Page 9

CHAPTER NINE

Marcus had been poked, prodded, and pressed within an inch of his life. His hair had been cut—he still couldn’t believe he allowed Kannon to do that—and he smelled delightful, if he did say so himself.

Whatever shampoo Kannon and Nisha used left his hair with a sheen. The silk shirt clung to his skin like a black cloud of temptation. The gray pants showed his ass off perfectly. Even the shoes felt okay. He turned this way and that, admiring the image reflected back at him. He felt good . Sexy.

“Satisfied?” Kannon asked.

“I look good. I mean, that sounds like I’m bragging and I’m not, but I really look good,” Marcus whispered. He couldn’t believe the vision in the full-length mirror. Never had he seen himself look so… He didn’t know what the word was he wanted. “I look…”

“Sophisticated,” Nisha said when Marcus trailed off.

“Fucking sexy.” Kannon waggled his eyebrows at Marcus’ reflection. “If that doesn’t get you laid, you’re hopeless.”

“Getting laid has never been a problem.” Marcus sniffed, and Kannon snorted. “But usually I’m not concerned with what they think of me. The men I bedded were hookups, nothing more. This time, I want to make a good impression. I want…” Marcus frowned at the mirror.

“You want him,” Nisha supplied.

“That goes without saying, but that’s not what I meant.” He rubbed his chest. “I want to make him happy. I definitely want him to feel safe around me, but his happiness suddenly is very important. I want to see him smile, and hear him laugh. Know what his favorite foods are, and what he hates to eat. What type of music does he listen to? What color does he like? I want to know him .”

“Got to love the mating instinct,” Kannon said.

“Is that what that is? Is that all it is? Just instinct?” Marcus asked.

“In the beginning, yes,” Nisha said. “Don’t discount instinct. It’s what drives us, protects us. But don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s just instinct. Blair is the perfect individual for you. He meets your needs and your wants, just as you will meet his. I’m pretty sure you’ve already found out there’s chemistry there.”

“Oh yes,” Marcus said, licking his lips as he remembered their kiss.

“It can be quite explosive. But it’s more than chemistry and instinct. You’re already worried about his reactions, thinking about his needs. You want him to be happy.”

“What are you saying?” Marcus asked.

“I’m saying instinct and chemistry are the building blocks of any relationship. Just because you feel a pull toward him, and he might be the perfect person for you, doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.”

Kannon snorted again.

“As with anything that’s worth value, you have to work for it. And you will want to.” Nisha clasped Marcus on the shoulder. “I know you didn’t want to be mated.”

“No, I didn’t. But here I am.”

“Yes, here you are. Also know you didn’t want to live aboveground.”

“No, I didn’t, but I talked to Brett about possibly buying land and building something for us. It’s not right for me to ask Blair to give up the land since he comes from it.”

“You’re right, it’s not. And those are the actions of someone who cares,” Nisha said. “Of someone who’s beginning to fall a little bit in love.”

“Well, in case Brett didn’t add this, I will. You might want to wait on buying anything until you talk to your mate,” Kannon added. “I wouldn’t advise springing such a major purchase on him.”

“It was also pointed out to me Blair is a very capable individual and that some of my actions, if I wasn’t careful, could come across as being slightly, um—”

“Cavemanish?”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. “Humans are the ones who lived in caves, not us. But we’ll go with that word for the sake of argument.”

“See?” Kannon waved his hand at Marcus. “He knows to agree with me.”

“More like I’m trying to avoid an argument.” Marcus fluffed his hair. He couldn’t get over how different it felt without the salt from the ocean in it. “Besides, I’m not your mate. I don’t have to appease you.”

Kannon picked up the hairbrush Marcus had thrown on the dresser. “Nisha doesn’t either.”

Nisha picked up the towel Marcus had left lying on the floor and popped Kannon on the rear end with it. “Excuse me? I don’t try to appease you?”

Kannon yelped, jumped, and grabbed his ass. “Hey now!”

Nisha twirled the towel again, getting ready to strike. “Let’s try this again. Are you saying I don’t try to appease you?”

Kannon ducked behind Marcus. “This is your idea of appeasing me?”

Marcus moved out of the way.

The towel lashed out.

Kannon yelped again.

Nisha stopped twirling the towel, threw it over his shoulder, and grabbed Kannon. He pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “We’ll discuss matters after Marcus leaves.”

“Good grief.” Marcus rolled his eyes, but it was more for show.

He looked forward to being able to joke around as they did with his own mate. Nisha and Kannon were so connected, they moved smoothly together instead of against each other. That wasn’t to say sometimes they didn’t rub each other the wrong way and sparks didn’t fly. He wanted that too with Blair.

Kannon discreetly rearranged himself. “What are you going to do after dinner?”

“I thought maybe we could walk around. There’s plenty to do at the resort and surrounding areas. We could maybe even go into town.”

