Page 56 of Where the Current Takes Him
“Nice to meet you, too,” Loriun replied, shaking Ashford’s hand. There was a slight possibility that his grip was just a bit too tight.
Beau raised a brow at the low-pitched tone of his mate’s voice.
Be nice, Loriun.
“Oh, Ashford, don’t they look wonderful together?” Ileana said. Her worn face was brightened in a smile.
“They certainly do,mi vida.” Ashford settled on a chair near his wife’s bed and took her hand in his. Loriun was surprised to see a tiny spark light up the politician’s dead eyes. At least there seemed to be one person he cared for.
“Tell me, Loriun, what do you do for work?” Ileana asked, gesturing to another set of chairs nearby.
“I am the co-founder of a desalination plant,” he answered, settling back into the chair. It gave a threatening creak, clearly not built for his 6’8” stature. “These days, we mostly assist in the construction and maintenance of human desalination plants on the mainland.”
“You seem quite young to be the founder of such a big operation.” Ileana squinted at him. “Then again, I never did get the hang of guessing Mer age.”
Loriun laughed. “I am thirty-three. I was very fortunate to come along at the right time. Myriue—my mother was trained as an engineer. She was very invested in improving relations with the humans, so she proposed a project that might put us in their good graces.”
“Is your mother, by chance, Zicoi Koame?” Ashford asked, leaning in.
“Yes.” Loriun met the man’s eyes begrudgingly. He disliked the sound of hisriue’sname on this bipedal lizard’s lips. “You know of her?”
Ashford gave an exaggerated chuckle. “Of course! The inventor of the desalination technology we use today. I had no idea she was your mother.”
If Loriun had to guess, he’d put money on Ashford knowing exactly who his mother was. Why else would he have targeted Loriun to sell off his son? There were plenty of Alphas in Paeil, many with useful contacts and influence.
Loriun cleared his throat. “Well, her efforts weren’t initially well-received. Mer have no use for fresh water, so the technology did not exist prior to my mother’s pet project. She never had much of an interest in the business side of things, so when I completed my education, I took over her small startup and began making the connections necessary to share her technology with the humans.”
Beau was watching Loriun with round eyes. “You never told me about this.”
Loriun reached over to stroke his arm. “Business makes for dull conversation.”
“I must strongly disagree,” Ashford said genially. “Quite a family you come from, son. What about your father, then?”
“He was a stay-at-home father. He was only twenty-three years old when he became pregnant with me. Though Mer are only pregnant for roughly two months, tending to a Mer egg is a full-time job for quite a while afterwards.” Loriun felt stiff. Awkward. Nothing like the warm, loving atmosphere of his parents’ dinner table.
Ileana’s lips parted. “You said whenhebecame pregnant…?”
Loriun’s scales tightened—a defensive instinct. “Yes. My father is an Omega, and my mother an Alpha.”
Ileana glanced over at her husband. “I see. Is that a common family arrangement?”
Beau answered before Loriun could open his mouth. “It’s less common, kind of like gay families for humans. Nothing wrong with it.”
Loriun eyed his mate to see those sweet, soft brown eyes blazing in defiance.
“Of course there’s nothing wrong with it,” Ileana said in a soothing voice. “You’ll have to forgive our ignorance, Loriun. We—well.Ihaven’t had the fortune of spending much time with Mer.”
Loriun forced a smile. “No apologies needed, Mrs. Montgomery.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. Call me Ileana. We’re family now, after all.” Her thin face was gentle, and her eyes held the warmth her husband’s lacked. “Hearing about your people is a lovely distraction from all this.” She gestured at the wires and machinery surrounding her hospital bed.
Ashford’s mask slipped, just a bit. A flash of pain washed over his features as he gazed down at his wife. “Amor,you know I will do whatever it takes to make you happy here. Just say the word.”
Ileana reached up to place a hand on her husband’s face. “I know, Ashford. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m as happy as a woman in my position could be.” Her gaze turned toward her son. “Especially now that our boy is here.”
Loriun thought there was a shimmer in his Omega’s eyes as he leaned in to embrace his mother.
“I promise, I’ll come visit all the time. Right, Dad?” he asked, narrowing his eyes up at his father.
