ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

Kieran walks up to my table in the restaurant patio. He's wearing ultra-tight, distressed grey jeans, black trainers, and a black shirt with cut-off sleeves. The shirt is emblazoned with big white text that says "I like my men how I like my women."

"Alright, Z-Man, care to explain to me why you had me meet you at fuckin' House of Soup here?" he asks, pointing to the restaurant sign with a laugh.

He takes a seat across from me and his eyes narrow as he looks at me.

"Okay, yeah, I was already pretty confused by your choice of restaurant, but that creepy-ass smile on your face is giving me the heebie-jeebies. Why are you in such a good mood? Is the soup spiked? Is it people?" he asks.

"Oh my god!" he yells, far louder than anyone should in a restaurant. "THE SOUP IS PEOPLE!"

I grab his wrist and shoot him a glare.

"Stop being a knob, mate."

"Damn!" he exclaims. "You're getting really strong. Somebody's been eating their Wheaties!"

"Why did I agree to hang out with you again?" I say with a smile.

"Probably because your girlfriend is busy."

"Good point."

"Speaking of which... you... smell different."

"And that has something to do with Ava being busy?"

"You smell like her," he says. "Like a lot. And not just in the usual way of having been constantly up in that pussy."

A growl resonates from deep in my throat and my hand finds its way instantly around his throat, tightening as I pull him toward me.

"You talk about Ava like that again and I'll free your eyeballs from your skull."

"Whoa!" he says, his voice strained under the pressure of my grip. "Shit, Zane, you're... really... fuck... can I breathe, please?"

"Technically you don't need to breathe," I say as I release him.

"Okay, man, but I do consider it a personal preference," he says, coughing slightly. "Damn, being with Ava has turned you into The Hulk. A really grumpy, territorial Hulk."

He rubs his throat and takes a sip of my water.

Shit. Maybe he's got a point. That was a bit of an intense reaction, even for me.

"Fair dues," I say. "Er, sorry mate. I uh... may be affected by uh... the marking."

Kieran chokes mid-drink and coughs water onto the table.

"What??" he shrieks. "You did it? You did the mark thing? No fuckin' way!"

"Yes fuckin' way," I say. " Ava ended up getting really sick and, well, long story short, it's done."

"Damn!" he says. "That's why you smell like Ava, then? And why you're so damn cheery? Minus the trying to squeeze my head off, of course."

"Maybe," I say, feeling a smirk stretch across my face.

Okay, he's right. It feels good. Really good.

She's mine—forever.

"Still doesn't explain the sudden soup interest," he jokes.

"Oh yeah, well... Ava's across the street meeting one of her web design clients," I say, pointing to the coffee shop opposite the restaurant.

"And she needed a chaperone?" he asks.

"No," I say. "I just... the mark has heightened my, er, protective instincts. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. This was as close as she'd agree to let me get."

"Oh shit, you're full-on stalking her?" he asks, snickering.

"I'm not stalking her, wankface," I say.

"Wankface?" he asks. "I like it. I can't decide if it's insulting or sexy. It's perfect."

I roll my eyes. The waitress appears just long enough to hand us the menus and step away again.

"So does this mean I'm totally fucked now?" Kieran asks. "Or rather, not fucked?"

"How so?" I ask.

"You've already been crazy attached to the missus. Now that she's marked, I feel like you're never gonna wingman for me anymore," he says. "Then again, I guess you're a wingless man now?"

He laughs at his own joke as I glare at him.

"Technically I still have one," I say. "Things got complicated and I decided to leave it. Feels pretty weird, honestly."

"I wonder if it's like having one testicle."

I ignore his comment in favor of answering his original question.

"If you need my help, I'm still there, mate," I say. "Just let me know when."

"Feel like coming by Pike's tonight?" he asks.

"I'm not letting Ava anywhere near Pike's until we figure out why there were so many demons there."

"No offense to Ava, but you could just come by yourself. Or are you afraid you have no game now that you're her lil bitch?" he teases, giving me a knowing smirk.

