Page 13 of Where the Current Takes Him (Mermate #1)

Loriun

“M r. Kolhn?”Loriun startled from his brooding. “Yes, Kaoi?”“There’s someone here to see you.”

Loriun quirked a brow at the Omega. “I am not expecting anyone.”

Kaoi grimaced, glancing over his shoulder, then leaning further into the room. “It’s Ashford Montgomery.”

A cold thrill rushed through Loriun’s body. Dread, anger, curiosity, anxiety, suspicion. What the hell did Beau’s sleazy politician father want that warranted an unscheduled, personal visit?

“Fine. Show him in, and bring us some water. Tepid water,” he added. “From the bathroom tap.”

Kaoi let out a nervous titter before vanishing around the door.

When the door swung open again, Ashford Montgomery was the one to enter.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Kolhn,” Ashford said. His expressionless face gave nothing away.

“Mr. Montgomery,” Loriun responded tightly. He gestured to a chair, and Ashford lowered himself into it. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I trust my son is adjusting well?” His voice was disinterested, though the intensity in his brown eyes told a different story.

Loriun noted with discomfort how similar those eyes were to Beau’s. “I believe so. But it has only been a day, so there is little to report.”

“Good, good, glad to hear it. Now, Mr. Kolhn, I haven’t come just to check in on Beaumont.”

“I thought not,” Loriun said drily. A thick cloud of perfume emanated from the man’s body, making him cough slightly.

“As you know, the election is coming up soon,” Ashford said, mouth thinning beneath his silvery, handlebar mustache. “And I’m afraid to say that my polls are not looking as good as I had hoped.”

“How terrible.”

“Indeed. According to my most recent surveys, many of my constituents are displeased with my son’s decision to transfer to the Paeil Islands. I’m sure you are aware that the good people of Florida have their concerns about the impact of the Mer’s arrival on our planet.”

“I am aware.” Loriun couldn’t puzzle out where Ashford was going with this conversation. Was he trying to say that he wanted Beau back? A pang of horror cut across his chest.

“Now, I’m willing to overlook this little roadblock,” Ashford went on. “As head of Interspecies Relations, I have been working toward a greater sense of peace for both my people and yours, not to mention my duty as a father to support my son.”

Loriun bit back a scoff. Even a blind fool could see that Ashford was a humanist through and through.

“So what exactly is the purpose of your visit here?” Loriun asked, keeping his voice low.

Ashford heaved an exaggerated sigh. “I never like to be the kind of father who sticks his nose in his son’s affairs.”

Says the man who took it upon himself to recruit Alphas for his son.

“However, Mr. Kolhn, I can’t pretend that humanity isn’t upset by the whole Omega thing. People want our world to go back to its roots—with men and women, as God intended. My constituents may be able to move past my son’s chosen lifestyle, but I fear that some things could be seen as inexcusable."

“Such as?” Loriun had to force the words through his teeth.

Another dramatic sigh, this time coupled with an artificial expression of regret.

“My son may be gay. There is nothing I can do about that, and folks are slowly coming around to people like him. But men doing the biological job of women? Men carrying and giving birth to half-alien abominations? That’s something neither I nor my people can allow. ”

As he finished his little speech, Ashford Montgomery settled back into his seat, eyes fixed on Loriun’s. It was at that moment Loriun learned brown could be cold.

“Let me make sure I understand you correctly,” Loriun said slowly. “You will allow your son to stay with me and live his life. But you draw the line at our having children.”

“I’m glad we understand each other. My career would never survive the news that my son is contributing to the population of humanity’s greatest enemy.”

Unadulterated rage bubbled between Loriun’s contracted scales. “And if we do not give a damn what you want?”

Ashford’s expression darkened. “Now, Mr. Kolhn. I didn’t want to have to bring this up. But I assume you haven’t told Beaumont about your donation, have you?”

Loriun didn’t respond, but his silence itself was an answer.

“I thought not. Do you imagine Beaumont would be pleased to know that he was bought? Sold to the highest bidder?”

Ice lanced through Loriun’s veins. “What are you talking about? You said he selected me personally.” But even as the words left his mouth, pieces of the puzzle were clunking into place.

A humorless chuckle left Ashford’s lips. “I did say that, didn’t I? It wasn’t strictly true, if you get down to it. Beaumont agreed, but the choice was easy with only one option available to him.”

All the breath left Loriun’s lungs. “You forced him. You sold him.”

Ashford shook his head. “No, Mr. Kolhn. You bought him.” The old man got to his feet and stretched. “You’re an intelligent… individual. I trust you will make the right decision.”

Without a backward glance, Ashford Montgomery was gone.

Loriun fell back into his chair, thoughts tumbling and crashing against his skull. Beau may have wanted this life, but he had no say in the Alpha who would give it to him. His father was just using him as a chess piece. And now, he was worried about the repercussions of his latest maneuver.

Loriun knew he needed to talk to Beau about what he truly wanted, but some small part of his mind wondered if he would look for a new Alpha, if given the choice.

What if Beau left the moment Loriun set him free?

Those beautiful images of his children—Beau’s children—disintegrated into dust before his mental eye.

The tall, delicate Omega with his sandy hair and papaya scent, gone as soon as he arrived.

But this wasn’t about Loriun. It couldn’t be. This was about Beau’s right to agency. He deserved the opportunity to direct his own path, even if it would leave a scar on Loriun’s heart. Beyond that, he deserved to choose what his future family would look like.

Even if, by some miracle, he did choose to stay, Loriun would then have to confront Ashford’s unspoken threat: Do not get Beau pregnant or he would learn exactly how he came to be with Loriun.

∞∞∞

Loriun’s drive to the beach house was tense. He’d spent hours agonizing over what the right thing to say would be.

“Beau, if you want to find your own Alpha, you can.” That sounded like he wanted Beau to leave.

“Beau, were you forced to choose me?” He already knew the answer to that.

“Beau, is this really what you want? A life with me?” An improvement, but tasted bitter on his tongue.

The house came into view all too soon. Loriun pulled into the driveway and turned the ignition off. He rested his head on the seat behind him for a moment. His stomach was writhing with tentacles of anxiety and fear.

Warm papaya ghosted through the air and infiltrated the cab of his car. Loriun inhaled deeply, feeling the scent settle into the anxious knots. He could do this. He had to.

Loriun stepped out of the car and followed the stepping stone path to the front door.

Beau’s scent was stronger here. Very strong.

Abnormally strong. Worry pierced the nerves in Loriun’s gut.

Was something wrong? As he unlocked the front door, a wall of musky, sweet air struck him like a tidal wave.

His dick jolted behind his slit. Omega pheromones cloyed in the air, and summer fruit settled on Loriun’s tongue.

Beau was in heat.