Chapter Three
Belle ate until she couldn’t fit anything in her. She watched the evening staff coming on and others coming out for dinner. Jane and Terro walked by with Serin and Deno behind her.
Deno was looking around and paused when he looked her way. She gave him a casual smile and wave. She winced when he screamed, “Belle!”
Belle got up, and her brother stampeded over to her with tears in his eyes. “Oh, big sis.”
She held onto him when he grabbed her and swung her around.
“You are better. Are you okay? You are feeling good?” As he spoke, he pressed his hands to her head and shoulders. He made her meet his gaze.
“I am fine. I pulled off the energy of Dorian’s pool, and the result is that I have my body back, and I feel better. Oh, and I took my other form for a spin today.”
Serin was close and said, “So? What is it?”
Thera popped up. “She’s a two-hundred-foot-tall water giant.”
Serin smiled. “The water titan. I did wonder who was going to pull that particular power.”
Thera grinned. “She wrestled someone named Xo.”
Serin blinked. “Oh. That is going to have repercussions. I will be waiting to hear from Kekoa.”
Belle blinked. “Why?”
“Because Xo is the strait’s guardian.”
Belle bit her lip. “Oh, I can see the problem. Dang.”
“Was the route good?”
“For catamarans? Absolutely.”
Serin smiled. “Then, we will have to negotiate access.”
“I wish you luck. He was cranky. Oh, I sent you the images that we had for the route before we ran afoul of the big eel.” She shrugged. “I don’t remember much of when I was transformed, but the strait is gorgeous.”
Serin grinned, and her phone rang. She answered it. “Yes, yes, Kekoa. It was one of my employees. Yes, I am on my way. Is there a chance for food? Great.”
Deno laughed. “Back to the palace?”
“Back to the palace, but they are going to feed us again.”
“Good. Should I fetch Jane and Terro?”
“No. She knows where my home is, and her mate should be here soon. I am fairly sure he’s spent the day getting his house ready for a toddler.”
Deno nodded. “We will have to dance another night.”
Serin smiled. “Oh, we are dancing tonight; we just might have to make our own music.”
“Challenge accepted.”
Belle grinned. “Have a nice time.”
Serin nodded. “I may have to call you up there, so stay on alert.”
“Uh-huh. I will be on alert. Ish.” She grinned.
“I will take it. Anyone can give you directions to the palace.”
“Okay.”
Deno and his mate walked back toward the hills.
Belle turned back to the Daring Pod. “I think I am in trouble.”
Thera asked, “Do you drink?”
“Not recently, and today isn’t any time to start. Is there anywhere around to do karaoke?”
Thera grinned. “There is. I just need to check and see if there are any performances tonight.”
Thera darted over to a stage with a microphone and spoke to someone working with the equipment.
Orc chuckled. “Thera loves singing.”
“It is something in the marked betas. We all like singing. I am guessing it is to lure in the unwary alphas.”
Skaay snorted. “She did it with giggles and swimming.”
Kayak smiled. “And those eyes.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Thera sprinted back and grinned. “They are setting up for karaoke.”
Belle grinned. “Yay!”
Her phone started going nuts during her third song. Belle finished it and hopped off the stage to answer. “Hello?”
Serin spoke grimly, “Belle, can you come to the palace?”
“He won’t budge, huh?”
“No. He demands a penance and apology.”
“Ouch. Well, I am on my way. I can squish him if nothing else.”
“No squishing.”
Belle laughed and grabbed her bag of clothes before she told the pod where she was headed. She could follow her brother, so finding the palace would not be an issue.
She wandered up the path to the town and kept a bead on her brother while she did it.
Belle tried to figure out a proper apology and was sure it would come to her when she got there.
She kept that thought during the whole walk.
The palace was a long building with a second floor, but the main floor was open to the night. She could hear voices and slowly crept toward the spill of light from inside. For some reason, she was a little nervous.
Deno called out, “Come in, sis.”
She wrinkled her nose and stepped inside. Alohi looked at her and sighed, “Pretty.”
Belle tried to figure out who Xo was and settled on the scowling Japanese man next to Deno. He would have been gorgeous if he didn’t look so cranky. He wore an open robe, loose trousers, and nothing else.
Xo looked at her. “You are not the one.”
She shrugged and knelt, prostrating herself. “Lord Xo, I apologize for invading your territory.”
He snorted. “And?”
She peeped up and grinned. “I apologize for kicking your ass. Well, first for finding the eel’s ass and then kicking it and strangling you until you went passive.”
Surprise rippled through his features. “How was it you?”
“How did you turn into a gigantic eel that could have taken the boat down?”
He paused. “It came when I matured. What of your form?”
“It came after survival.”
Deno blinked and frowned. “Why isn’t there a mark?”
“Oh, there is. You just can’t see it without blacklight.”
King Kekoa asked, “What is your mark?”
She shrugged. “Not telling. It’s embarrassing.”
Serin looked to Deno, “Do you know?”
“I didn’t know she had a mark, let alone a UV one.”
Xo got a canny look on his face and said, “Bow again.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I would rather not.”
