The Sea Monster's Mate

by Delaney Rain

  “Yes!” Eric raised his arms in victory, thrusting three squealing hatchlings into the air. “Oh, sorry,” he said as he brought them back down. He looked at Ty. “It’s okay with you, right?”

  Ty smiled at him and the official new couple. “Yes, I approve. You may choose whatever region of the lagoon that suits you best.”

  Everyone shared congratulatory hugs, but then they went back to getting Quatrus out of Eric’s hair. It took both of Ty’s hands and Serion’s to unravel them completely. Then Eric had all the hatchlings float in front of him.

  “Since there will be new babies here soon, you can’t hide out in the playpen anymore.”

  “Why?” Primus asked.

  “Because the babies will need it. Remember how rough the water was before you got so big and strong? They’ll need things to hold onto in the beginning.” He willed them not to think about how the playpen had also kept the nippy little fish away from incredibly tiny tentacles.

  They sighed and groaned, but agreed to give up the playpen for the new babies.

  “Okay, I’ll carry it while you all let Michael and Serion know they can have it.”

  The happy couple chose a spot on the other side of Blowjob Rock where more green things grew and the grass ended like a step into the water instead of a narrow beach. Michael was sitting on that edge when the kids swam in close and touched his legs while they assured him they were big enough that they didn’t need the playpen anymore. Cinqus asked that they be allowed to visit it later on, though.

  “We’re going to hang out over here for a while,” Michael told them, “but then we’ll have everyone come visit. And in a little while after that, you’ll have a bunch of new friends to play with.”

  They oohed and aahed over that fact before Eric shooed them back to the other side of the lagoon. “And take some greenery with you for dinner. Don’t argue. Eat your greens.”

  While they swam off, Eric sat down next to Michael. “So, did Serion explain everything?”

  “Oh, god. Go away.”

  “I just want to make sure you and your ass are prepared for this.”

  “Eric, Jesus.” He pushed at him.

  “Well, I guess Serion should be the one to prep your ass, but—”

  “Oh, my god, I’m not kidding.”

  Giggling like a loon, Eric gave him a bear hug before walking away in the grass. “Trust Serion, take your time, and have fun.”

  “Okay. Thank you. Bye.”

  “And don’t worry about all the sex noises. We’ll probably end up doing it, too, and the kids sleep underwater, so they won’t hear anything.”

  “Die a slow death, Eric.”

  “Love you, too, buddy!”

  About two weeks later, as promised, Serion came over and asked if they’d like to meet their and Michael’s hatchlings. Everyone eagerly swam over.

  Eric wasn’t going to mention that, boy howdy, had they heard the sex noises, seen Michael on top of Blowjob Rock getting what the place was named for, or that he now knew Michael could beg like the neediest bottom boy. At least, he wouldn’t mention any of that right this second. The man’s ass was probably still throbbing from pushing seven little bundles of joy out into the world.

  Eric was, however, desperately relieved to see that these hybrid hatchlings were perfectly normal. A multitude of tiny tentacles, two big eyes, and ten fingers on little hands. They were darker than his set, but that could’ve been due to both Michael and Serion being darker themselves.

  “They’ve got freckles,” he said with a grin.

  “Cute, huh?” Michael said from Eric’s chair. He looked exhausted, but also really happy. “It’s the only thing we saw that was different.”

  “The incubation period seemed the same,” Ty said to Serion. “Was the delivery?”

  “This was my first, but my memories say it was.”

  “That is very excellent news.” Ty smiled up at Eric, who came down to kiss them.

  “Whenever you’re ready.”

  “A few years, Eric. Let this set mature a bit more.”

  “Yes, dear.” Didn’t mean they couldn’t practice.

  They lifted the older hatchlings into the playpen and watched them introduce themselves. Since the newborns answered back, Eric asked what their names were.

  “We decided to name them after Hawaiian deities.”

  “No pressure there.”

  “How do we know Cecaelia weren’t the origin of some of our stories, huh?”

  “Good point.”

