by Delaney Rain
“I’m Eric, and that’s Tyfodorus.” He could see Ty’s smile from here.
“I am called Serion, and the human is Michael.”
It took some effort between the two of them to get Michael out of the dinghy and over to the yacht’s deck. From there, Eric hauled Michael in a sort of fireman’s carry through the yacht to the pool deck. Since Michael knew about Cecaelia, and Serion came aboard like they meant to stay, Eric figured it would be the easiest place for everyone to be. If Michael wanted a cabin later, there were plenty for him to choose from. For now, he was sprawled on a lounge chair under an umbrella.
Serion hovered over Michael while Ty explained things to the very curious hatchlings. Eric debated about getting something to cover Michael and his big cock with. The thing was, though, that he knew even the air touching Michael’s skin right now was probably too much sensation. Until the elixir was out of his system, he’d be so on edge that covering him could make him come. Eric didn’t want to be responsible for that.
The hatchlings proved to be very charming little hosts. They asked Eric to make Serion a fish smoothie and shared a twisty straw with them. They expertly called up the available movies and gave Serion a rundown of the plots and characters. When Serion had no idea what they were talking about, the kids settled on watching A Hundred and One Dalmatians because it had a thrilling group rescue.
And though Serion sat in the pool with Ty and the hatchlings, their gaze kept wandering over to Michael.
Serion was one of the biggest Cecaelia that Eric had met. Sitting in the pool, they were a head taller than Ty and half again as broad. Where Ty was sleek and toned, Serion was bulky muscle. In Eric’s opinion, Serion looked like a body builder, while Ty might’ve had a runner’s physique. And Serion was a much darker blue with hardly any dappled areas that probably made them stand out starkly in shallow water.
Once the hatchlings were all curled up together and soundly asleep, the adults were finally able to talk about what had happened to Michael and Serion.
“I was curious,” Serion said from the side of the pool closest to Michael. “I was on my way to Pacilona Nepthis and saw smoke rising up from a boat. I went closer and realized it was not the engine of the boat making the sky black, but a fire on deck.”
Eric looked over at Michael, but it didn’t look like he had any burns. Either the elixir had healed him, or he’d been damn lucky.
“I saw no one,” Serion continued, “and was afraid they had all perished when a man suddenly burst onto the deck.” He looked over at Michael. “He had covered himself with a cloth, but it had caught fire as he emerged. He dove into the ocean without hesitation.” Serion swallowed hard. “The boat exploded moments later. He alone survived.”
Ty touched Serion’s shoulder in a sympathetic gesture. Eric didn’t want to think about how many people might’ve died on that boat. He knew a few families who pooled resources and had a fishing boat as their main income. It was possible Michael had lost so much more than his livelihood.
Now Serion focused on Ty. “He could not swim well. It was not within me to turn away and leave him to his fate. I could not leave him.”
“I understand,” Ty said. “Truly, I do. I could not allow Eric to drown either.”
That was when it occurred to Eric that maybe both of these Cecaelia had broken the rules in order to save him and Michael. He didn’t ask because he didn’t want to make Serion worry more, but it was pretty clear they’d been concerned about the consequences for intervening.
Eric did need to ask one thing, though. “Was Michael alright with finding out about you? I don’t want him to freak out in front of the hatchlings when the elixir wears off.”
“Oh, no, he is passed his concerns over discovering our kind.” Serion smiled and chuckled quietly. “Though his response to the elixir has caused him other concerns.”
The three of them laughed a little over that. Eric remembered what eight days of drinking nothing but the elixir had done to him. Poor Michael might not have gotten the whole speech about the other uses of the elixir, particularly the ones related to helping the host be more receptive. Eric just hoped Michael would have an open mind once he was sober again because it was pretty clear Serion had gotten attached.
In the morning, Eric opened his eyes to see Michael sitting up with one of the many beach towels covering him from under his arms to his knees. He stared at Eric with wide, whisky-colored eyes, and Eric couldn’t quite read his expression.
