Roux cocked his head. “So you’d do it for free…? Do you want to join JUSTICE?”
Jack sat back down and crossed his arms. “I’m not joining an organization with a name so stupid.” Not to mention that becoming an official member of an organization would have been proof of his sympathy for non-humans. And he couldn’t afford to have that out there. “But I can do it as a favor. You know, for old times’ sake.”
Roux gave Jack a playful nudge without a hint of claws. “That time when I saved you from becoming a mommy?”
A daddy. Definitely a daddy. Drake had recently sent Jack a letter in which he insisted Chad missed him. Maybe he should head for a vacation in London after this was over?
“More or less. You’re good at catching insects, and I can swim. Fair exchange. What’s the job?”
Roux pointed at the horizon. “There’s an island with a cove not far from here. Merfolk territory starts there. Usually, they keep to themselves, but a merman had lately sent a signal of distress, and word got to JUSTICE eventually. The merman, he… doesn’t fit in with his kind, and he’s at risk of being cannibalized.”
Jack frowned. “Doesn’t fit in? What do you mean?”
Roux scratched his ear, avoiding Jack’s gaze. “He’s more like a mermaid than a merman. Instead of hunting, he tries to attract the attention of fishermen and sings beautifully. He’s different. This kind of behavior’s not exactly accepted in his species, and it’s really important to me to save him, because I know how it is to be different from your own kind.”
A shiver went down Jack’s spine. The metaphor was all too clear, because there was only one reason mermaids sang to fishermen. They were hunting, but not for meat.
“What do you plan to do? Move him to a different group of merfolk somewhere down the coast?”
“We don’t yet know of any group that would take him in, but we’ve put together a team, and he is welcome to stay at a natural pool by this seaside inn. He will be allowed to sing for guests all he likes. It’s all been arranged. His immediate safety is crucial first. You, Jack… um, you must understand it can be hard for him, right?” Roux glanced at Jack, searching for answers to questions other than the one he’d asked. Jack had been pretty blunt in the past about his preference for males. It had never been a problem, since his sister already had two children to carry on the family name.
“Is this about me dating a centaur?” he asked in the end. Because that would have been a problem for the whole Addison clan, and Jack hadn’t been very open about it to anyone, for fear that news would travel across the pond, or ruin his reputation as a venator.
“Yes, it’s hard to be looked down on because of your preferences.” Roux stared at his own feet touching the water, and no matter how much Jack itched to ask him if he was in fact a pussycat, if they were flirting, or if Jack had been reading it wrong all this time, the moment didn’t feel right. Jack had been pushy in the past and it had gotten him nowhere.
So he took a deep breath and looked at Roux’s feline profile. “What do you want me to do?”
“Once the sun sets, you will take a boat to the cove and dive there to find where Lauro is hiding. The other merfolk roam in the open waters at night, so it’s safer to go once it gets dark. Then, bring him here, and I will have a carriage waiting for him.”
Jack glanced at the sun, which pleasantly caressed his skin. “There’s still plenty of time. How about dinner?” he asked, and pulled out the little yellow can of sardines with a lot of French words written on the package. It was quite fancy, and not the least expensive product in its category, so Jack wasn’t embarrassed to offer it to Roux as a gift.
His heart stilled at Roux’s blank stare, afraid he’d made a misstep, but then Roux’s smile became so wide his canines showed.
“Where did you get these? They’re my favorites! With thyme.” Roux smelled the can and made a purr that had blood drain down to Jack’s dick. Oh yes. He’d done well. Another score for Jack Addison! He wished he had two right hands so he could congratulate himself.
Chapter 3
The full moon reminded Jack of that glorious night when he’d saved Roux’s ass and had gotten fucked by four werewolves. Time had blurred the pain he’d felt in his muscles the day after, and the nasty argument he’d had with Roux. When the moon shone so brightly, he looked back fondly on his first night with furry creatures.
