Page 22 of Where the Current Takes Him
His brilliant eyes flickered to Beau. “Unless you have a fear of heights… I did not consider that possibility.”
Beau shook his head, a smile spreading across his lips. “I’d love to go.”
Though the island was named for Florida’s former capital city, it was significantly smaller than its namesake. It took only twenty minutes to drive inland from the more residential coast. Here, the buildings looked more like the mainland—towering office buildings, red brick apartments, corner shops, and innumerable seafood restaurants.
Loriun kept quiet, occasionally pointing out landmarks, while Beau found himself glued to the window. Humans and Mer alike walked the busy sidewalks, some Mer dressed in typical business attire, and others clearly in Miami for tourism. An Alpha stood at the crosswalk, canary yellow fins flashing in the sun. His tail looked nothing like Vuos and Loriun’s, but rather ended in two sharp points. He reminded Beau of a yellowfin tuna.
“Loriun?”
“Mm?”
“Are there…” Beau felt stupid for asking. “Are there different kinds of Mer?”
The car rolled to a stop at the red light, and Loriun followed Beau’s gaze. The yellow Mer passed in front of their car. The vivid color merged with a deep brown at his face and throat.
“His lineage is different from mine, yes. My…” Loriun paused, brow furrowing. “I am not sure how to translate‘oimas’into English. I supposed the closest would be ‘species,’ but that sounds too animalistic.”
“Race?” Beau suggested.
Loriun shook his head. “Your concept of race defies logic. It is a highly flawed human invention. Maybe ‘ethnicity’ is better. My ethnicity comes from colder waters, near the poles of our home planet. Mer like him,” Loriun gestured to the unfamiliar Alpha, “come from the equatorial regions.”
The light turned green. Beau watched the strange Mer vanish into the crowd. “So he really is like a yellowfin tuna.”
Loriun cringed. “I would strongly advise against comparing any Mer to an Earth fish. It may be seen as offensive.”
Beau clapped a hand over his mouth. “Sorry.”
The Mer just chuckled and pulled into a dim parking garage. Even in the low light, Loriun’s scales glittered as he led the way to the elevator. His coiled, red hair cascaded between his shoulder blades, falling to the center of his back. His tail was retracted, but the crimson fins at his ears were still visible.
Loriun stepped inside the elevator and caught Beau’s eye. He raised a brow. “Yes?”
Beau felt his face go scarlet. “Nothing. I just… I really like your hair.”
I really like your hair?! Fuck me.
The Alpha smiled, stretching one long finger to the top button. “Thank you. Long hair is customary for my people.Some Mer might tell you it symbolizes grace, or strength, or the currents, but it’s actually just quite difficult to cut.”
“Difficult?” Beau lifted a curious hand, but caught himself. “Uh. Can I… touch it?”
“Of course.” Loriun tipped his head down slightly, allowing the locks to tumble from his shoulders.
Beau ran his fingers through the vibrant strands. It felt so strange—like wire wrapped in silk. Though he had never braided anyone’s hair once in his life, Beau was suddenly consumed by an all-encompassing urge to learn how.
He let his hand fall when the doors opened.
A handful of humans milled about the wide open space, but the majority of the crowd were Mer—unsurprising, considering humans could only move here for work or mating. Loriun and Beau navigated their way to the glass walls, beyond which the entire island stretched.
The center of the island was dotted with tall buildings and city blocks, but as the violet vegetation grew thicker, and roads curved their way to the coast, city life gave way to beachside homes.
“Wow,” Beau whispered. “It looks so beautiful from up here.”
“Only from up here?” Loriun stood so close, his taut stomach was nearly touching Beau’s arm.
Beau looked up at the Alpha. He wasn’t used to feeling so small. He’d be lucky if his hair brushed Loriun’s perfectly pointed chin. “It’s beautiful from the ground too,” he clarified, turning back to the window. “But seeing how human architecture fades out to Mer-style housing… The Merma—Paeil is a unique place.”
“It is,” Loriun agreed.
Chapter 11
