Chapter Forty-Five

It felt as if I returned to Shasenai a different man. A weight I hadn't realized I carried was gone. Vax and I had stopped at his treasure room to rebury the Eye, but that wasn't what gave me relief. It was walking through the palace with Vax and feeling as if I was home. It was being home with him and knowing that no one was after us. No one would try to tear us apart. I was the Sea King's mate, and he was mine. This was it. Him and me. Forever.

As we entered our bedroom, I looked around and finally saw it as mine. Because Vax was mine. Everything he had was mine now. But all I wanted was his heart. No, that's a lie. All I needed was his heart. I wanted all the other stuff too. I can't help it. I'm a pirate.

"Come here," Vax whispered and pulled me into an embrace. "It seems as if we've been parted for years."

I squeezed him tightly. "It does. And I never want to go through that again."

"You won't." He eased back, but only to bend down and kiss me.

Forever tingled on his tongue, teasing me. The future was no longer uncertain. It was ours. No collars or chains or goddess stones. Just us and our love.

All right. Us, our love, and a little magic.

Vax nuzzled his way out of our kiss and stood back. With a grin, he said, "Take your clothes off."

" You take my clothes off," I shot back.

His grin widened. "It will be an honor and a pleasure, Mate."

With gentle hands, Vax removed my clothing. While he worked, I did the same for him. We laughed when we got tangled up in each other and had to lean back or step out of our boots so we could then step out of our pants. Those smiles stayed in place until we were finally nude. Then they turned savage.

Vax picked me up and carried me to bed. Eyes on fire, he laid me down and then lay down atop me. When he held himself up on his forearms, I pulled him fully onto me, needing to feel his weight. The pressure comforted me, and my arms tightened around him.

Vax chuckled in my ear. "I won't be able to enter you like this."

"Just stay here a moment." I sighed.

His body relaxed, and he nuzzled his face into my neck. "Yes, you're right. We need this more." He breathed in deeply.

"I love you," I said.

"With all three of your hearts?"

"Yes, of course, you brat. With all three of them."

He grinned against my neck. "We are never leaving this city again."

"Yes, we are. And do you know why?"

Vax pushed himself up to look at me. "Why?"

"Because I know you will protect me from anything that might hurt me."

His stare went tender. "Yes, I will." Then that tender look turned into a grimace. "As long as you don't do foolish things like storming off without me or using magical stones not meant for you."

"I was trying to save us."

"I know, Zix," he gentled his tone. "But leave the heroics to me."

"Heroics, eh?" I frowned, then chuckled. "Oh, I get it. You're jealous that Lyrandir saved me, and Aras called him a hero for it."

"I saved you first!"

My chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh.

"I did!" Vax sat up and pointed at me. "You can't deny that."

"I'm not trying to." I sat up, grabbed his pointing hand, and kissed it. "You're my hero."

He grimaced. "You don't sound convincing."

I got to my knees and straddled his lap. As I wriggled my ass over his cock, I said, "You're my hero, Vax. Now, fuck me with that heroic cock."

Vaxarion grinned. "You're a foul-mouthed pirate."

"But I'm also your sea butterfly."

"Yes, you're also my sea butterfly."

"And you love me just as I am."

"I do." Vax nipped my chin. "Although I might love you more if you were riding my dick right now."

"You are such a horny Dragon!" I tried to climb off his lap.

Vax held me in place, his hardening cock splitting my lower cheeks. "That is all your fault, mate."

"Is it?" I drawled.

"No one tempts me but you. And your temptation is astronomical."

"Ass-stronomical?" I teased.

"That too." He grabbed my ass and pulled me open as his cock sought entrance.

The bead of moisture on his tip slicked me, but it wasn't enough. So, my mate summoned a bottle of hress nectar to us on a ribbon of water. I grabbed it before he could and poured some over his cock. As I worked the slick, sweet stuff over him, Vax groaned and then groaned again when I licked the remainder from my hand.

"Ride me, Mate." Vax pulled me down.

"Easy, Sea King. Let me get you into position." I reached back and gripped him, then rolled myself over him before pushing down.

Bliss. Rapture. All the feels. Shivers raced up my belly and turned my nipples into diamonds—a perfect match to the stone that hung above them. I looked down at that precious rock and grinned. In the low light, it glittered as if it were alive. And it felt that way to me. This was the only magical stone I wanted. For me, it was more powerful than Ensarena's Eye.

"Are you seriously admiring your jewelry as I fuck you?" Vax drawled.

"First, I'm fucking you. And second, I was admiring what it meant."

"Oh? And what does it mean?"

"That you love me."

"You don't need a jewel to tell you that. I tell you all the time."

"But I still like to see a symbol of your love."

"You like it because it's priceless." He bucked up into me, making me gasp.

I gripped his shoulders and slammed down on him. "That too."

"I will buy you more diamonds. As many as you want."

"I don't need any more. This one is special." I paused so I could cup his face. "It's us. I look at it and know that I'm your family now."

"You are more than family, Zix," Vax said and then turned into my hand to kiss my palm. "You are life." He turned to kiss my other palm. "You are beauty." He lifted his face to kiss my lips. "You are everything."

"Good," I said.

"Good?" He scowled at me.

"Yes, good." I set my hands back on his shoulders and started riding him again. "Because you are everything to me too."

Mollified, the Sea King grinned. "I know."

"Don't ruin it, my love."

Vax lifted me and lowered me onto my back. He started thrusting into me faster than I could ride him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and angled up to meet him.

"I'm shutting down the crab races," he said.

"What?"

"The races. I'm shutting them down and transporting the crabs back to their homes."

"Vax," I whispered.

"You're right, Mate. It's cruel. And I cannot abide such cruelty when my heart is full of love."

I cupped his face and kissed him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, my sea butterfly."

"Can't I just be your pirate?"

"No. You weren't very good at it."

I barked a laugh, and he laughed with me, but he didn't stop thrusting. Soon, our laughter became moans of passion, and then passion clawed its way up into release. My mate saw to mine first, pulling out to suck me into his mouth when he saw the signs of my orgasm. Feet in the air and hands in his hair, I screamed my pleasure to the Gods, thanking them in my own way for bringing us together.

After he had every drop from me, my mate surged up and back into me to pound savagely into my channel until my muscles wrenched his climax from him as well. As Vax locked up against me, filling me with lust and love, I stared up into his glorious face, framed by all that glorious hair, and saw a glorious future unfold. Every day with him. His body filling mine, giving me pleasure whenever I desired it. His strength protecting us against anyone who would dare to challenge the mating magic of a god. And his love always supporting me, steady and true until the end of time.

"Oh, I almost forgot," my mate said as he lay down beside me and pulled me into his arms. "I invited your family for a visit."

"My . . . you invited Teng and the crew here? To Shasenai?"

"Yes. To stay with us in the palace."

I sat up and looked down at him. "And what did they say?"

"They'll be here next month." Vax folded an arm behind his neck and smirked at me. "You may thank me now. I recommend using your mouth but applying it to my cock instead of speech."

I snorted and laid back down to snuggle in against him. "Thank you."

"Did you not hear the part where I told you to—"

"Don't ruin it."

Vax chuckled. "Later then."

"Yeah, that's what I meant." I lifted my head to kiss him, then said, "I love you."

"With all three—"

"Yes!" I growled. "With all three of my hearts! For fuck's sake!"

Vax kissed my forehead. "I will never tire of hearing that."

My hearts melted. Yes, all three of them. "Well, since you put it like that, I love you with all three of my hearts, Your Majesty."

"I love you too, my pirate."