Persephone gave me one last lick, then sat up. “You taste good, Maggie,” she said, her breath coming short and harsh, her eyes dark with lust. She straddled my thigh, slick and hot. “I’m going to ride you now.”
“Yes,” I whispered. Desperate to give her pleasure in return, I slipped fingers in between us. Her folds parted for me, and I slid two fingers into her heat.
I did the things I enjoyed, hoping she would enjoy them as well. It seemed to work; she growled my name, her hips grinding against me. A moment later, she flung her head back, her hair curling tight as she shuddered and shook with pleasure.
I withdrew my hand, and licked my slick fingers. She tasted like the ocean, and I found myself craving more. Next time, I’d kiss her pearl, explore the wet heat of her with my mouth. The thought roused me a bit, and I foolishly found myself blushing.
Persephone collapsed beside me in the bed, one arm tossed across my waist. “Was that good, Maggie?” she asked.
I rolled to face her. My heartbeat slowed, and my limbs felt heavy and relaxed. “It was wonderful.”
She grinned. “You turn pink all over, cuttlefish.”
“Wretch!” I exclaimed, laughing. “A good thing I love you, because you have no idea how to compliment a woman.”
Her arm tightened around me, strong and warm. I drifted off for a little while, curled against her. Eventually, the sound of my downstairs neighbor shouting at tonight’s “uncle” roused me. Seeing my eyes open, Persephone rolled off the bed and stretched. I sat up to admire the view.
“I brought you something,” she said, going to sort through the loose pile of her skirt.
“Another squid?” I teased. “You know I can’t have enough of those.”
She laughed. “It is another squid, though I think you’ll like this one better.”
Persephone slipped a golden bracelet over my hand. It was indeed wrought in the shape of a squid, its tentacles intricately interwoven to clasp my wrist. The heavy weight told me it was solid gold, and my eyes widened as I held it up to admire in the light of the night candle. “It’s beautiful,” I breathed. “But I can’t accept such a gift. It’s far too expensive, surely.”
Persephone sat by me on the bed. “How land dwellers value gold and pearls is not my concern,” she said. She upended a small pouch, spilling out half a dozen pearls, each one as large as a thumbnail. “Mother says these things are of value to your kind. That you can use them to rent a house of your own, near the water. If you wish,” she added hastily, and had she been able to blush I thought she would have.
People would wonder how I could afford to do so, on a secretary’s salary. But this was Widdershins, where old Mrs. Zapatka paid at the market with Spanish doubloons, though no one could say where she acquired them. They’d arch a brow, then politely look the other way, so long as I caused no other trouble. Dr. Whyborne might ask, but I’d tell him the money was a reward from the ketoi for my assistance.
I stared at the pearls and the bracelet, then at her. My heart swelled, because the true value of her gift wasn’t a house or money, or pretty jewelry.
It was her.
“That depends,” I said. “If I do, will you come and visit me?”
Joy bloomed in her eyes, and she pulled me into her lap. “Every night I can, my love.”
“Then I’ll start house hunting tomorrow,” I promised.
Oliver had thought me unnatural for choosing to stand by her, rather than joining him in revenge. I had wondered myself if there was something wrong with me, to fall in love with someone so inhuman in appearance. But as I drew her close, I had no doubts. We might have to hide from the world, but when we were together, I would never again hesitate to kiss my lover from the sea.