He’d been rowing for almost an hour now, but he could see the tall shape of the island where, according to Roux, the merman took refuge. He was now deep in merfolk territory, and was glad that the calls of the females did nothing for him, because he could hear the melodic voices of the sea maids from every direction, sometimes getting louder, as if the creatures were trying to fight for his attention, synchronizing into a unified melody.
He was a bit confused about his sleeping arrangements for tonight. Roux had his belongings, so perhaps Jack would be invited to stay with him? After this mission proved successful, Roux would surely be grateful to Jack for saving his good name. And who knew what could happen if they stayed together for the night, with no werewolves to disturb them?
Jack watched more closely when a long, graceful tail passed right under his boat. The water was crystal clear, so he could see what was under the surface, even though it was night-time. Mermaids had a bit of a reputation for accidentally drowning partners who got frisky with them in the open sea. As a gay man, Jack was immune to their charms, and the perfect venator for the job.
But as he approached the small, bare island, watching the moonlight create interesting shapes on the rock, another kind of voice reached his ears. Rich yet subtle, it was the most beautiful tenor that had ever graced Jack’s ears. He looked around, breathless as his skin tingled in response to the high notes coming from the island.
Jack anchored the boat and took off his shoes, his mind oddly frantic. The last time he’d felt like this, a witch had given him a green potion, and he’d woken up the following day naked and with a mushroom head stuck on his dick. That had been a weird one.
He couldn’t recognize the words, because they were blurred by the hum of waves, yet they spoke straight to his soul. Had he really become such a sap after his breakup with Calix? Just last year, he’d considered himself unbothered by all that romantic nonsense, but Calix had been his first real relationship, so unlike the flings, long and short, he’d had before. The betrayal had hit him hard. To find out that all the months they’d spent together were a lie had been much more devastating than he could have ever imagined.
Jack shook his head to chase away the wave of memories, and sat on the edge of the boat. He’d gotten so lightheaded he’d almost forgotten to put the breathing device into his mouth. In only a tight set of undergarments, he jumped, and the water sucked him into its warm depths. When he first opened his eyes, the salt stung, but the gentle voice was like a drug he wanted a bigger dose of. And he needed it now.
Without thinking, Jack swam against the buoyancy of his body, toward the seabed, which glistened with the reflection of moonlight and stars. His dark shadow passed over scattered stones and patches of seaweed. Never before had he swam with such ease. His arms moved in perfect harmony, just to reach his goal faster.
Urgent in his need to find the source of the heavenly voice, he scraped his fingers against the coarse wall of volcanic stone that made up the island. The melody called out to him, but the stone was unforgiving and left Jack slapping his palms against it time and time again until he came to his senses.
He was being ridiculous, just splashing in the water uselessly. The buzz in his brain became more insistent when he submerged his head, and only then did he notice a bright blue glow on the ocean bed, right by the rock. He breathed in air from his handy apparatus and dove deeper, toward the reflection in the sand, and the voice that became louder with each passing second. A warm stream touched his body, so he followed it, straight to the light coming through a narrow crack in the submerged rock.
He’d thought
the voice was enticing, but now that his ears were under water, the melody hit him with a new force. It spoke of longing and sorrow, yet had an underpinning of lust. As Jack swam through the crack in the rock, he could even close his eyes because the sound guided him with promises that soothed his broken heart.
Sharp stones scratched his skin, but he was numb to it, completely entranced by the song. Once out of the narrow passage, he entered a natural pool in the middle of the island, but when he looked around, trying to spot the merman between the colorful underwater plants, it was only fish he could see.
Until a graceful, large fin moved close to the shore.
Jack drew in more air and stopped resisting the push of salty water, letting it carry him all the way to the surface.
The merman gasped at the sight of him and curled his tail away, but it was Jack’s jaw that dropped. He had no doubts that this was Lauro. Jack had seen handsome, muscular mermen on his way from Greece to Italy, but Lauro was nothing like them.
Lithe, with narrow shoulders dusted emerald green, and a face that drew all of Jack’s attention, no matter how pretty the blue nipples on Lauro’s chest were.
