Tails from the Clayridge Fountain (Book 2)
Publication Date: December 2022
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She’s beneath him in every way, except the one way she desires.
Her duty is to entertain men in exchange for food, money, and trinkets, a life she’s always resented but couldn’t escape from. With her hormones raging after coming of age, Marina’s unrequited love for the sexy hellhound, Fernandez Stone, has reached a boiling point. Still, the thought of a hellhound—particularly that hellhound—with a siren is laughable. The touch of other men leaves her feeling disgusted and exploited. She resents the men who come to her bed and hates to continue servicing them to put food on the table. She’s failed at her purpose in life and was unable to capture the attention of the one man she wants but knows she can’t have.
Stone has wanted Marina since the first time he saw her. Her quiet innocence, soft voice, and kind heart draw him in. But as a member of The Guard, his duty is to protect the people of Clayridge, not engage in a lustful affair with a woman six steps beneath him.
An opportunity arises for Stone when an old nemesis returns, claiming she’s here to make amends for past sins and is reinstated in The Guard. Enraged that the rules have been bent, a bitter and resentful Stone turns to the one woman he shouldn’t have. But indulging in an affair with Marina could cost them everything—even put the entire town of Clayridge at risk.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
“It’s just a blow job. I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of it.” Robbie’s annoyance grew as his dick shriveled.
Marina didn’t even want to look at the damn thing as it hung there, shrinking. She allowed Robbie a certain amount of freedom with his desires and requests because he’d been her first John, but she had never sucked a dick before, and she didn’t plan to just because he was throwing a hissy fit.
When she’d finally given into her nature and began taking lovers for money and to scratch her need for sex, she’d made a promise to herself. No matter what, she would never do anything she didn’t want to, which included everything unless it was a dick in her pussy. She didn’t even like it when they kissed her.
She needed them for money and sexual relief. They didn’t deserve extras, especially when an encounter barely scratched the surface of her lustful itch.
Often, after they left, she was more frustrated than before a session began.
Robbie proved his uselessness when he continued to whine. “I ate you out for like an hour last week. You should return the favor.”
Favor? She’d granted him liberties she didn’t allow anyone else. When he’d asked to go down on her, she’d reluctantly agreed. She’d stared at the curtains the whole time, cringing and wishing it was over.
“Try five minutes, ten at the absolute most. And I only allowed you to do that because you asked, no, begged me to let you. You really think I wanted you slobbering all over me? I didn’t come, so don’t you dare tell me you did it for me.”
“It’s not my fault you didn’t come.”
“You lack the required skill to make a woman orgasm that way.”
His cheeks flushed red. “Maybe one of the other sirens would appreciate me better.”
Marina laughed. “Yeah, we both know the only reason you’re here with me is because none of the other girls are interested. And frankly, neither am I. You’ve overstayed your welcome. Get out of my room.”
She motioned to the open expanse of clear blue water behind him. Like all the sirens’ dwellings, her room opened into the fountain. They had swim-up entrances.
“You’re a whore.” He reached out and painfully grabbed a fist full of her hair, forcing her to her knees. “Suck it, bitch.”
Hatred burned as she placed a palm over each of his bare hips. The second he thought he’d won, he relaxed his grip. That’s when Marina shoved him.
He fell backward into the water. His hand was still tangled in her hair. Shock colored his expression, his hold tightening. Marina went willingly, her legs morphing into a pink and golden tail as she fell into the warm water.
They sank into the fountain. He released her hair in favor of trying to swim to the surface, but Marina grabbed his arm and yanked him downward, pulling him deeper into the depths.
His eyes widened, and panic seemed to set in when she continued to swim down, yanking him with her. He tried to free himself, but she held fast.
The water was darker the further they got from the surface and the light of the moon. His fight increased, his panic growing when bubbles spilled from his lips. His eyes were wide with terror.
Rolling her own eyes, Marina ascended with him in tow.
When they broke the surface, Robbie paddled over to the edge and clutched the balustrade, gasping for breath. “Crazy bitch! You almost drowned me!”
She cocked her head to the side. “Crazy bastard. You almost raped me.” With a shrug, she said, “I guess we’re even.”
Silently, he gawked at her, his horror clearly written on his face.
