Nick could actually feel the emotion streaming off the big mer, the shame and regret. And behind it, something so immensely tender it terrified him. “Oh, hell no,” he breathed. “I am not your chuisle. I am not anyone’s chuisle, you got it? I just want to be left alone.”
Aidan’s mouth fell open, stricken. “Nick, no.”
He turned on the green-eyed mer. “I’m not your doctor anymore. Chiron said so. You’re fine to go do whatever the hell it is you people do, so take your mate and get the hell out of here.” His throat burned from the words and he rubbed it, grimacing. “Just go.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Aphros said, cutting off Aidan and Liam before they could argue. “Mers, come with me, please.”
Reluctantly, the two stood and let the sea god chivvy them out of the cottage. “I think I’ll give my brother a hand,” Bythos said, pausing when he neared Nick. “I am so sorry about this. I swear on my word as sea lord, no one will ever touch you again without your permission here.”
He left, but Ian hovered near Nick’s chair. “You okay?”
Nick sagged. “Does the term, ‘fuck no’ mean anything to you?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact it does. And I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Ian shrugged guiltily. “I got you into this fucked up situation. If I knew you were an agapetos—”
That was the last straw. “Okay, whoa. First, I don’t believe in that whole agapetos thing. I mean, maybe that applies to you and the twins, but I’m not a god or anything,” Nick said. “Secondly, if we’re going to be strictly accurate, Barnard got me into this fucked up situation by using me as a carving board. So if we’re gonna blame anyone, let’s blame Barnard.”
“Yeah. He is an asshole,” Ian agreed. “But I still owe you an explanation, about me at least.” He hesitated. “I’ll tell you now, if you want.”
What Nick wanted was a couple of Vicodin, a hot shower, and his bed. For an evening that had started out so well, it had gone straight into the shitter. “Save it for tomorrow. All I want to do right now is crash.”
“Yeah, I understand.” Still looking remorseful, Ian went to the front door. “Look, come over whenever you get up. I’ll have breakfast ready. We can talk more then.”
Nick leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. “Look, I don’t mean to sound like a baby, but are they going to come back? I need to know if I should lock my windows.”
Ian shook his head. “If By and Aph told them to leave you alone, I guarantee you they won’t come back. Knowing By, he put a geas on you.”
“Geas?”
“Protective spell. Anyone comes near you without your permission while you’re here, and they’ll be in a world of hurt.”
Nick lifted his head, staring at his friend. “Spells. Jesus.”
“Get used to it,” Ian advised soberly.
****
Bythos tucked his hands behind his back and considered the two mers waiting for their sentence. “By rights, I should bar you from this cove and report your actions to your grotto Elders,” he said. “But as this disaster isn’t all your fault,” he leveled a look at a regretful Aphros, “I’m going to be merciful.”
Both mers bobbed their heads like puppets. “Thank you, Lord,” they echoed.
“That being said, Nick Gardiner is now under my protection and I will not allow further harm to come to him. And so I ask you this now—are you sure he’s your agapetos?”
Liam stepped forward, giving Bythos a respectful bow. “My Lord, we have confirmation of this from the Oracle himself. Both Aidan and I are fated to love a man from the land, one who bears a powerful staff. We’ve been searching for him for years.”
“And I recognized Nick the moment I saw him,” Aidan added. “He’s definitely our agapetos. We swear this, lord.”
Bythos nodded. “In that case, you have well and truly fouled up your courtship. I would suggest you sleep in the cove overnight, then return in the morning to apologize. With any luck, Nick may agree to speak with you by that time.”
Aidan gazed worriedly at the cottage. “We have to leave him alone tonight? But he’s injured—”
“Not severely. He will live,” Bythos said crisply. “However, if you go barging back in there I guarantee you that he will never forgive you. I speak from experience here.”
The mers glanced at each other, then reluctantly nodded. “Good. I have field quarters out near the coral beds. You can sleep there tonight.” Bythos jerked his chin at the water. “Off you go.”
Giving the cottage a longing look, the mers turned and jogged towards the water, diving into the waves. With a flicker of two dark flukes, they were gone.
