The Pearl of the Dragon [The Triplet Mermen Trilogy]

by Casper Graham

  * * * *

  Caspian never thought he would become one of those mates who stayed at home and waited for their significant other to return from work or meetings. However, he found himself doing exactly that. The moment he stepped out from his portal of water after a long day of making potions and tending to the plants and herbs in his backyard at the house he co-owned with his two brothers, he arrived into the humongous garden. He still hadn’t gotten the chance to study everything in it yet, but he was going to do that within the next few days. In the meantime, he would have to get dinner ready for Gavin.

  He shook his head in amusement and snickered to himself. “I’m gradually turning into a househusband.”

  He took one final glance at the garden before going into the elevator and making his way down into the kitchen. As he kept himself busy, his mind wandered to the conversations he had with Drake and Baltic during lunch earlier.

  “What’s with the glum face, baby bro?”

  Baltic had glared at him, but it wasn’t as fierce as it usually was. “Jeff told me there were even more attacks from the shadow people recently.”

  “Yeah?”

  “He had a lot of patients stopping by even before I left the house earlier today.”

  Drake had cleared his throat before jumping into the conversation. “Ed heard horrible things about the shadow people from some of the supernatural beings who frequented his bakery. This situation is beginning to worsen.”

  Caspian was startled out of his trip down memory lane when he felt a pair of muscular forearms being wrapped around his waist. He would recognize those hands even without looking at the person’s face. He squirmed a little when Gavin kissed the top of his head with a loud smack. It was rather ticklish to him. He didn’t mind it, though. It was a loving gesture, and he appreciated it. In response, he leaned against Gavin’s firm body while continuing to cut the chicken into small pieces.

  “Hey, babe.”

  “Hello, stud. I’ve missed you.”

  “Me, too. What are you cooking?”

  “I’m going to make stir-fry chicken with whatever vegetables we still have inside the fridge. How did you know that I’d be in the kitchen?”

  Gavin let out a soft chuckle. “I used my nose to sniff you out.”

  Caspian froze for a moment before turning his head a little to face his mate. “Are you implying that I stink?”

  Gavin snorted. “Perish the thought. You have a very distinct scent of salty seawater, but also rather smoky at the same time. Besides, I don’t care if you reek of sweat and smell ripe. You’re my mate. I’ll still love you.”

  Caspian chortled. “Good save. I love you, too. By the way, how was the meeting?”

  Gavin groaned. “It was fucking long.”

  “As long as your dick?” Caspian teased, snickering under his breath.

  Gavin burst out laughing. “Hell no! My cock is much longer.”

  Caspian shook his head. “I don’t know, stud. I don’t remember your dick being that impressive.”

  Gavin tightened his arms around Caspian’s waist before pushing hard against him. Caspian gasped at the feeling of his mate’s throbbing dick against his ass. They were both fully clothed, but there was no mistaking the huge erection pressing against his ass.

  “Really? Should I bend you over the kitchen counter, tear our clothes off, and fuck my cock into you to remind you of how massive it is?”

  Caspian rolled his eyes. “You’re horny and insatiable, aren’t you?”

  “It’s all your fault for being so damn gorgeous, sexy, and enticing.”

  Caspian blushed a little at the compliment. “Whatever. You’re just saying that to get a piece of ass.”

  Gavin guffawed. “Is it working?”

  “Oh, absolutely. You know that you don’t have to sweet-talk me just to get sex from me, right?”

  Gavin moaned softly. “Damn, babe. You’re so perfect.”

  Caspian winked at Gavin. “Oh, I know. Anyway, help me prepare the vegetables. The faster we finish cooking, the sooner we can eat. Then, we can go into the bedroom for some fun.”

  Gavin pouted at Caspian. “Seriously? But my cock is fucking hard right now. Can’t we take care of it first?”

  “Nope. Go on. Chop-chop.”

  Gavin narrowed his eyes at Caspian. “You’re a sadistic man. Just for the record, not letting me get my rocks off inside your ass immediately is such a cruel and unusual punishment. If I die from my blue, aching balls, it will be your fault.”

  “Okay, stud. Noted.”

