Chapter 7
Grayson
“Do not just stand there, do something!”
Grayson couldn’t help flinching away. This Alpha was terrifying—his teeth were bared in sharp points, and his fins were punctuated with bony spikes. His eyes were nearly solid black, and bioluminescent markings disturbed the inky hue of his scales.
“Sir, we’re doing everything we—” Grayson began, trying and failing to keep the tremor from his voice.
“It’s fine, Ukio.” The Mer’s Omega was a tall, human woman, currently gritting her teeth through a contraction. “Live births suck. Nothing the nice nurse can do about it.”
Ukio ran his fingers through corded, ebony hair. “Yes. Yes, you are right, luae. I am sorry,” he added to Grayson. “It is difficult… Seeing my mate in pain.”
Grayson attempted a smile. “I understand.”
The suite door slid open behind him.
“How are we doing, Leigh?” Dr. Obian rested a light hand on Grayson’s shoulder. “Nurse Miller, could you do a brief checkup on the newborn and his father in room three?”
“Of course.” Grayson bolted from the room, heart still racing in his chest. Dr. Obian was an Omega, and was not nearly as intimidating as an Alpha, but even she made Grayson nervous. He was starting to wonder if he’d ever get used to living alongside the Mer.
Grayson sighed and gave the door to room three a gentle warning knock. He slipped inside without waiting for a response.
“Sorry to bother you, Beau,” Grayson said, reading the name off a clipboard from the wall. “But I need to run a few quick checks on you and”—He checked the chart—“Makai.”
The Alpha at Beau’s bedside was slender, with fiery hair and teal scales. His fins were a shock of contrasting scarlet—he was easily the most colorful Mer Grayson had seen yet.
“Is something wrong?” the Mer asked roughly.
Grayson’s tense muscles jerked in response. “No, sir, this is all routine.”
The Alpha gave a relenting grunt and fell back into a chair nearby, though his vibrant, piercing gaze didn’t leave Grayson.
“Actually, Loriun,” Beau said suddenly. “Could you go out to the cafeteria and get me some chocolate milk? That’s all I can think about right now.”
Grayson waited, hoping the Mer would acquiesce.
Loriun’s nose crinkled in disgust. “How can you want sugared cow secretions at a time like this?”
Beau rolled his eyes. “Oh, shut up and get me my damn secretions.”
Grayson fought back a laugh as Loriun vanished from the room.
Some of the tension left his body now that it was just him, another human, and a newborn—even if that newborn was a hybrid.
“You’re new here, right?” Beau asked as Grayson wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm.
Beau had warm, brown eyes, though purplish bruising from a night of labor marred his otherwise handsome features.
“Is it that obvious?” Grayson hung his head slightly. “I just transferred to the Mermades last week, from the same small town I was born and raised in. The first Mer I ever met was a gigantic Alpha at the docks when I landed.”
“Green scales, black fins, and unreasonably low voice?”
Grayson blinked at him. “How did you know?
Beau laughed. “His human mate, Jaime, runs a lot of the transport between the mainland and Miami. He likes to tag along and do the heavy lifting. His name’s Vuos, and they’ve been together since before the first Omega program. They’ve got four kids.”
“Four? Damn.” Grayson wracked his brain, trying to remember if Jaime had mentioned that on the day his group arrived.
He jotted down the reading on the blood pressure cuff, then removed it.
Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he’d been in a room with a Mermated Omega, without his Alpha present.
The words fell from his lips before he could stop them. “Um. Can I ask… What’s it like? Is it anything like the Natural Order people say?”
Beau’s answering smile smoothed the edge off Grayson’s worries.
“It’s amazing,” Beau said. “I know the Alphas look big and scary, but it’s all for show.
Don’t get me wrong, Loriun would do anything to keep me safe, but no more than any human spouse would.
Actually, I’ve never met an Omega that wasn’t head over heels in love with their partner.
Don’t let those speciesist bastards get to you. ”
Grayson returned the smile. “That’s a huge relief.
” He meant it. He was now feeling much less worried about his patients’ home lives.
“Thank you. May I?” Grayson held his arms out for the little bundle in Beau’s arms. The baby was huge by human standards, but not the largest Grayson had seen so far.
He had lightly golden skin and warm, tawny scales that brought white wine to mind.
His crumpled fins were slowly straightening from their cramped position in the womb.
Despite his fear of their Alpha parents, Grayson had to admit the hybrid babies were beautiful.
“What’s your name, by the way?” Beau asked. His eyes lingered on the stethoscope Grayson warmed against his own wrist before pressing it to the baby’s chest.
