The deck was still slick with kraken blood, black and shimmering like oil under the twin moons overhead. The crew was silent except for the occasional cough or groan, their wide eyes fixed anywhere but the two figures wrapped up in each other near the stern of the ship.
Rhiannan was panting against Arwen's chest, her skin flushed and glowing, her hair damp with seawater and sweat. The silver stars now blazed along the curve of her neck, one shimmering addition beneath them, a tiny black panther prowling under a crescent moon. Her skin tingled with magic, humming like an overcharged battery.
"Well... fuck," she muttered, burying her face into his bare shoulder. His heartbeat was a thundering drum beneath her ear. "I guess that wasn't just good dick. That was fated mate dick."
Arwen's laugh was low and smug, vibrating against her cheek. "You'll learn, little moon. With me, it's always both."
She rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see it. "Arrogant fucker."
"Mmm. Your arrogant fucker."
She slapped his chest half heartedly, but didn't pull away. The afterglow had a weight to it, an electric satisfaction that curled in her belly and made her toes curl, but it was more than that. She felt anchored. Seen. Like something ancient inside her had been snapped into place.
The stars on her neck didn't lie.
She exhaled shakily, brushing hair off her face. "So, what now? We just pretend this is normal and cozy up for movie night with your pirate crew of misfits while we wait for the next sea monster to yeet us into the stratosphere?"
Arwen's grin stretched slow across his face. "No movies here, little moon, But you can sit on my face while we read ancient fae scrolls."
She snorted and shoved away from him, swiping his long black coat off a nearby barrel and tossing it over her shoulders. The crew scattered like rats. She narrowed her eyes, "I need my damn memory back! This is ridiculous! The only thing I know is my name!" She crossed her arms over her chest, stomped her foot and threw the cutest little fit. Arwen melted. She is perfect, he thought to himself. Perfectly MINE. She growled, and gasped loudly as panther claws extended from her hands. Her eyes got huge, "What the FUCK!? Omg I'm a monster!"
Arwen chuckled, "We're all monsters here love, you'll fit right in." But he was instantly curious, grabbing her hand and examining the claws. "It looks like after we bonded, you can now shift into a panther!" He grinned wildly. "I have never heard of such a thing! I can't wait to unearth your powers beautiful!" He held her hand gently and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
He pondered for a moment. Trying to figure out the next best step. His wizard mentor, Cal, he would know. He was the oldest fae that Arwen knew of. If there was information, or a prophecy about his Rhiannan, Cal would know about it.
"We're heading to Cal," he said, more serious now as he pulled his pants back on and adjusted the strap of his eye patch. "Old wizard. Grumpy bastard. But he knows prophecy shit. If anyone can help you get your memories back or explain why you've got the power of the fuckin' moon goddess in your veins, it's him."
She sighed and nodded, wrapping the coat tighter around her body. "Good. Because right now, I feel like a live wire with no insulation. And every time I feel something, it's too much. I can't remember anything, and I have no clue why I can talk to fucking fish or why I grow claws when I'm pissed off."
He paused, watching her. "You're handling it better than most would."
She looked at him with a crooked smile. "I'm not most, pirate prince."
He chuckled, that sound always a little wicked. "No. You're not. You're a bloody goddess, and I'm the bastard lucky enough to touch you first."
Rhiannan looked out over the moonlit sea. The water was calm now, deceptively still after the chaos. But something told her the storm wasn't over...it had just changed shape.
Below her skin, the magic simmered.
And inside her chest, her heart whispered a name she didn't know yet. She felt a longing that resonates throughout her entire body and she frowned. Something, or some things, were missing. She felt it deep in her soul. This was only the beginning. She sighed. "Let's have an adventure then!" She said softly as Arwen wrapped her in his arms and they watched the sea rise and fall together.
Her gaze lingered on the sky and she could swear she spied a glimpse of an erethrral beauty with silver hair hovering there. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, but the vision had faded.
She leaned her head back against Arwens broad chest, his muscled arms surrounding her and making her feel incredibly safe, and slightly aroused again. She giggled to herself. This mate bond thing was fire. She could even feel hints of his emotions and thoughts. She'd never felt so close to another being, and she loved it.
Arwen whispered softly, "Adventure it is then, little moon. I'll follow you to the end of the world and back." Her grin was radiant as she sighed with contentment.
They'd survived the kraken. They'd sealed the mate bond.
But the real voyage was just beginning.