Nisha picked up his billfold off the dresser. He flipped it open and pulled several bills out. “Here. If you’re going to do other things beside eat, you’re going to need cash.”

Marcus scowled. “I hate taking money from you.”

“Do you have any of your own?” Kannon asked.

“Not this paper money, no. But I talked to Brett, and he’s going to take care of that for me along with that endless paperwork humans seem to require for getting things done.”

“The gold coins?” Nisha asked, laying his billfold back down on the dresser.

“Yes.”

“Ahh. About time.” Nisha nodded. “I guess the paperwork you’re referring to is stuff you need to be legal?”

“Yes. Shortly I’ll have a human identity.” Marcus moved his hands down his chest. Okay, he was ready to go.

“Good. I’ve been telling you for a while now you needed to do that.”

“I know.” Nisha had. Repeatedly. “I’m ready. Are you two ready to go?”

“Anxious much?” Kannon slapped him on the shoulder as they walked to the front of the bungalow.

He was, but he refused to admit it out loud. Instead he dodged the subject. “I appreciate you guys driving me over.”

“It’s no problem. And don’t forget Brett has extra golf carts if you need to use one of them,” Kannon said.

“I will.” He climbed in the back seat. He couldn’t help but notice Kannon was driving, which was probably a good thing. He wasn’t sure how much experience Nisha had, and he didn’t want to find out right now.

It didn’t take them long to reach the resort. They dropped him off and left. Marcus was glad to see they hadn’t intended to stay. Kannon looked like he wanted to… in which case Marcus probably would’ve strangled him.

He walked into Sandals, and the hostess met him immediately. Thank goodness Brett set all this up for him. He followed her to a table that was indeed set out of the way with a lovely view of the ocean. He seated himself, and a glass of water was put in front of him. He thanked the waiter, picked up the glass, and took a sip.

Now all he had to do was wait.

TWO HOURS later, he stormed out of the restaurant, chest tight as fury rode him hard. It was all he could do not to growl at the passing humans. At least they had enough sense to get the hell out of his way.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore his pounding head as he marched toward the ocean. He grabbed the top of the shirt, seconds away from ripping it off, when he remembered Nisha saying he wanted it back.

Chest heaving, and nearly at his wits end, he stumbled to a stop. As badly as he wanted the clothes off, he couldn’t destroy them. Not after all the time and trouble Nisha and Kannon had gone through. But if he didn’t get off of this bedamned land, he was going to lose his mind.

Blair stood him up.

He buried his head in his hands, a strangled sob escaping him. Of all the things he expected tonight, this actually never crossed his mind. More fool him, apparently. He choked the tears back. He’d cut his own tail off before he let them fall. He was a warrior, strong and brave, and he’d be damned if he was going to let a human do this to him.

His upper lip pulled back in a snarl exposing one of his sharp canines. Humans. Fucking humans. This, this was why he didn’t want to be mated to one. They were unpredictable. Uncaring. A mer would have never done this to him. He flushed. He sat in that restaurant for hours on end, waiting. Nervous. Excited.

Then time dragged out and the nerves grew teeth in the pit of his stomach. Other humans cast glances his way, but he refused to make eye contact. They knew what was going on. The pity in their gazes lay heavily upon his skin. But still he waited. Hoped. More time passed. The server’s trips to the table became less frequent; he too was unwilling to make eye contact.

Nerves and excitement gave way to bewilderment and finally anger. There was also a good dose of mortification in there. Two hours. Two hours he sat there like a dumbass waiting for someone who obviously had no intention of showing up.

The look on the humans’ faces as he stormed out of the restaurant only added to his embarrassment. How dare Blair do this to him? How dare he? But underneath his resentment and anger, pain curled around his heart.

His mate rejected him. He was unwanted—cast aside. And if he didn’t get out of these clothes and into the water soon, he was going to completely break down. Unable to see a way around it, he stomped back to the resort.

He went straight to the front desk and demanded they call Brett. He stood in the lobby, fidgeting, wishing Brett would hurry up and get there. What little hold he retained on his temper was quickly disintegrating.

“Hey! What’s up? Do you need the golf cart after—”

Marcus jerked around at Brett’s voice.

“Oh. Oh, damn. Shit.” Brett hurried to Marcus’ side and gently—almost as if he was scared to touch him—grasped Marcus’ elbow. “O-okay, why don’t we head up to my place?”

Marcus didn’t say a word, just let Brett steer him where he wanted him to go. He centered his attention on his breathing. That seemed to be the only thing he could control, so that was what he focused on.

Because frankly, he was afraid if he opened his mouth he’d start screaming—and the sound would not be human. Visions of shattering all the glass around him entertained him as it exploded and rained down upon the humans.

The elevator opened to Brett’s private suite, and Brett urged Marcus into the room. “What happened?”

