by C. W. Gray
Ben’s voice was starting to sound sleepy again. “He sounds like a smart man.”
“He’s the best ever. He introduced me to Shauna and Nami and I love them more than anything,” Dover said, leaning his head against Ben’s shoulder. “I miss them, but one day you’ll get to meet them. Shauna will really like you.”
Ben gave him a solemn look. “Are you sure? I’m not much, Dover.”
Dover blinked several times, confused. “Ben, look around you. Look at all the pretty broken pieces you’ve collected. You know how to treasure. Even if I didn’t already know you were perfect, this room and your art would tell me everything I needed to know.”
Ben’s dark eyes started to drift shut. “Who are you, Dover?”
“I’ll tell you later, okay?” Dover slipped his pearl into the small pocket on the front of Ben’s button-up shirt while the alpha’s eyes were closed.
Ben ran a hand over Dover’s back. “Whatever you need, bluetail.”
Chapter 6
The next day, Ben hummed as he smoothed the edges of the shard of glass in front of him. This part of his work was a bit tedious, and it took patience to refurbish the broken pieces of glass he found on the beach, or picked up at the local dump. The end product made it worth the work.
Dover sat sideways in the chair nearby, legs hanging over one side as he read one of Ben’s books. The merman wore a bright blue sarong and nothing else. Ben had noticed Dover didn’t care much for clothes. Ben was okay with that.
Ben patted his shirt pocket, smiling when he felt Dover’s pearl. The merman was something special. He had told him about his friends Shauna and Nami, and it broke Ben’s heart to hear the sadness in his voice. The merman missed them and Ben didn’t know what to do about it.
A squeak caught his attention and he looked down. Chubber stood on his back legs and patted Ben’s leg. “What do you have there, Chubber?”
The otter chirped and handed him a shiny green pebble.
“Chubber,” Dover said, surprise filling his voice. “That’s your favorite pebble.”
Ben took the pebble and considered it. “I could use this in my next project. Are you sure you want to give it up?”
The otter chirped again and scrambled up his leg and stretched onto his shoulders before settling down with a purr.
“I didn’t know otters purred,” Ben said, turning to Dover.
Dover looked thoughtful. “Chubber really likes you.”
Ben nodded to where Otis lay beside Dover’s chair. “It’s only fair. Otis likes you.”
Dover laughed and leaned down to pet Otis’ head. “I’ve never had a dog before. He’s fun to play with and he’s a good cuddler. He’d like my cottage.”
Ben tilted his head. This wasn’t the first time Dover had mentioned his cottage. Dover seemed to miss it as much as Shauna and Nami.
Ben considered the pieces lying in front of him. “Tell me about your waterfall, bluetail.”
Dover leaned back, staring at the ceiling with a smile. “The crest width is about twenty feet and it falls about fifty feet into my creek. The water’s so clean and cool. Chubber and I keep most of our shinies in the plunge pool, and there’s plenty of room to swim and play. Chubber’s mom comes and visits all the time. She lives in the beaver dam at the end of my creek.”
Ben started visualizing what he wanted to create and grabbed his drawing pad. “How big is the creek?”
“Around the waterfall, it’s probably about seventy feet,” Dover said, frowning in thought. “It’s stays nice and wide until it gets to Shell’s dam. Then it narrows a bit until it meets the lake. Shauna and Nami live on the lake.”
“Who is Shell?”
Dover grinned. “That’s Chubber’s mom. Now, the best thing about my creek is the fish. There are bluegill, bass, and catfish. There are also frogs and snails, but I don’t eat them.”
Ben grinned. Dover loved fish. He had grilled the Mahi Mahi and made some kind of tasty sauce to go with it. It had been damn good. “What about around the creek?”
Ben sketched as Dover spoke. He was almost certain Dover was from the Southern Silver Isles. He didn’t understand why Dover thought he needed to hide it, but maybe it was because Ben was human.
According to the news, King Ren didn’t care much for humans. That probably had to do with the Poaching Wars. It had been ten years since they had ended, but there had been a lot of damage to the reefs around the Silver Isles.