“Good morning,” Eric said with a tentative smile. “How’re you feeling?”
He nodded several times, like maybe he forgot he was doing it, and his gaze slipped over to the pool behind where Eric was on the other lounge chair. Then Michael swallowed so hard, Eric heard the click. “I’m good,” he said. “I thought maybe it was all a dream.”
Eric sat up and chuckled when he saw Primus, Cinqus, and Tertius peeking over the lip of the pool so they could stare at Michael and him. Ty was still asleep with Serion snoring beside them. But then Eric remembered what Michael had really been through and sobered right up.
“Do you remember what happened?”
Michael rubbed at his forehead and sat up, leaning over his lap. “There was a fire below deck. We were all asleep. I don’t know why Thomas wasn’t there to sound the alarm, but I knew nothing until I woke up coughing.”
“You know…” Eric cleared his throat, not sure if he had to be the one to tell Michael this or not. “You know you’re the only one who—”
“I know. My uncle was already dead from the smoke. He had trouble breathing anyway. Thomas…” He shook his head before looking up at the sky. “Serion said he found his body. Burned.”
“I’m sorry. I really am.”
They were inadequate words, but Michael nodded anyway.
Eric glanced over to make sure Serion was still asleep, and then made himself say, “Do you want to talk about the elixir and Serion and all that?”
Michael gave him a slightly panicked look, but swallowed and nodded. “I’d like to know who the other one is and…and the little ones.”
Did he think they were Serion’s family maybe? Feeling a bit territorial Eric said, “That’s my mate, Ty, and our kids.”
Michael’s eyebrows shot up so high they almost merged with his hairline. He stared at the trio of hatchlings staring at him, and Eric had to wonder if he was looking for the Eric in them.
“They’re not biologically mine,” he said, “but we just found out that the next set can be.”
Michael cleared his throat, stopped staring, and shifted on his seat. “Humans and… We’re able to…” He looked up at the sky again, this time like he was trying to find the words.
“Okay, here’s the thing.” Eric felt his cheeks heating, but someone had to tell Michael why he’d felt what he had and make sure he knew everything was fine. “They’re hermaphrodites, right? So they have both eggs and semen inside them. They find another of their kind and one of them decides to accept the other’s semen. That one then has to find a host that can incubate the fertilized eggs.”
It didn’t look like Michael was breathing.
“Part of being the host is drinking that elixir all the time for, like, a week or so while the eggs mature. One of the elixir’s jobs is to make the host perfectly cool with getting the eggs into them and keeping them in there.” Eric cleared his throat. “You’re probably thinking you know where the eggs go in, and you’re right. They come out the same way. But that’s why you felt the way you did on the elixir.”
Michael finally took a shaky breath only to cover his mouth. He looked on the verge of tears, but none fell. “I begged him,” he whispered hoarsely. “Over and over, I begged him.”
“Hey, it’s okay. You were supposed to want it. That’s what the elixir does. But Serion refused, didn’t they? Told you they couldn’t do anything without your real, sober consent? Because it seriously was like you were drunk, and they understand that.”
Michael n
odded, his gaze straying to Serion…who sat in the water with their head tipped back, snoring like a lumberjack. And Michael smiled.
“Nobody’s going to judge you for any of it,” Eric said quietly. “And… Well, if you want to do anything again, that’s between you and Serion. But I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with Ty, so you might catch wind of that even though we’ll try to be discrete.”
Michael gulped, but when he looked at Eric, he said, “Thank you. Thank you for explaining and for understanding.”
Eric nodded, feeling kind of accomplished. “I’m Eric Baird, by the way.”
“Michael Kahale.”
“How about we see if I’ve got some shorts for us to wear, and then get started on breakfast?”
A blush lit Michael’s cheeks. “Thanks.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Eric got up and snagged a towel to wrap around his waist.
