Chapter 27
Grayson
Grayson leaned out over the ferry’s railing to see a flash of gold streak out in front of the vessel. He’d tried to convince Keld to just ride the ferry with him, but was vehemently shut down. The Alpha appeared insulted at the very suggestion.
“Even our infants don’t need flotation devices.”
Grayson sighed, watching the blur of gold move in and out of sight.
A few other Mer swam alongside him, their human partners evidently in the same boat as Grayson.
There was a man in his forties who seemed entirely unbothered by his partner’s refusal to get on the ferry, and was buried in a book of crossword puzzles.
Next to him was a sullen teen with ash-violet fins and his father’s dark hair.
Grayson tried not to stare, but older hybrids were still a rare sight, especially for someone working as a midwife. He’d seen more hybrid babies than most humans would see in their lifetimes, but the older ones were still a point of fascination.
“Dad, seriously, why can’t I swim with Reio?” the teen complained. “This is embarrassing.”
“Your reio has been trying to get you to go with him on training swims for months,” the man said, scribbling something in his puzzle. “But you always said no, and now you get to sit up here with me.”
“I’m plenty fast!” the boy whined. “I can keep up! I don’t need any training.”
“Speed isn’t the problem, it’s your endurance, Zokio. You would have been exhausted fifteen minutes ago and we’re not even halfway there.”
The teen huffed and slouched down on the bench.
The sky blazed blue overhead, broken up with puffy clouds and early winter sunshine. Florida’s heat had given way to cooler breezes and lukewarm days, though the former was enough to get Grayson to don a jacket.
The denim shielded his fair skin from the sun and wind as the ferry trundled closer to the purple dot on the horizon.
Keld had insisted he didn’t need to bring any camping gear, and that it would all be taken care of, which only made Grayson nervous.
His canvas backpack filled with clothes and toiletries felt woefully insufficient for the kind of camping he’d grown up with.
Silvery sand like fragmented diamonds glittered in the sunlight as the ferry neared the dock ahead.
Enormous trees with vast, plum-colored leaves bounced merrily in the breeze, and tufts of pale, lavender beach grass speckled the boundary of sand and soil.
Grayson’s chest ached for a land he’d never known, in a galaxy he’d never see.
A handful of Mer waited on the doc, Keld among them. He grinned as Grayson disembarked, still staring, wide-eyed at his surroundings.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
“That’s an understatement.”
Keld motioned to the shore. “Come on, it’s just a few minutes from the beach.”
Grayson trailed behind Keld, inspecting the unfamiliar plantlife. Thick, rubbery shoots poked out of black mud puddles and trees with bulbous trunks rose in their midst. With the other humans out of sight, Grayson could almost believe he was standing on an alien world.
“Is the sky blue on Usoi?” Grayson asked, peering up at the thick canopy of purple overheard.
Keld glanced over his shoulder. “Not like Earth’s. It’s more of an indigo—between blue and purple.
Grayson squinted at the sky, trying to force himself to see indigo. “It sounds beautiful.”
“I’m sure it was.” Keld paused next to a large, wooden sign bearing the thick, slashing letters of Loaish. “Here we are. Jiede’n Pasoi Campground.”
Grayson caught sight of a structure that looked suspiciously like a violet yurt.
He pressed his lips together and followed Keld down the small, hardpacked soil road.
The trees and undergrowth thinned to reveal a clearing and—to Grayson’s horror— a ring of enormous, luxury tents, complete with fairy lights.
“Are you serious?” he asked, before he could stop himself. “This ain’t campin’!” He clapped a hand to his mouth.
Keld wheeled around, his face the picture of delight. “Was that your real accent just now?”
“No!”
“It was, wasn’t it? Your southern sensibilities were so offended by the sight of beds in tents you couldn’t—”
“There are beds?!”
“We’re the product of modern civilization, Grayson, why would we be sleeping in the dirt?”
“Because that’s how you camp.” His voice twanged again.
Keld’s smile grew wider. “I’ll make you a deal. If you still hate this by the end of the weekend, I’ll let you drag me on a ‘proper’ camping trip.”
