The Beauty's Hidden Beast

"Precious," Vick cornered me against Gold's bubble, "If I didn't take actions today, you would keep on tolerating her insults and disrespect, wouldn't you? Explain."
"You tolerate Nivi, so yeah..." I turned away from Vick, my eyes meeting Gold's emotionless face behind the bubble.
The gold haired man was pushing the bubble upwards, but he stopped when he noticed me watching. If not for the wall between us, our noses would have been a hair apart.
Vick's hand appeared in front of my eyes, his head blocking my view, "Eyes here, Precious," he said, grabbing my chin and turning my head, "Focus."
"Then stop showing my back against other people, unguarded."
Vick looked over my shoulder, and his eyes met Gold's. His fingers dug into my nape, massaging the tight knots. They must have been exchanging silent messages through their eyes because Vick's lips began to press against my temple.
"You are acting possessive in front of a mated male," I reminded him how stupid he looked right now.
"I know," Vick answered, not stopping, "And I'm not sorry."
I couldn't see Gold's reaction, but judging by the way the bubble trembled, he didn't seem very pleased. I wondered if Vick didn't know how to create a bubble or just wanted Gold to tag along as a third wheel.
"Precious," Vick called my name again, pulling me out of my thoughts. He looked over his shoulder, his voice low and his lips moving against my ear, "We are talking, remember?"
I wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head on his shoulders, "I'm no longer in a mood for talking."
Vick stiffened, his hands tightening around my waist. He took a deep breath, his nose buried in the crook of my neck. He exhaled and then inhaled again, his breathing ragged, "Precious, I can't think when you're doing this."
I didn't answer and continued to hug him in silence, enjoying the way his heart was hammering against his chest.
Vick let out a long, helpless sigh. He stopped provoking Gold, and the bubble floated toward the surface much faster than before.
Once we were out, they began discussing strategies on how to defeat the other mermen tribe.
I wanted Vick to take down the other tribe as fast as possible. I would rather him fight in his best condition than wait until the canal was built.
Though we were fewer in numbers, our mermen were more powerful with more training and combat experience.
I would like to witness the battle and stay by Vick's side, but I know I would just stand in the way, so I decided not to go. The moment I feel his mark disappearing, I'll be summoning him back immediately.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
"Precious, can you stop summoning me when I'm in the middle of a bath? I was trying to relax," Vick wiped his face and his hair, "I was barely ten meters away from you."
Vick found a hot spring and has been using it as a place to wash off the saltwater. The only problem was that it was located in the middle of the dino's spawning area.
The air was hot and humid despite it being midwinter. The mist covered the trees, the ground, and the air, making everything seem blurry. It was difficult to see a few steps ahead.
Picking up a clear crystal from inside a defeated Dino, my eyes followed the trails of water running down his abs. They weren't as defined as before, but his body was still well-built and his confidence was as high as ever.
"I found a new spot for your soak," I pointed at the little pool as I leaped at another Dino, slicing it open, and collecting the crystal. Dragging it by its tail, I flung it outside of the hot spring's clearing.
"..." Vick followed the corpse flying over the trees with his eyes and turned towards me, "I was just thinking that your strength has increased quite a bit. You don't even break a sweat."
Thud! Crash!
I washed the crystal and popped it inside my mouth, "There's less gunk in my system than before," I said, glancing at my hands, which became a bit smoother. My body wanted to repair itself unlike Vick's, "The poison is deep-rooted, but the crystals do help."
If Vick's condition didn't improve, I would have to take some drastic measures., but for that, I needed to be in better shape.
Vick walked into the pool and let his body float, the water barely reaching his stomach. He leaned his head back, and his eyes followed me as I moved around, "Are you sure you don't want to come here? It's quite comfortable."
I sat on a nearby rock and took off my boots to dip my feet into the scalding water.
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*WARNING* Mature scene +18 (START)
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Vick's hand brushed against my foot. His touch was gentle, like a feather. He slowly brought it to his lips, kissing my ankle, and then my toes, and then the back of my foot.
His lips and tongue tickled the skin, the heat from the water causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead.
I didn't pull away, letting him explore my foot with his mouth. He sucked on the pads of my toes, his tongue tracing the shape of my nails.
The way his hand gripped my calf, his mouth on my leg, and the steamy water caused a familiar tingling sensation between my legs.
Vick was also aware of the change and from under the water, tentacles slithered out, wrapping themselves around my tights.
The tips brushed against the fabric between my legs, the touch teasing, the friction making me bite my lip.
I pushed the tip away and it obeyed, but it wasn't long before it was replaced with a more persistent one.
Vick released his beast pressure, preventing anyone from approaching.
The tentacle pushed against the cloth, and when it felt my response, it lifted my hips and slid down my pants just enough to reach what it wanted before placing me down. It slid through the gap, brushing against my folds and finding its way inside me.
