by Kelex
“Enchantress?” Oz asked, clearly as intrigued as Dagr.
Magic, it is.
Llyr suddenly reached in and touched the flame. He screamed in pain, dropping the lantern. Fortunately, Dagr had moved close enough that he was able to catch it before a catastrophe happened. He righted the lamp and placed it on the desk, out of Llyr’s reach.
When he circled back to face them, he saw Llyr with his finger between two, pink lips and a frightened scowl ridging his brow.
A wave of want raced through Dagr. Not only did he crave to protect, but he desired more.
To claim…
After caring for the man, he sought to touch and taste those soft-looking, pale pink lips. Dagr wished to see his cock thrusting between them before he slid deep into the man’s tight hole. That’s where he yearned to get lost.
Forever.
He took a step forward to offer aid, but Oz swept in and took Llyr’s hand, inspecting it for damage.
Dagr again fought the tiny bit of jealousy spiraling in his chest. He and Oz had been friends for over twenty-five years. They sailed the high seas for over three-quarters of that time. And had been lovers for many of them. They quite often shared a man—or the occasional woman—between them. Jealousy was something neither of them had ever struggled with.
He’d always felt confident in his bond with Oz.
Now—he experienced envy for the first time in his life. It was such a foreign concept.
And he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“Why does it hurt?” Llyr moaned, tears shining in his eyes.
“Fire can burn… so we must treat it with respect,” Oz said. “It can also destroy.”
“Why would you keep something destructive so close?” Llyr asked, clearly confused.
Oz took a step back, appearing as if he searched for a way to answer such a basic question. Something even a child should know. Fire was a part of daily life for them all. Both he and Oz stood there, confused.
Dagr finally spoke up, feeling inane answering Llyr like he would a child. “Because… when carefully tended… it brings light to the darkness and heat when we’re chilled. It cooks our food. There are many things it can do… when used properly. But not handled safely… it can cause chaos.”
Llyr didn’t look completely mollified by that answer, but he seemed unwilling to push further.
“You said there was an Enchantress? She gave you legs?” Dagr reminded. “Why?”
“My father is trying to force me into marrying someone I refuse to wed. I had to get away. Dry land was my only choice.” Llyr brought his hand to his throat again and coughed. “The only place his monsters could never find me.”
Dagr frowned. “His monsters?”
“The army of the dead,” Llyr said. “Humans swallowed by the water of our realm soon come under his control. They fight for him for eternity—him or the ruler of the realm.”
“There must be thousands… hundreds of thousands of dead under all the seas,” Dagr said. “We’ve never seen an army that vast.”
“It is vast,” Llyr replied. “But my father only has domain over those who die in our realm. There are other kingdoms below. The other kings and queens rule over their own monsters.” Llyr shivered. “They rot away as time passes… their flesh decaying. Some are little more than skeletal—yet they still move as if they’re alive. They’re terrifying.”
“Enough,” Oz barked imperiously. “Llyr nearly drowned. He’s had an overwhelming afternoon. He needs rest.”
Dagr suddenly sensed Oz’s discomfort and understood why. He’d been so curious, he’d been inconsiderate of Oz’s pain. He searched Oz’s face—begging for forgiveness—but kept his mouth shut. Dagr refused to give Llyr too much ammunition.
Their wounds were nothing to share.
“Oh, but I don’t wish to rest,” Llyr argued. “I have so little time.”
“You nearly died!” Oz protested before pointing to the bed. “I insist. In bed. At least until we reach port and can figure out what we do with you next. A little over an hour.”
Llyr pouted before asking, “Where’s the bed?”
Oz stared at Dagr, and they exchanged a confounded glance. The bed practically dominated the room. Was the man blind? “Over there… with the sheets and pillows?”
Llyr followed to where Oz pointed and cautiously pressed a hand down on the mattress. And then he rooted around, checking it all over. “Oh… it’s so soft.” He jumped on top and twirled with a grin. “This, I like.”