  “Fine.”

  Gavin harrumphed and moved away to grab the various vegetables from inside the refrigerator before washing them and chopping them next to Caspian. Caspian grinned as he placed one arm around Gavin’s waist and raised himself up on his tiptoes. He smiled when Gavin bent down so he could easily kiss his mate on the cheek.

  “Thanks, stud. You’re the best.”

  Gavin smirked at him. “Glad you know that.”

  “I do.”

  The two of them beamed at each other before they continued working side by side in the kitchen. Caspian was delighted that he got to spend such simple moments with his mate. The two of them had been virtually strangers when they had mated with each other, so they were now doing everything in reverse. It was a blessing that their instincts were right and they were compatible with each other even outside the primal drive to mate. They were lucky in that sense. Throughout dinner later, he shared the information he’d obtained from his brothers with Gavin while his mate complained about everything that happened during the council meeting.

  “At least your brothers had useful data, unlike the long, pointless meeting I had to attend earlier.”

  “It was that bad?”

  Gavin sighed. “Well, not really. Sombertooth managed to get confirmation from the shadow man you captured. We now know for sure that the shadow people are indeed attempting to bring chaos into the world.”

  “For what purpose?”

  Gavin shrugged. “Beats me.”

  After that, they switched the topic of conversation to discuss Caspian moving the remainder of his things into the house from the one he co-owned with his brothers. He and his brothers had decided to leave their house as a place for their respective businesses. He resolved not to worry about the shadow people for the time being. Besides, he didn’t see the point in doing that. There was no obvious pattern to their choice of victims. He simply had to take more precautions wherever he was in the future. His time and energy would be better spent on getting to know his mate. He also couldn’t wait for their next official date. He had something fun planned just for him and Gavin, but he needed two days to set things up. He didn’t foresee any trouble at all. Everything was going to move along smoothly.

  Chapter 7

  Gavin sat alone at one of the tables in Edwin’s bakery while his phoenix shifter friend stared at him in shock. Or maybe it was amusement. He really wasn’t in the right frame of mind to examine his best friend’s expression more closely.

  “Come again?”

  He gritted his teeth in irritation while darting his eyes around at some of the other customers until he was satisfied that none of them was paying any attention to him and Edwin. Then, he leaned in much closer to Edwin, who occupied the seat across the table from him, and lowered the volume of his voice in utter embarrassment.

  “I said I think I must be getting old and maybe kind of impotent sex-wise.”

  Edwin scrunched up his face in bewilderment. “Are you having trouble in the bedroom? Do you mean that you can’t get it up anymore?”

  Gavin glared at Edwin and hushed his best friend in a hurry. “Can you speak softer? Are you trying to shame me in front of the entire world?”

  Edwin rolled his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, Gav. You’re becoming quite the drama king. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  Gavin pointed at himself in irritation. “My dick, you asshole.”

  Edwin heaved out a sig
h. “Then you need to answer my questions.”

  “Which one?”

  Edwin narrowed both eyes at him. “What’s going on with your junk?”

  Gavin was going to retort something scathing to Edwin, but he ended up gaping at his best friend instead. He blushed in humiliation as the memory from the previous evening returned to him. Every scene felt as if it was occurring in real time all over again.

  “I…” Gavin trailed off for a few seconds, taking in a deep breath before yanking Edwin closer by the man’s collar and whispering into his best friend’s ear. “I fell asleep last night.”

  Edwin pulled back and scratched his head in confusion. “I don’t understand. What’s wrong with sleeping? Maybe you’re exhausted after a long day.”

  “Exactly!” Gavin exclaimed while banging his palm on the table and ignoring the other customers’ curious gazes on him and Edwin. “Right?”

  “You’re talking in riddles, man. I still don’t understand what’s going on with you.”

  Gavin sighed and tried to tamp down his irritation. “Sex, Ed. Sex!”

  “Okay…”

  “So, Cas and I had dinner together yesterday.”

  “Naturally.”