"You forget who you're talking to," I say. "There's no human on this planet I can't seduce, end of story. Or have you forgotten our bet at Pike's?"

"As I recall, I took her home."

"You fucking cheated!" I say.

"Please, like you were going to step out on your lovergirl anyway."

"We weren't... It wasn't..." I stammer. "That's beside the point. That girl was eating out of the palm of my hand and you know it. I'll show you tonight. Nobody can resist a Siren's charms, I fucking guarantee you."

Kieran's eyes widen as his expression slowly morphs into a concerned and intimidated one.

Took him long enough, but maybe he's finally got it through his thick skull that he's a fool to question a Siren's abilities.

"'Scuse me?" a voice says from behind me.

Fuck.

Ava is definitely right behind me.

𝔸𝕧𝕒

"So what's happening tonight, then?" I ask, my lips pursed and my arms tightly crossed.

"I uh... I didn't mean it like that, love," Zane stutters.

I've never seen such an imposing, tattoo-covered man look quite so submissive.

"We're cruising for chicks at Pike's," Kieran says, fighting back a smirk.

"I hope you're not too attached to breathing after all," Zane threatens.

"Welp," he says. "It's been fun knowing you, Ava."

Zane rolls his eyes.

I can't believe his nerve, talking about how freakin' smooth he is with the ladies after getting so macho over me meeting with a male client.

"I told Kieran I would help him get a meal tonight," Zane says.

"A meal?" I ask.

Aren't they at a restaurant right now?

"His kind of meal," Zane says, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh," I say.

Ohhh.

That kind of meal.

"So you guys are going cruising for chicks then?" I ask.

"Chicks or dicks," Kieran says.

"Chick or dick," Zane says. "Singular. For Kieran."

"If it's for Kieran then why were you talking up your skills so much?" I ask. "I believe your words were 'No one can resist a Siren'?"

"Well, love," he says with a suave voice. "You certainly couldn't resist me."

He pulls me into his lap and goes in for a kiss, but I pull away.

"Remember, love? We can kiss on the lips all the time now."

"Oh I know," I say. "I just don't quite feel like kissing you right now, playboy. Somebody's in need of a serious ego check."

Zane wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my neck.

"If you say so, love," he says.

What an ass.

As he smirks, a devious idea begins to form in the back of my mind.

ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

As we walk into Pike's, Kieran is already scanning the room for his prey.

"You're lucky I came with you tonight after what you pulled with Ava earlier," I grumble.

"That's what you think," he says. "I like to think of it as guaranteeing you'd come with me."

"How do you figure?"

"Because you're already in the dog house so you have nothing to lose," he says with a chuckle.

"It's a miracle I haven't killed you yet," I say as we each pull up a seat at the bar.

"You know you love me," he says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I roll my eyes as Kieran orders drinks from Shayna.

"So who's on the menu tonight?" I ask.

"I haven't decided yet," he says. "I'm debating if I'm in the mood for a double."

He gestures over to a couple making out in a booth along the wall. The man is tan with a scruffy beard and is wearing a very loose long-sleeve T-shirt and an equally oversized pair of shorts. The woman has bright blond hair with brown roots and is wearing a sweatshirt, tight shorts, and high heeled boots. Much like her outfit, these two are an odd combination.

"That's what does it for you?" I ask.

"Hey, everyone enjoys a good double dip every once in a while."

Just when I start to remember why I like Kieran, he says disturbing shit like that.

I decide to move on rather than respond to that.

"Threesomes are tricky," I say. "Especially with men. They're not too great with sharing."

"What happened to Mister Irresistible Siren?" he teases.

"Alright," I say. "Challenge accepted."

We grab our drinks and approach the couple and I put my hand on the man's shoulder. He turns to me, pausing their snog session.

"You don't mind if we join you, do you?" I ask.

He gives me a dazed nod as his girlfriend looks confused by his invitation.