“I can’t…” Marcus took another breath. “I need out of these clothes. Now. Before I rip them to shreds, and I don’t want to do that. Can’t do that. That’s not the way to repay… help me .” Marcus closed his eyes. He never asked for help. That’s what that fucking human had reduced him to.

“Absolutely. What do you need?”

“Shorts. Swim trunks. Something, anything. I need clothes you don’t give a damn about being destroyed so I can get to the water. Please.”

“Give me a few minutes, and I’ll have what you need. Why don’t you start taking off those clothes? Just throw them on the couch. I’ll be right back.”

One breath in. One breath out. One breath in. One breath out. In. Out. In. Out. He stripped out the clothes and tossed into them on the nearest couch as he was told.

Brett hurried back out with an old pair of swim trunks. “Here. Brooke hates these things, so it’s no loss if I don’t get them back.”

“You’re not getting them back. And thank you.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No. Actually, yes. Could you get those clothes back to Nisha or Kannon? I’m probably not going to be around for a while.”

Brett shook his head sadly. “I will. And I’m sorry, Marcus.”

“Yeah, me too.”

THE TRIP from Brett’s penthouse to the water passed in a blur. Marcus carefully kept his mind blank, kept the anger and pain repressed. The closer he drew to the ocean, the more it sang to him. Called to him like a lover.

His need and desperation grew. His brisk walk quickly turned into an all-out rush. He hit the water running and dove in as waves crashed over him. Fuck. Why would he ever want to leave this? What was he thinking?

He surfaced and swam as far away from the land as he could. Even in his present state he knew he couldn’t transform this close to the beach. He swam on, his body cutting through the water. If he never saw a human again, it would be too fucking soon. Pain threatened to rear up and choke him. He shoved it down, farther this time. His body warmed as his mind screamed from one topic to the next. Onward he swam, determination fueling him.

The moon shone on the water, its reflection bent and twisted—kind of like him. Bent. Twisted. Possibly broken. No. Fuck that. He’s not worth it. Finally, he stopped and treaded water. He looked back the way he came, the land far, far away. Perfect. Off the shorts he borrowed from Brett went. He took a deep breath and submerged.

Immediately he calmed as his world surrounded him. Lighting and sounds were so different here. He cleared his mind, and the transformation flowed over his body taking him back to his preferred form. His skin prickled and stung.

His tail formed, and he stretched, shaking out the length and flexing his caudal fin. Water rushed over his gills. Colorful tropical fish darted in and out along the coral reef. Using his powerful tail, he swam closer to the reefs.

A sea turtle floated past. There were mollusks and sponges, too. Zooxanthellae, algae, and sea grasses swayed in the water. It was dark, but he could see just as well at night as he could during the day.

Beams of moonlight tried to penetrate the water, the light dissipating the deeper it went. A lobster wandered by, and a shrimp scurried across a piece of coral. Marcus grabbed it and bit into it, snacking as he let the water soothe him. Hunters hunted, and prey attempted to scamper away. A giant grouper edged past him. Maybe it sensed his sour mood.

A flash caught his eye, and a reef shark darted in at him. Marcus growled and activated the defensive spikes that extended from his clenched fist. The spikes were close to a foot long and needle sharp at the end. Their structure was rigid and made of dense material—possibly bone—embedded in the skin musculature. He needed to be in his mer form to activate them.

The shark, almost sensing Marcus’ hostility, veered off, giving him a wide berth. The spikes slid back in his skin again. Which was just as well. He would defend himself if needed, but killing the shark wouldn’t erase what happened or make him feel better.

He swam farther into the ocean, letting the tides take him where it would. The creatures of the deep avoided him, almost as if they understood. He thought about returning to his cave but decided against it. What would he do there? Sit and brood? At least out here he could swim and brood.

Listless, he continued his journey, staying close to the ocean’s floor. Off in the distance he could see a murky shape. Skeletal remains of a shipwreck rose from the sandy bottom of the ocean—the mast pointing toward the surface.

Colorful coral covered the wreck. Sponges, tunicates, and anemones that lived on the adjacent reef were also on the wreck. Many different species of stony corals and soft corals adorned the ship’s surface. In many ways, it had become part of the sea floor. He swam closer. While some wrecks were literally repulsive to marine life, others became home to new, unexpected communities of animals as this one had.

The wooden parts decayed but the steel didn’t, which offered a good foundation for coral. An accidental shipwreck soon became an artificial reef. The pink sea fans on the wreck grew surprisingly fast. He didn’t know when the ship sank, not that it mattered.

Time lost all meaning as he explored the wreck. It wasn’t his first time there, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Eventually fatigue pulled at his mind, and he turned away from his explorations to return to his cave. Tomorrow, after he rested, maybe he would head out into the open ocean. Maybe do a little exploring. The Indian coastline might be nice to visit or even Thailand.

Anywhere but here.