“Grayson Miller,” he answered.
“Nice to meet you.” Beau was silent for a few moments. “You know… If you’re looking for a nice Alpha, I think I can hook you up.”
Startled, Grayson stared back up at the other Omega.
“You can?” was all he managed to say. Did he even want to be set up with an Alpha?
He hadn’t thought that far ahead. He was only here to escape his hometown and start a new life.
He had friends, he had a good job, but he hadn’t stopped to consider whether or not he might end up mated to an alien.
A stupid oversight, now that he thought about it.
Beau grinned at him. “How do you feel about the color gold?”
∞∞∞
Grayson was shaking like an aspen in a hurricane. Why the hell had he agreed to this? Who in their right mind allowed themselves to be set up on a blind date with an actual alien?
I’m such a goddamn doormat.
Grayson perched at the edge of his seat, staring unseeingly at the menu.
He’d arrived first, which caused a mingled sense of terror and relief.
He was wearing a pale blue shirt with short sleeves and pearl buttons.
Aureli said it brought out his eyes. Aureli had also helpfully selected a matching pair of cream slacks while Grayson was busy edging toward a total crashout.
Grayson blinked at the menu, not entirely sure it was even written in English.
“Grayson Miller?”
A low, smooth voice crested Grayson’s shoulder, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. He jerked his head around, too fast, and found himself face to face with a knit polo. It was attached to a broad-shouldered Mer with scales like pirate gold.
“Y—Yes,” Grayson squeaked.
The Alpha circled the table, taking the seat opposite Grayson. His auburn hair was tied back from his face, with the bottom section cascading over his shoulders
Mer hair had a strange bounce and stiffness to it, almost like it was made of fine wire. Most Mer Grayson saw wore it in protective or practical hairstyles—rarely did he see it unbound like this.
“I’m Keld Vihinu.” The Alpha stretched out a hand across the table. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Grayson took it, praying his date wouldn’t notice the tremors. “Nice to meet you too.”
Keld’s face looked human enough, with light skin that matched the golden cast of his scales. His ear fins were a burnished bronze that complimented his hair, and he was shorter than most Alphas in the room.
Of course, “short,” in Mer terms meant he stood around six foot two.
Grayson’s gaze traced Keld’s wide shoulders, also out of the ordinary for his kind. He looked… powerful.
“So,” Keld said, breaking through the silence. “I heard you’re a nurse.”
“Oh!” Grayson flushed. How long had he just been staring at him? “Yes, I’m a nurse and a midwife. That’s how I met Beau.” Grayson dropped his eyes back to the menu. Looking into Keld’s fiery amber eyes felt like staring into the sun.
“You must see a lot of agitated Alphas.”
Grayson peeked back up. Keld’s lips were quirked in a grin.
“I guess,” he mumbled. “They get a little upset when their Omegas are in pain.”
Keld snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.”
Another silence descended as Grayson frantically cast his mind around for something to say.
“So, um, you work with Loriun?” he finally managed.
Keld scanned the menu as he replied, “Yes. For a long time now.”
“Accounting, right?”
“Yeah, not exactly glamorous, but I’m good at it.”
Keld didn’t speak in the stilted way most Mer his age did, but rather as if he’d been amongst humans for a very long time.
“Did you attend university on the mainland?” Grayson asked.
Keld glanced up, a little crease between his brows. “No. Why?”
“Oh. Just… You talk like a human.” Grayson felt his face go hot. Was that rude to say?
Evidently, it wasn’t, because Keld let out a chuckle. “I’ve been working with humans since I was twenty-two, and spend a lot of recreational time in human-dominated places.”
Grayson blinked. “Like where?”
Before the Alpha could answer, a server in a crisp white button up appeared at their table.
“Welcome to Seaside Fine Dining. I’m Duion and I’ll be your server today.”
Grayson tried his best to keep his mouth from falling open.
Duion looked to be in his late teens and had graphite scales with charcoal fins, and hair cut oddly short.
But that wasn’t what startled Grayson. It was the tanned, human skin of his face and the dark brown eyes set under thick lashes. This boy was a hybrid.
Keld, however, squinted up at the server. “Duion? Duion Seyez?”
Duion grinned as he set two glasses of ice water on the table. “I was hoping you wouldn’t recognize me, Keld.”
The gold-scaled Mer whacked the teen on the forearm. “I thought Loriun recommended this place because it had good food, not because Beau could send you in as a spy.”
