Chapter Three

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.