Chapter 16
Ilied.
Not surprising.
I lie to myself all the time.
They are too enticing not to watch. And they keep diving under the water for too long—impossibly long.
How can I walk away when each time they dip under the surface, they stay under longer?
My heart is still racing when they finally start toward shore, Madison wrapped around her mate’s back.
They look completely fine, even though they must have been under the water for a solid ten minutes that last time. How the hell did they do that?
The omega climbs from the water, shaking her hair out, water sluicing down her body like a goddamn Betawatch episode. If she just ran a little, she’d be my own Pam Anderson. Part of me wishes she would, and part of me cringes at my perverted thoughts.
That’s when I see it. Him.
The beautiful man hoists himself from the water onto a rock. He’s hidden from the beach by an outcropping higher up, but from here I’ve got a direct line of sight—though I can’t help doubting what I see. He has a motherfucking tail instead of legs. A tail!
Holy Fuck. I can’t be seeing this right. I blink, rub my eyes, and look again.
Holy fucking mother of everything that is holy and unholy. He’s an honest to god merman!
The sun glints off his bluish scales, reflecting iridescent rainbows back at me. Madison joins him, just as focused as I am, waiting for something to happen.
And it does. His tail turns into legs.
I repeat. His. Tail. Turns. Into. Legs.
I’ve been studying marine biology for my entire career–-decades of classes and research and findings—and five minutes crouched behind a rock just changed my entire world.
I shift to get a closer look and accidentally kick a piece of shale over the edge. The merman’s head whips up toward the sound, and I duck. I gotta get out of here.
As much as I want to know more, who knows what they’ll do if they catch me spying?
Is he the only one? Did Madison know when she bonded him?
She didn’t seem phased. What if there’s like an army of merfolk who would take me under the sea if I knew their secret?
Okay, if they’re all as hot as that guy, I might not mind.
What the hell do I do now? I gotta call Sebastian, or the government, or someone.
No, Hunter. I need to tell Hunter. He’s gonna… fuck, I have no idea how he’ll respond to this. There’s no way he knows. He’d have said something.
Remaining crouched, I edge away from the plateau until I’m hidden by the dense treeline, then I stand and bolt toward campus.
As soon as I’m back in Hunter’s building, I sprint up the stairs and burst into the apartment. Hunter whirls around, looking at me wide-eyed. He’s in his kitchen, a bottle of brandy on the counter.
“Mad… mate… tail… swim…” I try to get my words out between heaving breaths until I hold up a finger, indicating that I need a minute. I hunch over, my hands on my knees, attempting to suck in much needed oxygen. I really need to up my cardio. Who am I to call Hunter old at this rate?
“Nix, what the actual fuck are you talking about? Spit it out.” Hunter growls impatiently.
Standing up, I clutch my side which has a stitch in it. At least I can speak in full sentences now.
“Madison’s mate is a merman.” Well, okay, one short sentence.
Hunter stares at me for a few seconds, his mouth gaping, then he bursts into laughter. Like, full on guffaws. Belly laughs, deep and true. Now he’s the one hunched over, grabbing his sides as he tries to catch his breath.
“Nix, seriously? You can do better than that if you’re trying to fuck with me. Where did you even come up with this idea? Hoo boy, that was funny.”
He sobers a little when he realizes I’m not laughing with him. Hand on my hip, I raise my eyebrows. “Are you done?”
“Yep. Totally.” He starts but then breaks back down. “Nope, I lied. This is possibly the dumbest prank you’ve tried to pull on me ever, and you once convinced me there was a ghost living in the frat house on campus with some flickering lights and a ouija board.”
I put on my most serious expression. “Hunt, listen to me. I’m being one hundred percent serious right now.”
“Right, cause you have a great track record of seriousness and truth-telling. How’s Sebastian, anyway?”
“What does he have to do with this?”
“Nothing.” Hunter shakes his head and downs the rest of his drink in one gulp. “I’m going to take a nap.”
He storms to his bedroom, slamming the door in my face before I can fully recover or figure out how I’m going to convince him.
Fine. Maybe there’s something in his books about mermen. If he won’t believe me, maybe he’ll believe science.
Thirty minutes later, Hunter’s office is a mess, the books are making my eyes cross, and there’s a noise coming from Hunter’s room that has my pulse spiking. His moan is low, but I’ve always had good hearing.
Is he thinking of her or him? Or both of them? I’ve gotta get out of this apartment. Hunter might love his books, but I prefer a more hands on approach. I need the open air, preferably tinged with the salt of the sea. I need a plan.
Hunter grunts, and my dick swells. Fuck this. If I stick around here any longer I’m gonna end up barging into his bedroom, and I’m clearly not what he wants right now. I’ve never been what he wants.
Slipping my sandals on, I head out the door without telling him I’m leaving.
Maybe it’s time for me to move on. Sebastian’s still at a conference and won’t be home for another week, but I could surprise him.
I’ll apologize for pushing him to come here and meet Hunter, and everything will go back to normal. I don’t have to stick around.
But as I pass by Madison’s apartment, I know I’m not going anywhere. Not yet, anyway.