Chapter 13
Steam laced the air in the bathroom. Pan had insisted on joining him, even though Noah had said they couldn’t muck around.
Somehow, while he’d been washing his hair, Pan’s mouth had ended up on his dick, which had then led to a very nice mutual hand job that had left Pan’s pupils glowing and Noah not sure that the kiss had been enough to smother his groan as magic once again fried his brain.
And he’d forgotten to pay attention to the tides, or more specifically, the point where they turned.
He leaned against the tiles, with Pan pressed against him, lazily exploring his mouth with his tongue. He didn’t want to get out yet. It was warm in the water, and he liked the way Pan felt in his arms.
“We really do need to move,” Noah whispered.
“Mmm.” Pan made no effort to pull away. Water ran down his horns and dripped off the ends. “You brought the coat in here for a reason.”
“Obviously.”
“So why don’t you put it on while I wash my hair?”
“Can I put it on wet?”
Pan laughed and stepped back. “Of course you can.”
It was seal fur, and they swam in the ocean, so a little fresh water should be fine. All he had to do was remember not to panic and to visualize opening it with his flippers.
Easy.
He slid past Pan and stepped out of the shower and into the much cooler air. “Will I get covered in goo?”
“No, because there is nothing between you and the coat.”
Noah picked it up, and the need to put it on made him gasp. The craving was so bad he didn’t think he’d be able to resist, even if the house was on fire.
He crouched and slipped his arms in. He’d barely brought the edges together when he belly flopped onto the tiles. His flippers slapped the floor, and he looked over at Pan, who was wet and naked and shampooing his hair… Huh. The view from here was rather nice.
He opened his mouth, but Pan brought his finger to his lip.
Right. A seal barking in the bathroom might be a little odd. and he did not want Uncle David rushing in.
Noah rolled over, stretching his back before checking out his feet—or should that be flippers? He gave them a wriggle and a flap and did the same with his front flippers.
This was kind of cool, now that he wasn’t freaking out about being a seal. It might even be fun to learn how to swim like this. The beach was only a short drive away…or it had been, before the roads got damaged.
Maybe he could jump in the bath and slosh around…
The water shut off, and Pan stepped over him and grabbed a towel. He kneeled next to him and cupped his cheek the same way he did when Noah was human. “As pretty as you are right now, I think you need to practice getting out of the coat.”
A laugh that sounded more like a bark slipped out. Pan covered Noah’s mouth with his hand. Pan was always trying to get him naked, and this was no different.
Noah reached for his chest, and the coat opened. He sat up. “You just wanted me naked.”
“I do not need you out of the coat.”
Noah rocked back. “Eww. You have not!”
Pan shrugged. “What? Are you still you in the coat?”
Noah glared at him.
Pan pressed his lips together. “You probably don’t want to hear about the time I turned into a goat.”
“Not if it involves sex. Gross. I thought Zeus fucking animals and creating monsters was a myth…it’s a myth. Tell me it’s not real.”
Pan laughed. “First, define monster, and second, there is nothing wrong with fucking shifters. They are not animals. You’re being rude to imply that they are.” Pan lifted the edge of the coat. “Or do you still consider yourself human?”
“No…I just think it’s better if everyone is the same species?”
“Species?” The way Pan tilted his head almost made Noah reconsider the path he was on, but he was halfway there and unable to turn around.
“Like vampires wouldn’t get with werewolves.”
Pan kissed him on the forehead. “You are so wonderfully na?ve. That would be a non-breeding pair because shifters can only have children with other shifters of their kind.” He stood and passed Noah the other towel.
“So now you’re telling me I can’t have kids?” He grabbed the towel but found he was dry except for his hair, like the coat had soaked up all the water.
“I thought you liked being part of a non-breeding pair?” Pan wrapped the towel around his waist and offered Noah a hand up.
“Because you’re a god?”
Pan frowned. “Because you like fucking men.”
“You mean gay. That’s what we call it.” He finished drying his hair and wrapped the towel around himself before scooping up the coat.
Confusion flickered in Pan’s eyes, which had lost their golden window into the universe while Noah had been rolling on the floor. “Happy?”
Noah grinned. “Well, yeah, it does mean that too, but most people don’t use it that way.”
“Very confusing. What is wrong with a non-breeding pair? It covers so many more pairings.”
“I guess we never had to think about shifters.”
“Of course you did. Shifters have been in this world; otherwise, you wouldn’t have selkie blood.”
“Wait…you said shifters can only breed with shifters.”
“We have also discovered that shifters are stuck and unable to shift.”
Noah frowned. “So what am I?”
“A human with a magic coat.”
“Which makes me a selkie, correct?”
“Yes…but you are not a shifter like a werewolf, as they do not require external magic.”
This conversation was not clearing up anything.
Somewhere in Pan’s head was a wealth of information about life, the universe, and, well, everything, but getting it out of him in a way that made sense would be like trying to dance with a kangaroo—no one had any fun, and someone was going to end up bleeding.
Probably him.
“Come on, I’ll give you some clothes for dinner.” And over dinner, he’d avoid telling David that he was an occasional seal.