Chapter Thirty-Seven
The engine of Connor’s yacht rumbled through the quiet air of Aridia’s docks, white hull reflecting off ripples in the fresh water.
The afternoon sun warmed Nick, and he eyed Kit, who stood at his side, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, hands loose at his sides in leather gloves.
Kit watched the approaching yacht with interest, unbothered by the heat.
A few paces ahead of them, Connor waited at the very edge of the dock, Adonis circling the water, growling. “Don’t chase them away,” Connor warned.
Nick followed Adonis’s glare to where Bee and Dew, the two mermen with tails of copper and pale blue, were helping guide the yacht in. His gaze slid up to the hull, the decking becoming clearer. “My dad is at the wheel,” he said to Kit. “Trevor. He’s the kindest man you’ll ever meet.”
“True,” Connor echoed.
Kit hummed. “From what you have told me of him, I do not doubt he has a good nature. The other is Laurence?”
“He’s a bundle of sunshine.” Nick nodded, spotting the leaner figure of his little brother as he hopped onto the side rail. Nick startled. “He—oh for, is he really going to jump? Laurence, don’t you dare –”
Laurence dared.
The yacht engine cut off, and momentum and mermen carried it side by side with the dark stone dock. Laurence balanced on the railing like a goddamn monkey. He didn’t hesitate, jumping for the dock and landing on solid stone ground with a neat forwards roll.
Laurence nimbly leapt to his feet and ran towards them. Nick scowled. “You couldn’t wait two seconds?”
Connor caught Laurence around the shoulders, wrenching him to an abrupt stop a foot away from them. Laurence threw Connor a distracted look, a confused question in his dark eyes.
“Gently,” Connor warned.
Laurence’s eyes latched on to Nick’s arm in a sling. He nodded, shoved away from Connor, and before Nick could get out another word of a lecture, Laurence’s arms were around his midsection. Laurence buried his blond head against Nick’s throat, clinging on as sobs shook his body.
The lecture died on Nick’s tongue.
He hugged Laurence back with his free arm, resting his chin on Laurence’s head as he squeezed him.
“I was so worried,” Laurence got out through hiccupped gasps.
“I’m all right,” Nick reassured.
Connor cast a glance over them before turning away and going to the yacht, where Trevor was waiting for help to dock.
Water churned around the yacht, and Kit’s tail curled around Nick’s leg, sneaking a hold between him and Laurence, as Adonis lunged for the other two mermen with vicious intent.
Kit edged slightly forward, positioning himself between Nick and the river.
“Adonis,” Connor warned, without even looking at his quarrelsome boyfriend.
Nick caught Kit’s eye. “It’s okay,” he mouthed. He slid his attention to Laurence, whose blond hair was a few shades lighter than the last time he’d seen him, bleached by the sun. His pale Irish skin had taken on a golden hue. “Where’d you learn how to tan and not burn?”
“Vi gave me cream,” Laurence sniffed. “She has a special formula for Sam because he burns really easily.”
She must have given him clothes too. He was dressed in a similar type of linen shirt and cotton trousers to what Nick had on, though Laurence’s clothes were stitched with fine golden thread and fit him perfectly.
Two faces rose from the water a few feet away from them.
The clear river water left the shining brilliance of their scales on full display.
Bee and Dew cast only a cursory glance over Nick, clearly not overly interested in him, but seemed very concerned as they fixed their attention on the still-crying Laurence.
Both hummed out reassuring, gentle sounds.
Laurence finally relaxed his hold enough to peer up at Nick, his eyes red and puffy. He sniffed again, bottom lip beginning to tremble as he studied Nick’s face.
“Your hair’s grown out,” Laurence said. His attention moved to the sling, and his shoulders tensed. He opened his mouth to ask, but Nick cut in first.
“Before Dad comes over, meet Kit.” Nick slung his good arm over Laurence’s shoulders, holding him close, and turned to where Kit waited quietly with his hands clasped behind his back.
His tail was wrapped around Nick’s calf, nervously held still.
