Chapter 43
Elva
Cool air surrounded my clit as Njall pulled his mouth away.
I was about to protest, but he thrust two fingers inside me, curling them in the most wickedly delicious way.
With only one hand supporting me, I bucked beneath him when his mouth returned to my clit; I cried out.
It had been an eternity since I’d been with a man who cared about my pleasure as much as his own—outside of Leifur, likely not since I slept with Njall and then his brother, if I was being honest.
His grip on my thigh tightened, sending a jolt of pain through me before he inserted a third finger.
The stretching sensation was exactly what I craved as he pumped his fingers in and out, all the while keeping his mouth fixed on my clit.
Starved of pleasure for too long, I came embarrassingly quickly.
As my body trembled, I heard the arrogant prince chuckle.
“Don’t get cocky,” I snapped.
He replied with an infuriating smirk I wanted to slap off his face.
I lunged for him, but he caught my wrist and yanked it so forcefully that I slid from the grassy area and splashed into the steaming pool.
Frustration surged through me as I threw my other arm to hit him, but he seized that one too, spinning me until my back was pressed against his chest, and his erection ground against my rear.
This time, he moaned as he increased the pressure between us.
I tried to squirm away from him, but his hold tightened and he pulled my arms tighter across my chest.
“Be nice, little pearl,” he growled, “or I’ll bend you over that grassy rock and make you behave.”
The thought of him taking me forcefully was almost enough to send me over the edge again.
“Or maybe that’s exactly what you want,” he teased.
His nose brushed against my neck, and he gently nipped at my shoulder.
Instinctively, I tilted my head to grant him better access as I pressed my ass against him and rocked my hips.
He groaned as I lifted myself just high enough for his cock to slip free and settle between my legs.
Seizing the opportunity, he released my wrist and grabbed my hips, impaling me on his hard cock in one swift motion.
My cry echoed through the clearing as he bottomed out inside me, pressing me against the wall.
I clung to the ledge with all my might, which provided him with more leverage as he slid out before driving back into me.
A rough hand journeyed up my abdomen and captured my breast, kneading it firmly before rolling and pinching my nipple to the brink of pain. His other hand found my clit and gave it the same rough treatment that my nipple was getting.
“Harder,” I moaned, leaning my head back into the crook of his neck. “Njall … please.”
“I know you like it rough,” he whispered.
Njall had an uncanny intuition when it came to my body; he seemed to know what I craved moments before I realized it myself.
For a man who’d never met a siren before, he certainly knew how to handle one.
As his thrusts grew more ferocious, and the pressure within me mounted, I climaxed once again, and he bit me hard enough that I knew my brothers would see it and tease me later.
The tingles were still coursing through me when he suddenly withdrew, spun me to face him, and pushed me back onto his cock.
I grabbed his face, pulling him close to kiss him.
Not a simple kiss that I’d give any man I bedded, but one with a deeper meaning behind it.
I’d tried to ignore the feelings because of who and what he was, but this man was different—he’d tended to me when I was sick and he could have left, he'd cared for me and my brothers by providing food, and even now, he needed me to enjoy our encounter as much, if not more, than him.
Njall pinned me against the wall of the hot spring, filling me to the brim, and prolonging the waves of pleasure that had only just calmed.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close.
The pressure was building up inside me again, and it felt as if I might burst and float away from the water.
Njall tightened his grip on me and quickened his thrusts. My body took over from me, preparing for the age-old ritual of taking all his seed, even though it wouldn't cause a new siren. He nipped at my neck with increasing ferocity until he bit me again, and I let out a sharp cry.
His roar drowned out all else as he started to cum, and I came again as my body locked him in place to take all he offered. For a moment his body went limp, but he grasped the ledge to keep us both steady.
As I let out a soft sigh, I could feel the siren within me silencing as a warmth surged up my core. The water now felt cool compared to the heat I was giving off.
Still panting, Njall leaned in close, his forehead pressed against mine. “Anytime you need help with this particular issue, I am at your service,” he whispered.
I snorted at his corny line, but a new warmth blossomed inside of me—one I hadn’t known since I was young and na?ve. “I will keep that in mind,” I replied.
I dipped underwater to smooth my hair back, taking a moment to compose myself. Our time together since we’d left the castle had given me a great deal to think about.
Njall was waiting for me on the grassy edge of the spring. “Ready?” he asked.