****
Sitting on the cottage’s back deck, Nick watched as the sun rose over the Atlantic. Next to him was Marcia Kuttner, sandal-clad feet crossed elegantly at the ankles.
“You aren’t having a very good time of it, are you, Dr. Gardiner?” she said conversationally.
He glanced down at himself. To his relief he wore jeans and one of his favorite t-shirts, the one that read STAND BACK: I’M GOING TO TRY SCIENCE. “No, not really.”
She picked up a glass of pinkish fluid and handed it to him. He sipped, pleasantly surprised by the taste of freshly made watermelon juice. He took a deeper swig. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You really need to start making better choices about your personal life, you know.”
He snorted, glad he’d already swallowed. “Yeah, I kinda noticed that already. I don’t plan on dating any more psychotic Doms, trust me.” Or jumping into bed with gorgeous non-humans who happen to have huge, homicidal boyfriends.
She frowned as if she’d heard his thought. “Barnard Whitfield isn’t nearly as important as he thinks he is in the grand scheme of things. You pushing away your mers, however, worries me.”
“They’re not my mers,” Nick muttered. “I don’t care who they think I am, or what this whole agapetos deal means. I just wanted to come down here and get my life straightened out, not screwed up even more.”
Marcia sighed. “I know you’re angry, and I can’t blame you. Unfortunately, the Fates can’t take situations into account when they weave together lifelines.”
“Fates?” He turned to stare at her. “Lady, what are you talking about? There’s no such thing as Fates, or Fate singular. My life is my own, okay? I may make some really stupid decisions, but they’re mine, not some imaginary trio’s.”
The rental manager pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side. “Imaginary. Like mermen? Or demigods? Or a snake on a staff that talks to you?”
Nick huffed, hunching in his chair and glaring at the ocean. “Fuck. Fates. Seriously?”
“Mm.”
“And I’m really…” He couldn’t even say it.
“An agapetos. Yes. It’s not as bad as you think,” Marcia said. “That imaginary trio, as you called them, have a way of rewarding people who stop resisting what they’re supposed to do. And you’re obviously supposed to be with Aidan and Liam, for whatever reason.”
He growled softly. “Great. Just what I need, another psycho.”
That earned him a reproving look. “I think you’ll find that Liam is hardly what you would call a psycho,” she said. “A bit irrational, but that’s understandable considering that he thought Aidan had been captured by humans. Imagine how you would feel if someone you loved disappeared unexpectedly, and when you finally found him it looked like someone was taking sexual advantage of him. What would you have done if you were in Liam’s shoes? So to speak.”
Probably the same thing. “Shit. Okay, fine, he’s not a psycho, but I’m not buying him being my fated mate, either. For one thing—”
“You don’t know if he shares your taste for BDSM,” Marcia said calmly. “More specifically, you don’t know if he’s dominant, or if he can top you the way Aaron Carstairs did.”
Nick stared at her, horrified. “Ho
w did you know that?”
“I know more about you and Mr. Carstairs than you think, doctor.” She sipped her own glass of juice. “Very few things about sex shock me. Your games with your former Dom are hardly a ripple on the very wide and strange sea of human sexuality. That being said, I do understand your need for someone you can rely on, someone who can be trusted to take care of you and give you what you need. I suspect that Liam would fill that role quite well, if you gave him the chance.”
He imagined the tall mer standing over him, trident aimed at his throat. “He almost killed me.”
“But he didn’t. When push came to shove, he stopped. Which puts him head and shoulders above Barnard Whitfield.”
Reflexively, he touched his chest. “Okay, then there’s that. Barnard is a vindictive bastard. If he got the FBI or some governmental agency on them, they’d wind up in labs being studied. I don’t want to put them in danger.”
She gestured with her juice glass. “Danger is a part of life, doctor. The mers understand this. And the danger they face now makes any problem Mr. Whitfield could throw at them pale in comparison.”
He sat up. “What danger?”
The sun began to dim unexpectedly, as if reversing its rise. “Talk to them, Nick. Give them a chance,” Marcia said, becoming a shadowy shape in the fading light. “You might be pleasantly surprised.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” It kept getting darker, and he could barely see anything. “What danger?”
