Page 38 of Where the Current Takes Him (Mermate #1)

Loriun

“B eau, Loriun, come in.” Ileana’s voice had grown much weaker since their last visit. Her brown skin was dull and stretched across her bones. Loriun did not know very much about this human disease or human death, but even he knew her time was coming to an end.

“Hello, Ileana,” he said softly, leaning down and permitting the frail woman to embrace him. “It is lovely to see you again.”

Beau sat at her side, his smile fragile and trembling.

When they were at home, in Miami, it was easy to be immersed in the thrill and fear of the impending birth of their child—easy to forget that any day could be Beau’s mother’s last. Loriun knew his mate desperately wanted his mother to live long enough to hold her grandchild, but it was seeming more unlikely with each visit.

Ashford sat on his wife’s other side. He, too, looked near breaking. No jovial performance, no underhanded threats—just a dull look of waiting grief. He barely greeted his son when they’d arrived. He was mostly silent, only murmuring the occasional Spanish Loriun couldn’t understand.

It was strange, seeing the politician like this. From their first interaction, Ashford had been every bit the scheming, power-hungry manipulator. Now, Loriun saw only a shell of that man. Whether it was for the better, he was unsure.

“Beau, stand up, let me look at you.”

Automatically, Loriun rose to help Beau to his feet.

Ileana rested a skeletal hand on her son’s abdomen.

Her thin face brightened at the feeling of movement.

Their nymph was always moving now, as if they were eager to escape.

Beau complained about it constantly, but Loriun couldn’t keep his hands off.

He would never grow tired of feeling his child move.

“He’s strong,” she said, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

He?

“Yeah.” Beau touched his belly. “The kicking is nonstop nowadays. Feels like I haven’t slept in weeks.”

“Could have fooled me. You look so beautiful, mijo .” Ileana’s free hand took hold of her son’s. “I know you’re waiting to find out the gender, but I’m certain you’ve got a big, healthy boy in there.”

The corners of Loriun’s mouth turned up. He hadn’t said anything to Beau, but he agreed with Ileana—he was sure he was having a son. An Alpha son, if Beau’s size was anything to go by.

“Have you decided on a name yet?” Ileana asked.

Beau looked over at Loriun, an expression of true happiness breaking through the mask he always wore in front of his mother.

“We have,” Loriun answered. “One for each gender. Irye for a girl, and Makai for a boy.”

“Makai… Something I can pronounce.” Ileana’s feeble laugh turned into a cough. Ashford poured a small cup of water and helped his wife sip it.

“Grasias, mi amor,” she said, sitting back in her hospital bed. “Do the names have any meaning?”

“Yeah,” Beau answered. “Irye means a field of seagrass, and Makai means the expanse of sky over the sea.”

Ileana sighed. “Such a poetic language your people have, Loriun.”

“All languages are poetic to foreign ears,” he replied. “Except for German. There is something wrong with that language.”

Beau started laughing so hard, Loriun had to wrap an arm around him so he wouldn’t fall over. Even Ashford chuckled.

The comment had not been intended as a joke, but Loriun was pleased with himself all the same. Perhaps he was getting the hang of humor.

“ Mamá, look.” Beau reached into his tote bag, abandoned on his chair, and held a small photo album out to his mother. “We did a paternity shoot. I thought you’d like having some professional photos. You know, to commemorate the first grandchild.”

Ileana gasped, and for a moment, Loriun saw her as she once was—full of life, love, and joy.

“?Que hermoso, mijo!” Ileana leafed through the pages, lingering on each photo.

They’d done the photoshoot a few days prior, and it had actually been Loriun’s riue who convinced Beau to do it.

“Your mother is missing out on so much of your life,” she’d said. “It must be difficult, not being there for your only child’s pregnancy. I assure you that those photos would be a precious gift.”

With much grumbling and camera shyness, Beau had acquiesced.

The photographer was a human Omega, as paternity photos were a human practice merely adopted by more modernized Mer.

He’d dressed Beau in a pair of soft, flowing wrap pants, tied low to accommodate the curve of his abdomen.

