The Kiss That Saved Me (The Tidal Kiss Trilogy Book 2) (4 page)

“This is the lower level, which holds a game room, a library, and the master suite.”

“Can I see the master suite first?” I ask him, once again feigning innocence with my thick lashes, fluttering them like the wings of butterflies, thrumming with sexual anticipation.

“Of course. Patience.” We reach the bottom of the staircase and Orion watches as I get my first look at the room in front of us. The floor is no longer white tile, but has been replaced by cool milk chocolate coloured stone, that’s chilly on my feet. We are standing on a platform elevated by a few inches which lowers into a colossally deep swimming pool. A bridge towers above it, built from the same stone, transitioning seamlessly from the floor and rising in a gentle arc over the water, creating dry passage.

“This pool is deep enough that there is an exit at the bottom, an exit which will take us back to the sea,” he acknowledges the moon which is dangling low in the sky out of a glass panel which has been inserted into the side of the rock. I wonder how I hadn’t noticed it before. I listen for a moment hearing the cool sound of rushing water. A sound I sometimes missed as it was something you didn’t really hear beneath the ocean’s surface.
 

Orion glides across the cold floor, still wrapped in his white robe, and leads me across the bridge to the source of the insistent splashing. Across the entirety of one wall is a waterfall, covering the bare rock face in a rush of white spray and transparent curtains of fluid.

“A waterfall?” I look at him incredulously and he laughs again.

“I already told you… If I’m going to be going to the trouble…”

“Of building a house from scratch you’ll have what you want yada yada yada...” I dismiss him with a wave of my hand and he grins, wielding his magic house remote from the depths of his robe pocket.

“What are you doing?” I ask him, wondering what he could possibly control in a room with walls made of bare rock.

“You said you wanted to see the master suite,” he purrs, sliding an arm around my fluffy waist. I curl into him, his solidness as always a comfort to me. He bends to kiss me and presses a button on the remote and as I open my eyes I see the waterfall part, falling away from the centre of the wall in two sweeping curtains as double doors that are fashioned from the rock itself swing toward me.

“Oh my Goddess.” I bring my hands up to my mouth.

“I believe you wanted privacy.”

“So you got us a waterfall?” I ask him with a raised eyebrow and he nods smugly.

“You are mad.” I shake my head, ringlets tickling my ears as I step cautiously into the master bedroom. Orion steps in behind me and the doors swing shut, the sound of the waterfall eclipsed completely. The silence takes me away from the troubles of the impending war, the responsibilities of the Occulta Mirum, and to where I want to be. With Orion.

Before me spreads pure decadence, the floor is a deep mahogany with white fur rugs placed, straight edged, parallel to the walls. The walls, now I mention it, show what the room once was or has been modified to look like, which is a cave. This however is not the most magnificent show of nature within the room. A panoramic glass window looks out of the cliff face in which I am encased, onto the sea and the giant white orb which is kissing its sparkling surface tenderly. In the centre of the room is the bed, glazed in a beam of dim light from the scattered candles and fairy lights that cling to the crevices in the wall’s natural formation. It is circular and stands on an elevated platform, a sensual stage that I can see can be closed off from the rest of the room by a white gossamer curtain that hangs limply from a curved iron rod. Above the bed is more glass, a skylight of wide proportions opening up to the velvet blanket of the night which is scattered with diamond like stars. The sheets on the bed are scarlets and plums, warm colours, the colours I flush when Orion is undressing me under his burning gaze.

“Scarlet silk?” I question him and he looks at me oddly.

“You don’t like the colour?” He asks and I shrug my shoulders.

“I’m just surprised. I never figured you for liking scarlet. It’s so blatant.” I admit to him and he comes towards me.

“So are you.”
 

“You think I’m blatant?” I ask him and he smiles at me.

“Of course. There’s no mistaking what you want, Callie. You’re headstrong.” He removes his robe and stands in the light of a hundred flickering flames, unveiling his glory to me in a brash yanking of the robe from his form.

