Chapter 8

Chapter

Eight

MINKA

M y bare feet were chilled against the cool stones as I stepped into the small office Cordelia holed up in for the rest of the night. Her brown skin gleamed in the soft candlelight while she studied the map before her and took a long, deep drink of her wine. The study was warm and inviting, despite the constantly cold floors, and had a roaring fireplace behind the desk the Siren currently sat at.

Her shoulders were slumped, so similar to the posture that Selene had grown into over the past month. Like a woman with the world on her shoulders and no one to help bear the weight of it. She was stressed and overwhelmed with all the chaos in this cursed realm and if I could help her escape that pandemonium, even if only for a moment, then I would.

Cordelia nervously nibbled on her plump lip and I couldn't stop my intake of breath the longer I stared at her. My fingers itched and ached for a brush to hold between them so I could capture her at that moment. I hadn't even picked up a paintbrush since Selene brought me the supplies in Gambriel months ago. My heart yearned to bring the images in my head to life and to showcase the true beauty I saw within Cordelia. As soon as this war was over, she would be the first portrait I depicted—how her dark-hued skin made her curly turquoise hair stand out in contrast, highlighting her allure.

Gods, she was beautiful, charming, and so desirable.

Cordelia truly was everything that we had learned from the corrupt assholes who attempted to cull her kind. We were warned against falling into the Siren's lust-filled traps, taught to fear their beauty and grace. And by the Gods, was she captivating.

But those rules could be damned for all I cared. I had fallen—more like dove in head first—the moment her deep azure eyes met my own and she smiled at me when I handed her that woolen blanket. I could feel the entire realm slow in that delicate moment and I wanted nothing more than to drop to my knees and offer her the world in the palm of my hand.

To make her my infinity.

Cordelia's head shot up at the sound of the door closing behind me as she pushed her blueish-green hair behind a now human-shaped ear. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't hear you come in."

Despite my thundering heart, I shrugged my shoulders and dropped down into the chair in front of the desk. There was so much going on in our realm between the High King taking Emrys and the Gods, and Selene being gone and putting herself in danger every fucking second. There were constantly more people and even animals being turned by Medies, and the final fucked up situation: Cord's parents had been missing for months .

It was almost too much for me to handle but showing that panic that lay inside wouldn't help the situation. It never did. Both Selene and Cordelia had enough on their plates and they didn't need to worry about me worrying over them.

But I couldn't stop the anxiety from thrumming to life each time Selene or Cord disappeared. Luckily my beautiful Siren was only gone for a few hours or days at most, depending on what she needed to do. But with my best friend, I didn't know if it would be a week or a month. Every visit became shorter, her time scouring the earth becoming longer.

I completely understood why she needed to be gone but the light in her eyes was diminishing on each return. She was draining herself and I feared that one day she wouldn't return or that she would lose herself completely to that rage and pain she felt. She was suffering every day, and we all saw it, and we were all petrified for both her and Emrys.

I couldn't even think about Emmie without crying so I tried to block out the horrid thoughts of what could've been happening to him at that moment. I knew Selene would find him though, I knew that we would get him back.

We had to.

I couldn't let myself believe anything else.

Cordelia reached out a hand and lightly gripped my arm, studying the newly raised scar upon it. "How's your arm?"

Resisting from rolling my eyes at her overprotectiveness, I placed my hand over hers. "It was just a scratch, Cord." I'd had far worse done to me and she knew that, but this woman was vigilant in her guarding of me. "Nothing to fuss over."

"You could get hurt, my treasure." Gods, I loved that nickname and the way it sounded in her angelic voice. She truly did make me feel treasured, wanted, and desired even during this chaos. I never knew such a feeling could exist. She wrinkled her eyebrows as deep blue eyes searched my own, "We need to be more careful."

That time I did roll my eyes. I was tired of being careful. Of watching every step I took and every word that I uttered. I had spent over twenty years in slavery with that never ending fear of being punished for one misstep. I'd taken everything this world had thrown at me but I was still here, still surviving, and I wouldn't stop because I could possibly get hurt.

I'd been hurt time and time again. I didn't fear that pain, nor death when it came my way.

Death could be fast, but slavery was the slowest death of all.

I eyed the map in front of her with various red circles that she marked across the Circadian Sea. Needing to change the subject, I pointed towards the spot closest to our new position in Gambriel and asked, "Has the Medies spread again?"

Cordelia gave my arm a reassuring squeeze before withdrawing it. "No, luckily it hasn't, but it also hasn't decreased by any means." I shuddered from the news that was neither good nor bad. The markings on the map showed all the places the High King's darkness had taken hold of our ocean and where the creatures of the sea had been contained by his corrupt magic.

And those markings were beginning to take over the entire Circadian, like an ominous sea of crimson.

Cordelia had been working endlessly and using every ounce of her magic, practically draining all her reserves, to release those creatures before they were too lost to the Medies or the Infernal power of the Crown of Daemonium. Every night, she slunk back into one of our different hideaway spots off the coast, purely exhausted from expelling all the darkness she could from the seas.