  “So we have Kanaloa, Ku’ula, Paka’a, Mokuali’i, Hiaka, and Ukanipo.” He paused and peered into the playpen. “And the one Primus is smothering is Moa’ali’i.”

  Eric tapped Primus on the head and said, “Gently.” Looking back at Michael, he said, “I’m going to need you to write all those names down or something.”

  He laughed and flicked him off. “You’ll learn, haole.”

  Eric snorted at him and leaned in to give Michael’s cheek a smacking kiss because, yeah, the foreigner would make every effort to learn and pronounce all those names.

  They sat close then, everyone watching the kids, as the sun slowly started to set. At one point, Ty swam off to hunt for the new parents, and Serion remarked that communal living was a much better way to live than anything their memories told them. Eric had to agree because having friends around made everything better.

  At one point, Michael looked over and asked, “When did I get your chair?”

  “When you yelled at me that sitting in my rocks hurt your butt.”

  “I yelled—” He wiped a hand down his face. “Okay, well, thank you.”

  “And I’ve made another one that you can keep because I want this one back.” Eric stroked the arm of the smooth wooden chair. “I have a lot of fond memories of being in this chair.”

  His blushing and blinking told Eric that he had some fond memories of being in it now, too.

  Secondus popped back up to ask, “Can we snuggle with them? They’re so warm.”

  “Warm?” Michael looked at Serion with alarm. “Can they get fevers? Is something wrong?”

  “What is fever?” They looked around like it might be swimming toward them.

  “Illness,” Eric said. “Our bodies can heat up to fight off infections.”

  “Oh. We have illnesses, but do not increase our internal temperature to combat them.”

  “Sure,” Eric said, “but these kids are half human.”

  Michael gulped. “Do you have a thermometer?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not sure you can use it underwater.” He put a hand on Michael’s shoulder, keeping his attention. “Watch them for now. Fevers come with other symptoms, right? Lethargy, loss of appetite, that kind of thing. Let’s not freak out until we definitely know something’s wrong.”

  Michael snorted and grinned. “You’re telling me not to freak out?”

  Eric shoved him a little. “Yeah, I am. Mostly because, if their higher temperature is because they’re half human, they might not need to use hosts when they’re old enough to breed.”

  While everyone gasped and stared down at the bitty little hatchlings cuddling with the ones triple their size, Eric hoped he was right. Maybe Ty’s theory of a lower class being purposefully bred to be unable to bear their own young had come about when they were only able to breed with each other. Something in them had devolved since the time when Pacilona Nepthis was a thriving hub of knowledge and learning. Maybe this was how they returned to what they were meant to be.

  He reached into the water and cupped one tiny hatchling in one hand and one of his own in the other. The difference in their temperatures was definitely noticeable. For now, though, they’d concentrate on keeping them happy and feeling loved, so he put his hands together and smiled as Sextus cuddled up the grinning newborn.

  Epilogue

  Six Years Later

  Sitting on the floating dock that was currently near the gate, Eric put a hand over his heart as his eyes went wide
. “What did you say?”

  Ty grinned at him, no doubt well aware of the fact they were blowing his mind. They rested their folded arms on his knees and said again, “Cecaelia are considered mature adults at the age of six.”

  “Six?”

  “Yes.”

  “But that means…” He counted backwards through the years. “How old are you?”

  “I’m twelve.”

  Eric groaned and covered his face. “Oh, my god, I’m a cradle robber.”

  “You’re thinking of this all wrong,” Michael said from where he leaned back on his hands beside Eric, feet swinging in the water. “Six to them is like eighteen to us. So, yeah, we both robbed the cradle, but we didn’t break the law.”

  Eric nodded and sighed. “Okay, that helps.” He groaned again. “Until I apply it to my kids. They’re still just babies!”

  “Only some of them,” Ty said, grinning more.

  Eric looked out over the lagoon where thirty-eight hatchlings chatted and played together. He and Ty had had two more sets for a total of nineteen between them. Michael and Serion had the same number now, with the youngest being the seven Michael gave birth to just a week ago. And, apparently, the oldest—both first sets—were ready to start thinking about running off to find mates of their own.