“Then you just follow the path and there’s my cottage,” Dover said, sighing.
Ben looked up from his sketchpad, a sudden lump in his throat. “How long until you go back?”
Dover blinked, looking confused. “Uh, I don’t know. I like your home.”
Ben snorted. “I noticed several new rocks, shells, and pearls around the house.”
Dover yawned. “My shinies need space to breathe.”
Ben had also noticed several pieces of jewelry laid out on his dresser. One particular piece was a five strand natural pearl necklace that had to be worth more than Ben’s house.
“So, I was in the U.S. Marine Corps.” Ben squinted and kept his eyes on his sketchpad.
“Really?” Dover moved from his chair to sit on the end of Ben’s worktable. “You’re a protector. I can see you as a marine.”
Ben turned his sketchpad so Dover couldn’t see it. He wanted this to be a surprise. “I knew a guy named Jay. He’s a merman from Haverdell.”
“Haverdell? There are merfolk there?” Dover sounded surprised.
“Jay said most mers live in the Silver Isles, but Haverdell is the most diverse place I’ve ever been. I’ve never seen so many species in one place before.”
“I bet that’s fun,” Dover said, with a smile.
“I spent the holidays with Jay and his mom a few years ago,” Ben mused. “It was interesting to say the least. Anyway, Jay said merfolk are usually pretty elusive. Outside of the Silver Isles, there are only a few small colonies and they’re kind of insular.”
Dover bit his lip. “I heard that too.”
“I have no problem with any species,” Ben said bluntly. “I learned a long time ago that there are shitheads all over the world and their species wasn’t what made them that way.”
Dover’s eyes were so dark a blue they looked black. “That’s true. Alright, let’s say there was a merman that came from the Silver Isles. What if his family didn’t like humans?”
Ben set his sketchpad down and cupped Dover’s face, stroking a thumb over his cheek. “If that was the case, I would only care what the merman thought about humans.”
Dover leaned into his touch. “What if this merman liked humans and wanted to stay with one of them, but his family wouldn’t like it?”
Ben had to push back a growl. Fuck Dover’s family. “I would tell the merman that he could stay with his human as long as he wanted.”
Dover grinned, then leaned forward, pressing his mouth to Ben’s.
Ben groaned and tilted Dover’s head to the perfect angle to deepen the kiss. His merman tasted like heaven.
Dover leaned back. “I’m a merman from the Southern Silver Isles.”
Ben grinned and pulled him in for another kiss. “I know.”
Chubber nipped Ben’s ear, startling him, and Dover laughed. “He says no kissing while he’s on your shoulders.”
Ben frowned, trying to think of a nice way to remove the damn otter.
Dover giggled, then hopped off the worktable. “Come on, Otis. Let’s go for a swim. I’ll watch out for you and we can look for seashells.”
Otis woofed and stood, wagging his tail.
Ben watched them leave. He wanted to go too, but the glass was calling him. “Well, Chubber, it looks like it’s just you and me.”
The otter started purring again and Ben turned back to his worktable. His sketch was of Dover’s waterfall and creek. He had some glass pieces, a pretty pebble, and a cherished pearl to work with. He didn’t like that his omega was homesick.
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br /> “My omega,” he said aloud, trying the words out. “Chubber, I shouldn’t like the sound of that so much. I just met him.”
Chubber snuggled against his neck and chirped.
“You’re right.” Ben started coloring in his sketch. “Dover and you fit here with Otis and me.”
Later that night Ben rested with Otis and Chubber on the couch and watched Dover cook dinner in the kitchen. Otis was worn out from swimming with Dover all day, but the two had brought Ben a very pretty scallop shell and a greyish blue tulip shell. He had also brought back a sack of clams.
“Do you think we can get some groceries tomorrow?” Dover asked, looking up from the frying pan. He was making fresh fried clam strips. “I can make a yummy clam chowder from the leftover clam meat, but I need some things.”
“Sure. I shouldn’t be so tired.” Ben was a little surprised he was as worn out as he was just from a little head bump. So much for being a tough marine, he thought.
