Chapter One
Marlin,
Selkie prince and fourth alpha-born son of King Solomon, and, not to mention,
complete utter fool, stood staring up at the little cabin in the woods.
He
closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled the aroma of the forest surrounding
him. That didn’t slow the runaway train that was his heartbeat.
Nor
did it help his cock that flexed in his pants at the anticipation of doing
something so wrong, but also so... desired.
It
wasn’t necessarily wrong for a Selkie to find pleasure with a human... as long
as that human was willing. But what made this feel iniquitous was that the man
who lived in that little cabin in the woods was the former lover of his oldest
brother, Kai.
His
heartbeat went from racing to thumping loudly in his ears as the front screen
door opened and the subject of his recent inappropriate dreams stood staring
back at him while leaning against the door frame.
Dominic.
Nic for short.
He
was long and lean, his body built like a normal human. His shoulders were
broad, his hips narrow. Even from where Marlin stood, he could see Nic’s dark
hair appeared to be a ruffled mess, which made him even more attractive.
Maybe
Marlin had disturbed the man’s afternoon nap.
“You
just going to stand there? Like a stalker?”
His
voice was deep, smooth, and all that delicious goodness swirled around Marlin,
pulling him forward like he was a marlin being reeled in on a fisherman’s line.
He wanted to fight it, but he couldn’t.
He
couldn’t because he was exhausted from doing just that... resisting his desires.
There was something about Nic...
Maybe
it was his expressive brown eyes, and his attitude. Strong-willed, sometimes
crass, but definitely sensual at other times.
Like
that little bit of time Marlin spent with him the last time he was here. When
his brother Zale was searching for his omega, when Nic had hid Finn in his
home. While Zale was sneaking around inside the cabin searching for his mate,
Marlin had kept the human occupied.
And
it was then that he knew he was doomed. Knew he’d eventually show back up on the
man’s doorstep no matter how many times he told himself it was wrong.
Plenty
of other humans or betas were willing to take care of Marlin’s needs. But he
didn’t want any of them.
He
wanted Nic.
Even
if it was just once. Just a simple taste. Maybe them spending a night together
would exorcise the man from his system.
For
the last few weeks, he couldn’t sleep through the night. No, he’d wake up in a
sweat after dreaming about taking Nic, pleasuring him, making him come, then
giving the human his knot.
Which
never should happen.
Human
males weren’t physically built to take Selkie knots. Not like an omega.
So,
giving Nic his knot would only ever remain a fantasy. One that—when Marlin
would wake up with a raging erection—would fuel his own release so he could go
back to sleep.
But
now it was happening every night. And, even worse, during the daylight hours
thoughts of Nic would drift through his mind.
These
thoughts of the male, the one standing on his porch and watching him intently,
were interrupting his life and Marlin needed to get them to stop. Out of his
brothers, he was the next prince in line to find his omega. His fated mate.
Though he was in no rush, he knew the Presentation Ceremonies might begin at
any time. Or at least as soon as the Selkie Seekers could find six appropriate
omegas to present to him. So, he needed to concentrate on doing his duty and
finding the right mate to produce pups, he should not give in to his base
desires.
While
Nic could never be Marlin’s mate, nor become pregnant with his heirs, he could
be simply a temporary detour.
And
the man did seem to show some interest the last time they were face to face.
“Marlin,”
Nic called from the porch. “Why are you here? Is something wrong? Did you royals
lose another omega?”
His
last question shook Marlin free from his paralyzing thoughts. And before he
could stop himself, convince himself that this was a bad idea, he was moving.
As his feet took him forward, he glanced over his shoulder at the limo in which
his beta, Kenn, had driven him there in.
Kenn
wore a scowl and his brows were deeply furrowed. That was enough to make Marlin
stop his forward motion and turn to face the car.
The
beta quickly stepped away from the driver’s door and headed in his direction.
When they were almost toe to toe, Kenn pleaded, “My prince, are you sure you
should be here?”
Marlin
studied his faithful servant and sucked in a deep breath before answering, “No.
No, I’m not sure.” He glanced back toward the porch where Nic now stood wearing
a grin and had not only his arms, but his ankles crossed as if he didn’t have a
care in the world. Marlin turned his attention back to his beta. “It’ll be
okay. I won’t be long.”
Kenn
gave him a doubtful look.
“I
will text you if I get tied up.”
Kenn
hissed, “If you get tied up, I’m not
carrying a knife to cut you free.”
Marlin
sighed and rolled his eyes. “I will be fine.”
“Prince
Marlin—”
“I
will be fine,” Marlin repeated more firmly. “Now, if I think I’m going to be
awhile, I’ll let you know so you can head back to the compound. Then I’ll text
you when you can return to pick me up.”
Kenn
made a noise.
Marlin
frowned. “I think you’ve forgotten yourself, Kenn. You’re my beta. You may be
like family, but you’re still my servant. You don’t make decisions for me.” He
gritted his teeth and grimaced. “I hate having to remind you of that. Why do
you make me do it?”
“Because
I’m worried.” Kenn’s gaze bounced from Marlin to Nic, still watching them from
the porch, back to Marlin.
“Don’t
be.”
