Page 117 of Adonis

“Let’s get some fresh bandages on this first,” Trevor said. “And then you can lie down while me and Adonis get acquainted.”

Despite Trevor’s easy tone, there was something threatening about that “get acquainted.” Adonis must have thought so, too, because his back straightened, dark eyes darting to Trevor. He was a second away from a sneer; Connor just knew it.

“No, you can quiz Laurence about him, and he can lie down with me,” Connor said. Trevor peeled back the wet bandage on Connor’s stomach as Laurence and Nick came back. Trevor glanced at Nick. “Did you let Edith know Connor is here?”

Nick crouched next to Trevor, setting down the med kit and unzipping it. He cast Trevor a serious look. One that Connor interpreted as. “yeah, she doesn’t give a shit.” There was a spike of hurt that was quickly squashed within Connor. Now that he knew how she’d been treated during her pregnancy—and a pregnancy she didn’t want—he couldn’t feel the same about her attitude towards him. It wasn’t just pointless spite that made her hate him growing up; it was trauma.

Trauma and pain.

No wonder she’d always wanted to be rid of him.

Connor let out a breath to steady his emotions. As he did, Adonis reached for his hand, casting Connor a quizzical look, his dark eyes scanning his face. He must have sensed the dip in Connor’s mood.

“That’s a bit… weird looking, no?” Nick turned everyone’s attention to Connor’s stomach.

Connor himself had yet to see the wound. He was able to move around remarkably well for someone recently stabbed, and he saw why as he looked at the slim scar on his abdomen. The skin was covered in silvery scales. Connor reached out, running his fingers over the shimmering skin, and found that it formed a protective layer over the scar.

Laurence leaned over Adonis’s far side to stare. “It’s like his legs,” he said.

“Hurts?” Adonis asked.

“No, it doesn’t hurt.”

Adonis let out a huff. “Lie. Again.”

“Considering what happened, it doesn’t hurt the way it should.” Connor prodded in at the skin. “I have you to thank for that.”

“What happened exactly?” Trevor asked, studying the wound. The almost-healed cut hardly seemed to be the cause of so much blood.

“I caught it on a piece of metal,” Connor said.

“Yes. Metal knife,” Adonis added, most unhelpfully.

Trevor’s expression jumped to sharp alarm. “You were stabbed?”

“Adonis has a neat healing ability. He took care of it.” Connor ran his fingers over the wound before reaching for the clean shirt Laurence had brought. “I don’t think it even needs another bandage. Laurence, can you explain about Adonis? We’re going to go up and crash. I rushed here because I was worried about you guys, and now that I can see you’re okay, I’m flagging.”

“He’s a merman,” Laurence informed them as Connor and Adonis stood up. “And Dad, his tail is like, three times the length of your car. And—”

Laurence’s voice faded as Connor climbed the stairs, leading Adonis by the hand. He walked to his bedroom and closed the door. Connor discarded all his clothes—even the fresh shirt—and climbed under his duvet covers. He scooted in to the wall and held up the edge of the blankets for Adonis. “Come on,” he asked.

Adonis stripped as well, joining Connor in bed. He nuzzled up to Connor, wrapping his body around Connor and setting his hand on his stomach. “Heal, now?” Adonis asked.

“You said it tired you out. Can you still do it and change your legs to a tail?”

“Yes.”

“And what’s the deal, by the way?” Connor didn’t try to roll over to read Adonis’s expression, too comfortable with his back pressing against Adonis’s chest. “You said you couldn’t change over here.”

“I couldn’t. Now I can.”

“Because that tear is open?”

“Probably.”

Connor thought about those rafts approaching the tear. “Are the people coming over here dangerous?”

“I am the strongest.”