“You’re recovering,” Dover said, and narrowed his eyes. “You will rest and recover.”
Ben smiled. “Yes, sir.”
Dover sniffed. “So, I know you’re an artist, but Eloise said something about you working in a restaurant.”
“Yeah. I’m a dishwasher in a restaurant in town.” Ben snorted when Chubber started playing with Otis’ ears. His dog just kept on sleeping.
“Do you like working there?”
Ben looked up. “It’s a job. I like my co-workers, though. They’re good people.”
“They’re your friends?”
“I guess.” Ben shrugged. “They aren’t as close as Eloise.”
“And Hester,” Dover added. “She’s a witch. Doesn’t that make you nervous?”
Ben chuckled. “She’s the local hedge witch, not a fairy-tale crone tossing out curses.”
Dover shivered and Ben narrowed his eyes. Hmm, my omega is afraid of witches.
“Otis likes her, so I’ll try to trust you two,” Dover said, taking a deep breath. “Eloise told me that you don’t get along with your family.”
Ben winced. “Can’t we talk about common hobbies or something? Uh, I work on my projects and fish. What about you?”
Dover scooped the fried clam strips from the pan and set them onto a towel. “I swim, collect shinies, and avoid my family.”
“Family,” Ben said with a sigh. “My mom and dad are beta fundamentalists. They think betas are the most balanced and superior gender, so any non-betas should pretend they’re betas – straight betas.”
Dover wrinkled his nose. “There are a few like that on the Silver Isles. Bigotry isn’t speciesist.”
“I have a sister and a brother that are just like them,” Ben said. “My sister is an alpha, but basically pretends she’s a beta.”
“That is one good thing about my family,” Dover said. “My parents don’t seem to care if we’re omega, beta, or alpha.”
“What do they care about?” Ben pulled Chubber away from Otis’ ears and set the otter on his chest. He would have to think about getting the little guy a pool or something.
Dover was quiet a minute. “They care about appearances. We’re supposed to always be on our best behavior and look perfect. Since I have a guppy tail, I’m supposed to be quiet and blend in with the background. Hell, I’ve lost count of the number of times Mother has shushed me in front of people. She’s afraid I’ll say something stupid and embarrass her.”
Ben growled. “Fuck that! I love hearing what you think and your tail is beautiful. What’s wrong with having a guppy tail?”
Ben thought back to everything he knew about merfolk. Jay and his family had guppy tails. Ryan had a mermaid friend overseas that had a koi tail, but Ben didn’t understand what the problem was. The way Dover glowed from the inside out made it obvious he was treasure. Couldn’t his mother see that?
“They’re common,” Dover said. “The merfolk in the Silver Isles treasure their ancestry and try to keep their lines as unique as possible. I’m the only one in my entire family’s history to have a guppy tail.”
“I like your tail,” Ben said. “I like you. You’re the shiniest shiny around here.”
Dover smiled wide and ran around the counter to jump in Ben’s lap, dislodging Chubber. He gave Ben a deep, wet kiss before pulling back to watch him. “I know treasure when I see it too, Ben.”
Chapter 7
Two weeks later
“Ben,” Ryan said, grinning. “Your omega is outside. He has something to show you.”
Ben looked up from the rack of dishes he was unloading. “Why are you smiling like that?”
Ryan just laughed. “Have I told you how great it is that Eloise and Dover are friends now?”
“What did she do?” Ben groaned, and took off his apron.
He was happy that Eloise and Dover got along now, but Eloise was an expert at trouble and Dover was too gullible for Ben’s peace of mind. That was how they’d ended up with a dick-shaped fountain on the back deck. Chubber loved the thing, and Dover was proud of himself for finding it on clearance, so Ben couldn’t complain.
Stewart cleaned his plates and put them in the bin. “Aww, look at that frown. Ben is worried about his snookums.”
“More like he’s worried he’ll end up with a vulva-shaped hot tub,” Ryan said, laughing.
Ben ignored them and hurried toward the back door. The past two weeks had been wonderful. Dover had settled in and spent his days with Ben and his afternoons swimming and seashell collecting with Otis and Chubber.