The sun flickered once, then went out.
****
Nick sucked in a sharp breath, opening his eyes.
He was still in bed. Early morning Florida sunshine painted glowing squares on the walls. Outside, he could hear the waves breaking on the shoreline.
Dream. It was a dream. A weird one, but still. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, wondering why he’d dreamed about the Atlantic Rentals manager, of all people. Maybe I see her as an authority figure? God knows she’s scary enough.
More likely it was his subconscious trying to tell him he needed more information about what exactly was going on at Olympic Cove. Well, you know where you can find all the info you need.
A half hour later, he knocked on Ian’s door. A slightly breathless sea god opened it, hastily pulling on a t-shirt. “Morning. How are you feeling?”
Nick eyed his friend’s bedhead and the brief glimpse of taut stomach as it disappeared under the shirt. “I’m upright, which is good. I’m also starving.”
Ian grinned. “Aph is getting breakfast ready.”
They headed into the kitchen where the bearded sea god was hard at work over the stove. “I’m in the mood for pancakes,” Aphros announced. “And since I’m doing the cooking, so are you all.”
“Pancakes sound great, thanks.” Nick took the guest chair and accepted a mug of coffee from Ian. “So, about last night. I don’t think I thanked you guys for saving my ass.”
Aphros looked back over his shoulder in surprise. “You don’t have anything to thank us for,” he said. “It never should have happened in the first place. Quite frankly, we’re the ones who should be apologizing to you.”
“No, Aidan is the one who should be apologizing to him,” Ian said, taking a slurp of his coffee. “He’s the one who conveniently ‘forgot’ he had a mate.”
“I’m at fault for that as well, love,” Aphros said gently. “And I’m sorry for that, Nick. Some humans don’t react well to the idea of a polygamous relationship, and I thought it would be better if Aidan and Liam spoke to you together about their beliefs.”
Beliefs. “So you don’t know for sure that I’m their—” He waved a dubious hand. “Cushla thingy.”
“Chuisle. And no, I wouldn’t know for sure until the three of you make love.”
Nick choked on a mouthful of coffee. “Excuse me?”
Ian sighed. “Yeah, you didn’t hear about that part. Once you make bouncy-bouncy with your agapetos, all of you get a nifty tattoo on your back announcing your matehood, courtesy of the Fates.” He smiled at Aphros. “What did you call it, angel?”
“The seafolk equivalent of a wedding ring.”
Nick hid his shock in a deep slurp of coffee. He’d never even heard of anything like that. “Wait, I already fooled around with Aidan,” he said after swallowing. “And I know he didn’t have a tattoo last night.”
“He wouldn’t, at least not yet. The agapetos have to make love with each other at the same time in order for it to appear,” Aphros said. “And seeing how you just met Liam—”
“Want to see mine?” Ian said, obviously trying to head off that particular topic. “It’s the same one that’s on By and Aph, so if you see mine you’ve seen all of ours.”
Nick was happy to avoid any discussion of the tall merman. “Yeah, sure.”
Ian stood, turning around and pulling off his shirt. Between his shoulder blades was a stylized tattoo of two sea centaurs swimming around each other in Yin Yang fashion, with a lightning bolt streaking down the center.
“Wow.” Nick didn’t know much about tattoos, but he could recognize the artistry of the mark. “That’s really beautiful.”
“Thanks.” Ian peered over his shoulder at it. “Spotted it the morning after those two got me into bed for the first time. Talk about a surprise. At least you know what to expect.”
“You’re assuming I’m going to sleep with both of them. If it was just Aidan, that would be different, but…” He could still see Liam standing over him, a look of loathing twisting the mer’s face into something chilling. It was hard to untangle that from the memory of Barnard and his favorite scalpel.
Ian pulled his shirt back on. “Look, I can’t tell you what to do. But if those two are right, and you’re their agapetos, then the three of you getting together is important, somehow. You can try running from it, but I guarantee you it’ll wind up biting you in the ass.”
