Chapter 24
I’m abruptly awakened by sounds of splashing and yelling. Male voices, familiar, along with the guttural language of the merfolk. I shake my head and rub my eyes, trying to make sense of what’s going on.
Stumbling out from under the overhang where I was hiding from the sun, I nearly pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming.
Maybe I’m hallucinating? Have the isolation and salt water finally gotten to me, and I’ve cracked?
Because there is no way I’m watching Hunter and Phoenix crawling over the edge of rock while angry mermen point spears at them.
“We’re fuckin’ going! Lay off, you overgrown tuna!”
Okay, that is definitely something Phoenix would say, so maybe I’m not imagining this.
A third man is dragged out of the water by Nix, but it’s Hunter I’m focused on. My bonded alpha. The bond is strong, and I can feel his relief when he lays eyes on me.
“Madi,” he gasps, clearly as surprised to see me as I am to see him. There’s a small gash on his head that looks like it’s fresh. Fear and rage spark in me alongside the deep relief that he’s here. We’re finally together again.
I don’t realize I’ve moved until I’m falling into his arms, sobbing. He holds me tight, like he’s worried I’ll disappear if he lets go. The feeling’s mutual.
“Are you really here?” I run my palms up his strong back, the dripping fabric of his shirt and each defined muscle making it all feel more real.
“I’m here, baby.” He kisses the top of my head. “I’ve got you.”
Another body crashes into us, and the scent of papaya and vanilla hits me like a wave. Phoenix pulls me from Hunt’s arms and looks me up and down as if he’s checking for injuries before he crushes me against his chest.
“Fuck, sunshine. Madi. Thank gods,” Phoenix breathes, his voice reedy and thin.
I lean up to bury my nose in his neck, to huff that delicious scent I’ve been missing, when the wind shifts.
Zesty lemon twisted with sugar. Boozy undertones that make me think of summer nights on the beach in undergrad, passing limoncello around the bonfire because we thought beer was gross.
Warmth settles in my stomach like I’ve taken a swig straight from the bottle.
When I pull away from Phoenix and turn to look, I see the last person I ever expected. “Fishy?” I suddenly realize I don’t even know his real name. To me, he’s just FishyBillionaire47.
He rubs a finger over the bridge of his nose. A nervous habit, if I had to guess. I’ve never seen him without his glasses, but there’s no mistaking those piercing eyes, that firm jaw, those full lips. It’s him.
“Hello, Madison,” he says, so quietly I almost miss it. It’s the first time he’s said my real name, and it lights something inside me on fire. I want to hear him say it again.
He fiddles with the hem of his dripping shirt, twisting the fabric nervously between his fingers.
“How?” I look from Fishy to Phoenix and Hunter.
“Sebastian’s my boyfriend.” Phoenix steps away from me to throw an arm over my online friend.
“This is Sebastian? The Sebastian?” I can’t believe it. What are the chances?
Hunter pulls me back against his chest, as if he can’t keep from touching me. The bond sings, but my eyes stay locked on Sebastian. He’s looking at me like I’m a miracle and something that terrifies him all at once.
“I’m really glad we found you,” he says.
“Me too.” I reach out my hand, trying to close the space between us, wanting to touch him, hold him, but then I remember he isn’t interested in me like that. He refused me when I asked him to help with my heat. I drop my hand, and his eyes track the fall.
He steps away from Phoenix, looking far more confident than he did a minute ago. He takes my hand and tugs me flush against his chest. His arms come around me, his hand still locked in mine behind my back.
“Is this what you wanted, ocean_omega?” he whispers in my ear. “To touch me?”
“Yes.” I rub my cheek against his chest, scent marking him.
There’s a splash behind us. “Making a new friend, starfish?”
“Caspian!” I twirl out of Sebastian’s arms and jump into the water, throwing myself at him. It’s been too long since I saw him, and now all my mates are here. We might be in prison, but it feels like heaven.
Caspian laughs at my exuberance. He lifts me back onto the rock, so I’m sitting with my feet dangling in the water, then he rests his crossed arms on my thighs and looks up at my face.
“I was so worried when I heard the queen say something about putting someone in your prison. But now, I see it’s a happy occurence—well, it will be when we can get you all out of here.