  “Then, we got hot and heavy in bed. I’ve kissed so many men and women I can’t even remember the number anymore. By the way, Cas has this sexy way of kissing that’s—”

  “Whoa! Hold up,” Edwin shouted out in a hurry while raising both hands to interrupt Gavin. “Let me stop you right there. You’re my best friend, and Cas is my brother-in-law. I really don’t need to know the details of your sex lives.”

  Gavin pushed Edwin’s hands away. “Whatever. Where was I? Oh, yeah. We kissed and did a few other things. Just for the record, foreplay with Cas is awesome. Then, we got to the main event. Man! Have I told you how fucking hard I get whenever Cas lets out that special moaning sound—”

  Edwin grimaced and shook his head. “Please spare me the agony. I don’t want to hear it.”

  “You’re missing out, Ed.”

  “No, I’m not. Just get to the point already.”

  “Fine. I was balls deep inside Cas’s tight, sweet ass—”

  “Yuck! I need to bleach my brain.”

  “—and my baby boy rode my dick in such a fucking amazing way.”

  “Disgusting. I don’t need to know that either. Anyway, what happened then?”

  Gavin could feel the heat rushing up his neck and cheeks. “Cas came all over my stomach and chest. I…I don’t know how it could occur, but I fell asleep before my own orgasm.”

  Edwin stared at Gavin in shock. “What?”

  Gavin clenched his fists in embarrassment. “I was exhausted, okay?”

  All of a sudden, Edwin burst out laughing while clutching tightly to his stomach. Gavin glared at his best friend in annoyance.

  “You…you dozed off during one of the best part of sex?”

  Gavin couldn’t look at Edwin in the eye. “I must be getting old and impotent or something. When I woke up earlier this morning, my dick was still hard and buried inside Cas’s ass. We made love again. He came. I couldn’t.”

  “Huh. Why not?”

  “I just couldn’t. I tried for almost an hour after Cas’s orgasm. I gave it my all, chasing for my climax, but I simply ended up sweating like a drowned pig with a sore dick and aching balls. Cas came twice this morning, though.” Edwin was obviously doing his best not to laugh, but Gavin could see the sign by the slight shaking of his best friend’s shoulders. “It’s not funny, man.”

  Edwin bit his lower lip and shook his head. “You…you’re right. It’s fucking hilarious.”

  Gavin huffed in irritation while Edwin lost his battle and howled out loud in glee. “You suck. I need a new best friend. You’re supposed to sympathize with me.”

  Edwin hiccuped and snorted, managing to calm down after a minute or so. “Sorry, man. You’re not impotent. Nothing is wrong with your dick. Plenty of men have experienced the same thing you did. Besides, you succeeded in giving your mate two orgasms this morning. That’s a fucking stud right there.”

  Gavin couldn’t help but puff out his chest as he preened a little. “That’s right. At least my mate can’t ever complain about being sexually frustrated.”

  “True. Maybe you’re just stressed out with the whole case of these damn shadow people. You need to relax. Sometimes, the more you force yourself to come, the least likely it will occur.”

  Gavin shrugged. “You’re probably right. I can’t stop worrying about my mate. I want this matter to be resolved so I can be sure that the present threat won’t target Cas for the second time. I have so many horrible images inside my head that I can’t shake it off, not even during sex. That may account for my being unable to enjoy sex properly or even reach an orgasm. If this continues for an extended period of time, I’ll have to hound Jeff’s ass for some potions or herbs to assist me with my orgasms.”

  “Why don’t you ask Cas for the potions or herbs? Your mate is one of the best potion brewers in our world.”

  Gavin was certain his expression was as horrified as the way he felt inside. “Are you insane? Imagine my embarrassment.”

  Edwin snorted. “Did Cas say anything this morning?”

  “Nope, but Cas is a sweetheart. He won’t put me on the spot like that.”

  “Talk to him, man. He’s your mate. You should be able to tell him anything and everything. That’s what our mates are for. We’re supposed to share our burdens with one another. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to hide something like this from Cas. The triplets are very close to one another. If you go to Jeff for potions or herbs, Jeff will inform Balt about it. Without a doubt, Balt will question Cas if anything is wrong between the two of you. You’re going to end up hurting Cas, albeit in an indirect manner. Not cool, man.”