From the surface of their home, Yarrow, her golden-tailed sister, called, “What’s going on?”
Robbie ran a hand over his face, wiping away the water that was dripping from his brow and hair. “I just wanted a blow job. That’s it. She’s crazy!”
“No means no.” A deep voice drew their attention away from where Yarrow sat. Stone stood next to the railing only a few feet away, glaring down at Robbie.
Great. Now Stone is here. How long had he been standing there?
Robbie, visibly upset by the proximity of the hellhound, quivered.
“Don’t piss yourself in the fountain,” she muttered as quietly as she could.
Stone must have heard with his animal-like hearing because his lip twitched, almost as though he wanted to smile.
Just as quickly as it appeared, any sign of amusement vanished.
She must have imagined it. No way did Stone have a sense of humor.
“No means no,” he repeated, his hard gaze switching to her. “Even if she is a siren.”
Stinging, the insult landed. She resisted the urge to flip him off. To hell with men.
“Come on, baby. I’ll show you how we treat a real man.” Yarrow paddled over. “You don’t need her.”
Marina rolled her eyes when Robbie went to her sister. She wondered if he might have been sniffling. Real man, yeah, right. Behind Robbie’s back, Yarrow sent her a secretive little smile. He was going to get what he wanted after all, but in the morning, Yarrow would likely crack jokes at his expense.
Left alone in the still evening with only Stone around, Marina avoided looking at him. His opinion of her race was hurtful, even more so considering how badly she pined for him.
Even now, after his hurtful comment, she smelled his earthy scent and felt the urge to sing.
Something about the hellhound called to her.
She wanted him desperately. Each time she took a man to her bed, it was Stone she pictured. It was Stone’s lips that kissed her, his hands that touched her, his body that made her burn and brought her pleasure. Yet the reality would never be, and each man she took to her bed fell short. Giving her just enough to satisfy the hormones driving her lustful behavior but never enough to provide her with lasting, genuine pleasure.
She sunk beneath the surface, eager to avoid further words with him, but before she slipped under the water, she heard him call her.
“You know my name?” She asked as she resurfaced.
He studied her, and as he did, she couldn’t help but watch the way his chest expanded with each inhale. The dark red glow across his pecs was only slightly visible through his grey shirt. A pale tooth hanging on a length of dark cord drew her attention. She wondered what sort of creature the tooth had come from and if Stone had killed it himself.
“I know a lot about you.”
Her gaze snapped back to his.
He nodded to where Robbie and Yarrow had disappeared. “What happened?”
“Don’t you already know?” She taunted. Apparently, she was growing bolder. Sirens had a reputation for their attitudes and sarcasm. But being temperamental with The Guard wouldn’t win her any favors.
“Come here.”
Grumbling, Marina swished her tail and approached the railing. “You going to read my memories and use them against me again?”
Briefly, she remembered the day, months ago, when a small mortal child had fallen into the fountain. When the child was safe, Stone had used his hellhound abilities to read her memories, using them to determine who was at fault for the boy’s accident. Though she’d been innocent in the whole thing, the sirens who had started all the trouble, Cascada and Yarrow, had blamed her and made her life pretty unbearable for a few weeks.
If he read her memories now and decided she’d attempted to drown the fool, she could be in a lot of trouble.
Making her wait, Stone watched her. She refused to look away. She would not bow down to him.
“Nope.” His body seemed to relax as he said that one word, but his fist clenched at his side. The bracelets on his wrists moved as he stretched out his fingers and placed a hand next to her arm on the balustrade.
His thumb grazed her skin, and she wondered if he’d done it on purpose.
She didn’t shift closer, but she also didn’t move away.
“He deserved a little scare.” Not that it had worked, considering he was probably now getting his dick sucked by Yarrow. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know,” he said, bending lower until he was crouched, his gaze level with hers. “You never do anything wrong.” His voice grew quiet. “Pretty sure that’s why…”
Stone never paused, never stumbled. He was always direct and authoritative. Marina drew closer, desperate to hear the end of his sentence. She caught another whiff of his earthy scent. Mmm, Stone.
She was almost breathless, a little dizzy, unfulfilled lust still coursing through her system when she asked, “Why, what?”
“Why I can’t stop thinking about you.”