Loriun wore a similar pair, in a shade more complimentary to his scales, and modified for a Mer tail.

When he realized he was to remain shirtless, Beau protested with flaming cheeks.

His chest, though distinctly male, was now slightly more rounded with duskier, more prominent nipples.

Loriun knew his mate was embarrassed by these changes, despite lacking the cultural conditioning to truly understand.

He could imagine no reason anyone would be ashamed of a body creating life. Regardless, Loriun worked with the photographer to invent a solution. In each photo, Loriun’s arms, fins, or tail artfully concealed his Omega’s chest, leaving his belly on display.

When they received the final images from their photographer, even Beau admitted they were stunning. Now, his mother was clearly in agreement. Her eyes shone with unshed tears and a smile trembled on her lips.

Just over her shoulder, her husband peered down at the photos too. A chill shivered through Loriun’s body. Ashford was not looking at the album with joy, fondness, or even neutrality. Rather, his face was twisted with disgust, yet something akin to victory burned in his dark eyes.

Instinctively, Loriun stepped closer to his mate, snaking an arm around his waist. Beau weaved his arm behind his Alpha in response, but his gaze did not leave his mother’s face.

He had not seen his father.

Loriun cleared his throat. “The photographer is quite skilled, is he not, Ashford?”

As he’d hoped, Ashford’s mask slammed back into place and an artificial smile curled his mouth. “Oh yes, very skilled indeed.”

Beau spared his father a brief glance, but did not dissect the reply too closely.

Loriun let out a small exhale of relief.

There was no escaping Ashford. Not as long as Ileana lived.

And, even if her passing would tear Beau apart, some tiny, malicious part of Loriun would be grateful that he could at last shield his mate from the hateful man who created him.

He did not know Ashford’s true intentions for foisting his son off on a Mer Alpha, but Loriun knew in his gut that it was no mere campaign ploy. In fact, it seemed that Ashford had managed to run a successful campaign without using his Omega son as a stepladder.

The election was mere days away, and the polls showed Ashford leagues ahead of his opponents. There was little question of his reelection, leading Loriun to wonder why the man had pretended to be concerned about his campaign when he’d sold his son to a wealthy CEO.

Loriun was dreading the day he’d learn the answer.

“Apologies, Ileana,” he said, tightening his arm around Beau. “But we have an appointment with Beau’s doctor in a few hours, so we will have to depart soon.”

“Of course, Beau’s health comes first.” Ileana looked up at them. “May I keep this?”

“It’s a gift, Mamá, ” Beau said quietly. “All yours.”

“Thank you, mijo ,” she said, extending her arms for one last hug. Beau leaned down awkwardly, and squeezed his mother. “We’ll visit again soon.”

Loriun moved to accept an embrace.

“Only come if you feel up to it, mijo .” She touched her son’s belly one last time. “It’s almost time. You don’t want to go into labor on a speed boat, trust me.”

Beau chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ve heard the story enough times. I’ve been thoroughly warned.”

“We will see you soon, Ileana.” After a second, Loriun added, “And Ashford.”

“Bye Mamá, bye Dad.”

“Take care of yourself, mijo .”

“Good to see you, Beaumont,” Ashford said. His voice lacked its usual flair. It was unnerving to see him so human.

Beau shook his head at the sound of his full name and left the room with his mate.

As they walked slowly back to the car, Loriun asked, “What story was your mother talking about?”

Beau huffed a laugh. “When she was pregnant with me, she decided to go on a speedboat with my dad, just around the coast, and she went into labor in the middle of the ocean.”

“ Turys’asi nuonumsh, what happened?”

“My dad hauled ass to the nearest hospital and had the ambulance meet him at the dock. She had me like ten minutes after they got her to labor and delivery.”

“That is terrifying. Why did you allow me to put you on a boat today?”

“You know why.” Beau nudged Loriun with his elbow. “Plus Dr. Enas cleared it last week.”

“That was last week.”

“Well, I feel fine, and we’re going straight to the clinic after this, so relax.”

“You say that as if it is possible.”

Beau rolled his eyes.