Grayson scowled at the Mer. “Fine.” Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed an actual store, selling snacks and fishing supplies. His brothers would have been appalled.
“Come on, we’re over here.” Keld took Grayson’s hand. His heart fluttered.
When did he retract his webs? Did he do it just to hold my hand?
Keld brought them to a stop in front of a huge, purple tent, raised up on a wooden platform, and complete with lavender mosquito netting and a king-sized bed in the middle.
“Jesus Christ,” Grayson mumbled.
“I know, I know,” Keld said sympathetically. “You’ll have to be comfortable all night long. It’s so unfair.”
“Shut up.”
Keld shrugged off his waterproof bag. “What should we do first? I vote skinny dipping.”
Grayson rolled his eyes. “Every time you swim, it’s skinny dipping. What else is there to do?”
“There’s a hiking trail around the island with some nice views, fishing spots for the humans and their silly little poles, and an archery range.”
Grayson brightened. “They have an archery range? Can we go?”
Keld lifted a brow. “You’d rather shoot arrows at a target than swim naked with me?”
“Yep.”
The Alpha heaved a dramatic sigh and exited the tent. Grayson watched the bronze tailfin wave as Keld walked, staring at the pinkish scar tissue that ran along the bottom. His own mother…
They trekked down a narrow trail, through the purple flora. Signs of lime green wood pointed the way toward the range. A Mer couple passed as they entered a clearing with colorful targets and a rack of bows. They smiled politely, but the fluid sound of Loaish conversation didn’t pause.
“Have you ever done this before?” Keld held out a battered compound bow.
“A few times,” Grayson answered, nocking an arrow. “I just realized I don’t see Mer couples that often. It’s mostly interspecies pairs.”
“That’s because we live on the southern side of the island. The northern shore is mostly Mer.”
Grayson frowned. “I should really explore the island more.”
“I can take you up north when we get back,” Keld said. He took a larger bow, one too big for Grayson to handle with any semblance of grace. “If you’ve only done this a few times, you should probably watch me do it first.”
Grayson raised a brow. “You’ve shot a lot of bows, huh?”
“A fair few,” Keld replied. He nocked his arrow and took aim, but before he drew his arm back, Grayson let his arrow fly. It struck the center of his target with a resounding thunk.
Keld’s head snapped around, mouth agape.
Grayson shrugged, trying not to laugh. “We used to bowhunt every deer season.”
The Mer was still staring.
“What?” he said a bit defensively. “Is it that surprising I can shoot?”
“It’s just…” Keld’s eyes ran down Grayson’s body. “I’m having a hard time picturing you in camo and covered in deer blood.”
“Well, that was my life until a few months ago.” Grayson fired another arrow. This time, he hit Keld’s target.
“Show off,” Keld muttered.
“I thought your target looked lonely.”
Keld threw him a look of mock outrage. Lifting the massive bow again, he drew his arm back. Grayson paused to admire the way Keld’s muscles bunched under his scales, and how the lines of his back tapered to that perfectly narrow waist.
Thunk.
Keld and Grayson stared at the arrow in silence for a second.
“In your defense,” Grayson said, “that tree deserved it.”
“I was just warming up!” Keld snatched another arrow and leveled the bow at his target. The arrow hissed as it skidded through the sand at the base of the target.
“Wow, that’s an unfamiliar technique,” Grayson commented, struggling to maintain a straight face.
Keld growled in response.
“Want some help?” Grayson slid his hands slowly down Keld’s arms, pressing his body to the Mer’s back. Keld froze. Suppressing a smile, Grayson gently repositioned Keld’s grip on the bow.
“Draw,” he whispered. Keld’s body was too broad for Grayson to guide both hands, so he leaned to the right, tracing a line down Keld’s taut arm until he reached the hand hooking the bowstring. With the barest pressure, Grayson made adjustments to Keld’s stance and grip.
Then, he stretched onto the tips of his toes and breathed, “Release.”
The arrow whizzed from the bow, striking wood, but Grayson didn’t bother to see where it landed. Instead, he let his hands roam down Keld’s body. The Alpha was a statue, his shallow breathing the only indication of life.