Lauro wasn’t just handsome. He was stunning, pretty from his long red locks to the tip of his tiny nose. His big green eyes had lashes for days, and despite the pearl blue color of his full mouth, they seemed warm and inviting.
Jack raised his hands above water, licking the salt from his lips as soon as he removed the breathing apparatus from his mouth. “It’s all right. You’re safe. I’m from JUSTICE, and I came here to take you to safety. Are you Lauro?” he asked, just to be polite.
The glorious creature’s eyes widened, and he dipped his tail back into the water. The green-blue scales that started at his hips had a pearlescent shimmer, just like his lips. “I thought you’d never come, and I would be stranded here for eternity until only my bones were left to sing with the wind.” He reached out to Jack and grabbed his hand.
His nails were longish but thick as animal claws, and could have surely been an efficient weapon on hands less gentle than Lauro’s. His touch was unexpectedly warm, and Jack found himself shivering in response, even before his gaze met Lauro’s. “I... you shouldn’t be singing at all. What if the other merfolk found you?” he uttered, when everything beyond the pretty face turned blurry.
Lauro slipped farther into the water and ran his hands up Jack’s chest and to his neck, while the warm tail wrapped itself around Jack’s legs. “There was nothing left for me to do. It was the only way for me to find a hero brave enough to fight the tide and save me. The song inside of me cannot be silenced.”
Jack wanted to answer him, but instead remained mute, like an idiot while this ethereally beautiful creature slowly leaned back, until the gentle waves of the pond made his locks rise to the surface.
“Well, I-I’m here now. Whatever happens, I’ll protect you, but why does your tribe reject you? Your song… is so beautiful.”
Lauro slipped his fingers into Jack’s hair. “They don’t understand me. They think that just because I’m a merman I should be the fighter, the protector, when all I yearn for is to bring others pleasure. With my song, and with all I’ve got to give. I refuse to be tamed by their rules. The sea doesn’t yield, so why would I?” He hugged Jack tightly, and even his speaking voice was like the murmur of waves against the shore.
Its sound was so soothing and sweet he hugged Lauro back, burying his face in the merman’s damp hair. “You’re right. You shouldn’t have to. We all… we just want you safe and happy.”
“That’s so sweet of you, my savior. What is your name?” The lips against Jack’s ear were as smooth as mother of pearl.
“Jack. I come from a line of venators. And I’m good at what I do,” Jack whispered, hoping to impress Lauro, though the bragging sounded childish even to his own ears.
“You must be if you managed to reach me. But… when we connected in song,” Lauro pulled back to look into Jack’s eyes, and his beauty was so pristine it made Jack’s eyes well up, “Your heart resonated with sorrow. I need to know what troubles you.”
Jack froze, and the blur around them suddenly became that bit sharper, but Lauro petted his cheek. Was Jack imagining things, or did his skin start glowing with an otherworldly shimmer? Jack’s throat tightened, and he covered his mouth, fighting the sob rising in his chest.
What the hell was happening to him?
“I—”
Lauro kissed Jack’s lips. “You had your heart broken,” he said, as if he could taste it on Jack’s skin.
Jack bit the tip of his tongue, nervously swallowing when his mind went back to the image of his hand gently petting the flesh above Calix’s hooves as they rested in their huge bed. Back then, there had been moments when he believed their happiness would last forever. “He left me for someone else.”
“Oh, sweet soul…” Lauro cooed and kissed him again, the tail sliding up and down Jack’s legs in a soothing fashion. The scales were smooth and soft, creating a massage-like sensation when they moved across his skin. “It is a terrible thing for trust to be broken.”
Jack inhaled and slowly rested his head on Lauro’s chest, feeling strangely peaceful the moment the steady rhythm of the merman’s heart overpowered the sound of his own. “He lied to me all along. He wanted to meet someone better through me, and I thought we really had something good. People warned me, but I refused to believe he was anything but angelic. I’m such an idiot,” he said, before letting out a pathetic sob.
Lauro stroked Jack’s shoulders, but cocked his head. His coral-red hair flowed to the side. “Was it something other than your heart that guided your decisions?” He winked, reading Jack like an open book.