Duion’s smile widened. “Oh, it wasn’t Beau’s idea. You may be familiar with my jaei, Jaime?”
Keld heaved a good-natured sigh. “Gossip-mongers, both of them.”
“You’re Jaime and Vuos’s son?” Grayson blurted out.
“Yep.” Duion bounced on his heels. “The second one.”
Now that he mentioned it, Grayson could see Jaime’s nose and Vuos’s striking eye shape reflected on the teen.
“Gossip-mongering aside, what can I get you today?” Duion flipped a little notebook open.
Keld rolled his eyes and ran a finger down the Mer side of the menu. “I’ll have the tuna sashimi with matcha salt.”
“Kelp salad or baked naoak on the side?”
“Kelp salad.”
“You got it. And for you?” Duion looked up at Grayson expectantly.
“Uh.” Grayson was fairly certain his brain had been replaced with cotton. “What do you recommend?”
Duion leaned over to point at the menu. “My taste buds aren’t exactly humans, but I’ve heard good things about the truffle fettuccine and the Moroccan lamb.
” The hybrid’s blackened fingertips hovered over each Item.
“If you’re feeling adventurous, we also have a ginger-crusted eel dish that’s popular across the board. ”
Grayson forced a laugh. “Maybe next time. That truffle one sounded good. I’ll get that.”
“One truffle fettuccine and one tuna sashimi with kelp salad,” Duion repeated, scrawling the order in his notebook. “Anything to drink?”
Grayson side-eyed Keld. He was unbelievably out of his element. Who paid for the date between a man and a male alien? The Mer couldn’t really tolerate alcohol, so would it be rude of him to order some wine?
Anxiety furled and coiled in his gut. Why did I agree to this?
“I’d like a gose.” Keld’s burning gaze shifted to Grayson’s. “Wine? I hear it goes well with pasta.”
“S—Sure. Uh. White?” That felt right.
“Our recommendation is the sauvignon blanc with the truffle fettuccine,” Duion said. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah, perfect.” Grayson had to resist the urge to slump back into his chair with relief.
“Great,” Duion said, scribbling away. “I’ll get those out to you soon. Let me know if you need anything else.”
When the teen had vanished toward the kitchen, Keld leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “You don’t do this often, do you?”
Grayson flushed. “Do what?”
Keld gestured around them at the dark wood accents and green Earth plants nestled under every window. “All of it.”
“I’ve been on dates before,” Grayson said defensively. “Just… not places this nice.”
“And not with Mer.” A small smile danced on Keld’s lips. “Loriun mentioned you’re new to the island.”
Grayson nodded, eyes on the tealight flickering between them. “It’s been an adjustment.”
“How do you like your new job?”
“It’s good, most of the time. I have amazing coworkers.”
“But the irate Alphas aren’t your favorite?” Keld laughed.
Grayson grimaced. “It’s a little scary. They’re so big—” He quickly lifted his head. “I mean—Not that you—Sorry.”
The faint smirk didn’t leave Keld’s face. Grayson wasn’t sure if it made the Mer more attractive or simply punchable.
This is going great.
“I’m guessing you didn’t get to see many Mer growing up,” Keld commented, lifting his water glass to his lips.
Grayson watched beads of condensation run down the Alpha’s taut forearm. Bronze splotches dappled the bone, concentrating at his elbow. “None, actually. The first time I saw one in person was when I landed in Miami.”
Keld’s brows inched up his forehead. “So, what, a few weeks ago?”
Grayson nodded.
“No wonder you’re so nervous.”
A twinge of embarrassment shot through Grayson’s chest. He didn’t respond, but he felt a muscle in his jaw twitch.
Duion saved him by appearing with their drinks. Grayson seized his wine and swallowed a mouthful. Maybe this would be more bearable if he was tipsy.
Keld’s attention remained on Grayson as he took a much more measured sip of the foamy liquid in his glass.
“What’s that?” Grayson asked, for lack of anything better to say.
Keld held it out toward him. “Gose. It’s a kind of weak beer. One of the only alcoholic beverages we Mer can handle. Try it.”
Grayson begrudgingly set his wine down and accepted the pint glass. Nothing could have prepared him for the flavor that washed over his tongue. It was tart and lemony, with something herbal, all followed with the warm tang of salt. His face twisted in disgust before he could stop it.
Keld laughed and took the glass back. “I’ve heard it’s more of an acquired taste for humans.
“Are you sure that’s beer?” Grayson slugged another overlarge gulp of wine to chase the bizarre aftertaste from his mouth.
Keld shrugged. “Talk to the Germans.”