“You like not being in charge right now, don’t you?” Grayson tugged Keld’s wrist toward his mouth and brushed his lips along the thin scales.
Keld didn’t respond.
Grayson peeked up at him, a twinge of nerves breaking through the high he’d felt taking charge. “Keld?”
Keld replaced the bow on its rack and turned to face Grayson fully, eyes half-lidded. “If you keep doing things like that, we’re never going to leave the tent.”
Emboldened once again, Grayson closed the distance between them and slid his arms around Keld’s waist. Something hard and restrained bulged against Grayson’s stomach.
“We’re not going back to the tent until I say we are,” he said, kissing Keld’s chest. “We have too many things on the agenda, I’m afraid.”
“Oh, is that so?” Keld seized Grayson’s jaw and forced his face up. “Feeling rebellious today, are we?”
Grayson gave him a cocky smile.
With a low laugh, Keld leaned in to claim Grayson’s mouth.
∞∞∞
There was a slight possibility that Grayson had become more out of shape than anticipated since moving to Miami. Air puffed between his lips and sweat beaded across his forehead.
Several yards ahead, Keld called over his shoulder, “I can smell you from here.”
“Shut up,” Grayson wheezed.
Keld flashed him a grin. “I like it.”
“Disgusting.”
The Mer slowed until he was side by side with Grayson. “Your sweat carries pheromones. I can’t help but like it. You smell like a vintage candy shop.”
“Frequent those, do you?” Grayson huffed.
“I can imagine. I took it upon myself to purchase a few tins of those violet candies you mentioned, and your friends are right—that’s exactly how you smell.” Keld leaned in and kissed Grayson’s temple. “And how you taste.”
“I’m pretty sure I just taste salty,” Grayson countered.
Keld bared his teeth in a feral grin. “Parts of you.”
“Ew.”
“What? I was referring to your tears.”
Grayson groaned and stopped in the middle of the trail, his hands on his knees. The black, alien soil marred his pristine tennis shoes—the ones that had, until now, only seen pavement and the white tiles of the birthing center.
“Look at the view,” Keld said, nudging Grayson.
Grayson forced himself upright.
The sun had just vanished beyond the horizon, spilling red and orange light across the sea. The sky was washed in vermillion which gave way to indigo blues. The purple foliage around them burned bronze, and Keld himself shone like precious ore.
Grayson gazed at Keld, no longer interested in anything else the view had to offer.
His golden scales caught and held the dying orange light, and his fins glowed translucent amber.
The pale, almost human shades on his face glinted, giving away the minute scales. Stephanie Meyer would have loved him.
Keld’s eyes, exactly the same hues as the burning horizon, shifted to Grayson. “What?”
Grayson stared back at him. “You’re… just really beautiful.”
Something splintered in the mask of confidence Keld always wore. “Am I?”
Grayson ran a finger along the glittering scales. “Like gold.” His hand followed the line of Keld’s arm up to his chest. “And soft sand.” He kept moving, brushing Keld’s collarbone, neck, and jaws. He cradled the Alpha’s face in his palm and met his carnelian gaze. “And fire.”
Almost imperceptible tremors flowed into Grayson’s hand. He’d felt them before, the night Keld talked about his mother.
Grayson leaned up to kiss him. “Why are you shaking?”
Keld let out an uneven breath. “It’s… embarrassing.”
Grayson frowned. “How is it embarrassing?”
“Mer…” Keld looked down. “It’s our bodies’ way of releasing strong emotions. Like how humans cry.”
“You’re crying?” Grayson ducked his head to find Keld’s eyes again. “Why are you crying?”
Keld shook his head. “It’s stupid. Just… No one’s ever said something like that to me. Or looked at me the way you just did.”
It was Grayson’s turn to feel like crying. He blinked the pricking tears away and reached up to hug Keld tight to his body. “I shouldn’t have been the first one, but I’m glad I could be.”
Another shudder ran through Keld as he pressed a kiss into Grayson’s neck.