Page 85 of Where the Current Takes Him
“I do.” Beau’s voice filled Loriun with an overwhelming urge to sweep him off his feet and carry him from the prying eyes of their audience.
“By the power vested in me by the State of Florida, I now pronounce you husband and husband! Beau, Loriun, please kiss your groom!”
At last, Loriun cupped his husband’s face in both hands and kissed him. He poured every ounce of love, passion, tenderness, and joy into the mingling of their lips—so much so that he heard Vuos clear his throat.
Ileana let out a whooping cheer through her flowing tears, and Ashford brought his hands together in a painful golf clap.
Hand in hand, Beau and Loriun approached their two-person audience and accepted bone-splitting hugs from Ileana.
“Congratulations,” Ashford said stiffly. “This was certainly a surprise.”
“It’s wonderful.” Ileana sniffled. “You both look so handsome, and so happy.” She turned a tearstained face to Loriun. “Thank you. For agreeing to this.” She waved a hand at the decorations. “Having the wedding here on such short notice. Thank you.”
“Actually,Mamá, it was all Loriun’s idea.” Beau beamed up at him. “He only proposed two days ago, but he wanted to make sure you were able to be here.”
The frail woman clutched at Loriun’s hand. Her fingers felt so small and weak compared to his own. “Thank you, Loriun. From the bottom of my heart. For taking care of my son.”
“He is worth all I have given him, and more,” Loriun said, his eyes drifting back to his mate. “I arrived at the decision to hold a human wedding last week. I came across a phrase in an older novel. It was ‘out of wedlock’—”
“Loriun!”
∞∞∞
Months passed, and Beau’s belly grew. It was hardly noticeable at first—a little swell between his hip bones, invisible beneath his shirt. When they curled together beneath the blankets, Loriun would rest his hand there, where his nymph lay. In the small hours of the morning, when Beau was sleeping peacefully, Loriun found himself awake, gazing at his mate’s face. Beau’s golden skin glowed, as if the life inside him was shining through.
The little bump beneath Loriun’s palm set his heart fluttering. His nymph.
In the blink of an eye, Beau’s clothes had begun tenting around his belly. He was self conscious at first, opting to wear Loriun’s shirts and loose shorts to hide his changing body. For his part, Loriun spent mornings and evenings worshipping the Omega. His lips traced the graceful swell, hands sweeping along softening sides and sensitive nipples.
Eventually, Beau seemed to gain confidence, wearing tighter clothes and holding his head high in public. Loriun liked to think that his ministrations had made Beau feel beautiful. Because he was.
Wherever they went, single Alphas watched them with envy, while the interspecies couples offered knowing smiles. Loriun spoke with Vuos regularly—at first in a fit of panic, begging for advice from an experienced Alpha. Then, a bond formed through the shared experience of loving human Omegas.
Jaime, too, was a source of wisdom for Beau. Having birthed four children himself, Jaime referred to himself as a “professional babymaker.” He knew all the tips and tricks to deal with the less pleasant symptoms of pregnancy, and what to expect from a hybrid child.
Loriun and Beau had been introduced to three of their four children: Duion, an Alpha son; Kere, an Omega daughter; and Eret, a son who was neither Alpha nor Omega. Eret’s kind existed only as a result of interspecies mating, and was informally referred to as a Beta. Though he looked half Mer, his body most closely resembled a standard human male. Mer geneticists were still unraveling the mysteries of Beta children, as their appearance in the population was rare. The eldest son, an Omega named Maevux, was away at college.
“How are you feeling today, Beau?” Vuos’s low, deep voice resonated through the dining room. Jaime and Vuos’s house was quite a bit larger than Loriun and Beau’s, provided by the Paeil government to accommodate a family of six.
Beau’s answer was a wordless groan as he eased himself down into his chair. “I feel like I’m smuggling a sentient watermelon.”
The emerald-scaled Mer reached over and gave him a sympathetic pat. “Jaime struggled with his first, too.”
“And second!” a voice called from the kitchen. “And third. And fourth.”
Vuos rolled his bottle green eyes. “How about you, Loriun? Only a few weeks remaining. Is everything ready at home?”
Loriun’s claws plucked at the scales of his wrists—a nervous habit he’d developed in the past few months. He had been so lost in the bliss of their unexpected pregnancy that he forgot to be terrified of parenthood and the suffering his mate would undergo to bring his nymph into the world. It wasn’t until the twenty week mark that Loriun’s fears clawed their way to the surface. That was the night he felt his child move for the first time.
“Oh my god.” Beau dropped his phone to the mattress and stared down at his protruding stomach.
“What is it?” Loriun was instantly at his side, kneeling to examine his mate for signs of pain or injury.
“The baby’s moving,” Beau whispered. He rested a light hand below his navel. “They’re kicking.” He seized Loriun’s hand and placed it on his skin.
For a moment, there was nothing. Then, Loriun’s eyes widened in shock. A little nudge came from within. A little foot, hand, elbow, it was impossible to know. Loriun was unable to tear his eyes away. He placed a second hand on his Omega’s belly. His child squirmed beneath his Rieo’s touch.
“Xui’asi wueiri,” he breathed. “We really have a baby in there.”
