The Pearl of the Dragon [The Triplet Mermen Trilogy]

by Casper Graham

  “How are we supposed to track them down, though? They’re apt at evading detection.”

  Gavin shrugged. “I’ll inform the other council members to pass the message along to all the supernatural beings they’re in charge of. Hopefully, we will be able to net at least one.”

  “Okay. In the meantime, we should proceed with our date.”

  “Date?”

  Caspian chuckled. “Yeah. You look so surprised.”

  “Kind of. Until a few minutes ago, I wasn’t sure if you’d even want to be near me for the foreseeable future.”

  Caspian placed his palm on Gavin’s left cheek and rubbed it gently. “You’re my mate for eternity. No matter what happens in the future, we can always work things out.”

  “No regrets?”

  “None.”

  Gavin beamed at Caspian. “Okay. So, what are we going to do on this date that you’ve arranged for us?”

  Caspian smirked. “What do you think about sleeping underneath the stars?”

  Gavin groaned. “Out here in the open?”

  “Yeah.”

  “But we have a perfectly comfortable bed at home.”

  Caspian chortled in response. “I’ve thought of that, as well. Come on, stud. It will be fun.”

  “That’s your opinion.”

  “Imagine how much fun it will be for us to make love in this garden.”

  Gavin groaned at the images that came to his mind. “You play dirty.”

  “But you’re going to enjoy every second of me riding on your thick, pulsing dick.”

  Gavin’s cock twitched upon hearing that. “Okay. Fine. It’s a deal. What about dinner? I’m starving.”

  “I’ve prepared some sandwiches earlier today and put them in the fridge. I just need to heat them up a little. I also have some freshly squeezed orange juice. For dessert, we’re going to have some brownies.”

  Gavin wrapped his arms tighter around Caspian’s waist. “I would rather have you for dessert.”

  Caspian laughed. “Horny?

  “Always for you.”

  “I bet you have plenty of cum stored up in your balls. You didn’t get to climax the last couple of times we made love to each other.”

  Gavin blushed in embarrassment at the reminder. “I’m sorry. I really wanted to, but I fell asleep that night, and the next day, I just…I don’t know what was wrong with me.”

  “You’re too tense, stud. I had experienced the same thing a couple of times when I jerked off in the past before we were mated.”

  “Really?”

  “Uh-huh. The more I forced myself, the more difficult it was to have an orgasm. I ended up giving up playing with my dick because my right arm was tired out after stroking my cock for way too long.”

  “I’ve never dealt with something like that. I freaked out at Ed’s bakery afterward.”

  Caspian snickered. “That must have been a fun conversation.”

  Gavin grimaced. “More like mortifying.”

  “I bet. Anyway, should we grab everything we need now and return to the garden after that?”

  “Great idea. I’m starving actually.”

  “That’s fine. I’ve made more than enough sandwiches to feed a small army. You can eat as many as you like.”

  Gavin nuzzled into the crook between Caspian’s neck and shoulder. “I prefer to feast on your delicious cock and ass.”

  Caspian chuckled in response. “I don’t think you’ll sate your hunger like that.”

  “I don’t care. My dick is very hard right now, and my balls ache for some release.”

  Caspian snorted. “Save it for later, stud. A little anticipation will make the sex even better.”

  Gavin nodded. “Fine, but I want to come inside your tight, warm ass at least twice for being so patient.”

  Caspian rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

  As the two of them made their way into the elevator, Gavin felt so much lighter because he and Caspian had worked things out. All the tension within him had melted away a few moments ago, and he was now looking forward to his date with his mate. He had no doubt he was going to enjoy it. He was proven right several minutes later. After returning to the garden, he observed in amazement as Caspian used his water magic to create a small dome right above them.

  “Nice.”

  “To protect us from the weather elements. Just in case.”

  Then, Caspian created a brief, local shower of rain that fell on top of the garden, causing the plants and herbs in the garden to shimmer under the moonlight with the water droplets on them. Gavin was more than a little amused at the display.

  “Rather theatrical, babe.”