“Do you want to use my strait for your little show?”
“Yes.”
“Bow.”
She sighed and bowed again. She felt a warm hand ease her shirt up, and a weird light spilled to the ground next to her. The shirt was eased back where it had been and smoothed with a broad hand.
Xo muttered, “So, knowing that I am your mate, you attacked me.”
“I defended the vessel I was on. You approached at a rapid pace, and I simply joined with the water to stop you. I did remove the vessel from your waters immediately after our tussle.” She shrugged, still facing the mat under her. “Whether we are or are not mates didn’t enter into it. You endangered the vessel.”
“Motors beyond an idle are forbidden. Your captain knew that.”
“Yes, but I didn’t, and I just wanted to cruise past your territory and get to the other side.”
“Why? I live in a lovely place.” His fingers were sliding through her hair.
“It felt weird. Like static on my skin. Can I sit up?”
He made a humming sound, and she cocked her head.
“Please?”
“What happened to you after you let me go?”
“I am water. I just pulled the boat away from your territory and out to the other side of the strait.”
“I thought that was what happened, but I was rather dazed. I would not mind round two.”
She sighed. “I don’t mean to be contrary, but I don’t think you do. That first one was a trial to feel what had been churning inside me fully. Now, I know what I can do, and I will be able to do it faster. I might even figure out how to fire the sharks and other fish.”
Serin stared. “What?”
Xo chuckled. “The water takes her form, not the other way around, and that includes anything swimming in it at the time. It is striking.”
“I thought eels had cruddy eyesight.”
“Eels do. I do not.” He was still petting her hair.
She blushed. “Ah. Got it.”
“I think you are beginning to. Lift your head.”
She looked at him, and he tilted his head. “Hm.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Has the apology been accepted, and will you consider letting catamarans glide through your strait for the program?”
“I will consider it, but you must assist me with an issue I am having.”
“What? Name it.”
He leaned in close, and she understood what he was referring to. He might be all polite and urbane right now, but he was in rut and wanted her under him immediately.
“Oh. That is not what I was expecting.” She glanced around the room at all the mated or solid matches. “Right. So, they all knew.” The scent coming from his body was enticing and had a sharp citrus note, like fresh lime.
“They did. Kekoa has helped me to calm down so that I didn’t punch the island’s avatars, but it was a near thing. Only the one who interloped in my territory would do.”
“Do for what exactly?” She bit her lip and then said, “Is this a revenge fuck issue?”
“No. With you, it could never be that, but it is a matter of urgency. So, shall we leave?” He stood and held out his hand to her.
She slowly got to a sitting position. “Is this the penance portion of the day?”
“If you want to call it that. Come along. I don’t fuck outside of my home territory.”
To hear him say that in the room full of folks she knew, strangers and her brother, made her blush a little. She had been planning on finding a sex partner anyway. Xo was certainly good-looking, tall, and smelled like an orchard after the rain.
No one in the room had a judgemental look. Deno gave her an encouraging nod.
Serin smiled. “It will be fine, but you may want to muffle your like to Deno tonight. It’s gonna get loud.”
It was Deno’s turn to blush, but he was grinning in anticipation.
Belle got to her feet and nodded. “Let’s get this over with then.”
Xo winced but took her hand and led her out of the palace on Wonder Island.
“That was very bluntly stated.”
“Well, you said it was just fucking, so it seemed appropriate,” she mumbled.
“I didn’t... oh, wait. I did.” Xo huffed. “Sorry. My head is in a thousand places right now.”
She stared at him. “So, that whole thing in the palace?”
“Was keeping up appearances. I am known to be irritated at the best of times. So, when I am in rut, I fall on strict formalities.”
“Wait. So, you get more rigid?”
He chuckled. “Do you want to rephrase that?”
“Oh, right. Socially.”
“Yes.”
“Where are we going?”
“There is a pathway to the water here. I will transform, and you will hang on.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t bring a boat, and I am in a hurry.” Xo went down the path slightly before her and held her hand so she could support herself on the way down.
When the sand caressed her toes, she smiled. Xo walked to the water and smiled. “I know I don’t need to say this, but don’t try to run.”
“Of course not. How do I ride you?”
He paused. “Huh. I will fold down my spikes behind my head and keep it above the water.”
“What if I shift and hold on so you can move underwater?”
“No. I need practice.”
That was curious, but he waded into the water and began to grow until he stretched parallel to the beach. He was big but held out a fin, and she stepped onto it and was boosted upward until she settled on his soft, ruffly spinal fin in front of his spikes. The broad, silvery head wiggled as he worked his way to deeper water, and from there, he started to swim. When he was in deeper water, he accelerated. The shoreline sped past, and the hour-long path to the strait was achieved in a few minutes. The travel down the strait pulled her hair back with the speed, and a six-hour journey ended up completed in twenty-five minutes.
He wiggled his way onto the small beach, and she saw the fin out for her. She eased off him and stepped down onto the sand. He resumed his alpha appearance, but there was a feral look to him.
He took her hand. “This way.”