And since Ty was waking up, Eric went over and kissed them until they were grinning before smooching each curious hatchling, too. He turned to wave Michael to follow him to the galley and liked that he was smiling at Serion again.
Chapter Fourteen
Eric enjoyed having another human aboard. Michael was eager to be useful and he knew a lot about working on a boat, even if the yacht was more sophisticated than anything he’d known before. But it was in the galley that he really shone, and Eric was delighted to assist while Michael cooked. The man could work magic with fresh-caught fish, and the swordfish filets in the pan on the stove were making Eric’s mouth water.
“Eric?”
“Hmm?”
Michael cleared his throat, color blooming on his cheeks. “Are you gay?”
“I am.” He studied Michael’s face. “That okay?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s not that.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “I’m wondering… I’ve been thinking about…” He rubbed at his eyes.
Eric took pity on him. “Being attracted to Serion doesn’t mean you’re gay.”
Nodding, Michael didn’t look up. That was an improvement over the mild panic he usually showed any time they talked about the Cecaelia.
“It’s just that he looks so—”
“They.”
“Right. They look so masculine and…everything.”
“Well, maybe, but appearance isn’t everything. I mean, have you seen female bodybuilders? They don’t exactly embody the term feminine, but they’re still women. And transgender women are, too. Is a straight guy less straight if he’s in a relationship with someone like that? I don’t believe it.” He shrugged. “Don’t fixate on Serion’s appearance too much.”
Michael looked thoughtful and nodded slightly. “But there’s still that, um… They have that…” Eric know what Michael meant when he held his hands about two feet apart.
“Yep, there’s a two-foot cock hidden in all those tentacles.”
“Shit! It’s really that big?” He put a hand over his heart.
Eric chuckled at him. “Oh, yeah. It’s a monster.” He bumped their shoulders together. “And since you’ve seen it…”
The color on Michael’s cheeks deepened. “That elixir was powerful stuff. I don’t blame him—them—for, you know, participating like they did. We both got caught up. It’s just that… I mean…”
“Don’t worry, I get it. The first time I had some elixir was so we could test it, find out what happened, if I’d be okay.” He laughed, remembering. “I’d have let anyone touch me. Seriously, anyone.”
Michael chuckled and shook his head.
“So think of that as being high,” Eric said as he crossed his arms and leaned a hip against the counter. “You were under the influence and you did some things.”
Michael looked him in the eyes. “What’s my excuse now?”
“Why do you need an excuse?” He smiled kindly. He did understand how being with a Cecaelia could be a concern, but it seemed to him like Michael’s worry wasn’t a deal breaker. “Why can’t you just like this new person in your life? Someone who—I might add—clearly likes you right back.”
Michael sighed, sounding frustrated.
“Okay, here’s the thing: that giant cock has more than one purpose.” He stood up and ticked off each point on his fingers. “Yep, it can go right on up your ass just for the fun of it. It can also be the hole where you stick your dick just for the fun of it. But then again, it can be how you knock up Serion. Then, yep, their cock will need to get in you and leave a bunch of eggs behind so you can carry those babies around until they’re ready to be born.”
Blinking a few times, Michael seemed to be considering the possibilities.
“Oh, and? Just because you like having something up your butt doesn’t mean you’re gay.” Eric wagged a finger at him. “Straight guys everywhere like a little ass play now and then. We all have prostates, and that thing is magical.”
Michael snort-laughed and it quickly evolved into a great big belly laugh. He leaned on the counter and sounded like a honking goose for a minute or so, making Eric smile. When he finally sucked in a loud breath and stood up again, he wiped his eyes and was grinning.
“Thanks,” he said, sobering. “I keep getting caught up in who has what, and then the fact that they’re aliens pops up and my head can’t take it.”
Every now and then, the wonder of Ty’s origins got to him, too, but he shrugged. “Maybe stop using your head?”
Michael was quiet for a while before he sighed. “I wasn’t high the whole time, and when I wasn’t, we’d talk a lot. Serion thought I was amazing, and I thought the same about them. I’ve never talked so much with someone before. And…I know they…like me.”