  “It fits our personalities. We’re not stuffy and serious like Ed and Dray, but we’re also not overly affectionate like Jeff and Balt. We’re the fun couple.”

  Gavin guffawed upon hearing that. “True.”

  After that, the two of them proceeded to sit on the picnic mat, which was placed on the ground. Gavin placed his right palm to steady himself while taking a sandwich with his other hand out from the picnic basket. His long legs were stretched out in front of him. Meanwhile, Caspian was sitting cross-legged next to him and biting into his own sandwich.

  “What was your life like in the past?”

  Caspian’s question took Gavin aback for a moment. He pondered the answer for a few seconds longer before replying. “It was okay. I had plenty of fun, including my sex life.”

  “I see.”

  Gavin straightened up and reached for Caspian’s hand. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you, babe. I slept with many people, but those were all in the past.”

  Caspian nodded and remained quiet for a while before speaking up. “Are you…never mind. Forget it.”

  Gavin squeezed Caspian’s hand. “Babe, what is it?”

  “It’s fucking stupid.”

  “If it’s bothering you, then I need to know.”

  Caspian hesitated for a few seconds longer. “I’m…I’m wondering if you’re satisfied with me. Sexually, that is. I mean, I worry sometimes.”

  Gavin finished his sandwich as he tugged his mate closer toward him. He was delighted when Caspian lay his head down on his shoulder.

  “Maybe I’m biased, but you’re the best sex I’ve ever had.”

  “But I don’t know if I’ve pleased you in the way you were used to.”

  “You’ve done everything much better than any of my previous partners.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “One hundred percent.”

  Gavin was relieved when Caspian grinned at him. “I’m glad to know that.”

  The two of them continued to eat in silence for the next few moments. He understood where Caspian was coming from. His mate might act carefree and relaxed, but Gavin was aware that Caspian was actually the most insecure among the triplets. Caspian was simply better at hiding his fear beneath the facade of his happy-go-lucky attitude. On the other hand, Drake overcompensated by being way too serious while Baltic was very self-conscious.

  “Babe.”

  “What?”

  “Do you know that I didn’t have a last name at the beginning?”

  Caspian sat up straight in apparent astonishment. “No. What’s the story?”

  “I was born thousands of years ago. When humans started naming themselves, I called myself Gawain. Then, I changed it to Gavin before adding my current last name.”

  “That’s interesting. I never knew that.”

  “Now you do. Have you always been Caspian?”

  Caspian nodded. “I was born about two hundred years ago. It’s an old family name from my mother’s side. So is Drake’s. Baltic is named after my dad’s great-grandfather. Or is it his great-great-grandfather? Ugh, I can never get it right. I tuned my dad out whenever he started reminiscing about his family’s history. He bored me to death. We can always ask Balt the next time we meet him. He’s the nerd among us triplets. He’s always reading.”

  Gavin chortled. “Okay. I’
m rather surprised that Drake isn’t much of a reader, considering how serious he is.”

  “He’s always lost inside his head. I wish he didn’t do that so often.”

  Gavin shrugged. “Drake has seer magic. He probably can’t help it.”

  “I guess. Then again, I can’t talk about my brothers when I’m more than a little obsessed with plants and herbs.”

  Gavin snorted. “A little?”

  “Whatever.”

  Gavin chuckled as Caspian passed another sandwich to him. The food was simple. It wasn’t a gourmet fare, but he loved it. After all, it was prepared by his mate. He had no doubt he would enjoy every bite of the sandwiches even if they had tasted truly horrible. He could better comprehend what people were referring to when they claimed that love was blind.

  Once he was full, he lay down on the mat with a satisfied sigh. It was even more fantastic when Caspian placed his head down on his shoulder and snuggled close. It was the most perfect date he ever had, and he was certain the two of them would enjoy more such dates in the future. He closed his eyes and allowed Caspian’s gentle breathing to help him relax further. As tempted as he was to push Caspian down onto the mat and make love to his mate, their current position was too wonderful. They could always have their fun later. In the meantime, he was going to savor the lovely moment with Caspian.