Are you going to introduce me to the hot beta, starfish? ”
“Oh,” I swing to look behind me. “Sebastian, this is my mate, Caspian. Um… he’s a merman, but I guess you can see that.” I laugh nervously, unsure how he’s going to take this news.
“Yes, I know.” Sebastian gives me a cheeky smile before his gaze slides to Caspian. He squats down beside me and holds out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Caspian.”
My mate takes Sebastian’s open palm and kisses his knuckles in a move so smooth it makes me suck in a breath. I’m suddenly slick as I picture the two of them together. Shit, I shouldn’t be imagining that. They don’t even know each other.
“So, you want my omega, too?” Caspian says, voice seductively deep.
Sebastian swallows hard, watching my merman carefully, not answering the question, and pointedly avoiding looking at me. Of course, he’s not going to answer. He doesn’t want to hurt my feelings again. He knows how upset I was when he refused to help with my heat.
“So, uh, how did you all get here?” I ask, trying to change the subject and save Sebastian from having to respond.
“A ship,” Hunter replies dryly as he sits down on the other side of me from Sebastian.
I roll my eyes at the surly professor.
Phoenix drops down beside his boyfriend. “Told you he was hot,” he whispers loud enough for all of us to hear.
Caspian’s ears pinken, but he turns a heated gaze on Phoenix. “Have you been talking about me, alpha?”
“Hell yeah, I have. Missed you, squishy.” Phoenix winks at Caspian, but it’s more than playful. It’s hungry.
Caspian looks at me like he’s asking permission for something, but I’m not sure what. I nod anyway, because there isn’t anything I wouldn’t give my mate.
Caspian lifts his body higher out of the water, his strong tail swinging in a graceful arc. “Can I kiss your boyfriend, beta?”
That definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. I don’t think Sebastian was prepared for it either, because he gasps and coughs as if he swallowed wrong.
Hunter leans into my side, watching the exchange with as much interest as I am. My skin is suddenly so hot it feels sunburnt. We should make a plan to get out of here, but all I can think about is Caspian kissing Phoenix.
Phoenix and Caspian both look at Sebastian. We all wait with bated breath for his answer.
“Uh… um… if Phoenix wants that?”
Phoenix answers with an alpha growl that vibrates my insides. The next second, he’s pulling Caspian toward him, spreading his legs so the other alpha can slot between them. Their lips meet in a kiss that’s both desperate and tender.
Phoenix grabs Caspian’s long hair and wraps it around his fist, using it to tilt the merman’s head where he wants it. Caspian grips Phoenix’s thighs hard enough to bruise. There’s pure masculine dominance in the way they try to devour each other.
I can’t rip my eyes away.
A low whimper slips past my lips, and four sets of eyes are suddenly on me. My skin feels tight. The sun, sweltering overhead. My pussy has a pulse of its own. Slick gathers between my thighs. My perfume floods the air, overpowering every other scent.
Hunter’s nostrils flare. “Omega.”
And that’s when I know we’re in trouble. I’m having a heat spike on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Gods, I hope it’s not a full heat. I haven’t had my suppressants for days. The stress seems to have been enough to keep my heat at bay, until now, when I’m finally re-united with my pack.
And Sebastian. My sweet beta who never wanted to go through a heat with me. I can’t do this to him when we’re trapped here.
I lock my legs together and sink into the ocean. Maybe the cold will be enough to snap me out of it, to hide the change in my scent.
The moment I’m in the water, Caspian draws me to him. His body skyrockets my need. So much for that plan.
Phoenix and Hunter slip in behind us, all three of them touching me, crowding me, surrounding me in their scents. I can’t fight the moan that shakes out of me.
“I can’t…” I whisper, gaze swinging to Sebastian. If I could fight this for him, I would, but it’s too strong. The need to feel my pack, to join with them physically, overpowers everything else.
Sebastian licks his lips, and doesn’t look away. There’s something steady in his expression. He doesn’t seem panicked. He’s not moving away.
“It’s okay, omega,” Hunter says, kissing up my neck. “Just relax and let us take care of you.”
Despite my fear about what’s to come, my uncertainty about how Sebastian might feel, our trapped circumstances, there’s nothing I want more. So, I give in and let them take control.