Page 26 of Where the Current Takes Him (Mermate #1)

Beau

B eau’s heart was somehow managing to thunder and freeze all at once.

“Oh, Ashford, the relationship is a bit young to be thinking about that.” His mother laughed.

“Nonsense, that’s how Mer partnerships work. Or am I mistaken, Loriun?”

Beau’s eyes shot to the Alpha as all his initial fears came flooding back. Was he expected to start churning out hybrids as soon as he was settled? Was that what Loriun wanted of him?

“Well…” Loriun said slowly. “Yes, Mer relationships tend to progress quickly by human standards, but—”

“There,” Beau’s father interrupted. He gave his wife a jovial smile. “See? You can’t hold Mer to the same social standards as humans, amor .”

Beau’s palms had grown sweaty and his breathing shallow. Growing a human—no, growing a human-alien hybrid inside his body then pushing it out? He was so unbelievably not ready for any of that. Just as he opened his mouth, with panic tightening his throat, Loriun spoke up.

“But.” His voice had risen. “Interspecies relationships are not the same as Mer relationships. We must consider our human partners and their customs.”

Beau felt like his knees would have given out if he’d been standing. Whether due to relief or residual terror, he wasn’t sure. A cool arm snaked across his shoulders, its weight settling onto him. He’d never really noticed just how heavy it was.

“Male Omegas, in particular, tend to need more time to adjust to the idea. Human society has done little to prepare them for the realities of childbirth.”

Ashford nodded sagely. “That is very true. Human men were never intended to bear children.”

“Even so,” his mother said, casting a disapproving look at her husband. “There’s no rush to start thinking about that, mijo .”

Ileana managed to steer the conversation toward much safer avenues for the rest of their visit. When her eyelids began to droop, Ashford insisted she rest and herded everyone out of the room. The door clicked closed behind them.

“Beaumont,” his father said. “I need a word with you.”

That was never good. “What’s up, Dad?”

His flat eyes flickered to Loriun. “Alone.”

That was really not good. “Loriun,” Beau murmured. “Why don’t you go check out my mom’s art gallery? It’s the fourth door down this hallway, on the right.”

Loriun gave his hand a subtle squeeze. “Are you certain, Beau?”

“This will not take long, Loriun,” Ashford assured him, though it sounded more like a command than comfort.

The moment Loriun was out of earshot, Ashford arranged his face into a smile. “Beaumont, I didn’t want to say anything in your mother’s room. I worry it would upset her. But I think you should be taking every measure to prevent a… pregnancy.” Just saying the word looked as though it pained him.

“Why the hell do you care? Isn’t that what you shipped me off to do?”

“Watch your language with me.” Ashford’s eyes glittered. “Surely you know why.”

Beau scraped his brain for any reason his father would care what happened to him now that he’d secured the financial compensation

“You mother, Beaumont,” Ashford said, exasperated. “Do you really think she could handle the sight of her only son, pregnant with an alien parasite?”

The words hit Beau like a punch to the gut. He knew his mother didn’t have much time left, but to think that he might cause her health to worsen…

“The doctors are saying she has a year, maybe less.” Despite the callous, manipulative tone in his voice, Beau could see the barest hint of sorrow in his expression. Ashford Montgomery may be a bastard, but there was one thing in this world he truly loved: his wife.

“Dad, I just met Loriun like a month ago,” Beau retorted. “That’s the last thing on my mind.”

His father scoffed. “You think these things only happen when they’re planned? Do you not care about your mother’s wellbeing?”

“That’s not…” The words faded on Beau’s lips.

This was gaslighting, he knew it was. But what if there was some truth to it?

His mother had always been accepting of Beau, from his status as an Omega to his sexual orientation.

For all he knew, his mother might want grandchildren, even if they were scaled.

Beau shook his head, like he could rattle the thoughts loose. “I’ll think about it.”

“You better think fast, Beaumont,” his father warned.

“I hear the Paeil doctors start lowering the suppressant dosage the moment they get their hands on your prescription. I would hate to see your reputation ruined.” Without a second glance, Ashford stalked off to his office, leaving Beau alone in the vast hallway.

He stayed there for a few moments, his mind spinning.