Jack took a deep breath, eviscerated without a knife. So maybe he was not immune to merfolk charms after all, but the relief of telling someone what had happened was too good to fight against. “I overlooked the red flags, because of his beauty, and because of the way he always appreciated me. He knew exactly what to say every time, and I didn’t question any of it, like the biggest idiot. Because I’m not perfect. I know this. Roux always says it like he sees it…”
Lauro pressed against Jack and trailed his tongue up Jack’s neck. “So much more to love than beauty, isn’t there, Jack?”
Jack hugged Lauro tightly, shutting his eyes and getting on top of the sweet merman, eager to feel him with the entirety of his body. Without thinking, he pulled off his undershirt, moaning when his nipples, which at this point felt unnaturally sensitive, brushed against the lithe chest. “I don’t know… next time… I’ll be more careful next time.”
“You don’t need to be careful with me. It’s not in my nature to wound.” Lauro pulled Jack in for another kiss, and they toppled into the shallow water. “Do you believe in connection that transcends the passing of time? That can happen even if one has only just met the other?”
“Huh?” Jack asked, entranced by the soothing tone of Lauro’s voice. He found it hard to remember the reason for his visit here, but all he wanted now was to kiss those shimmering lips and rub against the lithe body.
The smooth fingers brushed over Jack’s forehead and hair, and Lauro entwined their hands. “I see you for who you are, and I need you close, even if just this once. Please don’t tell me it revolts you.” The pretty green eyes glistened, and Jack was instantly desperate to weed out any sadness that might have set root in Lauro’s heart.
“N-no. Of course not,” he said, rolling back into the waves and pulling Lauro close. The long tail flapped in the water, sprinkling them with warm droplets. “What do you need? Remember? I’m here to give you whatever you need,” he said, somewhat aware that this particular service was not included in the job description. But to hell with it. He was Jack Addison, and he did what he thought was right!
“I want to be close, Jack. To connect. It’s been so long since I’ve been treated with kindness. It would make me so, so happy.” Lauro sighed in a way that brought back many erotic
encounters in Jack’s mind. He guided Jack’s hand to his stomach, then lower, to the scales around where his hips were.
Heat bloomed on Jack’s face, and he gave a short laugh, touching his forehead to Lauro’s as if they were lovers. “How does that work with your kind?”
Lauro’s tiny smile revealed needle-sharp teeth that weirdly reminded Jack of Roux’s. “Over here,” he whispered and guided Jack’s hand a bit lower, leaving Jack confused, since he hadn’t seen anything resembling genitals there.
All became clear when his fingers dipped into a slit between the scales. It was pulsing with heat, and sensitive too, judging by Lauro’s moan. As a venator, Jack learned something new almost every day, but this was the kind of discovery he appreciated most.
Without thinking, he rolled on top of Lauro and watched his hand move against the slit. In and out, then caressing the edges. It was a new kind of organ for him, and the way it felt teased his sense of adventure. “How deep can I go?” he asked, trailing his lips up the slender neck while Lauro writhed, splashing the water with his fin.
Lauro rubbed his hand up and down Jack’s arm. “I want you to slide yours in there,” he whispered breathlessly, and the gills on his neck trembled. But despite the invitation that made Jack dizzy with lust, he still recognized a hard shape growing against his fingers and pushing at his hand. Was this… where mermen had their cocks tucked into when they weren’t fucking?
“Does that feel good?” he asked, slowly pushing his hand deeper. Lauro’s muscles refused to give at first, but the slick fluid that kept the inside of the slit damp eased the way. Once Jack’s knuckles were in, he was able to cup the oddly smooth length inside.
Lauro’s pretty lips trembled, and he nodded vigorously. “Yesss… Your hand is so big. I love your touch.” He leaned in for another kiss, and this time he deepened it, adding his sleek, long tongue to the mix while his insides throbbed against Jack’s hand.
Jack Addison vs. a Whole World of Hot Trouble - The Complete Series Page 17
