Page 12 of The Tides of March

It was too early to go to sleep so Tony gave himself a hard shake and squinted curiously at Ronan. “There are some things I’ve been wondering,” he began, then laughed at Ronan’s arched, wary brow. “About merrows. Nox told me a lot and I’ve learned more since I’ve been here, but you’re nothing like the pictures and there isn’t much lore about you. Especially the merrow men.”

“Suppose it wouldn’ do much harm…” Ronan bowed his head, gesturing for Tony to continue.

“Are all the merrow seals, like you? And can you literally turn into a seal?”

“No. The women look more like the pictures ye would have come across as they were seen more by sailors. They’ve got scales and gills and long tails when they wanna swim. The men are often like seals and the larger of our kind are like manatees but we rarely show ourselves like that.”

“Do the women shift like the men?”

“Aye,” Ronan said, nodding. “When they wanna mate with a human man and when they’re havin’ their bairn.”

“Fascinating!” Tony wasn’t sleepy anymore. “Do they live as long as the merrow men?”

“They used to. It’s easier to lure human men, because the world is smaller and there are so many more of them. But merrow women have to spend more time in the world of humans and their men are far more dangerous than they used to be.”

Tony hummed heavily in agreement. “They are, unfortunately. Why do they risk it? Why don’t they go back to the merrow men?” he asked but Ronan shook his head quickly.

“They crave human men and can’t get enough of them. Mating with a human nourishes them and they get love drunk.”

“Oh my!” Tony said, widening his eyes. “What happens to the human man?”

Ronan chuckled as he puffed on his cigar. “She’ll wear him out, in more ways than one. How obsessed he becomes depends on how thick the enchantment is, but they’ll be as busy as bunny rabbits.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Tony mused, earning an eye roll from Ronan.

“Until one of them ends it, usually the merrow lass because a new lover has caught her eye. Only she can break the spell but she usually won’ because it doesn’ suit her,” he explained. “Pinin’ and heartache are even more intoxicatin’ to them, the heartless harpies.”

“Do they ever go after women? Are there queer merrow?” Tony asked and found that he was blushing. His mind had already jumped ahead.

“Aye, they do… But from what I’m told, the merrow women live in pairs or small groups and carry on with each other when they’re not tormentin’ human men.”

“I see! Go, ladies!” Tony pumped his fist in solidarity. “What about the merrow men? Can they be queer too?”

There was a long pause before Ronan finally nodded. “We can’t afford to be picky, but we crave human men just as powerfully as our women do.”

“Oh.” Tony fell back against the pillows and his brow furrowed as he carefully considered his next questions. “I thought merrow men despised human men.”

“We do. Most of them,” Ronan amended with a nervous glance at Tony. “We’re sworn to provide ye aid and comfort because our women forsake us and used to wreak havoc on navies.”

“That does seem pretty unfair,” Tony said, then asked a question that had come to wreak havoc on his thoughts and fantasies. “So what’s it like whenyou’rearound a human man?”

“Well…” Ronan took a long drag from his pipe, staring into the fire. “I’m not sure how to put it into words. But I could show ye if I cooked a thick, juicy steak and shut one of the dogs in here with it.”

Tony imagined a starving, salivating Ronan looming over him and was grateful for the quilts covering his lap. “And that’s what it’s like when you’re here with me?” he asked weakly, making Ronan laugh in earnest.

The dry, wheezing rumble surprised Tony and made him smile as Ronan set down his pipe and rose. “Lad, if ye only knew how many cold swims I’ve needed since ye landed here. I’m not that fond of walking after dark,” he confided as he headed for the door, whistling to alert the pack. “And on that note, I’ll be back in an hour or two. Don’ wait up.”

“Okay.” Tony waved weakly as Ronan threw open the door and headed out without a coat or his scarf. “I won’t,” he mumbled woodenly but Tony had stayed up well after Ronan returned.

Tony had rolled so his back was to the fire and pretended he was asleep, too confused by his own reaction to Ronan’s revelation to attempt more small talk. He had dated a man and had hot conference hookups with two men, one was trans. For Tony, sex was about connecting with what wasinsidea person, regardless of how they identified or whether they had a penis or not.

He certainly didn’t care about Ronan’s face, although Tony found that he was used to it and had grown to like several of its features. Ronan had the most beautiful blue gray eyes that reminded Tony of the island’s stormy mornings. He thought it was almost adorable when Ronan’s magnificent nose scrunchedand he had the most expressive brows. They were thick and bushy and conveyed enough on their own, often making up for Ronan’s meager replies.

While he was terse and occasionally rude, Ronan was always gentle and put Tony’s needs first. He would insist it was his duty as a merrow or that he had nothing better to do, but Tony no longer believed that and found that he liked that too. Tony’s mother was the only one who had ever doted on him and he felt a funny tickle when he imagined being well enough to repay Ronan’s kindness.

And not just with sex. Tony was itching to raid Ronan’s greenhouse and cook the foods he associated with love and nurturing. Ronan kept the cottage free of dust and clutter and everything was in good condition, but his bookshelves were overflowing and in need of arranging. There was also the matter of Ronan’s unruly hair and unkempt beard. It was obvious that Ronan was making an attempt to keep them clean and braided, but a trim and a little shaping would do wonders.

Not that Tony had minded having a big, bearded viking nurse him back to health. Or a pirate... Ronan often swore like one. And everything about Ronan waslarge.Tony was fascinated by their size difference and would find silly excuses to chat while Ronan was bathing in order to steal quick peeks. Ronan was around 7 feet tall, by Tony’s estimation, with thick, hairy limbs like tree trunks. He was barrel-chested and had a full, firm, round ass that was dusted with the same thick, dark auburn hair as the rest of him.

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