Since her parents' disappearance, she'd had to take control of the ocean and its inhabitants. Luckily, the creatures of the Circadian knew when to work together in defending their waters and would still follow Cordelia's command. She'd proven herself time and time again when it came to poachers trying to kill the Sirens and other dwindling species within the sea. She'd protected their home, her home , for many years so they remained loyal and helped govern the Circadian as she helped on land.

We all knew that the High King had surely taken her parents so he could finish his takeover of land and sea without the obstacle of Queen Kailani's power. But clearly, he didn't understand how deep the sea's loyalty was to Cordelia, their Princess of the Circadian. That thought worried me though. What if he found out just how deep that devotion was to her?

Would he come for her next?

Every time Cordelia entered those waters, my anxiety crept up again at the thought of her never coming back. At her being taken away just like her parents or losing herself to Medies while trying to save the others. Sweat rolled down my spine at the image of her being trapped against her will while acts of indecency were beaten in her perfect, deep umber skin.

My breath came in ragged gasps as I clenched my fists under the table. I didn't fear my demise but I couldn't stop the dread from coursing through my veins when she disappeared from my sight. I couldn't lose her, that couldn't happen to?—

A soft hand rested against the crevice where my shoulder met my neck and brought pleasureful chills up my spine, snapping me back to the present. Cordelia was no longer across from me but behind me, her warm honey-scented breath creeping up my neck as she whispered, "Where did you go, Minks?"

Shaking myself out of my restless haze, I turned and pressed a light kiss to her lips, soaking it all in. "Nowhere that we need to worry about."

Cordelia deepened the kiss, nipping at my lips before chuckling, "I think I'm always going to worry."

"Quite an anxious pair, huh?" I trailed my hands over her exposed arms, reveling in the way I left goosebumps upon them.

She laughed, the sweet melodic sound sending my heart careening to the edge of heaven and bringing peace to my soul that I didn't know existed. I'd been scared my whole life, hiding behind a humorful exterior to conceal the frightened girl inside away from the world. But in Cordelia's presence, I could be myself, show my true nature, and never fear her turning me away.

I had shown my darkness, my most wicked and uneasy thoughts to Selene, to which she welcomed me with open arms and endless friendship. I knew I had nothing to be afraid of when it came to something I did deserve.

Love.

I was deserving of peace and happiness. Of love and light, despite the way my soul felt shattered most of the time. Selene and Cordelia, Keva, and even Ric with his annoyingly loving self, showed me that it was okay to be broken and angry at the world but to not be bitter with myself for what this fucked up world had done to me.

We didn't have control over what was done to us, but we had control over how we reacted to those wrongdoings.

Brushing my hand over Cordelia's neck softly, I then gripped onto the back of it and pulled her closer with enough force that she plopped down onto my lap with a squeal and a trill of laughter. She eagerly leaned into my touch as she smiled and my heart pounded loudly in my ears.

This gorgeous woman was all mine and I was hers.

We'd taken our time with one another over these last few months, getting to know each other's souls, bodies, and minds. I never wanted these feelings to end and I didn't think they ever would.

Our lips met again and I eased my slick tongue into her mouth which she welcomed with teasing licks of her own. Cordelia tugged onto my golden curls, arching my neck to deepen the kiss, her tongue sweeping in and taking dominance over me. Pushing up the short-sleeved top, I broke our kiss to discard the offending fabric that concealed her body from me.

The fire crackled beyond us as she leaned back and removed my tunic. My eyes trailed over every inch of her exposed rich black skin, the way she glowed in the firelight, and how badly I wanted to lick every inch of her. I wanted, no I needed her naked body against mine, I wanted her panting and breathless in a haze of pleasure at my hands.

It was a constant battle between savoring every moment with her, or being desperate and needing her now . Nipping at the valley between her breasts, she sighed in pleasure but then let out a surprise gasp as I maneuvered out from under her and gripped her lush ass. Using my strength, I lifted her up and sat her down in the chair, facing me as she looked up at me with heat in her gorgeous eyes.

Gripping her tight breeches in one hand, I used the other to feel the luscious curve of her thigh and moved on to the soft stretch of her stomach before tugging the fabric down. Cordelia lifted her hips while staring at my kneeling position before her and caressed my pink flushed face, "You are so beautiful, Minka." Her thumb stroked my lip, "So stunning."

My nails scraped the inside of her thighs as she parted them and I looked back into her Circadian blue eyes and praised her, "You are utterly perfect." Pressing a soft kiss on the curve of her stomach, I breathed, "Never dreamed of a more Divine being than you."

"Can't think when you do that, Minks," she wiggled her hips with a sigh as I strummed a puckered nipple with my fingertips.