  Gavin sighed. “Yeah. You’re right. I’ll have a chat with Cas later tonight. I shouldn’t be keeping something like this from him. I’m just feeling insecure and more than a little embarrassed about it. I’ve never failed to reach an orgasm. Anyway, it’s almost time for yet another boring meeting with the other council members. I’m starting to regret agreeing to become the fifth council member after Miranda was executed for her crimes.”

  Edwin chortled. “Just take it easy. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  Edwin clasped Gavin’s shoulder and grinned before pulling him into a one-armed hug. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Right. Can I use your kitchen?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks. Bye for now, Ed.”

  Then, Gavin gave Edwin a mock salute before making his way behind the counter, where the cash register was, and pushing open the connecting door between the front of the bakery and the kitchen. He called upon his water magic and created a portal of water before heading toward it. It was time for yet another unproductive meeting with his fellow council members. The only thing that kept him going was the certainty of returning home to Caspian later. He couldn’t wait to wrap his arms around his mate. His thankless duty as the council member would have driven him insane without Caspian by his side. He stepped into the portal and out through the other side in the alternate dimension several feet away from the doors that would lead him into the chamber. He straightened up and put on a passive expression. It was showtime.

  * * * *

  Caspian had planned to spend the day preparing for his upcoming date with Gavin, but he didn’t expect having to handle several groups of supernatural beings first thing in the morning. He ushered them all into his office-slash-stockroom. They all seemed all right, but he could sense the magic shrouding them.

  “We will be safe in this room. I promise. Please remove all your magic.” He gasped the loudest when he stared at the fae. He dashed toward her and stared at the obvious burnt mark all over her arms, neck, and face. “What happened to you?”

  The fae bowed to him, which startled him. H
owever, he was even more astounded when all the other supernatural beings in the room followed her lead. The fae understood his reaction and explained their gestures to him.

  “You’re mated to a council member. In the court of the fae, you’re an extension of your mate. My name is Miriam. I’m bonded to a fire dragon shifter. All these scars are accidental.”

  He gaped for a few seconds. “How can he do this to you? He—”

  Miriam shook her head, effectively cutting him off midsentence. “It truly occurred by accident. Horus, that’s my mate, is inconsolable at the moment. I need your assistance to heal my scars before I go home to him and work things out together. He can’t do anything about them because his element is fire. You’re different because you’re a merman. Your element is water. Water heals.”

  Caspian nodded. “I can do that. Why did Horus use his fire in such a close proximity to you in the first place?”

  “Our house was ambushed by several shadow people. There were too many of them. I couldn’t fight them off, and they ended up pressing down onto my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. Horus, in his moment of panic, released his fire. Dragon fire, similar to the one from a phoenix, is powerful enough to annihilate even the darkest of spirits. The shadow people were eradicated. Fortunately, I’m his mate, so I survived the fire.”

  “But you have scars at the moment.”

  Miriam nodded and smiled. “Some are hidden by my clothes, but at least I’m alive. Besides, you’ll be able to rid me of them.”

  Caspian could feel his heart aching for both the poor fae and dragon. Miriam was trying to be strong and understanding for her mate while Horus must be feeling an intense amount of guilt for wounding his mate.

  “I can use my water magic on you, but I need to keep you in a stasis as it works its way through your scars. You’ll be unconscious for a few hours. My water magic may be strong, but it’s no match for a dragon fire. It will take quite a while to erase the impact of your mate’s fire.”

  Miriam nodded. “I’m aware of it. Thank you.”

  Caspian led Miriam to one corner of the room and instructed her to close her eyes. He should have requested Baltic’s assistance. After all, Baltic was the one with the natural healing ability. However, Caspian could detect Miriam’s pain. He had no doubt the fae was hiding the fact that she was in a great amount of agony from the scarring. He stretched his arms out and called upon his water magic to completely envelop the fae. He observed, with satisfaction, as the water began to cover up every part of Miriam. Then, he manipulated the water bubble to raise it off the ground. He watched in relief as the water began to shine and glow, signaling it was starting to heal Miriam’s scar.