“I don’t see how me hooking up with two mermen is important,” Nick pointed out. “Besides, I’m already the Bearer of the Rod. Isn’t that enough?”
“Hell if I know,” Ian admitted moodily. “I’m still trying to figure out some of this god stuff myself.”
Aphros came over and kissed the top of Ian’s head. “You’re doing just fine, love. As for you,” he turned to Nick, “I’m asking you as a personal favor to talk to your mers. I’m partially responsible for this mess, and I’ll feel wretched if you miss out on what could be the most wonderful thing in your life. So please, just talk to them.”
Nick let out a harsh breath through his nose. As much as he hated to admit it, dealing with the mers was the reasonable thing to do. “Fine. I’ll talk to them. But I’m not promising anything.” He folded his arms across his chest, feeling mulish. “And I want pancakes, dammit.”
Aphros beamed. “One stack of hotcakes, coming up.”
****
Aidan swam along the sandy cove floor, then turned and swam back.
Liam floated a few feet away from his path, still looking woebegone. Neither of them had been able to sleep, waiting for the sun to rise and give them the chance to apologize to Nick. “What if he won’t forgive me?” the big mer said.
Aidan paused. “He’s our chuisle, and he has a kind heart. I think he’ll understand you were just trying to protect me.” He resumed his pacing, heart aching at the thought of Nick hating them. “I hope. Gods, Li. We can’t lose him.”
“We won’t. I’ll grovel if I have to.”
“You hate groveling. And I still think I should come with you. He’s angry at me, too.”
Liam shook his head. “You did what Lord Aphros told you to do. That’s not your fault. I’m the one who ran this whole mess into the jellyfish field.” He flicked his fluke. “I’m the one who has to pull it out.”
Aidan paused again, sinking slightly in the warm, clear water. “I didn’t thank you for coming after me, did I? Thank you, gorgeous. I knew you would come once you found the trail.”
Liam immediately reached for him. Aidan
went into his mate’s arms, sighing as they wrapped securely around him.
“I was terrified,” Liam confessed. “Nobody had seen you, and then the storm came in and everyone came back to the grotto. I kept waiting at the top, hoping you were just delayed.” His arms tightened. “When you didn’t show up, I went out looking for you. And when I tasted your blood in the water…”
Aidan ran his lips across the underside of Liam’s chin, nuzzling under his ear. “Stupid human nailed me with a speargun. I couldn’t even pull it out because the scaleless son of a whelk wired a floater on the other end.”
Liam sucked in a quick breath, the rush of water soft in Aidan’s ear. “Oh, chuisle.”
“But Lord Bythos heard me calling for help. He and his brother rescued me.” Drowning wasn’t a method of death for merfolk, but being eaten by sharks, battered against rocks by underwater currents, or dying of blood loss certainly were. “And then I saw Nick. Li, it was like I knew him. The pull was so strong.”
“I know. I felt it, too, once I’d calmed down.”
Aidan pulled back, staring into his lover’s somber eyes. Saying that he wished Liam had stopped, listened to him, wouldn’t help now. “Then he’s our chuisle. Which means you’re right—the Fates will bring him back to us. We just have to wait. And be ready to grovel.”
Liam smiled slightly. “You don’t have to grovel, sweetheart. That’s my job.”
“So I’ll teach you how. I’m good at it.”
A webbed hand cupped the side of his face, tilting it up for a kiss. “You don’t grovel,” Liam said against his mouth. “You give me every bit of yourself, willingly. And I cherish the gift.”
Aidan sank into the kiss, drinking down the love and tenderness into his soul. Too soon, he pulled away reluctantly. “Li, Nick’s like that. Like me. He calls it being submissive.”
Liam’s mouth opened slightly. “Really?”
“Yes. If you’d come in just a few minutes earlier, you would have seen him squirming under me as I teased him. Gods, it was beautiful to watch.”
Liam laughed, bubbles trailing from the corner of his mouth. “Damn. Yes, I would have liked to see that.” He sobered. “Are you trying to tell me something, Aid? Are you tired of me having control over you?”
Olympic Cove 2-Breaker Zone Page 12
