Savage Shifters Box Set, page 61
“Don’t be sorry.” An amused grin flashed, one that looked too good on him. “Forget it. What was that all about?”
“Your lady ex was trying to rile me up. I think she still has feelings for you.”
Oscar scoffed. “Trust me; she doesn’t. And she’s not my ex.”
The dismissive tone told Lili everything, and she didn’t know how to feel about it. Fine, so not an ex-girlfriend, but an ex-lover—one he probably hooked up with plenty of times in the past. The feeling of jealousy came again, but she banked it down as Oscar introduced her to their warrior general, who was a distinguished-looking, black-haired merman named Rigby Smee with a stiff posture and a very polite but firm demeanor. Despite the rigidity, Lili found herself easing up as she got to chatting with him, realizing that being with Elsa had tensed her quite up.
Not a good sign, because many other people were going to try to rile her up. She really needed to get a hold of herself and stay calm.
Time passed, and she began to balance having fun with still being a nervous wreck. Oscar still kept his hand on her back from time to time, a casual touch at first.
Then she felt that hand tightening at some point, and she looked up as she felt something in the air. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just the lady observing us. And my parents. And some others.”
“Observing?”
“More like watching.” Oscar looked down at her, a teasing glint in his gaze. “She’s watching you.”
Her back went up. “Why would she?”
“I assume it’s because of what you said. I’m pretty sure some of the guests heard you while you were talking in whispers because I did hear everything—well, everything within hearing distance when I was walking over. And they’re speculating about it now.”
Okay, now that was embarrassing. Lili wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. In response, she shot the amused man beside her a look. “You think this is funny.”
“A bit, but it’s more ironic than anything,” he admitted.
“What do you mean?”
“You were talking about touching but being touchy-feely with me is the last thing you’ve been doing since the party started. It’s no big deal, though. Crowds will always speculate, and they are probably thinking if there’s still something going on between me and the lady, and if that connection is stronger than ours. It happens. It will go away. People just talk, and that’s it.”
It was a common speculation, and she knew the same speculation would probably happen in the human world. It looked like people here weren’t much different. She glanced at Lady Elsa out of the corner of her eye and saw the smug look there, indicating one thing: the lady thought Lili was bluffing. In Lili’s mind, that meant one thing: she wasn’t doing a very good job of convincing people she was Oscar’s mate.
And that needed to change.
The decision came in the split of a second, and her body moved in accordance to it. She let her thoughts simmer before settling down, waited until Oscar met her gaze again.
Then she said the words that she never thought she’d be saying on her second day in being a merman’s pretend mate.
“Well, since people talk and all, why don’t we give them something to talk about?”
Surprise filled his eyes when her hand settled on his chest, a light touch. She took hold of his robe and gently pulled him down, at the same time standing on tiptoe. Then she let her lips touch his lightly, a silent asking of permission that she wanted to give because she knew he’d have done the same thing.
Because their eyes were still open, she didn’t miss the way that surprise intensified, right before realization came at what she was doing. Then those blue eyes darkened, turning the color of the bottom of the ocean and pulling her in. The hand on her back slid down and pulled her body closer, up until it was lightly pressing against his. She felt his heat, so singularly pleasant and wonderful, felt it travel across her skin and make her feel all warm and melty.
Then his mouth opened. It moved as he tilted his head, angling it so that the kiss could turn into something else. He kissed her back with fervor—and in that fervor, she felt all the warmth change into something else, too, as sparks ignited between them.
Hot sparks that slid like silk inside her and had pleasure erupting all over her skin. Her legs throbbed, and her mind went blank.
And all Lili could do was hang on as she was sucked in thoroughly.
Chapter 90
The kiss was everything he expected and more, and everything that he hadn’t thought he needed until now—something that stunned Oscar even while he kissed her back and grew hungry at each and every turn. Only an idiot who was blind wouldn’t see the attraction building up between them, and only an idiot would say the kiss they shared now was practiced or polite or pretend, because it wasn’t.
It couldn’t damn well be.
It had sparks. It had plenty of sparks that he felt like he was going to spontaneously combust if he didn’t hang on or end this quickly. Instead of ending it, Oscar damned it all to hell and did the exact opposite: he kissed her back for all he was worth, sliding his tongue inside that open mouth so he could taste every inch of the cavern of her mouth.
More sparks erupted, and the taste of the sweets she ate, along with her minty toothpaste, slid inside his system and turned it molten hot. The hunger he felt kicked higher until he was practically devouring her, and the press of her body against his made him want to do all kinds of things that were meant to be done in private.
Like put his hands all over her and remove those layers of robe until he could touch skin and see which area made her moan the loudest. Images of what she described earlier—of them touching each other and her riding him hard—flashed in his mind before scattering, paling in comparison to the real thing.
And this was just a kiss.
Belatedly, he felt her body move closer against his, a gentle press that made them mold together. He felt the softness of it and suddenly itched, a restlessness settling in him as his hands practically tingled. Her nipples poked through her outfit, hard, and the urge to slide his mouth down and suck on it almost drove him crazy. Then the urge came to suck lower, and his control wavered.