"I'm Kieran," Kieran says. "This is my buddy Zane."

"Tim," the man says. "This is my girlfriend, Joss."

Tim puffs up his chest as he emphasizes the word girlfriend. If he's this territorial already, this is going to be a real challenge.

"Nice to meet you," I say, reaching out to shake each of their hands.

"What's your accent from?" the girl asks, slurring slightly from drunkenness.

"England," I say, taking a sip of my drink.

"I've been to London before," the girl says. She begins to drone on about London as I try my very best not to roll my eyes.

As she's talking, I suddenly feel an unexpected sensation that I can't quite place. A warm, pleasurable feeling awakens my nerves and pressure builds in my jeans.

Fuck.

What is happening to me?

I try my very best not to shudder at the feeling, tightly gripping the edge of the table with my hand.

"...is it?" the woman asks.

She's looking to me as if she expects an answer, but I completely missed the question.

"I'm sorry," I say. "Can you repeat the question?"

"Is England close to Britain?" she asks.

Bloody hell this woman is an idiot.

"England is part of Britain," I say.

"Oh, so it is close then," she says.

I take a sip of my drink, trying to ignore my growing bulge in my trousers.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I've spent a lifetime being in control of my body and emotions, now I'm getting hard in the middle of a conversation with two strangers I have no attraction to?

The only person I've ever had this kind of instantaneous arousal for is Ava, and she's at home. Just the thought of her makes all kinds of dirty thoughts flood to the surface.

I take another sip of my drink as a feverish heat rises under my skin and my pulse races. I can feel her hands touching me, moving up and down in torturously slow strokes.

I choke on my beer, spilling it onto my lap. I instinctively grab a napkin and go to dry it off, but the additional touch compounds the distraction and I find myself biting my lip to hold back a moan. Kieran turns to me, giving me a baffled look when he looks down and sees the clear outline of my dick through the denim.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Ye-... yeah..." I stammer. It comes out as more of a moan than I intend.

"Yeah, we're gonna go," the girl says.

My unusual behavior has clearly not won them over, and the couple rushes out of the booth.

"The fuck was that?" Kieran asks with a laugh. "Did you seriously just get a stiffy just talking to those two?"

"Shut up, K-... Kieran," I say, stifling a growl. My hands grip the table so tightly that the wood begins to compress under my fingertips.

"I didn't realize you were so desperate for Ava that if I separated you your dick would explode," he jokes.

Just the mention of Ava has obscene thoughts racing through my head.

My mind is racing and I stumble onto a realization: Ava. The mark.

I pull out my phone and text her.

Me: What r u doing?

"I have to go to the restroom," I tell Kieran, trying and likely failing to mask my arousal as I race to the restroom stall.

I slam and lock the door behind me, leaning my back against it as I free myself from the tension of my jeans.

I feel the vibrations of my phone in my pocket and pull it out.

Ava: 😉

At this point, my dick is throbbing and my impulse to touch myself is overridden by the sheer intensity of sensation when I do.

I can't stop picturing Ava touching herself and the visual alone has me near orgasm.

My hands clutch the top of the stall door behind me, my elbows pointing in front of me as my hips involuntarily thrust forward. My breaths are staggered and heavy.

The pressure builds until it overflows and surges, sending pleasure to every cell in my body. I fail to fight back growls and inhuman moans as I ride each wave.

My muscles relax and I collapse against the stall door, my grip just barely keeping me upright. I take a moment to compose myself and clean up. My reflection in the mirror looks wild. My T-shirt is soaked in sweat and my hair is in messy, damp curls, a single lock stuck to my forehead. I run my hands through it a couple of times to make myself more presentable before leaving the restroom.

I return to the booth, where Kieran is already chatting up another girl. He smirks at me as I walk up, giving me a knowing look and fighting back a laugh.

"Zane, this is Tamra," he says.

I introduce myself and take the seat beside Kieran.

He mumbles under his breath at a level only an immortal would hear.

"I guess it did explode."