Page 17 of Where the Current Takes Him (Mermate #1)

“No,” Beau answered without thinking. He could feel Loriun’s eyes burning a hole into his back. Was it stupid to lie to a doctor? Probably. But Beau knew that if he admitted he and Loriun had fucked from sundown to sunrise, there would definitely be some kind of test or exam.

Beau silently willed Loriun to keep his mouth shut. Thankfully, the Alpha didn’t betray him, but something else did.

“I see,” Dr. Enas said, his gaze dropping to Beau’s shoulder.

Shit.

“Oh, this?” Beau hastily covered the bandaged wound. “I… I had a huge mosquito bite. I, uh, scratched it raw in my sleep I guess.” He gave the doctor an awkward laugh. “But we got some antibiotic cream on it and bandaged it up, so don’t worry.”

The other Omega did not look remotely convinced, but seemed to decide against pushing it. “Right… Well, Beau, if you wait here for a few minutes, I will go fill your prescription myself.”

As soon as the door snapped shut, Loriun was on his feet.

“Why did you lie to the doctor?” His voice was low and deadly, and sent a hot wave through Beau’s veins. He clasped his hands in his lap, concealing the hardness growing under his shorts.

“Because,” Beau said, meeting Loriun’s gaze, “if I told him the truth, he’d want to run some test or give me an examination. I just want to get my medication and go.”

While his answer did not appear to please the Alpha, Loriun didn’t argue. Instead, he ran his fingers through Beau’s hair, sending a shiver down his spine.

“Stop,” Beau whispered. The hand retracted instantly.

“What’s wrong?”

“If you keep touching me…” Beau closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “I’ll impale myself on your dick in front of Dr. Enas.”

Loriun stood there in shocked silence before doubling over with laughter. He was still laughing when the doctor returned.

“Am I interrupting?”

“No,” Loriun and Beau said in unison.

Dr. Enas narrowed his eyes at the two of them. “Well, here is your corrected prescription. It should take effect within a few minutes.”

He handed Beau a tablet and a small cup of water. Beau tossed it back, praying it would work before his cock tunneled a hole through his pants.

The doctor gave the air a delicate sniff. “Hmm. Why don’t you wait in the exam room until the suppressant takes effect?”

Beau wanted to sink into the floor. He must reek of desperation if even the Omega could smell him.

“And Loriun, perhaps you should go to the waiting room until Beau is ready.”

Loriun cleared his throat and strode out of the room with a marked protrusion in the front of his slacks.

Dr. Enas grunted and closed the door once again. “Beau, is everything alright? Your Alpha is not pressuring you to stay quiet about any sexual activity? If you are experiencing any form of control or abuse, you need to tell me.”

Beau’s head jerked back. “What? No, no, it’s nothing like that! Loriun is… Well, he’s wonderful. Very… giving.”

Stop talking.

The doctor was giving him a hard look. The amber hue of his eyes pierced into Beau. “Are you certain you did not have any form of sexual contact?”

“Dr. Enas, come on, I just met Loriun.” Beau forced a smile. “He’s great and all, but we met two days ago.”

He wasn’t technically lying.

Dr. Enas nodded. “If you say so. When you’re feeling better, you can rejoin your Alpha in the waiting room.”

∞∞∞

“How much do you know about Mer mating?”

The question pierced the uncomfortably quiet atmosphere Beau had been stewing in moments ago. Loriun kept his eyes on the road, but there was a muscle in his jaw flickering.

“Um. It’s…” Beau shifted in his seat, trying to quell the spark of panic. “Kind of like the Mer version of marriage? But more permanent?”

Loriun hummed. “That is a simplistic way to put it.”

“The human public education system isn’t exactly chomping at the bit to educate kids on our alien overlords.” Beau slapped a hand over his mouth. “I mean, that’s what some people call you. Not you but like, the Mer, and it’s only the crazy right-wingers who—”

Loriun laughed, the expression cracking through the brooding mask he’d been wearing since they left the clinic.

“It’s fine, Beau. You think I haven’t heard that kind of thing before?

” He shook his head, smile falling. “Being mated permanently alters your chemistry. Your pheromones won’t elicit a strong reaction from any other Alpha from now on.

Just as my pheromones will have a weaker impact on other Omegas. ”

Beau was silent. Permanently altered. Not only had he inextricably linked himself to an alien he hardly knew, but his body would never be the same again. His ribs tightened, refusing to let a full breath pass through his lungs.

“That’s not all,” Loriun went on. “Once a pair is mated, they grow reliant on one another’s pheromones.

It starts strong, making it hard to be apart from your mate.

As the bond solidifies, that need loosens its hold and allows for greater distance when necessary.

” Loriun paused, watching maroon shrubs pass by.

“Our research indicates that these changes are biological functions, intended to bind a mated pair together swiftly and tightly.”

Fear and dread sank into Beau’s bones, as if he’d been doused in ice water.

“So,” he finally said. “We can’t be apart anymore?”

Loriun shot him a glance. “Well. We can. But it will be intensely uncomfortable.”

“How far?” Beau’s voice was too high. He cleared his throat. “How far away can we go?”

“It is not an exact science,” Loriun admitted. “But we can test the limits, if you would like.”

“I think…” Beau took a shaky breath. “I think I need some time. To process.”

Loriun stiffened, muscles clinching beneath vibrant scales. “Yes. Of course. I will take you home, and I will attempt to return to my residence. If it is too uncomfortable… Well. We can discuss it then.”

Beau found Mer expressions hard to read, but even he could see the anxiety in every line of Loriun’s face. He was probably worried he might lose the Omega he paid for.

When they arrived at the house, Beau immediately swung himself out of the car. “Thanks… for the ride.”

“You are welcome.” Loriun’s jaw was clenching and unclenching, as if he wanted to speak.

Instead, he turned back to the road and vanished around a bend.

Beau waited for some horrible feeling to strike him—like lightning or nausea—but nothing happened.

He waited a few more minutes before heading back inside.