A soft moan slid out of her throat, one that vibrated against their kiss and had him tightening his hands around her.
Then he felt it—her hand on his chest, crumpling his robe before he felt the push.
His body protested as he proceeded to kiss her some more, unable to get enough of her taste and feel. But she was already breaking the kiss and backing off, her warm breath the last thing he felt before he looked at her.
Blurry hazel eyes filled with shock met his, followed by her body shaking before she steadied it. Then she attempted a smile and muttered an excuse, and the stunned Oscar could only look at her back as she casually walked out of the party hall as if nothing had happened.
They had sparks, which meant she was a potential mate—a highly potential one because that kiss was only the beginning, and there would be an explosion when they finally fell in bed together.
If, his mind supplied.
Common sense came back, like a sly spy gleefully gloating. Realization hit him that she’d started this to ease the questions off, and a quick look around told him that that settled the matter and no one would question the sincerity of their union now. But the fact that it was still pretend on their end suddenly didn’t sit well with Oscar anymore, and his feet were already walking, taking him out of the party hall to look for Lili and talk to her.
Talk to her, reason out with her…maybe convince her to partake with more of those hot kisses that were so goddamn addictive.
His cock, which was already hard the moment their lips touched, grew harder. His blood pounded with need, one that called to her and made him want to be closer. He kept walking, letting his instincts lead.
The back door he used to exit from the party hall sounded, and footsteps approached.
“Prince Oscar, can I have a minute of your time? It’s really important.”
Lady Elsa’s voice drifted in the air, cheerful and firm. The thought of ignoring her came as his mind became filled with Lili, and he almost growled at her to leave him alone. Then common sense kicked in, and he knew the lady would take it as an insult and make a big deal out of it—enough that she’d end up convincing her parents to recede their support against any upcoming threat. Another enemy they didn’t need.
Oscar swallowed the rejection back. Then he turned and pasted a polite look on his face.
“Yes, my Lady?”
“If we could talk in the sand gardens that would be delightful. There are just some points that I wanted to discuss with you, and I’m sure you’d like to hear them. It’s rather valuable to this kingdom’s future if I do say so myself.”
He had to admit that piqued his interest enough to consider it. Oscar looked the lady in the eye, trying to detect any kind of mischief or attempt to cuckold him again. There was none.
Quietly, resigned, he nodded his head.
“Alright. The gardens it is.”
*****
Fifteen minutes later, even the garden’s beautiful underwater flowers, shells, and rock formations couldn’t soften up the disbelief Oscar felt as Lady Elsa started talking. It started out rather good, with the woman making a repeat of her words about her topic being valuable to the kingdom’s future.
That topic was her.
“I don’t know if you realize it yet, my Prince, but my family is very renowned, even though we’re not of royal blood. We own lots of properties all over Merland, and I daresay we’re one of your top supporters in everything. Because of this, people look up to my father—and in turn, they look up to me, as is evident at the dinner party tonight. While that is highly flattering, it’s the kind of admiration that I don’t want to throw away irresponsibly. Rather, I want to use it well in a way that would be beneficial to everyone.”
“And how is this connected to Merland’s future?”
A smile graced her lips, one that was cool and triumphant at the same time. Her lashes fluttered, a delicate move. “Your mate is not from Merland, a dweller of a place that no one has heard of. No one admires or trusts her, and that will be very damaging to your ruling.”
His brow rose. “Why don’t you just say it straight out, my Lady? What are you getting at?”
“She’s not right for you,” she bit out, her eyes flashing. “I am. If you separate with her now and marry me, it will be the most logical decision you’ve ever made so far in your life. Whatever damage has been done by this union can be fixed while it’s still early, and I can help you fix it. I’ll be the perfect wife and mate—helping you rule by day and making your nights warm and pleasurable.”
Ah. So that was her point.
Oscar studied the woman, who was perhaps one of the most beautiful in their kingdom at the moment. He knew from talk that she was very sought after even by the other lords. Oddly enough, the sight of her and the memory of their past stirred nothing in him—something that must have shown on his face, because surprise filled hers.
“My nights are already hot and pleasurable, but thank you for your concern.” Oscar watched her distinguish the word, knew she realized that he meant that was how Lili was making him feel. Not a lie.
Not a lie at all.
Her eyes flashed again, then darkened. But like the pro she was, she masked it with calm and took a deep breath. “Why? Why would you choose her and not me? I have everything. What is it that she has that I don’t?”
The question was posed casually, but he didn’t miss the tension there. Oscar searched for words, and in the end, decided to settle for the truth.
“She’s been honest with me from the very beginning, my Lady—about her background, about her lack of pedigree, and about her genuine interest in me and not my riches. Maybe if you’d been honest with me back then when we were sleeping together and said outright that you wanted to be my mate, I’d have seen the logic of getting hitched for political purposes. I’d have even ended up appreciating it.” He looked her in the eye, letting that sink in. “But you tricked me, and I don’t like being tricked. There are already so many people trying to do so, and my family has to face it every single day. You just added to it.”