“I don’t think that’s true,” I comment, biting my lip as I step up onto the raised platform and towards the bed.

“You don’t? You’re a pretty insistent little thing in bed,” he quirks a smile and one breaks across my lips unwillingly.

“You don’t seem to mind.”

“I relish your demands, Miss Pierce,” he purrs, eyes set on me like a jungle cat readying himself to take down his prey. I roll back the white fleece of my robe from my shoulders and let it fall, pooling thickly at my feet. I watch Orion move swiftly around the bed, as though my barren flesh has called to him, as though the space between us is painful.

“You’re pretty demanding yourself,” I mutter as he reaches me and pulls me toward him, yanking my head back with one hand and pulling one of my knees to his hip with the other. I break the kiss, looking into his frenzied expression. I know I’ve been flirting, but I can’t help myself. I know he needs to talk, scream, maybe have a good cry. I’m so conflicted in this moment between what I want and I what I know he needs I can’t help but sigh, “Orion I…”

“Shh,” he places a finger to my lips and looks at me with a ferocity I had thought reserved for feral beasts.

“But…” I begin and he kisses me again, shoving his hands into my hair, yanking my waist forward, and clutching at my back. I break away, gasping, my lips red and tender.

“I…” I begin again but he pulls me in closer.

“I need this. Here. Now. Just let me love you, Princess. Please.” He pleads with me in a guttural breathless torrent of truncated longing. He traces a finger up my bare spine. I shiver and relinquish, giving into my selfish desires. He pulls me down to the bed with him and takes me, aggressively and without mercy, into a place of thoughtless, submissive ecstasy on top of blatant, bloody, scarlet sheets.

ORION

I lay next to her and watch her, sleeping soundlessly. She’s been doing that a lot lately. Sleeping. I wonder why. Is it because she’s noticed I’m impenetrable? I wonder when I became like this, so desperately hungry and yet empty… I wonder if it was because I had waited such an eternity for her to arrive, that the dam of unrequited passion had finally burst and had taken my sweet sensibility with it. Her lips match the sheets, scarlet and raw after my possession of them. She stirs beneath, alabaster skin paler than ever by contrast to the ‘blatant’ folds. Had I thought about the colour of the sheets when I’d designed this room? Probably not, but it seems now to be fitting, fitting that I’m devouring her one limb at a time atop them… fitting that she looks so fragile, so porcelain, lying out naked against them. I rise out of the bed, leaving her alone under the soft fusion of moon and candle light and sweeping my robe off the floor. The pockets are heavy. Maybe that’s what’s really weighing on my mind. I step across the soft rugs that I had picked to warm her cold feet, they’re always so damn cold.
 

I stand in front of the motion activated doors to the walk in closet I had installed for her shoes and clothes… she had mentioned something about loving shoes and clothes once, I suppose that’s a female thing. Whatever she wears, she looks beautiful, but I know she looks most beautiful when she’s wearing nothing but a smile. I grin foolishly. The closet stretches out and the doors sweep together behind me, reconstituting the appearance of the rock face. I turn a sharp right and move into the depths of the space, pulling a pair of jeans over my ass and a white shirt over my shoulders, after dumping my heavy robe onto the corner of the chaise longue I had upholstered in red silk too. I look at it and imagine spreading Callie out over the arch of the seat spread eagled.
 