“For what?” I asked, still reeling inside from our tender encounter.
“To head back,” he said. “Dinner won’t catch itself, and the fire won’t survive without wood.”
Groaning at the thought of leaving, I flopped onto my back, floating through the water.
I heard a gentle splash, and a moment later, a pair of arms encircled my waist and pulled me under.
His emerald eyes sparkled when we resurfaced, and I couldn’t help but grin at his playfulness.
I reached out and tickled his sides, laughing as he dove under again to get away.
When we broke the surface, both of us were laughing.
I playfully splashed his face and growled as he batted the water away and dove for me.
He went under again and locked onto my ankles, pulling me down once more.
There, beneath the surface, in the water's stillness, I looked into his eyes as he caressed my cheeks.
I was impressed that he could dive as much as he did without running out of breath.
I grabbed his face and kissed him again, softly as we slowly rose to the surface.
The cool air made my skin bumpy after being in the hot water for so long, but it also helped to dry it quickly, and I made my way over to my clothes.
I rubbed my lower back and sighed with relief that my scales had vanished again.
I was set for another month. After Njall and I dressed, we silently ventured back into the woods to gather food and firewood.
When we arrived back at the camp, we found Leifur had already collected enough wood to get the fire going, and Sindri had prepared spots for us to sleep. Njall dropped his bundle of wood next to my twin, who immediately whined about nearly being hit.
Leifur took the three brown squirrels I’d caught on the way back. “You look better,” he said before turning away to prepare them.
Njall mentioned our discovery of a hot spring, piquing Sindri's interest. As I dropped my bag of supplies, I told him where to find it. Sindri glanced at his husband, and when he got a nod, he set off eagerly to find it.
“You’re welcome to join him,” Njall said. “We can prepare dinner.”
Leifur looked at me for approval. I nodded, and he handed me a knife to clean the squirrels.
With my brothers off getting cleaned up and enjoying a soak, Njall and I found ourselves alone.
I tried to focus on the meal—boiling water, cutting the root vegetables, skinning the squirrels—but whenever I glanced up, his eyes were on me.
Could it be possible that he felt the same draw to me as I did to him? It seemed plausible; sirens had evolved to draw men in. Yet this reciprocal magnetism was unfamiliar territory for me. We stayed quiet and carried on with our work.
By the time my brothers returned refreshed and rejuvenated, dinner was ready. I was still angry with Sindri, so I sat next to Njall and avoided looking at him.
After eating yet another silent meal, Sindri finally snapped. “Are you ever going to talk to me again?”
I just grunted a reply, making Leifur and Njall shift uncomfortably.
“I said I was sorry,” Sindri continued. “Why do you have to take everything so personally?”
My gaze locked onto my brother's face. “How could I not? I shared the worst day of my life with Njall because you wanted to warn him why I was moody.”
“You are,” Sindri shot back, raising his voice.
“Were,” Leifur calmly corrected him.
Sindri hesitated, glancing toward his husband before focusing on me and Njall. “Oh.” A sardonic grin spread across his face. “Perhaps you should thank me.”
“Your oversharing had nothing to do with what happened between us,” Njall said. “While it answered a few questions I had about Elva, it doesn't change how I see her.”
“It got you to take care of her siren for this cycle.”
My mouth dropped open, and I stormed over to my brother and grabbed him by the shirt. “Did you tell him that so he’d feel sorry for me and sleep with me? What is wrong with you?”
“You were running out of time,” Sindri protested.
“I still had days left.”
“And with how cold and difficult you were, you’d never have won him over without your song, and I know you would have refused to use it.”
I shoved my brother away and massaged my forehead in frustration.
“Elva, he means well.” Leifur squeezed my shoulder, but I held up my hand, making it clear I didn’t want to be touched, and he backed off.
“Sindri,” I growled. “You don't always know what's best for me.”
He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, I unleashed my siren—my teeth sharpened into razors, and my fingers morphed into talons. He wisely leaped away from me, but I advanced on him. “You haven't gone through what I have, so do not assume you can speak for me, ever.”
Trembling with fear, he nodded vigorously.
As I turned from him, my eyes met Njall's; the smallest hint of fear was apparent, but the more dominating emotion was understanding. For the first time, maybe ever, I felt seen by a man. He was frightened, but not of me … for me, and I wasn’t entirely sure why I pushed between him and Leifur and stormed off into the woods to spend the night alone.