“Good,” Oz muttered, an odd expression on his face. “Get some rest. We’ll be back to get you once we arrive at port.”
After Oz pulled on a fresh shirt and they grabbed their jackets and gear, Oz urged Dagr to the door.
“You’re leaving me here?” Llyr asked, eyes wide. “Alone? With the fire?”
Dagr struggled not to walk over, slide into the bed, and cuddle the man close. He fought the urge with everything in him.
“We’ll return soon. I promise. Stay away from the lamps and you’ll be fine,” Oz stated before throwing open the door. He glared at Dagr. “Coming, Commander?”
Dagr nodded before exiting. A few steps out, he spun to face his friend.
“Perhaps he… hit his head?” Oz murmured under his breath. “The shoreline is rocky. Maybe he slipped, hit his head, and now he’s suffering delusions?”
“Feasibly,” Dagr said. “Or he’s hiding who he really is because he’s in trouble. Giving us some grandiose tale—one so outlandish it’ll throw us far off the scent.”
“But you saw him, right? He looked like a small child gazing at that fire. Either he’s an incredible actor or…”
“Or what?”
Oz chuckled as he buttoned his shirt. “Of course he’s not telling the truth. We’ve sailed every sea between here and Quí Quetrí. If merfolk were real, we’d have stumbled across one before now.”
Dagr stared at the cabin door a moment, unsure.
“But then… the myth had to come from something, right?” Oz murmured, dragging on his vest. “Something, somewhere had to spark such a legend.”
Dagr chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t make justifications simply because he’s pretty. He’s either insane or too much bloody trouble to get involved with. Maybe both.” He paused a moment… remembering what Llyr had said of the monsters under the sea. “It’s too horrifying to think anything he said is true. Anything. It was all the fantasy of a deranged mind.”
Oz’s face went ashen a moment as remembered pain likely flashed through his mind. It was gone as fast as it had come. As usual, Oz was unwilling to discuss it. “Pretty, he definitely is.” Oz chuckled. “And I can’t stop thinking about getting him under me. It’s insanity.”
“Same,” Dagr mumbled lowly.
Oz cocked his head in Dagr’s direction. “You feel it, too?”
Dagr nodded.
“I considered putting my fist in the middle of your face when you touched him.”
“So I noticed. I’ve never felt jealous of you… or anger toward you when it came to another. I don’t like it. Yet I want him. Desperately.”
Oz sighed. “I didn’t like it either, my love. I’ve never experienced jealousy, and I reject it now. No man will come between us.”
Dagr flinched, clutching his bundle of dry clothes and weapon closer to his chest. “Only a woman can do that.”
Pain flashed in Oz’s eyes, and he immediately deemed himself terrible for causing it. Their predicament was no more Oz’s fault than his own.
“No one will ever truly come between you and I,” Oz murmured. “No one.” Oz paused, sorrow in his gaze. “Definitely not him.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Why would we both feel the same urgent need to have him? A stranger to us?”
Dagr shook his head. “I don’t know. But this thing we’re experiencing… it’s dangerous. We need to fight it.”
“A spell, perhaps?” Oz asked.
“There’s most definitely magic involve
d, but it’s nothing like I’ve ever sensed before. It’s only on Llyr—I don’t experience it in or on myself—nor you. Yet what else could it be for us to both feel this strange attraction?”
Merfolk might be legend, but the same couldn’t be said of witches. For the most part, they were fairly innocuous and practiced white magic. They healed the sick, helped put blessings on harvests, and the like. Yet there were a few who’d proven dangerous over the eons. A witch practicing the dark arts could conceivably be convinced to create a love enchantment, though they were against most laws of the land.
While he had no magic of his own, Dagr had always had the gift of sensing it around him. He didn’t know how or why—but he’d been able to know the sensation all his life. “If we’re spellbound and I can’t feel it, we’re dealing with something dark and dangerous.”
“Either way, we should be very careful around him.”
“So we both agree to keep our hands off Llyr?”