Ben liked seeing Dover sleeping in his bed when he got home from work. He liked holding his omega close as he fell asleep, even with Dover’s soft snores. Ben didn’t even mind cleaning up all the sand Dover carried in with him from the beach. He especially liked Dover’s kisses.
They were getting along just fine, then Eloise had to stick her stupid beaver nose into their business. When she wasn’t dragging Dover into trouble, she was trying to find the merman a job.
First, she had decided that Dover would work for her construction company. It hadn’t gone well and Ben might have yelled a little too loudly when he’d seen the blisters on Dover’s hands from carrying lumber all day.
After that, Eloise had decided that Dover would work at the grocery store, but apparently otters were a health code violation. They were also attracted to red hair and Mrs. Douglas could yell even louder than Ben when an otter jumped on her head.
After pacifying the manager of the grocery store, Eloise had decided that Dover would work in the factory one town over. That might have worked, except Dover didn’t know how to drive, so Ryan had tried to teach him, and now Ben’s truck had a nice-sized dent in the back bumper.
Ben was a little worried about what they had been up to today. It was only four in the afternoon. Surely it couldn’t be that bad.
Behind the restaurant, Dover and Eloise stood next to a powder-blue Vespa with a sidecar. Otis sat in the sidecar with Chubber, a long, dark-blue scarf around his neck and a pair of goggles covering his eyes.
Dover danced in place, dressed only in his sarong and flip flops. Ben worried what the merman would do when it got colder. Dover really didn’t like clothes.
“Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”
Eloise smirked. “I told him he could have it once he gets his license.”
Dover grabbed Ben’s hand and pulled him to the Vespa. “Eloise showed me how to drive it and said I did well. Just think, I could go to the grocery store and the marina, or even just go on a ride with Otis and Chubber. We could all go on a ride. You could ride your motorcycle and I would have my Vespa.”
Eloise cackled. “Won’t that be so much fun, Ben?”
Dover’s hopeful expression was Ben’s downfall. “Sure will, bluetail. We’ll figure out how to get your license in the morning, okay?”
Dover jumped and Ben caught him in his arms, squeezing him tight. “You’re the best, Ben. I’ll make your favorite omelet for breakfast.”
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“Come on,” Eloise said, pulling Dover off of Ben. “Ben needs to get back to work. You and I are going to Hester’s for dinner.”
Dover made a face. “Don’t let her turn me into a frog, alright? I like frogs and all, but I can’t kiss Ben if I’m a frog.”
Eloise rolled her eyes and got onto the Vespa. “You say that each time we go to her house. She said she had a present for you, remember? That doesn’t sound bad.”
Dover kissed Ben’s cheek then jumped behind Eloise and pulled his helmet on. “She could just be waiting for me to lower my guard.”
Eloise sped away and Ben shook his head. “A fucking Vespa.”
Muffled laughter came from the door to the restaurant. When he opened it, Stewart and Ryan almost fell out.
“Come on, Ben,” Ryan said. “Did you really have any street cred left to lose? You ride around with Hester all the time.”
Ben winced. “Good point.”
The rest of the night went by quickly. He rode home and parked his bike next to the stupid Vespa. He unlocked the door, then shut it quietly behind him.
Dover always left him a snack in the kitchen, so Ben tiptoed across the living room. He really needed to try to change his shift so he’d have more time with Dover in the evening.
Ben had just sat down at the table to eat the grilled clam toasts when he heard tiny paws running down the hall from the bedroom.
A floppy eared, brown puppy skidded to a halt at the table and stared at him. It looked like a Boykin Spaniel, but Ben wasn’t sure.
“Uh, hi.” The puppy gave a very tentative woof. “I guess you’re Hester’s present, huh?”
“Ben?” Dover rubbed his eyes as he stumbled into the room, completely naked. “Did you meet Jojo?”
Ben smiled and pulled Dover into his arms. “Jojo?”
“Hester said she was rejected by her witch because she wanted a fancier familiar.”