I had heard stories of shifters finding their true mates, but as a human, I knew that was not something I would experience. I was okay with it…until now. Who knew I was going to miss out on such a euphoric feeling? The bond hadn’t even been made yet, and Xexon was still so precious to me I never wanted to leave him. At the beginning of time, humans and shifters mated, with a secondary designation within humans helping them to reproduce with the other race. But it had been years since a human was born with such an ability, luckily. Because if you woke your secondary gender and omega, that deemed you as the one to carry the young of your mate.
All shifters would come for you. If you weren’t mated and your omega nature saturated the air with your pheromones, even some humans couldn’t help themselves. It was like an aphrodisiac that even the strongest human couldn’t hold back, much less the shifters.
But here, with Xexon, I found I didn’t mind being mated to him. I hadn’t awoken as an omega, but with the power he held over me, I knew that was what I would be, deep down. I would be the one to further his line and bring into this world more of Xexon.
The thought should terrify me, or at the very least give me a weird feeling since I was thinking of carrying his children, and it would have made me run in the opposite direction merely days ago, now all I wanted was to be with Xexon no matter what.
After a few minutes, there was a heavy pressure near the base of my cock and I silently groaned as I knew I was going to need to untangle myself from Xexon.
Very carefully, I unwrapped one tentacle at a time, doing my best not to wake him.
Once I was successfully free, I rolled over to the side and crouched near the entrance of the narrow sleeping area. I then made my way down the rough surface of the cavern wall and moved over the ridge, back toward the deep abyss of the sea.
My clothes were finally dry, so it was easier to start unraveling them, but as I was a moment away from pulling them down, my eyes caught onto the glowing green ones staring up at me from the abyss.
Fear rattled my body and my vision went blurry with the need to escape. I whipped around and took a step, my chest heaving as I took one large breath in. I knew I was too close to make it away, but Xexon had to be warned. As the water splashed behind me, I shouted as loud as I could.
“Xexon!”
My voice was shrill as it echoed against the cavern walls. Any hope I had at calling out again was cut short as a slimy, heavy hand clamped down around my mouth and throat, blocking all oxygen from getting to my lungs.
Xexon heard me, though. After a pregnant pause, there was a roar so furious that I felt the very rock shake.
“Barnacles,” my captor cursed. “Distract him! I need time to get this snail out of here.”
I barely saw the others as they slithered forward, water from the entrance to the sea trickling and splattering across the rock as the creatures moved forward.
The edges of my vision blurred as I tried to breathe in once more, but the bastard's hand only caused me to choke on the gunk that coated his skin, a bitter goop that burned my mouth.
“Dante!”
Xenon’s voice reached my ears as the creature pulled me back, rustling behind us for a second as he pulled something from the water. The next thing I knew was that I had an explosive intake of clean air right before a large contraption was slammed down around my head and latched in place. It felt suffocating, like a glass dome that gave me a perfect view of my surroundings, but the air I breathed in was tinted with a mossy aftertaste that stuck along my senses. There were several beeps as my captor hit buttons on the back of the contraption before it signaled a green light and flashed brightly.
“Alright, let’s go, snail.”
As Xexon’s tentacles came into view, tossing one of the creatures across the cavern where it splattered into goo against the wall, I was picked up around the waist and hefted up over the bastard’s shoulder.
“Dante!” Xexon shouted once more as his handsome face revealed itself the exact moment I was chucked into the sea, the bastard jumping in after me and latching onto one of my ankles before he whizzed through the water, a thin, painful whirlpool slashing all around us. The pressure of the sea was easier to manage with the contraption on my head, but I choked on some of the seawater that had made it through the gear.
I tried to look back at the entrance of the cavern, but it was already so far away. I screamed through the dome, so loud that my vision wavered and darkened. I was never going to see Xexon again, was I?
Chapter 4
Dante
The grand hall was pristine, and I should be surprised that I didn’t need the contraption to breathe, but my mind was still trying to take everything in. It made sense that there was heavy security and distrust of the world above. The captain and his men would’ve definitely claimed Brasil as theirs and demolished all that it was. The gold and pearls that were mere placeholders or decorations as statues of larger versions of what must be previous kings and royals would have been melted down by the pirates above and used at the next port’s tavern.
“Grolver, did I not say he was to come, unharmed?” The soft, lilting voice of the being that sat upon the throne eased the tension along my shoulders.
That shouldn’t be, though. I needed to get back to Xexon. This man ordered my capture from Xexon, even though I posed no threat.
“He tried to escape, My High King.” Grolver, the slimed-up creature, shot me a snarl, his sharp teeth snapping as he bowed low for the man above.
“That doesn’t give you permission to harm him.” He floated down to us, as though he were swimming in the sea itself, though we breathed in air. “He has much to do while he is here in Brasil, and any harm to him could hinder those… acts.”
The High King’s fingers were adorned with the glimmering emeralds that Brasil was known for. Every finger had a golden band, except the middle finger on his left hand. It was settled with an intricate silver ring that wrapped around a violet pearl that glowed softly in the light.
“What do you mean, I have things to do here?”