From the look on Oz’s face, he wished to disagree. No way in hell did Dagr wish to say yes, either. Every fiber of his being rebelled at the thought, but they had to protect one another. That reason alone was why they needed to back off.
“Whatever we’re sensing… it’s not real. It can’t be,” Dagr added, his voice but a murmur.
“Agreed,” Oz finally whispered.
Dagr concentrated on Oz, the need to drag the man close as strong as the need to breathe. Only now he was confused whether it was his love of Oz or the lingering effects of what he’d seen and experienced with Llyr. “The same. We keep hands off.” He took a deep, cleansing breath and exhaled slowly. “And we watch out for one another and ensure the other doesn’t slip.”
“No slipping.” Oz’s stare drifted back to his cabin’s door—a room they’d shared themselves often on their many journeys.
“If he’s unbalanced or experienced a blow to the head—I guess we should find someone to check him over. Too bad our physician has already departed.” Their medical officer’s home was in Franglaterra. They’d assumed they could survive two ports of call without him, so Oz had bid the man adieu. “I’m sure there’s one at the next port. We can see what the doctor thinks of Llyr’s crazy story. We should also make some inquiries around town. See if anyone’s recently come up missing. By his accent, he’s from a good family. Someone’s likely searching for him.”
“We’ll work on solving the mystery…” Oz took a step closer, his warm, musky scent filling Dagr’s nose. His voice lowered to barely a whisper. “Then we celebrate, as planned. Just the two of us.”
Need slammed into his already abused body. Dagr winced, desperately hungry for Oz’s kiss then and there, but he held back. While the crew likely comprehended what happened in Oz’s quarters on dark, lonely nights, they’d vowed to never show their affections in the light of day. “As planned.” He glanced down at his wet clothes. “I still need to change.”
Oz cocked an eyebrow. “Methinks this conversation needs to continue. In your cabin.”
Dagr grinned, liking the way his lover thought. “Follow me, sir.”
The second the door was closed, Dagr dropped his belongings to his cot and spun to pull Oz into his arms. The kiss they shared was heated, burning through them both—and sparked by the beautiful man in the cabin next door.
They didn’t speak of Llyr as they freed their hard, aching cocks. They never murmured his name as their lips swept down over stubbled jaws and thick, corded necks. Nor when they took each other’s shafts between their lips, sucking one another with fevered motions—both starving for completion as they writhed on the hard, cold floor.
Images of Llyr between them haunted his mind as Oz stroked his flesh and suckled his cock. When he cried out moments later, it was all he could do to stop himself for calling for their supposed merman. Guilt so thick it nearly took his breath away flooded his veins. He suckled Oz’s cock all the more, seeking to redeem himself in some small way. Oz soon cried out, his back arching—and he came into Dagr’s mouth.
After, it was silent in the small cabin—all but for their strangled breaths. The quick release had been necessary. Now they could both hopefully think straight and with the brain above their neck. At least, that’s what Dagr told himself.
“You are beautiful, you know?”
Dagr lifted his stare to eye Oz. The guilt returned, making his attention drift. “Oh, I am?”
Oz caressed his cheek. “You are… and I hated him telling you those words… but only because I felt guilty for not telling you myself.”
“You’ve called me handsome. Sexy. Are those not equally as good?”
Oz shook his head. “I saw how that specific word impacted you…” Oz caressed Dagr’s neck, sweeping his hand down to rub a shoulder. “You are beautiful.” He lifted his gaze to capture Dagr’s. “I know the things others say sting… but they mean nothing.”
Dagr clenched his jaw. “You are the only one who matters… and I’ve always understood you love me as I am.”
“I do,” Oz whispered. He grunted. “You’ve turned me into a blubbering idiot. I have a reputation to uphold.”
Dagr chuckled. “What are you talking about? I’m supposed to be your strong right hand. And you make me weak—you asshole.”
Oz barked out a laugh. “Get some dry clothes on and meet me out on deck in a few minutes, ya bloody fool.”