  Chapter 10

  Caspian couldn’t believe he had fallen asleep while having a date with his mate, but he was startled awake when he detected something strange. He could sense Gavin’s whole body stiffening underneath him. He gazed into his mate’s eyes and noted the apprehension in them.

  “I’m not being hypersensitive, am I?”

  Caspian shook his head. “This is the same feeling I got back when I was attacked by the shadow person for the first time.”

  Gavin’s jaws tightened in anger. “The shadow people must have lost their minds. Assaulting those lower and mid-level supernatural beings is one thing. Don’t they know who I am?”

  “I don’t think they care. I have a strong feeling they’re getting desperate. I have no idea how many are coming for us, but I’m sure there is more than one magical signature heading toward us at a rapid pace.”

  “We’re going to have to work together.”

  “Naturally. I’m not going to stand on the sideline while they come after my mate.”

  Caspian got up onto his feet and offered his hand to Gavin, who grabbed onto it. The two of them stood with their backs against each other.

  “Is this dome around us powerful enough to withstand their incursion?”

  Caspian shrugged. “Possibly.”

  “Okay. Listen to my command, babe.”

  “I will.”

  He observed quietly for the next few moments as the uncomfortable sensations drew nearer. He clenched his fists as he called upon his fire magic. Behind him, he could feel Gavin’s water magic very close to the surface. Nothing occurred for a while. He watched as the leaves from the plants swayed with the wind. Everything seemed so peaceful. All of a sudden, a dark figure rose up right next to his dome. That was followed by multiple others until he and Gavin were surrounded by many shadow people.

  “Now!”

  Caspian stretched his arms out and captured as many shadow people as he could within his balls of fire, but they kept on coming. His magic might be strong, but he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the fire for an indefinite period of time. He noticed his dome cracking moments later. Then, the magical dome disappeared into nothingness within seconds.

  “Gav…”

  “I know, babe. Hold on.”

  Out of nowhere, water rose up from the ground. Unlike the blue color of his water magic, he was taken aback to note the pitch-black color of Gavin’s water magic. He gaped at the display of magic all around him. He now understood why Gavin was considered one of the most powerful supernatural beings in existence. He was only able to catch one shadow person at a time with his magic, but Gavin could do the same thing with one upward swipe of his arms and imprison several shadow people within the spheres of water all at once. The remaining shadow people attempted to escape, but Gavin was relentless. None of them could slip away. Caspian stood rooted on the spot. He had never witnessed Gavin’s magic until that evening. It was awe-inspiring.

  He observed as the shadow people thrashed and pushed against the spheres of water, but Gavin’s magical prison was unbreakable even though it was created from water. He could hear the shadow people screaming out loud in a cacophony of inhuman screeching noises. He could even sense their magic hitting against the spheres of water, but they were unable to escape. Gavin’s magic was unlike any Caspian had ever witnessed in his centuries of existence. He was even more impressed by the fact that Gavin could capture all the shadow people without harming the plants and herbs in the garden. He let out a soft breath when the battle was over.

  “Damn.”

  “What?”

  Caspian smiled at Gavin. “Your magic is impressive.”

  Gavin shrugged. “Thanks, babe, but that’s just a tiny chunk of it.”

  Caspian whistled under his breath. “I wish I could do that.”

  “Someday, babe. You haven’t even reached your two hundredth birthday yet. Your magic will grow much stronger as you get older. By comparison, I’m literally ancient.”

  Caspian snorted. “True, but you have the sexual stamina of a teenager.”

  Gavin snickered. “I have to keep up with you.”

  Caspian rolled his eyes. “That’s an invalid excuse. You’re just horny all the time.”

  Gavin smirked. “It’s your fault for being so sexy and irresistible.”

  Caspian ignored the heat creeping up his neck and cheeks while pointing at the spheres around them. “What are we going to do with all these shadow people? Do we even manage to round them all up?”