Trying really hard not to show how much this news excited his matchmaking heart, Eric said, “Well, if you’d like some time alone, Ty and I can take the kids exploring somewhere. Check for barnacles or something.”
Michael chuckled. “I’ll let you know. Now get out of my kitchen and let me think.”
“Yes, chef!”
Eric practically sprinted up on deck and skidded to a halt beside Ty sitting in the pool with the hatchlings. Good grief, they were watching Finding Nemo. Again.
“Where’s Serion?”
“They wanted to take a swim. I think there is much on their mind.”
Eric sat on the edge of the pool to lean close and whisper, “What do you think about hanging out on the aft deck or maybe taking the kids diving tomorrow morning? Then Serion and Michael can be alone for a while.”
Ty pulled back and beamed a big smile at him. “I think that is a brilliant idea.”
Eric kissed him, feeling giddy for their friends. “Maybe the kids will have some playmates soon.”
“Let us not be too hasty.” Ty grinned. “But that would be delightful.”
In the morning, after everyone had breakfast, Eric announced that they were going diving. Technically, if they booked it, they could be home in about twelve hours, but Eric couldn’t pass up the opportunity to encourage some forced proximity between their guests while he could.
Since they were near the abandoned Johnston Atoll at the moment, Eric could use all his scuba gear and really swim around the reefs with his family. So it wasn’t completely about matchmaking.
Michael took one look at him and rolled his eyes as he grinned, but he didn’t object and even helped Eric get suited up and into the water.
The hatchlings thought his was hilarious in his diving mask with the respirator sticking out of his mouth. With the fins on, though, he was faster than they were—for once! But he was fine with them thinking he looked silly underwater because he finally got to see how beautiful they were down here.
Ty was sort of awkward on land or walking around on the yacht, but here… They took Eric’s breath away with how graceful they were. And watching the kids mimic Ty’s movements in the open water was just as incredible. This was where they were meant to be.
Eric mostly just followed where they went, watching them more than the sea life on the reef. Tho
ugh coral the size of dinner plates had colorful fish swimming all around them, it was seeing the kids reactions and how they involved each other and him that really made Eric’s day. Like back in the lagoon, they pointed instead of touched and seemed intrigued by everything.
Though they had the ability and freedom to swim where they dared, the hatchlings stuck close to their parents and especially to Eric. They rode on his back or chest, batted at the bubbles he released, and pointed to tell him where to swim. Everyone paused when they scared an octopus out of hiding, and Eric waited for a reaction from those who looked kind of like it. But all that happened was Sextus walking across Eric’s face mask and giving him an up close view of tiny blue suckers.
Then, all of a sudden, they were pointing frantically behind him. He whipped around and made a startled noise.
It was a pod of dolphins!
About as long as him, they had white sides and pointy noses. They didn’t come right over, but it was clear they were curious.
Oh, wait a minute. Did dolphins eat squid? Eric did a quick headcount, and then swam over to Ty and pantomimed chomping on the kids with his hands. Ty smiled, probably laughed, and shook their head. And then they went and did something amazing.
Ty talked to the dolphins.
Eric floated there, dumbfounded, as Ty made the same sort of noises the dolphins made and damn if they didn’t come over like they were greeting a friend. Ty petted them and seemed to be telling the kids how to do it, too. A couple of the dolphins swam over to Eric and poked and chattered at him. They let him pet them for a few seconds before swimming away again.
He got a little teary-eyed then. His amazing family was making it possible for him to have these experiences. If he’d never gone through everything back in New York, he never would’ve come out to Hawaii and met Ty.
Suddenly, Eric was at peace with his past. He didn’t care about his family’s political ambitions and how they had demanded that he stay in the closet. He didn’t care that the man he’d thought was the love of his life had allowed a photographer to capture them having sex, outing him for a cash reward. He didn’t care that he’d been shunned and abandoned.