He led her through the hills and grasses down a hidden path. They walked along, and suddenly, his home was there, the lower level of a Japanese-inspired building that looked completely at home in the forest.
“Why do you live out here? I mean, the house is gorgeous, but it is rather remote.”
He shrugged, his expression gaining more of a feral cast. “I retired, and I don’t need people around. This suits me.”
There were two staff members who came out to greet them.
Xo said, “We are going to the baths, and it would be a good idea to avoid them.”
The two men blinked and then nodded. “We will stay away, sir.”
Xo walked toward the rear of the house, and Belle stated to the two men, “It was nice meeting you.”
They were startled into smiling and nodded toward her.
The path around the house ended near a wooden deck, and the starlight showed a tumble of stone that pressed against the even planks.
“Oh, so bathing?”
He nodded. “My form left slime.”
“I thought I felt a little slicker than normal.”
Xo closed his eyes. When he had collected himself, he helped her onto the deck. A few harsh sentences explained what she needed to do, and Belle shrugged and pulled off her top on the way to the washing area.
She removed her skirt and shoes, then scrubbed her skin briskly. When rinsed and squeaky clean, she looked at the warm pool and walked over to join Xo. She stepped into the pool while loosely tying her hair into a floppy knot on her head.
Belle swam out in the warm water and hummed. “This is nice.”
Xo stared. “You are not shy.”
“Modesty has its place, but this isn’t it.” She glanced over her shoulder as she cruised past him.
Xo lunged and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “That is a relief. You have had alphas before?”
“A while ago, but yes.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I won’t say you don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, but there will be minimal shock to my senses.”
He let out a hiss, and his rut was taking over. He had held it back until he got somewhere safe.
Xo nibbled on her neck, licked it, and slid his hand down her front to cup her sex.
The ride to the strait had been rapid foreplay, so his fingers dipped and swirled in her heat as she held still to keep him from biting.
When his fingers felt what they had been seeking, he moved them near the stone edge of the pool and slid into her.
Belle’s eyes widened as he moved into her, and she whined and moaned while her hips jerked and twitched.
Xo stroked his hands down her back and settled his hands on her hips. He started to thrust and retreat in a heavy and heady rhythm.
Belle stared at the stone in front of her and held onto the rough ledge. She was getting close to a shattering orgasm, but Xo got there first.
He held himself inside her with his hands gripping her hips. He shuddered, and the temperature inside her rivalled that outside in the pool.
“You weren’t with me.” His voice was soft.
“I was not.”
He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “You held back?”
“You were ahead of me.”
He paused and chuckled. “I suppose I was.”
She looked at him. “Are you stuck?”
“No. Just enjoying your heat.” He groaned softly. “You feel like you were made for me.”
Belle closed her eyes and smiled at the aches of heat inside her where she gently stretched around him. “You are a nice fit.”
He chuckled softly and nuzzled her neck. His cock got rigid inside her once again, and she slowly started to thrash against him.
He grunted and muttered, “Not this time.” He eased out of her and turned her, lifting her to the outcropping of stone she had been gripping.
She frowned and stared at him. “What?”
He pried her knees apart and leaned in. “This time, you will be with me.”
“What?” She was repeating herself, but when his tongue slipped over her sex and her clit throbbed on contact, she scrambled for somewhere to hold on.
She could feel his teeth against her as he grinned. He took her hands and placed one on his head and the other on his shoulder.
He flicked his gaze to her and then dove in. She felt the fangs pressing against her soft flesh, and his tongue stroked hard at her. Shock kept her from reacting for a few moments, and then, he eased three fingers into her and licked and swirled around her clit.
She gasped, whined, and shivered hard as he continued to torment her while her sex pulsed around his fingers and her clit throbbed.
He slid his fingers out of her and stood straight, pulling her toward him. It took a few attempts, but he slid into her, and she groaned and shuddered, clutching his shoulders.
Xo cupped her ass, lifted, and eased her over him for a few strokes, and then, the slapping of their bodies frothed the water. She locked her legs behind his back and dug her nails into his shoulders. This time, when he came, she was with him.
He was breathing hard, and he kissed her shoulder. “Thank you, Belle. The rut has lifted.”
“Um. Congratulations?”
He nodded. “Thank you. Your production may now move the catamarans through the straight.”
She jolted. “Right. Thanks. I will be on my way.”
Xo frowned. “You won’t stay the night?”
She was humiliated. “You thought this was a transaction. I am mortified, and I really want to leave. So, I will.”
He gripped her hips. “It wasn’t?”
“I apologized and that was the end of my involvement. Serin didn’t pimp me out for your use.” She squirmed and finally turned to water, moved away from him, and solidified again. “So, it was... interesting, and as you have taken my participation as payment, there will be a catamaran coming through tomorrow to do a time trial. Please stay away from it.”
He looked confused, but she bowed and then waded out of the pool and ran down the hill. She dove into the strait and transformed, swimming through the straight and around the island to get back to the town.
She crept to the palace and found her bag in the darkness. She got dressed and headed back to the village.
For the first time in years, she was going to get drunk.