Page 11 of Where the Current Takes Him
The result was that Beaumont likely had no idea what to expect. He probably didn’t have a clue that there was a house waiting for him, and no knowledge that it would be customary for a couple to live together from day one.
Why had he not thought to reach out to another Alpha in the program to ask about the process? Did he even know an Alpha with a human Omega?
Loriun’s brain whirred through his employees’ faces. Gary from marketing had an Alpha, but he was in the first wave of humans to arrive on the island—an entirely different situation. Aodri in engineering had a human Omega, but they were a female pair. Would that have mattered?
Loriun groaned into the table.
Maybe I should just run away.
“Ah… Mr. Kolhn? Some wine, on the house…”
Loriun sat bolt upright, facial fins pulled tight to his skull in embarrassment. The maître d' awkwardly set a glass of amber Turriculae on the table.
“Thank you,” Loriun mumbled.
The Omega hovered beside him for a moment more, likely uncertain about his mental state.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Loriun took a deep breath and raised the wine glass to his lips. Fenugreek and lemongrass with the unmistakable tang of seawater. “Excellent mouthfeel.”
“It’s a fifteen year vintage. Please, enjoy.” She vanished back down the stairs.
Loriun had no idea what “mouthfeel” meant. Perhaps watching the cooking channels at 2 a. m. on the weekendsdid, in fact, pay off.
Just as the wine was beginning to work its magic on his tense muscles, something caught his attention. A sweet, thick scent, like papaya on a summer night.
Both Loriun’s lungs and gills froze in place as a foot struck the staircase.
Chapter 6
Beau
Time passed by much faster than Beau had anticipated, possibly because he’d spent most of the trip mesmerized by Vuos breaching the surface of the water alongside their vessel. As the sun fell, its orange glow lit his emerald scales ablaze. Beau was pretty sure he’d seen the Alpha wink at him.
“Here we are,” Jaime announced, slowing the boat as he steered toward the dock. Just ahead, what appeared to be a massive, green sea monster hauled itself out and onto the bobbing wood. Vuos grabbed hold of a rope and shot a broad grin at his mate.
“Ah, I love watching him surface after a swim,” Jaime sighed.
Beau kept his mouth shut because he felt it would be inappropriate to say, “Me too.”
The moment the speedboat’s side touched the dock bumper, Vuos set to work anchoring it.
“Why thank you, handsome,” Jaime said, batting his eyelashes. “Come here often?”
Vuos gave a good-natured groan and held a jet hand out to his mate. Jaime took it and stepped out and onto the dock.
Beau went to grab his suitcase, wondering how exactly he was going to haul it off board without falling spectacularly into the sea.
“I’ve got it,” Vuos rumbled. His voice was even lower than Beau had imagined.
“Oh, uh, thank you.” Beau could feel his cheeks heating as the Mer helped him off the boat, then retrieved his suitcase, using that rudder-like tail as a balance. Vuos’s hand was so silky and smooth—nothing like a human hand after spending two hours underwater.
But all thoughts of Vuos vanished the moment Beau looked toward the island.
It was a chunk of alien soil, excised from the Mer’s home planet itself. Impossibly large leaves with long, pointed tips danced in the ocean breeze. They ranged in shades of purple, from pale lilac to deepest plum. They were supported by thick stems and bulbous trunks. The beach itself was a starry white, as if the sand had been ground from diamonds. Beyond the lush, sparkling shores, unnervingly human high-rises loomed against scudding clouds.
“Incredible isn’t it?” Jaime said, eyeing him.
“Yeah,” Beau managed. “Incredible.”
