Page 19 of Where the Current Takes Him (Mermate #1)

Loriun

“Y ou’re moving in with him?” Jonathan said, surprise flitting across his coarse features. Ashford’s cousin had caught Loriun at the coffee station, eager for an update on his matchmaking prowess.

“Yes,” Loriun said shortly, not wanting to go into greater detail. After all, how could he? “I fucked him from dusk to dawn and accidentally mated him because I have the self control of a financial advisor confronted with a line of cocaine.”

“Seems awful quick.” Jonathan swilled the black coffee in his mug. It said “hustle hard, sip slow.”

Loriun wrinkled his nose.

“Must be going well, eh?” Jonathan elbowed him with a grin.

“It is. Ah. Thank you… for putting us in contact.” The words felt dirty leaving his lips. Regardless of how well things were going with Beau, it did not negate the fact that he had unwittingly purchased his mate, and this man had played a part in it.

“Hey, no problem, Mr. Kolhn.” Jonathan clapped him on the back. “Happy to see my cousin’s boy with a good Alpha.”

Loriun watched him return to his desk through narrowed eyes.

On one hand, he was a cousin of Ashford Montgomery.

On the other hand, he lived and worked here in Miami.

Either he was a skilled actor, hiding his bigotry in exchange for good pay, or he was slightly stupid—an unknowing pawn in Ashford’s game.

Loriun was leaning toward the latter.

The Poseidon Desalination plant was only a few miles from the beachside home he now shared with Beau, but even this distance was uncomfortable.

Each breath felt as though it was not quite full enough, and his skin prickled in the dry office air.

The beginnings of a headache were erupting behind his eyes.

Loriun tossed back a large cup of straight espresso and strode back to his office. He just had to tie up a few loose ends before going remote.

Kaoi glanced up as he passed. “Nearly done?”

Loriun groaned. “Almost. Few more hours.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

He was about to decline when an idea struck him. “Actually, yes. Could you send me Jonathon Montgomery’s file?”

Kaoi tilted his delicate head. “I can. Is something wrong?”

“Not sure yet,” Loriun muttered. He stepped back through his office door and dropped into his chair. He remained there until the sun began to dip below the horizon.

By the time Loriun barged through the front door of the beach house, his skin was crawling, a migraine pounded beneath his skull, and he was fairly sure he hadn’t taken a deep breath since that morning.

“Thank the gods,” he rasped, half flopping into the living room pool.

Warm summer nights and sweet papaya nestled into his skin, soothing his discomfort and filling his lungs with oxygen.

The headache began to dissipate instantly as he relaxed his spinal muscles, letting his tail extend to its full length

“Loriun?” called a frail voice from the bedroom.

“I’m here.” He couldn’t bring himself to move from the water.

“Please tell me you don’t have to go back to work tomorrow.” Beau’s voice was muffled, as if his head was buried in a pillow. “I thought I was gonna die.”

That got Loriun moving. He hauled himself from the blessedly salty water and stepped back onto the tiled floor. His scales repelled droplets of water, flicking them onto the pile of clothes he’d abandoned at the edge.

He shuffled into the room, where he found Beau buried under a mountain of bedding. As he moved closer, he realized several of his shirts and a pair of pants had been balled into a pillow.

“Beau?” He perched on the edge of the bed. “Are you starting to feel better?”

A grunt sounded from under the duvet. “Not really.”

Loriun frowned. He’d felt better the moment he opened the front door. But then again, he realized, this house is filled with Beau’s pheromones. He is hardly getting any of mine.

“Come out of there. I think you’re blocking your senses.”

With a stream of unintelligible complaints, Beau pushed himself upright and took a deep breath. His warm eyes went round. “Wow, that… that’s amazing.” He leaned closed and inhaled.

“Feeling better now?”

“Yeah.” Another breath. “So much better.” Beau seemed to notice that the Alpha was not clothed. His eyes swept along Loriun’s body, trailing the vibrant scarlet patterns over teal scales, and lingering on vibrant fins.

Loriun smirked. The sight of his Omega so greedily taking in his scent and his body was doing something to him.

“To answer your previous question,” Loriun said, “I do not have to return to work. I am officially on newly-mated partial leave.”

“Partial?” Beau managed to return his gaze to Loriun’s.

“I will continue to work from home as needed.” Loriun shrugged. “But the plant runs itself well. I do not expect to be called on often.”

Beau slumped back against the headboard. “Thank god. I hope you pay your people well.”

“Of course. Quarterly profits are divided amongst all employees equally.”

Beau blinked. “Equally?”

Loriun stared back. “Each worker is crucial for the plant’s operation. Why would any one employee receive less than another?”

“What about you?”

“My salary is slightly higher than others, simply because I must travel between the mainland and the Islands for interspecies meetings often. Other specialists with particular skills may receive increased salaries as well. But the final profits are shared without bias.”

Beau’s lips parted. Loriun found himself staring down at his Omega’s perfect mouth, having fully forgotten what they were discussing.

