37. Annabelle

I wantto kiss him forever. But I feel it coming—the urge, rage, or whatever the other mermaids like to call it. It's a hunger, a hunger to possess all my mates. To be one with them. I reach my hands out left and right. I would know who is who blindfolded. Even with them all being solid muscle, they still feel different. Holter is to my right, Nico is next to him, and Eros is on my left. I let my fingertips skim over them. Shoulders, chests, thighs, arms—so many parts. I'm burning, even after the release I just had. I need them. Like a mad scientist in a B movie, I feel like running and screaming, "More, more, more!"

Castor releases the back of my neck. He lifts me slowly from him, and I want to scream out at the loss of him inside me. I'm mated to him. Before Nico brought me to the Veiled City, I couldn't even have dreamed of a reality where I would have one man I loved as much as I love these four males. I open my eyes and look at them. Eros wears his charming smile, Holter's blue eyes shine, and even Nico has a slight upturn to his lips.

Castor's brow furrows. He's looking at Nico too. "I'm glad you're happy for me. But that smile on your face is weird. What the hell are you smiling about?"

"Nothing."

It most definitely is not nothing, but if I remember after the rage is done, I'll ask him for sure.

Castor places me in Holter's lap. Holter's lips brush against mine. His kiss is soft at first, and then the heat of it sends me into a fiery mess. The mattress tips.

"There you go, Sunshine. You're ready for more, aren't you?"

I moan into Holter's mouth.

"What a good mermaid you are. What do you need?" Eros's hand trails up the inside of my calf to my thigh. I pick it up and place it on my core. He laughs and pulls it away. I resist and pull back on my hand. But he takes it to his lips and kisses my palm.

Holter's kisses are so distracting, but I want to see what Eros is kissing on my hand. Is the mark a complete circle now? But I can't move my lips away from Holter. It's like we're magnetized. I raise my eyebrows and moan into Holter's mouth like that somehow is going to get me the answer.

"Oh, Sunshine. You want to know what's on your hand, don't you?" Eros laughs again and kisses my palm. "No worries, Sunshine. The marking hasn't magically changed in ten minutes. You're not fertile. Not yet."

My shoulders sag a little. I'm not sure if I'm happy or upset. Bringing a podlet into the city right now is a dangerous proposition between buildings collapsing, politicians lying, rogue scientists, and assassin agents breaking into apartments. No, I'm glad.

My mind goes fuzzy as Holter skates his fingers down the side of my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps.

The mattress moves again. "Lay her flat, Holter."

Holter pulls me down onto him halfway. He pulls his lips away from mine.

"Let me clean your mate mark," Castor says, his voice deep.

Holter rolls out from under me, letting my back connect with the mattress. Castor carefully moves the cloth around my breast, and I love that Castor placed it there. Oh, when he said no to me about giving me his neck... my inner mermaid wanted to lash out at him. But then he sank his teeth into me, and my brain did the blue screen of death. I'm pretty sure I forgot my own name. The only thing I knew was him, his scent cocooning me in bliss and safety. With each brush of the cloth over his mark, my core clenches. I'm a walking G-spot.

Holter brushes my hair back from my face. "What are you thinking about?"

I smile. "That this is perfect. Right now, in this pod room, nothing else matters but the four of you. It couldn't get better."

"You're right about that." Holter leans over me, kissing me upside down. "You're perfect. I don't know about the rest of us clown fish, but you, Belle, are the best we could have ever hoped for."

I pull my hand up and touch the side of Holter's cheek. He kisses my palm too. And when he lets it go, I take a good long look at it. Eros was right, nothing has magically appeared. But what mating Castor has done is unlocked my mermaid hormones again. I've heard it called so many things since I've been here: need, rage, frenzy, and fire. I'm leaning toward fire.

When Castor cleans my core, my hips buck and my head jerks back into Holter's chest. "Yes." And my thoughts die away again. All I know is I want them. All of them. I need their touch, their tongues, their fingers, and most certainly their cocks. A growl rips through my chest. I'm up on my knees, straddling Holter. I don't even know how I moved so fast. Holter's hard. I fist his cock and run my hand up his length four times. His head snaps back, and his hands grab my hips.

"Damn, Belle. You need more. Take it. Take what you need. I'm here for all of it."

I lower myself down on him, and my instinct takes off. I ride him like a city girl rides a horse. Bumpy and hard.

