14. Epilogue

Epilogue

M aura bent to open the oven door and a rush of steam billowed out around her. She inhaled the smell of fresh-baked pastry—croissants to be precise—that now filled the small kitchen of her seaside cottage.

She had gotten the recipe from the sweetest couple that had passed through the nearby town of Easton. Maura had never seen a dryad before, but Ilex and their partner Dahlia were lovely. They had been in Ichorna for the turn of the millennium celebration, and had picked up the recipe for their favorite buttery pastries before they left.

They had also brought news of the rather horrifying and dramatic end to the celebrations. They didn't have too many details, but Maura wondered how her homeland was faring with the unrest.

Maura set the tray of croissants on the countertop and admired her work. This batch was rolled into a sort of crescent shape, but there was a version that was filled with chocolate that she was eager to try sometime.

The door creaked as it opened behind her, and she looked up to find her glorious siren mate stepping into the cottage. He always managed to make the space look comically small. They had plans to rebuild the cottage to be larger, but they weren't in any particular rush.

Maura and Anatolius had spent the last few months splitting their time between Vathós and her cottage, and Maura found that she was…happy. Content.

Anatolius came up behind Maura, wrapping his arms around her waist. "These smell incredible, love. What are they?"

Maura picked up a croissant and tore it open, admiring its flaky layers. "A croissant! They're Ichornian!" She handed Anatolius half, and he moaned in satisfaction as he tasted it.

"Amazing, we should have these all the time," he said with a grin. "As amazing as they are, I was thinking…" he trailed off, giving her waist a gentle squeeze with his massive hands.

"You were thinking…?"

"Would you like to go for a swim with me?" He winked at her, and she laughed. He thought he was suave, but he was so transparent.

"Yes, I'll go for a swim with you, you insatiable menace."

Anatolius took her hand and led her out to the rocky beach before he scooped her up and carried her into the water.

Anyone else would surely have frozen to death in the cold winter waters of the Vaporiad Sea, but siren magic was powerful in so many ways that Maura had delighted in learning about over the past months.

Once they were submerged, Anatolius shifted. Maura would never get tired of how beautiful he was. The delicate fins on his forearms fluttered with movement as he pulled her close and began unbuttoning her dress.

"You have to put that back on the beach, I don't want to lose it!" she laughed as he smirked. Once he had helped her out of her dress and undergarments, he flicked his tail and swam to shore as she'd asked. He was back in a matter of moments, and he stared at her like it was the very first time he'd seen her naked.

She kicked her legs and started to swim away, laughing as he easily caught her and wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her neck, his hands kneading her backside, and she pressed her breasts into him as she arched her back.

"I want to taste you," he whispered in her ear, and the sensation sent a wave of tingles down Maura's arms.

He lowered himself to be level with her hips, and Maura felt the end of his tail curling against the small of her back, supporting her and holding her in place. He looked up at her with a hungry gleam in his eyes as he pushed her legs apart.

The first brush of his tongue was all-consuming; he pressed it from the bottom of her opening all the way up to her clit. He had spent hours during their months together finding exactly the way her body worked. He never forgot now that he knew, and his tongue found the tiny spot to the left of her clit that always had her on the edge of orgasm within minutes. He worked it, rubbing and applying pressure until she was about to break apart with the sensation of it.

Just when she thought she couldn't take any more, his finger found her tightest opening and began to tease the tight ring of muscle. She moaned, and tried to relax enough to let him in.

"What a good girl you are, opening yourself for me. Just relax, love," Anatolius' words sent her straight over the edge, and she came with a cry as he worked his finger gently into her rear.

"Ana, please," Maura begged. She knew where this was going, and she was impatient.

"You only had to ask, love," Ana answered with wicked laughter in his voice.

He positioned himself at her entrance with a deft flick of his tail. He rubbed his lower cock against her ass, spreading its natural lubricant over the tight opening. He held her gaze as he slowly, gently worked the tip into her. She willed her muscles to relax, and he slipped further into her with a groan.

Once he was about halfway in, he lined up his second cock at her entrance, and on his next thrust, he filled her so completely that Maura's whole world started and ended with this moment.

"Fuck," he whispered as he pulled out slightly and worked back in, stretching her. The tiny ridges on his cocks sent waves of pleasure through her whole body.

Ana pulled her torso to him, wrapping her in his arms, cradling her head in one of his hands. He used his other hand to guide Maura's body up and down on his cocks, matching the thrusts of his hips.

When he was finally fully seated inside her, he paused to let them both feel everything.

"Gods, Maura. I love you so much," Ana whispered.

"I love you too, Anatolius. Now, are you going to fuck me?" Maura smiled up at him.

His hips began to move in earnest, and he reached between them to rub her clit. He kept at it, his pace slow and sure, matching the insistent pressure of his fingers, and Maura couldn't help but come harder than she had in her life. She felt it in every part of her body.

Anatolius followed her over the edge the moment her internal knot formed; it clamped down on his cock, locking him in place inside her. He filled her with his release again and again as they floated in the depths, tangled in each other's arms.

When she finally released her hold on him, he gathered her up once more and took them back to the cottage. He wrapped Maura in a fluffy towel and sat her by the fire while he went to make her favorite tea.

He returned with the steaming mug wearing the human clothes Maura had given him for when they spent time on land. It was still a bit odd to see him in a chunky sweater and pants, but it did make him that much more snuggly, so she wasn't complaining.

She took the mug he offered and smiled at him. He pulled her close to his side and kissed her still-damp hair.

Maura stared into the fire and felt, perhaps for the first time in her life, like she'd truly found her home.