“Humans don’t do that,” he said at last.

Loriun hummed absently. “Beau?”

“Yeah?”

“May I kiss you?”

A rosy flush bloomed along Beau’s cheeks. “Okay,” he whispered.

Loriun leaned down and pressed his lips to his mate’s, savoring the warmth, the softness, the all-encompassing scent of a tropical night. Before his dick could make an untoward decision, Loriun pulled back and smiled.

Beau seemed dazed.

“Why don’t we go on a date tomorrow?” Loriun suggested, reaching for Beau’s hand. “I can take you to the local farmers’ market so we can stock the house with things you like.”

“Farmers’ market…” Beau repeated. “Yeah… Yeah, sounds good.”

∞∞∞

Loriun had never been to a human farmers’ market, but based on Beau’s expression, they were evidently different from Mer markets.

The market was split into two sections: the boardwalk just beyond the reach of the tide, and the shallows.

In the submerged half, Mer merchants stood alongside rings of fencing, where local fish swam laps.

One more permanent, concrete enclosure held farmed alligators.

Several other vendors sat in deeper waters, weaving underwater baskets, cleaning seaweed, and gutting purchased fish.

On the boardwalk, a mix of humans and Mer tended to stalls of fresh produce, quick foods, baked goods, and handicrafts. Two worlds, side by side.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Beau said. His eyes flicked between the shallow water and the boardwalk.

“We are much more likely to find food you will enjoy on the human side,” Loriun pointed out, jerking his chin away from the waves.

“Yeah, but I still want to see the Mer side,” Beau argued. “And if we end up buying things first, we’d have to worry about keeping them dry.”

Loriun acquiesced and led his Omega toward the fishmongers. Though he preferred to spend all of his non-working hours without human clothing, he’d gotten a hint that Beau preferred him dressed. At least, when they were in public.

Admittedly, it was less of a hint and more of a panicked gasp when he’d attempted to stroll out the front door scaleclad.

Eventually, Beau would get used to uncovered Mer bodies, but it was only his first week on the Islands.

And so, Loriun decided to subject himself to the discomfort of a v neck shirt and shorts.

He had, however, adamantly refused to wear shoes. Another pointless human invention. Damp sand pressed to the webs between his toes.

“Beau, I have a question.”

Beau jumped at the sudden announcement. “Yeah?”

“Why do humans wear shoes?”

The Omega stopped walking and stared at him blankly for a few seconds. “To protect our feet?”

Loriun frowned. “Protect them from what?” Perhaps the heat? Or maybe it was to avoid stepping in city grime. Now that he was thinking about it, were shoes a recent invention for the species?

“From… everything. Sharp rocks, glass, nails, snakes, the neighbor’s dog shit.” Beau’s eyes flicked down to Loriun’s feet. “Do Mer not wear shoes?”

“No.” Loriun chuckled at the thought. “Is it not better to feel the planet’s surface beneath your feet? Or the water along your webs? Well…” he corrected himself. “Not your webs, but you understand what I mean.”

Slowly, Beau resumed their walk. “I mean. Yeah it’s nice sometimes, but the nice feeling goes away pretty quick the moment you step on a thorn or something.”

Loriun’s facial fins moved in little pulses of thought. “Is your skin that weak? That a mere thorn could penetrate it?”

Beau laughed. “Yep. I’ve even been cut up by a bit of broken seashell at the beach. That’s why I’ve got these on.” He stuck out a leg and waggled his flip flop.

Loriun was thunderstruck. He knew humans had no scales, but he never imagined they would be so ill-protected from their own world.

“I’m guessing Mer feet are a little tougher,” Beau said. His flip flop hit the water with a little splash.

“I would not even feel a sharp rock under my foot. The scales on the soles of my feet are quite thick and flexible. The webs, on the other hand, are more delicate.” Loriun spread his toes in the sand.

“We simply keep our toes together unless we are swimming. That way, the webs are less likely to be injured.”

“Interesting,” Beau murmured.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” the nearest vendor called. “Got some black bass here. Perfect for interspecies couples. It’s a taste favored by all tongues.”

Beau sidled up to the enclosure and peered in. Deep green, mottled fish swam in lazy circles around their pen.

“Do you like sea bass, Loriun?”

He nodded, thinking about the Chilean sea bass at his favorite restaurant in Gainesville. He’d have to take Beau there sometime.

Crisp, clear, morning light fell around Beau’s shoulders, tracing their width. His sandy hair glinted like brass. Several long moments passed before Loriun realized he was staring.

“We’ll take two,” Beau said to the vendor, trying and failing to look confident.

Loriun stepped in, glancing down at the fish in an effort to regain his focus. “Let’s make that four, and we’ll collect them on the way out.” He tapped his card on the proffered scanner and accepted the receipt.

“That way, they stay fresh longer,” he explained to Beau as they moved on.

“Loriun?” a voice called from behind them.

Loriun closed his eyes for a brief moment. “Noivux laemye.” By the time he’d turned around, his jaei was already wading toward them.