightly touching the glass as the creature floated by.
“Aye, I did and in time you will learn to call all manner of creatures to the borders as well,” he said. “Does this please you, Bridget?”
She nodded, grinning, awed by the powerful ocean at her fingertips. “It’s all I ever dreamed of as a child.”
“I would call forward other creatures for you to see, but I cannot sense any more of them about.”
Bridget closed her eyes, trying to detect anything in the ocean. It was fuzzy and vague, but she got the impression of coldness and darkness.
‘Come to me,’ she thought, trying to summon a sea creature of her own. ‘Come here, sea creatures. Here boy. Come on. Come to Bridget. Let me see you.’
“Mm, gladly, my love.” Caderyn growled, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and gently biting her neck. “You can beckon me to you anytime you want. I will always come.”
Bridget giggled as his teeth grazed her flesh, tickling her with their light caresses. Caderyn made little biting noises as if he would devour her entirely.
Suddenly, a small, hideously ugly fish popped up near the glass boundary, looking at them. Its mouth opened wide, baring its sharp teeth as if it wanted to bite her. Then, swishing its back fin violently as it tried to break through the border, it scattered the sea stars. A large dark circle formed on the dome around it.
“Ew, is that one mine?” she asked, laughing. “How come you get the cool squid and I get bitey?”
“They’re harmless to anything bigger than they are. They look fierce, but that kind only nibbles a little bit,” Caderyn said, paying more attention to her neck than to the small fish she’d summoned.
“Mm, kind of like you, huh?” Bridget teased. His kisses felt so good. She felt them all the way to her toes, swirling passion into her blood and causing the pleasure of his touch to arouse every inch of her body to him. Her thighs tightened in longing, ready to feel him deep inside as moisture gathered.
“I have no idea what you are talking about, my lady,” he said, nibbling the full length of her throat before releasing her long enough to drop the cloak onto the ground, making them a bed.
Bridget’s cheeks heated with pleasure. Caderyn gave a meaningful look to the cloak and arched a brow as he pursed his lips with meaning.
She quirked a brow, mimicking his expression. “Feeling lucky tonight, are you?”
Caderyn’s eyes roamed over her body again and her whole being responded to the heated look. “Aye, I feel like the luckiest man ever born.”
Moisture dampened her thighs with a torrent of cream. Just one look, one touch, was all it took and her body was ready for him. She wondered if it would always be like that. “Then that would make me the luckiest woman.”
He grinned, as if knowing the effect he had on her, and pulled her into his embrace. “I hope so.”
Bridget wrapped her arms around his neck. Looking deep into his eyes, she shivered as he brushed his lips across hers, taking his time as he gently sucked her lip between his. By small degrees he deepened the touch, letting his tongue part the seam of her mouth.
Bridget panted in arousal, running her hands up into his hair and pulling him more firmly against her. She felt every bend of his body to hers. He was a perfect fit. The hard planes of his muscles were gorgeous and firm, so strong and manly. She loved his body, the sheer physical prowess of him.
There was a lingering fear inside of her and she felt a matching fear inside of him. His arms tightened around her, pulling her flush to his erection. They deepened the kiss, pouring all the fear and desperation from the long day into it.
“I was so frightened that you wouldn’t come for me, that you wouldn’t find me,” she whispered.
“I will always come for you and I’d spend eternity looking if I had to.” Caderyn’s movements became more urgent. He broke away, pulling his body from hers and groaned. “I don’t like the Olympians, but I do admire their taste in wardrobe. Would you mind terribly if we kept this gown for special occasions?”
“Special occasions?” She laughed.
“Yeah, like each and every night and maybe a few of the days, as well.” He grinned, nodding eagerly with a hopeful expression on his face. Softly, he swore, “By all the gods, you are everything I could ever dream of wanting.”
“Oh, you like this gown, do you?” Bridget couldn’t help chuckling. “Just wait until I have a couple of words with the tailors. I’ll have them making things you’ve only dreamt about.”
Maybe giving the tailors patterns of modern day lingerie would be a perfect hobby for her time amongst the Merr. She had a feeling a great many of the men would thank her for her efforts.
Kissing her brow, her cheeks, and then her lips, Caderyn said into her mind, ‘You are safe. Now that we have connected our minds and our hearts, no one can take you from me again. I will feel it if they even try.’
“Will everyone hear my thoughts?” Bridget asked, worried.
He chuckled and deepened the kiss until she couldn’t speak. ‘Only in our Merr form. In this form, we will only read each other.’
‘Good,’ B
ridget said, relaxing some. ‘Because there are some thoughts I do not need anyone else to hear.’
Caderyn groaned, sweeping her off her feet only to lay her gently onto the cloak. The soft grass made for a nice bed. He rubbed his hands over her body, teasing her through the thin gown before pulling it up over her head and tossing it aside. ‘Really? What thoughts?’
‘Mostly about that great ass of yours,’ she admitted.
He pulled back and she saw his surprise. ‘My ass?’
‘Mm, delicious,’ Bridget nodded. How could the man not know he had a great ass, the kind of ass women creamed themselves over?
“Cream themselves? Really?” He glanced over his shoulder, as if to look at his own backside. Bridget gasped. She really had to watch her thoughts. “So you like my ass, that much, huh?”
She felt him shift his weight gently and knew he was flexing the muscles along his butt.
“Ah,” she scolded playfully, her eyes widening. The man was positively incorrigible. “Get out of my head, otherwise there will be no mystery left between us.”
“Mm, no way,” he whispered into her ear. “This is too good. Tell me, wife, what else do you like?”
Before she could stop it, a thought popped into her head. ‘Sucking your thick, hard cock dry. Ah! I mean, going down on you and giving you…ah…pleasure.’
Caderyn groaned, instantly pressing his hips forward, rocking gently. His erection was hidden by his tunic, but she could feel its thick length just fine. “By all the gods, it’s sexy when you think things like that. I hope you have those thoughts often. I would love to hear them all.”
Caderyn kissed between her breasts, moving slowly up a mound to flick his tongue along her erect nipple. He swirled it, nipping and soothing it with his hot mouth. She arched, trying to get him to take the buds deeper, to end the longing he stirred inside them. He obliged, sucking the pliable globe deeply.
After he’d thoroughly conquered her chest, he licked his way down her stomach, rimming her navel before moving between her thighs. Animalistic sounds of pure pleasure escaped his throat as he forcefully spread her thighs wide. Bridget shivered, her body remembering all too well how much he liked kissing her to climax. Hot breath fanned over her pussy. Her clit twinged and she tensed, ready for that first intimate touch of his mouth to her wet sex.
The Mighty Hunter Page 17