  “You know what I mean.” Eric pointed to Primus who, like the daredevil they still were, was about to swing into the lagoon on a rope tied to a tree. “Some of them are not ready for parenthood.”

  “They already had all the memories they needed,” Ty said patiently, “and now they’re remembering everything.” They reached up and tweaked one of Eric’s nipples. “Didn’t you recently have a discussion of human anatomy with some of your children?”

  “Well, I didn’t know that was why they wanted to know.” Worry clutched at him. “Does that mean they all want human mates?”

  Michael snorted. “I’ve barely been conscious this past month and even I know what’s going on.”

  “Wait, what’s going on?”

  Michael sat up, looked around, and then pointed. “Some of our kids are already hooking up.”

  “No, they’re not. Secondus and Kanaloa have always been close.” He squinted and frowned at the two of them sitting near the shoreline. Right at the moment, they were really close. Physically. “Are you saying…”

  “We’re about to become in-laws.”

  And, of course, Kanaloa chose that moment of intense scrutiny to lean in and kiss Secondus.

  Eric gasped. “How did I miss that? Is anyone else pairing up?”

  Chuckling, Michael patted Eric’s back. “They’ve been subtle about it, but Ku’ula and Tertius seem to be together and so are Paka’a and Sextus.”

  “Sextus?” Eric couldn’t help still thinking of that little sweetheart as his baby. And, yep, there they were, all tangled up with the dark and brawny Paka’a. They did look lovely together, like a midnight ocean meeting a sunny sea. Their kids would—

  “Hold on! Who’s going to be their hosts?”

  Michael laughed and said to Ty, “You have really been keeping him distracted, haven’t you?”

  “What?” Eric looked between them suspiciously.

  Ty caressed along the outside of Eric’s bare thighs. “You worry,” they said, giving him big, innocent eyes. “Until they were certain of their intentions, they didn’t want to worry you.”

  “Oh, god.” Eric put his hand over his heart. “They’re going to try being their own hosts, aren’t they?” And he looked to Michael since these were his kids, the first known set of human and Cecaelia hybrids, who would be the ones to test it.

  Michael nodded, losing his grin. “And before you freak out, remember that we’ve already determined the hybrids run hotter. Body temperature is the number one factor, right? Pure-blooded Cecaelia are too cold to host their own eggs, but the hybrids naturally maintain a much higher temperature. We proved that six years ago.”

  Eric rubbed at his face, but he nodded, unable to deny remembering the early days when they’d passed around a thermometer to all the hatchlings. Each hybrid—those Michael and Serion had made themselves—had clocked in around ninety degrees Fahrenheit, while the first set Eric hosted for Ty—pure Cecaelia thanks to Falsor’s donation—had averaged more like seventy degrees. Since humans were in that higher bracket of temperature and had worked just fine as hosts, it made sense that the hybrids could be their own hosts. Theoretically.

  “But are you sure you’re okay with this?” Eric asked Michael. “It’s a test with terrible consequences if it doesn’t work out.”

  He stared out over his family and a smile slowly returned to his face. “It’s a risk worth taking.”

  Eric sighed. He couldn’t deny that.

  And he knew he had very little say in who did what when it came to the older ones. They’d gone to Pacilona Nepthis on their own earlier this year to visit the ruins and learn from the librarians. Sure, he’d freaked out some, but he had liked knowing they were going as a group, his six and Michael’s seven. They supported each other in all ways. He’d just believed they’d thought of each other as siblings or cousins, not potential future mates.

  Ty kissed his knee. “They know themselves.”

  “I know.” He caressed Ty’s cheek and got a kiss to his thumb.

  Suddenly, Serion called out from the shoreline behind them. “Michael? They miss you.”

  Chuckling, Michael moved to the edge of the deck and hopped in. He swam over before walking closer until he could sit beside the playpen with Serion. Eric smiled at the sight when little arms reached up for Michael.

  “This is—” Ty was cut off by the sudden blast of a ship’s horn.