Dagr chuckled as Oz rose and righted his clothing. He offered a wink and a loving caress before leaving the cabin.
3
Almost as soon as the door had closed behind the two humans, Llyr lifted a soft square of fabric to his nose and inhaled. It smelled exactly like the handsome captain. Oz. What an odd name. But I like it. He lay back on the bed and settled down into the supple softness of their human bed. It sure beat a giant oyster shell filled with seaweed. As he closed his eyes, he saw the captain lying on that bed with him, naked as he. A smile came to his lips as he remembered the look of Oz’s strong, muscled body. How he’d been hard and cock weeping… and how hungry Llyr had grown at the sight.
In the next instant, it was Dagr on top of him. A low moan escaped his lips as more of his slick coated the insides of his ass cheeks. Reaching down, he stroked his hard cock—pretending it was their hand on him. A low moan whispered from his lips… and when he opened his eyes… he saw the flickering light of the lantern. His hand stilled.
While it was beautiful, the fire was deadly. Sounds like Dagr. There had been something dark and foreboding in the commander’s eyes—yet Llyr had sensed he had nothing to fear from the man. But like Dagr, the fire needed to be tended to carefully. He needed his wits about him if he wanted to remain safe.
His finger still ached from the boiling touch of it.
Given there was a whole chamber around him to explore, he rose to peer around and ignored his lusts. The three lanterns spread light about the cabin, enough to allow him to return to his investigations. He’d seen many of the things found about the captain’s chamber before, but not in their current state. Ryland had taken him to several old shipwrecks over the years—before the man had become so serious about his placement. They’d spent hours guessing the uses of the items. Many he’d examined below the surface were old and destroyed by time and water, which only compelled them all the harder to guess.
Seeing them all as they were meant to be—that was intriguing. Questions swirled in his mind, questions he would pose to Dagr and Oz when they returned. A smile came to his lips at the thought of their arrival. The two humans were much more intriguing than anything in the room, and he looked forward to learning much more about them and their kind.
His body shivered at the thought. The draw to the two men was nothing like anything he’d experienced before. Llyr frowned, a thought whispering through his mind.
No. They’re human. There’s no way I could feel that with them.
Yet, he had exposed himself to them—telling them what he was. The minute the word had been out of his mouth, he’d inwardly
groaned. What was the point of him having a spell to hide himself amongst them if he was going to tell the first two humans what he was?
But his admission had poured out of him unbidden. He was unable to lie to the gorgeous men—not when lust pounded within him so strongly. Instinct told him they were safe. They would protect him. How he knew… he was unsure.
Unless they are…
Llyr shook his head, pushing the crazy thought from his mind. Not only had there been two of them—but they were humans, not mermen. There couldn’t be a bond betwixt them. He paused, his hand stilling over the small box of papers. Could there? Could he be linked to a human? No, not simply one but two? He felt the same attraction to both men equally. It was rare for an omega to have two mates, but not completely impossible.
The impossible part was the fact they were of another species.
Yet there was an aching need he’d had for them. Still did. And he was unable to completely ignore that. His body surely refused to let him. Slick dripped and wetted his bottom. His body had ripened, prepared for a claiming. His womb throbbed as if he was in heat. Yet he wasn’t in heat. Had they been his—he would’ve fallen to his knees before the pair. He would’ve lifted his ass and begged them to take him.
To claim him.
To make him theirs.
A ripple of excitement passed through Llyr at the thought of them claiming him as their own. Yet that hadn’t happened. It had simply been an attraction—a strong one, yes, but not a mating heat.
And the attraction hadn’t only been on his part. Their obvious reactions had only fueled his own. He was completely aware of their heated glances and the need brewing so close to the surface. Although he was technically a virgin, he understood a thing or two about desire. While Alphonse might’ve been the prince his father chose, there had been many others who’d coveted his hand. But like Alphonse—or better yet, Alphonse’s parents—the others had only coveted him because of what he represented.
A chance to maneuver themselves into a position of power.