“My partner.” Nick followed up with a brief explanation.
“It’d be nice if you helped with Dad. I think he’s not going to be too happy about… this.”
Kit inclined his head towards Laurence. “Nick has told me about you. I am glad you are reunited.”
“Hi, Kit.” The pronunciation of ‘hi’ tickled oddly on Nick’s ear, and the translation symbol on his inner arm warmed. Laurence glared, wiping the tear tracks from his cheeks with a trembling hand. “Want to go for a swim?”
“Laurence,” Nick hissed.
Bee and Dew chortled a welcoming, beckoning sound. Their eyes were razor-focused on Kit, whose gaze slid to them, mere feet from him in the water. His tail tightened on Nick’s calf, but his brave, protective boyfriend kept his body between Nick and the two mermen.
“I’m not a great swimmer,” Kit replied politely.
Laurence’s dark eyes fixed on Kit with a fierceness that Nick first saw in him last year, when he’d begun defending Connor from the world. Nick had that anger rightfully directed at him on a few occasions, but he’d never seen it used for him.
But seeing it pointed at Kit… Nick’s heart sank. He didn’t want anything negative thrown at Kit; he’d put up with enough of that to fill several lifetimes. Nick wanted Laurence to direct his sunshine at Kit and share that spark that made people happy just to be around.
Right now, that spark was crackling over oiled animosity, and Nick needed time to put it out.
“Kit, can I meet up with you in a bit?”
Kit hesitated, eyes flashing towards the yacht.
“I won’t leave without seeing you,” Nick reassured quickly.
Kit nodded stiffly. His tail slid away from Nick’s calf, and he brushed a gloved hand against Nick’s side. “I will meet my crew in the town square,” he said. Nick tracked his path—towards the town centre—and redirected his attention to Laurence, who was glaring a hole into the back of Kit’s head.
“At least he’s mature enough not to rise to that,” Nick muttered under his breath. He dropped his arm from Laurence’s shoulders and stepped back. “Stop it. You didn’t give Connor shit for Adonis.”
“Adonis didn’t abduct Connor!” Laurence snapped. “He –”
Connor approached from the now tied-off yacht and planted his hands on Laurence’s shoulders.
He squeezed. “Hear Nick out. It’s a long story, and from what he described, I think Kit didn’t have much say in how it played out.
Although…” Connor folded his arms around Laurence’s shoulders, using his head as a chin rest the same way Nick had.
“You never forgave Austin, and he wasn’t responsible for what happened to me. ”
Laurence scowled. “Austin hit you.”
Nick kept his face perfectly blank. “Kit never did that.”
Laurence wavered, teeth gnawing his bottom lip.
Connor’s gaze cut to Nick, eyes narrowing.
How or why he suspected that was a lie, Nick didn’t know.
He ignored Connor’s probing gaze, directing his attention to Trevor striding up the dock.
Nick swore new worry lines were etched in his dad’s face, crinkles between his eyebrows that hadn’t been there a few weeks ago.
Trevor pulled Nick into an all-engulfing hug.
Nick sank into it, shutting his eyes. His dad sighed deeply.
“I figured you’d let Laurence get away with skipping school,” Nick said lightly.
A startled laugh shook Trevor’s entire frame. “You’ve got me there. But he’s also got a lasagne five minutes away from being done with your name on it, so maybe you’ll let me get away with it this once?”
“How on earth do you have the ingredients for lasagne?”
“I honestly have no idea.” Trevor laughed again, the sound slightly strained.
“I would love some.” Nick pulled back. “And coffee. You guys didn’t swing home for a jar by any chance?”
“We have tea.”
The thought of tea and lasagne felt strange, though they were technically more familiar to Nick than anything else in this world. A very faint electronic ting echoed off the yacht.
“That’s the timer,” Laurence said. He stepped away from Connor, and whatever their quiet conversation had been about, Laurence seemed calmer and steadier. His voice recovered, though his eyes remained red and puffy.
“Come on.” Trevor steered Nick towards the yacht.