  “I think so. I’ll send them all to the alternate dimension and let Tarragon take a first crack on them. After all, he’s the one in charge of all supernatural beings with the element of the spirit, including the shadow people. If he can’t get anything out of them, we have to rely on Balt.”

  Caspian nodded. “All right then.”

  He was about to inquire about their methods of transportation for their prisoners when Gavin called upon his portal of water and threw them all inside with one swish of his arm.

  “Done.”

  “Show-off.”

  Gavin waggled his eyebrows at Caspian. “Do I turn you on, babe?”

  “Do you associate everything with sex?”

  “More or less.”

  Caspian shook his head. “I’m mated to a sex addict.”

  “I can’t help myself. I get hard around you almost all the time.”

  “You need to learn better self-control then.”

  “You should tone down your sexiness, babe,” Gavin retorted while Caspian simply snorted in retaliation.

  “Whatever.”

  Caspian gulped a little when Gavin moved closer to him and wrapped both arms around his waist. “I remember someone promising to ride on my dick.”

  “Really? You must be going senile. There was no such promise.”

  Gavin pouted. “Come on, babe. My blue balls will be turning purple in a matter of minutes.”

  Suddenly, Caspian pushed Gavin down onto the picnic mat once again. Gavin’s yelp of surprise turned into the most brilliant grin ever. Caspian had planned to tease Gavin a little bit longer, but he was just as aroused as his mate. He attempted to do a sexy striptease for Gavin’s benefit, something he had learned from online video tutorials, but he ended up falling down onto his ass when he was taking his pants off. He blushed from the embarrassment.

  “Sorry.”

  Gavin shook his head while crawling toward him. He moaned under his breath when Gavin licked at his neck. It was a gentle swipe of his mate’s tongue, but the sensation was incredible.

  “Have I told you how much I love you today?” Gavin whispered against his nec
k while nibbling on it. “Fuck. You taste so good, babe.”

  Caspian couldn’t utter a single word. Instead, he reached out and grasped blindly for Gavin’s shirt, wanting to take it off and yearning to feel the warmth of his mate’s bare skin rubbing against him. He was lost in the thrill of Gavin’s tongue all around his neck. It took him a moment to realize he was now lying naked underneath Gavin, who had removed every stitch of his own clothes. However, he was determined to give Gavin just as much pleasure as he was receiving at the moment. He stretched his right hand out and gripped onto Gavin’s throbbing cock. Gavin hissed against his chest before suckling on his nipples, one after the other.

  “Gav, fair is fair. Let me have a taste of you, as well.”

  Gavin rose up higher and spoke into Caspian’s left ear in a husky tone. “Yeah? Where do you want to start, babe?”

  Caspian didn’t reply. Instead, he scooted down lower until he was positioned on his back right underneath Gavin’s hairy balls. He glanced upward and shifted backward a little bit more. He was now gazing up at Gavin’s muscled ass. He grabbed onto Gavin’s hips and pulled his mate lower toward him as he stuck his tongue out. He could smell his mate’s musky scent as he breathed in deep and put both of Gavin’s balls inside his mouth. He played around with them over and over again until he was satisfied. Gavin’s grunt of enjoyment was all the encouragement he required to continue what he was doing.

  When he had enough, he reached out for Gavin’s pulsing cock with both hands. His palms weren’t large enough to circle around the width of Gavin’s dick, and neither were they enough to cover the entire length of his mate’s cock. He stroked his hands up and down, feeling the leaking precum from Gavin’s dick on one of his hands. He repeated the movement a few more times before tugging Gavin’s straining erection closer to his mouth. He was grateful when Gavin helped him by shuffling backward.

  He pushed Gavin’s cock into his mouth, sucking on the head and licking on the salty precum with his tongue. Once in a while, he would take more of Gavin’s cock inside his mouth. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to swallow the whole length of his mate’s dick, but he was determined to keep trying. He bucked up in surprise when he felt Gavin sucking his dick. He permitted Gavin to deepthroat his cock for a few moments, but he had to pull Gavin’s head away when he felt the tightening in his groin. He released Gavin’s dick from his mouth and pushed his mate off of him.