Page 27 of Where the Current Takes Him (Mermate #1)

Loriun

L oriun’s blood was boiling. Ashford’s unpleasant voice carried down the oversized hallways of his mansion. “Do you really think she could handle the sight of her only son, pregnant with an alien parasite?”

Loriun’s fists clenched, his claws digging into his palms. How dare that two-faced, scheming mollusk try to blackmail his mate. Trying to prevent his son from experiencing fatherhood, pretending it was out of concern for Ileana. Revolting.

Or am I angry that he would deny me children?

He jerked a door open, expecting to be met with paintings or sculptures, but instead, the familiar scent of papaya filled his nostrils.

He’d opened the wrong door. A mussed bed stood off to one side of the room, with piles of formal attire atop the charcoal duvet.

Without thinking, he picked up a pillow, held it to his face and inhaled deeply

Blood rushed south, interrupted only when he noticed the opposite side of the bedroom. A full bar had been built into the space, complete with several shelves of alcohol bottles. Some were amber liquid in cut crystal with wax seals, while others looked more familiar, like bottles he’d seen at bars.

The countertop itself was gold-flecked black granite, and all the tools were gilded in gold leaf. There were utensils Loriun couldn’t even guess the use of, and ingredients he didn’t know could be used in alcohol.

An entire apothecary of herbs dwelled in overhead cabinets, and a neatly arranged shelf held innumerable syrups.

There was a blowtorch, glasses in every imaginable shape, and a small freezer containing thick barrels of ice. Loriun grazed the countertop with his fingers and inspected the oddly beautiful liquor bottles. How did he not know Beau had this passion?

All at once, a decision slammed into place. Loriun spun on his heel and ran for the front door. His footsteps echoed in the space around him, ceasing when he hit the expansive entrance rug. He wrenched the enormous front door open and strode toward their startled driver.

The human man hastily crushed his cigarette under his foot. “Uh. Mr. Kolhn? Is everything—”

“Get me to the docks,” Loriun snapped. “Please,” he added, slinging himself into the back seat. The car bounced under his weight.

“Oh! Uh—Yes, sir.” The driver scrambled around the front of the car and pulled out of the drive. Loriun suspected he was violating the speed limit as the car flew toward the sea. They had barely slowed to a stop when Loriun leapt from the vehicle and pounded through the sand.

Vuos was lying on his back in the shallows, talking to the Omega perched on the dock above him. They both jumped when Loriun splashed into the water.

“Loriun, Jesus,” Jaime complained, massaging his chest. “Where’s Beau?”

“Coming soon,” Loriun said through gritted teeth. “I’m going on ahead. I have something I need to do.”

Without waiting for a reply, Loriun shucked his clothes and shifted, extending his vertebrae and fanning out the fins along his body. He tossed the clothing into the boat, then dove into the sea.

Without the noise of the speedboat, Loriun entered a sort of trance. His tail slashed through the currents behind him, and his muscles bunched beneath his scales. His mind emptied until the only thought that remained was, Swim.

When the ocean floor started to rise, Loriun’s consciousness dropped back into his body. He had no idea how much time had passed, only that he’d reached his destination. He breached the surface and splashed out onto land, not bothering to shift back into a more practical form.

Instead, he dashed toward his car, ignoring how thin the air felt in his lungs. He seized the cell phone he’d left lying in the driver’s seat and dialed his assistant’s number.

“Kaoi, I have a task for you.”

∞∞∞

Kaoi deserves a raise, Loriun thought. He sat in the middle of the first guest room, furiously flipping through a booklet of assembly instructions. Kaoi had already erected several shelves and stocked them with bottles. Now, he was unpacking a box of crystal tumblers.

“Okay, Mr. Kolhn.” Kaoi straightened up with a tired exhale. “Everything is unpacked and assembled except that one.” He gestured to the jumble of screws and boards surrounding Loriun. “Do you want me to help with that?”

“No,” Loriun barked. “I mean.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “That’s okay, Kaoi. You’ve already done more than enough. Why don’t you head home?”

Kaoi smothered a smile. “If you say so, boss.”

The Omega vanished onto the landing and down the staircase. Loriun held his breath until he heard the door close.

Then he exploded. “Fuck this fucking piece of fucking garbage!” He hurled a hex wrench at the wall, wincing when it stuck. Beau would be here any minute and Loriun was getting his ass handed to him by furniture .

