Her rose colored eyes sparkled. “Perhaps it’s fate.” Delicate feminine hands trailed over her seductive form and I felt her siren power flex against my own. “Perhaps we are soulmates and your body yearns for pleasure only I can give.”
I swallowed back a gag. “Cut the shit, Kira. Your allure didn’t work on me the first time we met and it definitely won’t now. I was just leaving, so if there is nothing else?”
Red lips formed into a perfect pout and her eyes drifted lazily downward. “What…no who are you hiding?” She leaned forward for a closer look.
I gripped Remnant harder and pulled away but it was too late.
“Goddess bless us.” She gasped, the water splashing unceremoniously upon the beach shores as she stumbled closer. “Is that who I think it is?”
“Don’t take another step closer.” I snarled, stalking slowly back with a growl rumbling deep in my chest.
Kira’s reaching hand snapped back sharply and her eyes glared. “Remove your filthy shifter hands from her and give her to me.”
“Touch her and I will kill you.” I bared my growing fangs with a hiss and curled my extending claws protectively around my soulmate.
Kira scowled and retreated further back into the water but I was no fool—she wasn't going to give up this easily and the water was the source of all her power.
When her sparkling skin rippled, my entire body tensed at her metamorphosis into a creature of the deep. Thick black layered scales now covered her entire body leaving behind her luscious pink hair and sultry rose colored eyes, the only characteristic left of her land fae form.
I snarled again when miniature whirlpools revealed a score of water fae rising up from its turbulent surface. True to water fae fashion, every warrior flanking their leader was female, covered in the same black scales with an array of matching brightly colored hair and eyes. In unison, multiple spears of bone with sharp poisoned tips descended in my direction.
Kira smiled maliciously with her needled teeth.
“You have a choice, shifter." Kira purred at me, despite my warning growls growing louder. "Give her to me and you won’t die this day or fight and die anyway. Either way, she is coming with me.”
My cat roared inside me.“Do not trust the water snake, fairy boy!”
“Believe me when I say this cat, I trust the water fae as much as I trust your golden hide.”I held Remnant tighter to me.“I cannot risk her life fighting them.”
“This is a mistake, let me out so I can have fish for dinner.”The beast barked.
I looked back up at Kira, not fully believing what I was about to say. “She stays with me. We go together.”
She rolled her eyes. “These are not negotiations, shifter.”
My lips peeled back in a silent snarl. “Yet even with your warriors, you cannot risk fighting me for her.”
Nervously, a violet haired water fae shifted, their spear dropping unknowingly towards my soulmate. Lunging, a guttural roar ripped from my throat and my claws instantly embedded deep within their skull, their shocked expression the last to form ontheir face as their spear dropped to the raging river below and the goddess's light left their eyes. Dropping into a snarling crouch, I watched the guard fall backwards into the water, their bright red blood swirling around the remaining warriors.
Curling as much of my body over my unconscious soulmate, I braced for their retaliation, more spears falling towards me while I reached for my golden power trembling just below the surface.
“Hold!” Kira shrieked, diverting their threat and sending their weapons crashing back into the river. Shocked, her guard scrambled back, more fearful of her wrath than my murderous claws.
Growling low, I slowly backed away from the shores, dragging Remnant with me. “Like I said, Kira. You cannot risk it.”
Kira looked down at her dead guard floating in the water and cocked her head. “How interesting.” She whispered before her eyes snapped back up to me to reveal a manipulative gleam. “I do believe you are correct, shifter. You go together.”
Narrowing my eyes, I stood cautiously. “She stays with me.”
Kira laughed, a cold shallow sound, and then waved towards the water. “Yes, yes. As you have already said. Shall we then?”
The cat roared at me furiously.“You can’t be this stupid, it’s a risk following those water snakes!”
“I must.”I sighed to him, controlling the snarling beast attempting to rip down my barriers and take control.
My foot dragged as I stepped towards the water and then faltered completely when Remnant released a loud gasp, her blazing emerald green eyes snapping open full of renewed hatred…towards me.
I was too relieved to care.