It explored my entrance, and when it was satisfied with the wetness, it pulled back and pushed its head inside, stretching me, playing, and teasing me.
I grabbed the edge of the rock, and squeezed my thighs together, trying to stop the throbbing. Damn tentacles and their fucking magic. They were completely different from a cock or a toy.
The tentacles were a part of his body. They could grow and shrink, and move in any direction, and change shape and size, and even stretch and bend, all according to his will.
They didn't move in a steady rhythm, instead, they vibrated inside me, touching every sensitive spot, and stimulating the ones I never knew I had.
"Fuck you, you oversized octopus," I hissed, my body shivering, the heat making my head fuzzy.
Vick licked his lips, watching me squirming, as if I was the most delicious meal he could ever have, "You can't fuck me. That's my job," he replied with a wicked grin.
"Hah...you bastard... just wait till I cure your cock... I'll make you cum from fucking your ass so hard... you won't be able to sit or even walk... you will be begging me to let you rest."
"I wonder how you'll manage to do that," Vick smirked, "You can barely handle me now, how will you handle me after I regain full function?"
"You think you're that good?"
"I don't need to think. You've already admitted it."
"You arrogant son of a─ Ahh...shit."
The thick tentacle pushed against the walls of my pussy. It moved back and forth, its girth stretching and sucking on my inner walls. The suction cups at the base were also doing their part, pulling and sucking at the skin around my clit.
I felt another slipping under my shirt, latching onto my breasts and nipples, and gently tugging at the skin.
My legs were spread open, giving Vick a view of the tentacle moving in and out of my dripping cunt.
I tried to squeeze my thighs together to stop the throbbing, but the tentacles were relentless, and I came without even trying.
"..."
"..."
"..."
My breathing was uneven, and my heart was hammering against my chest, the pulsating inside my body refusing to calm down.
Vick removed my clothes and pulled me into the pool. The tentacles were still inside, moving slowly, milking every drop.
He leaned forward and captured my lips. He bit my lower lip and his tongue slipped inside. His hand cupped the back of my head, and the other wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. His kisses were rough and aggressive, but I responded just as hungrily.
Vick chuckled. His tongue traced my lips, and then explored my mouth, licking the inside of my cheeks and sucking on my tongue.
"Let's move our new nest here," he said, his arms circling around me, "It's peaceful, quiet, and there'll be no one to bother us."
"Mn..."
The tentacles were still moving, making the oversensitivity worse. My hand grabbed his, and he held it, entwining our fingers.
I squeezed his hand, and he responded, squeezing back. I repeated the gesture until he understood.
"You want me to stop?" He asked, his breath tickling the back of my ears.
"Mn."
The tentacles stopped moving, and the pulsating subsided. Panting, I pulled myself out of the pool.
Vick sighed, and leaned his head back. He closed his eyes and didn't stop me. It took him a while to calm down, the steamy atmosphere and the heat affecting him just as much as it did me.
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*WARNING* Mature scene +18 (END)
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When Vick opened his eyes, I was already dressed and was waiting for him at the edge of the clearing.
He was in a good mood, his eyes were bright and he smiled easily, even humming a tune.
He was a different man from before, but the same in all the places that mattered.
Vick always had that rebellious aura, and that's what drew me to him in the first place. A servant who was not afraid of speaking his mind, an admiral who stood up for his beliefs, and a man who was willing to put everything on the line for someone he cared about.
He wasn't the ideal prince, and I wasn't the ideal princess. He was a stubborn ass and I was the same. We were a miracle together, and a disaster apart.
I wanted to cut the last link I had to the world for so long, and now that I finally could, it wasn't so easy. He made it so damn hard to give him up, this asshole.
He had a face and a body made for sinning, which made me wonder why the gods had blessed him so generously when they'd end up cursing him with me.
I didn't know why the world kept trying to drag him down with me.
Was his fate tied with mine?
Was that why his life was a miserable mess as well?
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
One day later…
The mermen were surprised when they got to know they might meet their beautiful mermaid sooner, still very enthusiastic about the idea.
Muir's tribe was near the ocean, so I tagged with Vick for a few more days, taking Rosa and Bart with me. 
The sight of hundreds of thousands of mermen swimming back to the ocean was a majestic one. Their scales glistened like jewels, their fins spread, and their muscular bodies moved like a wave.
Gold swam at the front of the group, looking like a true royalty among his kind. Vick stayed shamelessly inside his bubble and cuddled me like a plushy.
Gold didn't seem to care and let us have our moment, but the moment we arrived, he didn't hesitate to pop the bubble and separate us, leaving me on the shore.
Vick just laughed. He gave me a quick smooch through the fabric and disappeared into the depths of the ocean, following after Gold and the rest.