I look back at the robe lying over the arm rest and internally slap myself. What the hell am I doing? I’m acting like she’s a common prostitute... like the women before. Goddess, am I that perverse? She’s eighteen for the love of all that’s holy. I look at the robe again, unable to draw my eyes away. I walk over to it, palming the fabric and feel the weight. I sit back into the chaise longue and let it hold me. Goddess knows I need it. I rummage through the pocket and pull out my remote. But that isn’t the weight that’s been weighing heavily on me. I dig deeper and feel it hit the tips of my fingers. Velvet. I grasp it, wondering if by holding it tightly enough I can wrangle it. Make it bend to my will. Take the power it holds over me away. I pull it up, facing the beast. Of course I’ve seen it before. But this is the first time I’ve really held it. Had it in the palm of my hand with Callie sleeping next door no less. I examine it. It’s so small. I pop the lid and my breath is rushed away on a wind of anticipation and fear. I haven’t been this nervous since I waited for her to open her eyes after that night. It winks back at me in the light. All two carats, glinting in the stark florescent of the closet, nestled against the tiny ice blue tinted pearls and aquamarines. It’s a beautiful ring. The conversation with Saturnus still haunts me now. I remember, leaning back against the red silk.

One fortnight ago…

“Orion, you have to understand. You’re going to be crowned ruler, Callie needs to be at your side, supporting you.”

“She will be,” I bite out at him, angry as per usual.

“Yes, but for how long Orion? She’s stubborn, she’s restless. She wants to fight. You can’t allow that.”

“And what do you want me to do, Saturnus? Collar her? Tie her to something? She’s a grown woman for Goddess’ sake!” I exclaim looking at him.

“The stunt she pulled, not telling you about her role as ‘The vessel’ was reckless, we both know that Orion. She’s a risk. She’s dangerous.”

“She’s also my soulmate,” I remind him, breathing in and out thoroughly, trying to extinguish the anger that flares within by consuming as much water as possible.

“Exactly.” He looks at me blankly and unfeeling.

“What do you mean?” I ask him with a cocked brow.
 

“I mean you need to get her under control. It’s your responsibility. You two are an example to us all. You need to show unity, especially now.”

“Callie doesn’t like being dressed up like a pony and paraded around. I don’t blame her and you can’t make me force her to do anything. She’s her own person,” I remind him again.
 

“I was thinking about that. Have you thought about marriage?” He pulls the word out of thin air and I feel my chest expand in surprise.

“You want me to propose to Callie? She’s only eighteen, Saturnus. I’ve only known her five months. People usually wait years now. It’s not like it was before.” I feel as though he needs a book dictating my relationship history to him. It’s like he lives in some kind of fantasy world.

“Women don’t care about that Orion. She’s expecting it from you. She told me so herself. I’ve heard her talking about it with the other mermaids too,” he reveals and I recoil slightly. Callie wants me to propose? My heart palpitates. I love her so much. Could it be she wants to make it legal so soon?

“You did?” I cock my eyebrow, hope pooling in my stomach slightly as fear clutches at my heart. I wonder if it’s normal to be excited and terrified all at once.

“Yes.” He looks me straight in the eye and I nod slightly.

“Well then. I suppose I better find a ring.” I look at him and rub the back of my neck awkwardly. He beams proudly.

“Your father would be so proud, Orion. He would want to be here to see this,” he says clasping at my shoulder with a comforting smile.

I think back to this conversation and look down at the platinum band that is nuzzled in icy blue velvet. The centre diamond is a Princess cut, my nickname for her resounding through each of the fractal surfaces that sparkle. The icy blue pearls have been retrieved from the oyster fields of my people, a twin set, lucky some would say, and the aquamarines I had chosen as they reminded me of her eyes. I look down at the band for a long time until its design and pattern lose meaning. I was going to get it inscribed- but there isn’t a sentiment to express my feeling that would be short enough. I get to my feet and pull out my phone. I put the ring back into my robe and dial the oh-so familiar number. She answers on the first ring.

“Georgia,” I snap.

“Yes, Mr Fischer.” I can hear the liquidity of her tongue through the crackles and pops of the line. The service isn’t good, but what do I expect, I’m inside a cliff.

“I’m leaving this ring in our walk in closet in my robe pocket. You’ll take it to the Lunar Sanctum and hang the robe in my closet, understood?” I’m barking orders like a drill sergeant these days, but today I’m not in the mood to soften for her. She probably hasn’t even noticed, too transfixed by the idea of me to care.