A small noise echoed up the stairs. The front door was opening again.

“Loriun?” Beau’s voice was thin, nervous.

“Noivux oisye ,” Loriun muttered before calling, “I am upstairs.”

Hesitant footfalls sounded from the stairs. Loriun pushed himself to his feet just as Beau appeared in the doorway.

“Beau, I can explain,” he started.

Beau’s eyes widened. “What is all this?”

“I heard what your father was saying to you,” Loriun growled. “And I was… angered by the way he spoke to you.”

Beau dropped his gaze. “He’s trying to look out for my mother.”

Loriun shook his head. “I do not think that’s true. But regardless, your happiness is my priority, and I have no plans to allow him to force you to bend to his will.”

A weak smile crossed Beau’s handsome features. “That still doesn’t explain what you’ve done to the guest room.”

“Ah.” Loriun looked at the unassembled cabinet at his feet. “I accidentally entered your room while looking for the art gallery. I saw the bar and your collection.”

“Oh. That.” Beau shrugged. “I always liked mixing drinks and collecting rare liquors.”

“It seems like more than a passing interest. So, I decided to build a bar for you here.” Loriun kicked a loose board. “But it turns out I am not skilled at furniture assembly.”

Beau stared up at him. “You built me a bar?”

“Tried to,” Loriun corrected.

The Omega took a step closer. “Why?”

Loriun blinked. “To make you happy. What other reason is there?”

Beau’s warm mouth crashed into his.

Every bit of rage and frustration was chased from his body by the rush of heat that flooded Loriun’s body. Beau’s skin felt hot against his, despite the layers of clothing between them.

Loriun’s cock stirred within his slit. “Beau,” he said in a low voice, breaking their frantic kiss. “If you keep going…”

Beau’s only response was to stroke a finger along the slit beneath Loriun’s linen pants. Loriun inhaled sharply and recaptured his Omega’s mouth. His sweet scent was everywhere, filling every one of Loriun’s senses.

He broke away again, chest heaving. “Don’t you want to talk about it first? This seems maladaptive.”

“Loriun,” Beau groaned. “I’ve been jerking off in the shower every day because I wake up so goddamn hard with you lying next to me. I can’t keep pretending I don’t want you every hour of every day. I’m not about to let my asshole dad stop me.”

A wordless growl rumbled from Loriun’s throat. He captured Beau’s wrists and backed him into the wall. “I don’t know how gentle I can be.”

Beau’s eyes were glazed over with lust. “Then don’t be gentle.”

With one hand pinning Beau’s wrists over his head, Loriun grabbed his jaw with the other.

“If I hurt you,” he rumbled. “Tell me. I will stop.”

Beau gave a tiny moan, grinding himself against the thigh that kept him pinned to the wall.

Loriun did not move. “Speak.”

“I will,” Beau whispered.

“You will what?”

“I will tell you if you hurt me.”

With a grunt of approval, Loriun’s hand slid from his mate’s jaw to his throat. At the feeling of Beau swallowing under his grip, Loriun’s cock nudged its way free. He dropped Beau’s arms and reached for the button on his shorts.

As he eased the fabric off, Beau’s fingers threaded through Loriun’s hair. Unwillingly, Loriun released Beau’s throat and ripped his shirt over his head.

Beau’s hands took hold of Loriun’s shirt, but the Mer stopped him. His claws dug into the soft flesh of Beau’s forearms.

“You will do as I say,” he growled. “You are not in control.”

Beau shuddered, and Loriun felt his Omega’s length jerk against his thigh.

“Down. On your hands and knees.”

A thrill of satisfaction thrummed through Loriun’s body, when Beau hit the floor without question, sending his cock lurching against his pants

Loriun undid the button, kicking the pointless material to the floor. In a single motion, Loriun gripped the back of his shirt and yanked it over his head. He then dropped to his knees, pressing his straining erection to Beau’s cleft.

Beau rocked backward, trying fruitlessly to impale himself on the rigid member.

Loriun’s left hand moved to tighten around Beau’s throat once again, and his right dug into his hip.

A gasp of pain laced with desire slipped past Beau’s lips. “Loriun, please, touch me.”

Loriun pressed their bodies together, letting his shaft slide past Beau’s hole.

“Touch you where, luae ?”

“My—” Beau moaned as Loriun began a slow thrusting motion against his ass. “My cock. Please, I’m so hard.”