And just like that, they were gone from my sight. 
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Bluepool stayed back with a small group of mermen in case I needed some assistance with my experiments.
The couple was relocated to the cave underneath the ocean, and both were currently knocked unconscious.
My experiment went a bit out of hand. The removal of the spousal mark caused Bart to jump in rank, and now he was a four-stripped rootless.
He was in a terrible state, the removal of a mark was a painful process for him, and both Muir and Bluepool had to stop him from attacking me.
Rosa had to be restrained as well. Bart's fourth stripe caused her to become quite possessive of him. She tried to mate with him right in front of us. Bart's new power-up was intoxicating, and she was affected by it more than she should have.
Bart was a complete mess. When he saw Rosa asking him to become her male again, he lost it. He pounced on her and had her pinned beneath him. He crushed her bones and didn't seem to notice until she screamed in pain.
I had no choice but to separate them. If they continued like this, their mating would have been a rape.
Bluepool placed the unconscious Rosa inside his bubble, about to relocate her to another sea cave, "Thank the stars, I'm a merman, and not one of you land crazies," he ranted, still shaking, "Your mating rituals are crazy."
I chuckled, and Bluepool glared at me, "Don't laugh. Do you realize how close you were to being killed? Leader would have killed me if anything happened to you, and Vick would have destroyed everything here."
Once Bluepool left, Muir looked at me with a stern face. He was not happy, "Bart can escape the cave with his four stripes now," he warned me, "He will try to kill you again."
"That's fine. I'm expecting it and that's why we can't leave him on his own."
Muir's frown deepened, his expression turning dark, "He is dangerous."
"So am I."
"..." Muir couldn't refute and just nodded. Then, he smiled, his eyes filled with warmth, "Yes, you are."
"Why..."
We turned toward the sound of Bart groaning. He was waking up.
"Why...did...you... remove...my spousal imprint?" Bart growled, his eyes turning red, the blood vessels popping, "Rosa...where's Rosa?!"
"You killed her," I answered.
"No!" Bart's head snapped towards me, his eyes widened in disbelief, "What did you do to her?! Why can't I feel her anymore?! Where is she?! I want her back!"
"She's gone."
"You're lying! Give her back!" Bart's eyes flared with anger, his claws digging into the rock, his teeth grinding, "You turned me into a rootless, and now my female is dead. I will not forgive you for this! I'll kill you!"
He leaped at me, his claws slashing, his fangs ready to rip out my throat.
I dodged, and he slammed into the wall. He didn't hesitate to turn around and come at me again.
"Then what? What will you do after killing me?" I asked, "Will you run to the Flame City? Because it's the only place that will accept a rootless like you?"
Bart roared, his anger and frustration reaching its peak, "You should have killed me instead! Now I'll have to live a miserable life, not even fit to be a male! I'll kill you, and then I'll kill myself! There's nothing left for me here, or anywhere else!"
"I will not let you die," I replied.
"What?!"
"I won't allow it," I repeated.
Bart froze, and for a moment, he wasn't sure if he heard me right, "You're joking... you can't keep me alive, not after I became a rootless."
"But I will."
Bart shook his head, unable to understand, "You...can't. I can't go on without a mate. It's too painful. It's suffocating, and it's eating away at my heart, piece by piece." He cried, clutching his head, "I've never been a rootless. I don't know what's happening to me. It's getting more painful, and harder to breathe, and I can't stop shaking."
"Is it because of Rosa's death? Or is it because of the loss of your imprint?" I asked, not showing an ounce of sympathy.
"What's the difference?! It's the same! My heart feels like it's been ripped out, and the pain is unbearable!"
Muir stepped in, shielding me, "If you truly loved her, then her death would be the only thing that matters. It would be all about her, and the time you shared, and the memories you had, and how much you missed her," he continued after a short pause, "Instead, you are more worried about being a rootless, and the loss of your spousal imprint, and what will happen to you now. What does that say about the love you claimed you felt for her?"
"What do you know?!" Bart's expression darkened, and he bared his teeth at us, "I would have died for her, and now she's gone. How dare you say I didn't love her enough?! I was willing to go against the world for her! And you say it wasn't love?! How much more do you want me to sacrifice?! It's not enough for you? Tell me! How do I prove it?!"
I threw one of my spare cloaks at him, "I don't have time to talk to you all day. Do you want to visit a village with us? Just stay low-key. No one has to know that you are a rootless."
"You can't be serious..." Bart's hands covered his face, and his shoulders started trembling, "What if someone recognizes me? They'll turn against me. I will be treated like trash, and they'll force me out."
I didn't reply. Instead, I turned and walked towards the entrance, "If you don't follow, then stay. The choice is yours."
Bart was hesitating, but his fear of being abandoned was bigger. He didn't want to be alone, and would rather follow a devil than no one at all.