He pressed an absent hand to his flat stomach.

He tried to imagine it swollen and round, heavy with Loriun’s child.

There was next to nothing about male pregnancy in the human education system.

Most human entertainment and resources depicted standard males and females—the men and women that existed before the Mer came.

The Mer themselves still had little knowledge on human male pregnancy. It had only been twenty years since the first humans set foot on the Paeil Islands. Though Omegas were regularly transferred, both in Florida and around the world, the trickle of volunteers remained thin.

As far as he knew, no human Omega had died in childbirth, but that didn’t make the idea any less terrifying. A half-human child crushing his organs, splitting his abs, stealing all his nutrients… Beau shuddered. For once, obeying his father’s wishes didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

His feet carried him toward the art gallery, housed beside his old room. As he approached, his footsteps slowed. The gallery door remained shut tight, but the door to his old room had been flung wide open.

A slight flush of embarrassment rose in Beau’s face.

He’d probably left the room a total disaster.

And what if Loriun had opened up his drawers and found the myriad of questionably shaped dildos?

But when he peeked into the room, the Mer was nowhere to be found.

The room looked the same as he remembered—right side overtaken with his bartending supplies and left side cluttered with clothes and bedding.

“Loriun?” he called, looking back down the hallway. He moved to check the gallery, but it, too, was empty. He raised his voice. “Loriun?”

There was no answer. Beau frowned. Did he already go back to the boat? A headache was beginning to pulse in his temples. He navigated the marble maze of hallways to the grand front door. The drive resembled a hotel’s dropoff point, and a familiar driver awaited him.

“Hello again, Beau,” the Mer Omega said, grinning.

“Hey…”

“Zae,” the Mer supplied.

“Zae,” Beau repeated. “Um. Have you seen an Alpha with bright red hair?”

“Mr. Kolhn? Yeah, he came out a little bit ago and had your car take him back to the dock. That’s why I’m here.”

Why did he leave me…?

“Did he seem… upset?”

Zae laughed. “He looked pissed.” At the stricken look on Beau’s face, his laughter abruptly cut off. “Oh. I assumed Mr. Montgomery did something, but if you two had a fight—”

“No, no.” Beau shook his head. “It’s nothing, I’m sure. Miscommunication.”

“Right.” Zae didn’t look convinced. “Well, I’ll drive you back to the dock if you’re ready.”

Beau took a deep breath, then nodded. “Let’s go.”

He half-expected to see his mate standing by the boat with Jaime and Vuos, but only two figures were visible.

Beau hopped out, calling a hasty thank you to Zae.

“Jaime, Vuos!”

The pair turned and waved.

“So how’d it go?” Jaime asked. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” he said. “Did you see Loriun?”

Jaime glanced at his Alpha. “We did. He came back down here and said he’d go on ahead of us. Said there was something he had to do.”

Beau’s heart sank. What happened? Did Loriun freak out about the whole kids conversation, too? He was feeling somewhat nauseous, like there wasn’t enough air.

Jaime rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure everything’s fine. Let’s get you back on the boat. Looks like you’re already feeling the symptoms of the distance.”

Right. The pheromones. Mating.

Beau allowed himself to be guided onto the boat. He sat on the bench in the prow, staring into space. The absence of Loriun’s pheromones was obvious now. He was finding it harder to draw breath, and his stomach roiled with each movement of the boat.

With a worried look, Jaime kicked the engine into action and they shot off across the Florida Sea. Vuos remained submerged for most of the trip, no longer leaping from the water and flashing his fins at his mate.

As they traveled, Beau’s symptoms lessened slightly, though it was clear that Loriun was moving fast.

By the time they finally arrived at the South Miami dock, Beau simultaneously felt as though seconds and decades had passed him by. There had been a small, quiet hope that Loriun would be waiting on the beach, but of course, there was no one standing in the shallows.

“How will I get home?” Beau asked as Vuos helped him off the boat. “If Loriun’s not here? He drove us to the dock.”

The older couple exchanged worried looks.

“We’ll drop you off,” Jaime said. “It’s no trouble.”

Beau sighed. “Thanks.”

In a somber silence, the three of them set off across the sand.