  No one said a word, everyone already knowing what to do, as the Cecaelia went to the deepest parts of the lagoon or hid under the floating deck. This wasn’t the first time someone had thought to stop by—usually tourists curious about the island and whether they could explore it—but it still got Eric’s heart pounding.

  He didn’t bother scrambling for a towel since they were all over on the beach and didn’t bother hiding his nakedness either. He put his hands on his hips and waited until the small yacht came into view near the gate.

  Eric couldn’t see who was piloting, but he could see the tan, leanly muscled man waving to him from the deck. “Ahoy there! Are you Eric Baird?”

  Well, that was new. “I am!”

  “Excellent! We got your location from Rohins!”

  Eric gasped just as Ty popped up below him. “They have Cecaelia with them,” they said with a big smile.

  “Rohins sent them here. Go let them in, and I’ll show the guy where he can dock.”

  It turned out that there were two Cecaelia mated to a human brother and sister here with their friends, a set of male twins and another brother and sister. The man who’d called out to them, Jonah, was one of the twins and he immediately launched into how they’d all come to be here as he followed Eric up the hill toward the house.

  “See, Angelica found Hessan washed up on the beach after a bad storm. A little naughty nursing and they were a couple. Then Hessan brought their sibling, Lyohasius, around and Angelica’s brother, Carter, really hit it off with them.”

  “Jonah, take a breath,” his twin said with a roll of his eyes.

  “Shut up, Kevin.” Jonah stumbled, but even that didn’t slow him down. “So anyway Hessan suggested we go to Pacilona Nepthis, and suddenly we all find out humans and Cecaelia can have kids together, and that you guys are doing exactly that right here!”

  But Eric was still on a name that sounded really familiar. “Wait, did you say Lyohasius?”

  Jonah grinned at him. “Yep. And they’re super excited to see Tyfodorus again.”

  Eric ran ahead and saw that, yes, Ty was hugging the stuffing out of someone right near the gate. It warmed his heart so much because he knew Ty hadn’t seen their parent in over six years. Eric suddenly wanted to make sure the kids knew that, however far they roamed
, both of their parents would always be right here. And that they better as hell visit. Often.

  Reaching the lagoon, Eric waded right in only to have Ty see him and start hauling Lyohasius over to him. So Eric sat down in the sand and tried not to stare when Lyohasius got close. This was the Cecaelia who’d captured a tiger and the fight still showed on their skin. Three long scars slashed their face with another set on their chest. But he also saw a lot of Ty’s personality in Lyohasius, including the cute blushing and lip-nibbling when Eric gave his parent-in-law a kiss on the cheek.

  Lyohasius told the story of meeting Carter after Angelica nursed Hessen back to health. Turned out Carter was the skinny guy with a mop of black curls and big blue eyes who’d barely said a word the whole time. Angelica looked just like him, was a few years old, and couldn’t help crying when Serion introduced everyone to the newest hatchlings.

  “Hess,” she whispered.

  “I know.” They kissed her cheek and held her hand.

  Eric looked between them, saw love and longing, and desperately hoped he wasn’t about to be really inappropriate. “I’m well aware of how it works when the human mate is male, but… Well, how does it work when the human’s female?”

  Holly, a petite strawberry blonde, answered. “We wondered about that, too, after hearing about the whole insertion process.”

  All four of the guys fidgeted, while Eric and Michael shared a grin.

  “Basically, it doesn’t work.”

  “Oh, no.” Eric put a hand on Angelica, understanding her reaction more now. “I’m so sorry.”

  She shrugged, but her gaze was still watery. “They need the eggs only they can make, so it is what it is.” She offered a smile. “I can still be a host, at least. And Carter volunteered to donate, so Hess and I can still have hybrids.”

  Carter blushed nuclear red, which had Lyohasius chuckling and covering his cheeks as they kissed his forehead.

  It was when Ty wrapped a tentacle around Eric’s leg and shared a smile with him that Eric realized he and Michael were both still naked while their guests wore swimsuits. “You guys, I’m so sorry. Give Michael and me a minute to find some clothes.”