Loriun’s lips ghosted along Beau’s shoulder before he sank his teeth into the warm skin.

His right hand released Beau’s hip and continued along, wrapping around his body until it found the rock hard gift that awaited him.

He tightened his fingers on the Omega’s throat and pulled him up, so that his back met Loriun’s chest

Beau’s whimper came low and desperate as Loriun began to work his cock. His hips canted against his Alpha’s fist. Loriun kept him there for a while, one hand on his throat, holding his head in place, one hand pumping his length, and their bodies grinding together.

Loriun watched Beau’s hand move to grip the dresser beside them.

His arm was shaking. His breath came in panting gasps as he sought a climax that Loriun knew wouldn’t come until he’d been filled.

Loriun’s shaft was slick with Beau’s arousal, and he knew that soon, he would be unable to stop himself.

“You took your pill today?” Loriun rasped.

“Yes,” Beau breathed.

“Then I’m going to fuck you until you’re filled to the brim with foam,” he growled into Beau’s ear. He pushed his mate back to the ground, where his hands hit the floor.

Then, he buried himself to the hilt.

“Fuck!”

“Did I hurt you?” Loriun said, some of the lust-driven haze lifting from his mind.

“Yes—No—Just don’t stop.”

Something primal roared inside of Loriun. Again and again, he slammed his hips into his mate’s perfect ass. Beau arched his back to take him deeper, and with each thrust, rocked into the fist that still stroked his cock.

Beau’s legs trembled. “Loriun, I don’t know if I can—” A moan cut through his words. “I don’t know if I can hold myself up much longer.”

Loriun’s only response was to push Beau roughly to the floor, keeping his ass in the air. Beau buried his face in his arms as Loriun’s claws curled around his hips. At this angle, Loriun was able to force himself even deeper.

“Oh, fuck .” Beau’s voice was muffled by his arm.

The tight, wet heat clenched around Loriun, dragging him dangerously close to the edge. He stayed deep inside, moving in short, hard bursts. Beau’s breath kept catching in sounds that could be sobs or gasps or something in between. His hands made no effort to take hold of his own length.

Instead, his fingers formed claws on the hardwood floor. Loriun’s gaze singed along Beau’s back, down to where he thrust inside him. Beau was stretched to his limits around the flared base of Loriun’s cock. His balls tightened in response to the sinful sight.

He gritted his teeth, trying to keep himself in check. Beau’s pleasure came first. Loriun ran a hand along Beau’s spine, trailing claws along pebbled skin. He slowed his pace, though it was torture on his body.

“No,” Beau panted. “Don’t slow down. Hard. Fast.”

Beau nearly choked on his words when Loriun obeyed. He let go of all efforts to control himself, to avoid breaking his Omega’s fragile, human body.

Beau’s hole was like a vice grip as Loriun pounded into it. It took only moments for Beau to let out a cry. Cum hit the floor, puddling beneath their bodies. With each wave, Beau bore down harder on his Alpha. It was as if Loriun’s soul was being sucked from his body.

A flood of hot foam coursed deep inside Beau. A string of oaths and gasps tumbled from Loriun’s lips. His vision went dim as the climax gripped his entire being. Just when he thought he would die of pleasure, he felt his knot begin to swell.

Loriun leaned across Beau’s back, and slipped his arms around the Omega’s heaving sides. He pulled their joined bodies to the side and tucked Beau against him.

“Gaish ausye, luae,” Loriun murmured. “That was…”

“Incredible,” Beau finished. “You said that the first time we were together, too. What does it mean?”

Rather than answer right away, Loriun gave an experimental thrust.

Beau’s breathing shuddered, and a little cum shot from his tip.

“It means,” Loriun said, his voice low in Beau’s ear. “Gods below me.”

He pushed his hips into Beau again.

“Oh, god,” Beau moaned as his body forced another orgasm through him. “Loriun…”

“Shhhh, I want to make sure you’re good and fucked, luae .”

Beau’s moans became whimpers as Loriun rocked against him, sending little shockwaves through his body.

“Loriun,” he choked out. “I can’t take anymore.”

“Okay, luae , okay.” Loriun stilled, tightening his arms around Beau’s shivering body. “Too much?”

“No,” he whispered. “I’m just worried I’ll pass out if I come one more time.”

Loriun swallowed the chuckle that would have surely triggered exactly what Beau was afraid of.