"Lean forward, Sunshine." Eros places his hand on my back and pushes me onto Holter's chest. My hips are still flying. There's nothing stopping me. I will take what I need, and what I need is all of them. I will have each of them before my fiery rage finishes.

Castor's on his side, his eyes glued to me, like I'm the main show. I smile at him.

"Does it feel good, Annabelle?" he asks.

I can't speak—I'm too far gone. I tilt my head back in agreement, and my hair brushes Eros's chest.

Eros's finger roams around on my backside, but not where I need it to be. I crane my neck around and give him a look.

"What a demanding mermaid you are," he laughs. His finger touches the bud on my ass, pushing in slowly.

My hips freeze as I wait for him to do more. I need more. Nico tosses Eros a tube of lube. The cool sensation hits my behind. Eros works me. "That's it, Sunshine. Relax. I've got you. I would never let you down."

I know. I try to move my lips, but I can't get my mouth and my brain to connect. I'm too caught up in riding Holter. He tilts his hips, and his positioning becomes perfection. Absolute perfection.

"Hold her still, Holter," Eros demands.

I turn and look at him.

"Only for a second, Sunshine. You don't need to turn me to stone with your glare."

I didn't realize. "So?—"

"Don't you ever apologize for anything that happens in the pod bed, Little Krill. You take what you need. Hurry it up, Zaffiro." Nico holds my chin and takes my lips with his.

Eros pushes against my ass cheeks. "Ready, Sunshine?"

I break my kiss from Nico. "Yes, do it."

Eros eases in slowly. When he's in all the way, he pauses. "Good, Sunshine?" he whispers into my hear before kissing the shell of it.

"So good."

Eros starts off slow. But I'm so worked up from what Holter and Castor have already done that I'm bucking. Forward, backward. Any way I can. Castor lies on one side of us and Nico the other. Their hands trail around my body. Nico plays with my nipples, while Castor pushes his hand between Holter and me. When he gets to my clit, it's just a tap and I'm gone. My orgasm slams into me, leaving me sucking for air. Everything around me blackens, and I'm gone. Completely spent.

"Damn, Sunshine. You've wrecked me." Eros collapses against me, flattening me against Holter's chest. It's only then I realize I have Nico's cock in my hand. My fist is still tight around it, his release spread over my fingers.

"Oh. I—" I cut myself off from apologizing. I don't remember grabbing at him. Nico leans in and kisses me. It's long and deep and utterly Nico. I guess he didn't mind.

He smooths my hair. "You need to rest."

I open my eyes just a crack. "I'm not tired."

"You're not a good liar." Nico kisses my cheek, and then down my neck to where his mate mark is.

"I know." My eyes drift closed. The mattress dips. Castor's rolled away—Nico, too. "I'm tired, but bath first."

Holter wiggles out from under me and rolls off the bed. "I'll get one ready." I don't know how much time has passed before he comes back. "Want me to carry you to the bath, Belle?" He leans over the side of the bed, his fingers trailing over my arm.

"Yes," I say without opening my eyes.

"I'll get that bath bomb you like so much from your mermaid chamber." Eros kisses the side of my ear and rolls off the bed.

"I'll bring her," Nico's voice rumbles in my ear. "In a minute, before it gets too cold."

"Okay?" Holter's footsteps are faint as he leaves the room.

"Are you happy?" Nico's the only one on the pod bed with me.

"Very." I'm waking up a little. Nico has that this-is-important tone to his voice. I pull his large forearm under my head to use as a pillow. Shockingly, it's not that uncomfortable despite being nothing but muscle and bone.

"I'm glad. But keeping Castor from the pod was the second time I made you unhappy. I won't do it again."

I crack one eye open and study the specks of amber in his eyes. They're really close. Or can I see even better? I close my eyes again.

"I won't." Nico's repeating himself. Right. Guess we're doing this now.

"Yes, you will."

"I won't stand between you and another mate."

"Oh, that. No, you won't, because this inn is full up. Overflowing. Not even a stall in the barn is available." Both of my eyes are open now, and my pulse is back to something more warm-blooded. "But yes, Nico, you will. You will make a mistake again. And I'll be mad. You'll be defiant. But we'll get over it. Through it. We'll become even stronger. Because I love you and?—"

"I love you. And you're right. But I'm going to try."

"And I love you even more for that." I drag myself up from his forearm and reach his lips, kissing him until I melt back onto his chest.

"You ready for that bath now?"

"Yes." And he lifts me before I can move on my own, carrying me into the bathroom.