My mouth watered from the need to suck on them but I kept my concentration at the apex of her thighs and the glistening slickness waiting for me. One hand stayed on her breast, caressing it as the other worked its way through the soaked folds and inside of her velvety heat. Shuddering against the soft channel tightening around me, I hooked my finger until I could feel the tiny rough patch and rubbed it, causing her thighs to twitch while her head thunked back against the chair and she cried out, "Minka!"

I tweaked her nipple with my fingers and she panted, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. The fire roared behind me, causing a slick sheen of sweat to roll across her russet-brown skin. She looked so stunning when I worshiped her like this.

But she looked even better when I made her come.

My tongue trailed along her folds, right where my finger was inside of her until I latched onto her clit and sucked. Her pussy clenched down onto my digit hard , so I added one more as she writhed against my ministrations. "Minka, baby," she moaned while grabbing my curls in a bruising grip but that only spurred me on.

I wanted her screaming my name loud enough that the Creators in Caelum could hear her.

Increasing the pace of my fingers, I sucked and flicked my tongue against the swollen bud of her clit as her thighs shook from the impending orgasm. Arching my middle finger, I stroked her inner walls as the wetness seeped out of her and down my chin while I pinched her nipple again with my free hand.

She exploded around me, shouting my name to the stars above. Her thighs shook as she moaned but I kept my fingers inside of her, feeling her clench around them with every spasm. Lapping up her cum, I savored the sweet taste of her release before she grabbed my head and pulled me up, capturing my lips with a demanding kiss filled with lust and something stronger than love.

Clit throbbing against my tight breeches, I parted my mouth instantly and let her taste her release as I swallowed her moans of contentment. My breath hitched as her soft fingers traced my abdomen and into the seam of my pants until she was strumming that needy nub with expert precision. Pulling back, I moaned into the quiet study while she sucked on my neck, leaving little love bites in her wake.

Two fingers pushed inside of me roughly as her thumb worked my clit and she murmured, "So wet, so delicious, so fucking perfect." I screamed out in a haze of ecstasy from her sweet words and ground against her sweet hand. "All mine ."

She snarled the last word and it sent a bolt of heat straight up my spine from her demanding tone. "Yours," I chanted and she moved faster. My hips snapped in rhythm with her hand and now I was panting as I let her claim me. "All yours."

Pushing our bodies flush, she yanked my breeches down until they fell in a heap around my ankles. I stepped out of them swiftly before she pushed me against the desk, knocking over the almost empty cup of wine and the little figurines surrounding the map. Cordelia kissed along my jaw, nipping every so often as her digits entered back inside of me and found the spot that made me see stars.

The Siren pulled back to find that my lips were swollen from her assault, my pupils blown wide with lust. She pushed her two fingers deeper inside of me and used the palm of her hand to rub against the bundle of nerves. "I want to see you come undone around me, love. I want to see you lose control." My thighs started trembling, signaling I was already close to unraveling at the seams, but the wicked little Siren kept working my pussy with her magic fingers.

"Your little cunt is so wet for me." She added another finger, stretching me wide. "Gods, look at how you're soaking my fingers, Minks."

Her fingertips then pressed into my inner thighs, pristine fingernails leaving crescent indents on my pale skin as she spread me wider. It was that bruising pressure I loved from her and I needed more. My hips moved in tandem as her three fingers plunged in and out of my wet heat. "I want you to be a good girl and come for me." I nodded my head, willing to do whatever she wanted as long as she let me come undone. "I want you to scream my name so everyone in Ladon knows who is making you come. Who you belong to."

"Fuck," I whimpered as wetness dripped down my thighs.

Cordelia ground harder, bringing me so much pleasure that I closed my eyes and groaned. She seized my lips with another bruising kiss before dragging my lower lip between her teeth, "Open your eyes, Minka." I kept writhing against her, the euphoria too much for me to listen to her command. She slowed her movements down, leaving my pussy aching for her touch. "Open your eyes now ."

Giving in to her demand, my eyes snapped open to see her hair wildly astray from earlier and her own blue eyes wide with lust as she watched our bodies writhe together. Wet, squelching sounds left my body but instead of being embarrassed, it only increased the pleasure as she worked every part of my body, every part of my soul until I came around her, screaming her name loud enough that it echoed in the tiny study. She wrung out my orgasm, keeping my pussy fluttering around her hand as she praised me, "Such a good girl for me." My cries changed to whimpers as more wetness flooded between us and I came again, turning into a puddle of bliss.

The fire crackled again, bringing me back to my surroundings as a loud cackling laugh left my body from the mess we'd made on her once neat desk. The leftover wine dripped onto the cold stone floor, some of the liquid smeared from where my ass pushed against the desk. We needed this release, this escape from the fucked up reality we had to live in.

Cordelia gave me one of her bewitching smiles before kissing me tenderly, "Want to go make another mess in a different room?" she taunted me and I could feel my heartbeat going faster again, straight to my pussy.

I needed her body against mine. Needed her touching every inch of my skin as I worshiped hers. Returning her kiss, I swept her blueish-green hair behind her shoulders and twirled one of the strands, "I was just getting started."