Her stunned expression told him she hadn’t expected those words at all. Oscar didn’t feel any remorse at all, even while it was rather brutal to lay it out like that. But it was the truth, and it was about time she knew. He watched emotions cross her face, followed by realization, before she was shaking her head.
She cleared her throat. “Well. That’s certainly supposed to put me in my place.”
“I wasn’t trying to put you in your place. I was simply telling you how it is because you questioned my union with Lili. She’s now my mate and my wife. She’s also your princess, something that I know everyone will come to accept eventually. And I have no plans of changing that, considering I like how things stand now.”
Lady Elsa tilted her head, the move making her hair fall to the side. It used to charm him, that move. Now, he felt nothing. He waited for the conversation to end, glad the rough part of it was over. The lady took a deep breath, the move making her whole body move. Then she stepped closer.
“You know, I did say that what you said was supposed to put me in my place. I didn’t say it did. I’m not the type to give up easily, after all.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I mean this.”
She moved even closer before he could blink, her hands on his shoulder and her lips touching his almost immediately. The move surprised him because he didn’t expect it, but maybe he should have, considering her tricky nature.
He shouldn’t have asked, then.
Oscar let the kiss flow as it was, not making a move to back off. But he didn’t respond, didn’t so much as move his lips in response to hers. He didn’t even open his mouth when her tongue sought entrance, staying as still as a rock when she tried to press her body against his to try to entice him. Enticement was the last thing he felt because the kiss and the touch did nothing to him—not even when that hand went down to palm his cock, which was no longer erect.
Ironic, really.
As if she finally realized what was happening, Lady Elsa backed off in shock. Then shock was replaced by reluctance, one that was bitter. She shot him a look, and he shot her one back, a silent standoff.
She cleared her throat, trying to act calm again. Then she shrugged elegantly as if there was nothing wrong with what she did. “It was worth a try.”
“Maybe,” he murmured. “But do that again, and I’m not going to be so nice and polite anymore. I have a wife, and she’s your princess. You’d best deal with that, Lady. It’s been a long day. Goodnight.”
With that parting statement, he left her in the garden and kept walking until he was out of her sight.
That was a waste of time if he did say so himself. Oscar hurried to his next destination, impatience singeing in his bones. Maybe the kiss with Lady Elsa felt like nothing, but it certainly reminded him of another kiss—the kiss that he wanted to analyze further, the kiss that he wanted to taste all over again.
The kiss with Lili.
He got to their shared bedroom and was surprised when she wasn’t there. In fact, the room was left untouched, with everything in the same place they’d been before they left for the dinner party. That meant Lili hadn’t come here. Oscar kept walking and took a peek at the party, confirming that she wasn’t there, either.
Worry started sliding in because Lili wouldn’t just wander off without reason. Trying to keep it at bay, he kept his search up, rounding the nearby rooms without letting anyone know. His assassination attempt flashed in mind, and the worry increased when she wasn’t in any of the nearby locations—not even the gallery or the scroll room, which were the third and fourth most logical areas for her to go to.
Oscar ventured past the nearby areas, peeking in the hidden room and avoiding the guards as he did so. He ditched his robes when he passed by their bedroom again, the constricting clothing and her disappearance getting to him. Then he kept walking, hoping against hope that she was okay and that no one had harmed her.
Because whoever did harm her would need all the luck in the world to hide from him before he killed them.
Chapter 91
The prickle on her palm felt like a tingle more than anything, the sharp pain so fast that it might as well have not happened. A trickle of blood poured out, licked instantly.
“Is there any possibility of me drowning in the future here? Any small chance at all?”
Had the seer had actual eyesight, Lili was pretty sure she’d have been stared at very oddly. As it was, she could only feel relief that the seer was blind and those milky white eyes saw nothing but the future.
“No, you will not. You will die a different death, one that doesn’t involve drowning. It will be very satissssfying.”
Lili looked at the seer like she’d grown three heads. Then she nodded her head and forced a smile, which wasn’t reciprocated. “Well, that’s good to know, I guess. Thank you. Please enjoy your gemstone…along with your other gemstones. They look really good underwater.”
The seer didn’t respond, and Lili felt her cheeks heat up as she hurried out of there. Talk about an awkward conversation. She didn’t even know why she visited the seer, of all people. But she was restless and wanted to do something, feeling like her own air was going to constrict her if she stayed here too long—and while she wanted to do something, she wasn’t sure if it would mean the end of her life or not.
The halls were empty as she walked fast, dodging the well-lit areas and sticking to the dim ones. She finally found what she was looking for: the area that Queen Nask talked about. It was an empty room that was for private use, with a small pool-like structure in the middle. It was a shortcut out of the palace and into the outside underwater world, and there was currently one merman standing guard beside it, holding a spear. The merman looked at her approaching, but only uttered a greeting and didn’t stop her—an indication that everyone probably knew about her now.