“If
you’re simply looking for a human male to rut with, then, please, let me find
someone else for you.”
Marlin
sucked a sharp breath in through his nose. “This conversation is over.”
They
stared at each other for a long moment, then Kenn finally dipped his head in
deference. “Understood, Your Highness.”
Marlin’s
jaw clenched tight. Kenn only called him that when he was irritated or angry.
Well,
the beta would just have to get over it.
Marlin
sighed once more, making sure Kenn heard it, spun on his heels and strode
quickly toward the cabin.
He
didn’t come out all this way for nothing. He inhaled another deep breath to
bolster himself and jogged up the three steps to the wide porch, and then
stepped up to Nic, who hadn’t moved an inch from the doorway.
The
male looked good. Too good and Nic clearly knew it.
Marlin
swallowed down whatever was caught in his throat. “I know I’m not Kai...”
Nic
arched a dark brow, then took his time letting his gaze slide down Marlin from
head to toe. That leisurely inspection didn’t help the little problem in
Marlin’s pants, especially when Nic paused there and his lips curled slightly
at the corners.
“No, you’re definitely not Kai,” Nic finally
murmured when he was through.
“Hopefully that’s a good thing.”
Nic
lifted his gaze and met Marlin’s directly. “It could be.”
“I’m
also hoping that you’d be so kind and allow me inside... So we can talk.”
“Talk,”
Nic repeated, then snorted. “You’re here to talk?”
“I—”
“What
would a Selkie prince like yourself have to discuss with a simple man like me?”
“My
prince!” Kenn yelled from the driveway. “If he’s going to be rude and not let
you in—”
Marlin
swatted a hand blindly in Kenn’s direction.
But
Nic’s attention was now drawn to the beta. “Your beta slave?”
Marlin’s
nostrils flared. “Servant.”
Nic
pushed off the doorway and straightened. “Right.”
Kenn
was correct. Marlin should find someone else. Approaching Kai’s former lover
was completely inappropriate. “I apologize. I must have mistaken your interest.
I’ll see myself off.”
As
Marlin turned to leave, Nic snagged his arm and held him in place. “You didn’t.
Does Kai know you’re here? Sniffing after his discarded leftovers?”
Marlin
raised his gaze from where Nic’s hand clutched his arm. “No. And thank you for
reminding me why I should leave and why I never should’ve come here in the
first place. I must be daft.”
“I
told you!” Kenn shouted.
“For Poseidon’s sake,” Marlin muttered
and closed his eyes while he tamped down his annoyance at his outspoken beta.
His
eyes popped open when Nic suggested much louder than necessary, “Maybe you
should come inside.”
“My
prince!”
Nic
yelled back at Kenn, “He’s going to be awhile. You can skedaddle back to the
colony. He’ll let you know when I’m done with him.”
“Your
Highness!” Kenn called again, his pitch much higher this time.
Marlin
studied Nic’s handsome face, his high cheekbones, his brown eyes that held a
mischievous look and the wicked smile that he wore.
It
was that smile that made Marlin’s cock flex in his pants.
If
he stepped through that doorway, he may be in a lot of trouble.
Without
breaking Nic’s gaze, Marlin said loudly, “You may go. I’ll let you know
when...” he dropped his voice to a whisper, “when Nic is done with me.” Louder
he said, “When I’m ready to return home.”
After
a long minute, Marlin heard a grumble, a car door slam and the limo tires spin
in the dirt as it raced out of the driveway.
“Protective
little slave, isn’t he?”
“He’s
my servant,” Marlin corrected him once again.
“Semantics.
Now you have no way to get back to your colony. You’re stuck here.”
“I
have a phone.”
Nic
tilted his head and smiled. “I prefer the fantasy of you being mine for the
night. To do with what I will.”
Marlin
preferred that one, too. But he was an alpha and even though Nic was a human,
alphas did not submit to any other males, human or otherwise.
“You
never answered my question about why you’re here, but it’s pretty obvious,” he
said, dropping his gaze once more to Marlin’s erection, which was hard to miss
in his thin black dress pants.
Marlin
had been hard and uncomfortable from the moment the front tires of the limo hit
Nic’s driveaway. Anticipation was certainly a heady aphrodisiac. “Like I
mentioned, I was hoping we could talk.”
“That
word doesn’t mean what you think it does.” Nic stepped back, unblocking the
doorway. “But okay, we can talk.”
Nic
closed the door behind the prince and leaned back against it as he watched the
tall, very handsome Selkie male step deeper into his home.
Marlin
reminded him a lot of Kai, but younger, maybe by five or six years. He had the
same dark hair as his former lover and had blue eyes similar to all of King
Solomon’s sons, but his seemed to be a different shade of blue than Kai’s. He’d
have to take a closer look to be sure.
“Hook
a right,” Nic said.
Without
looking back, Marlin did as he was told and disappeared into the living room. The
prince taking orders from him was a good sign. But the Selkie was clearly
nervous.
In
the small amount of time that they’d spent in each other’s company, Marlin had
drawn his attention. At first, he thought it was because the younger prince
reminded him of Kai, then he realized it was something else.
Yes,
there was something about this particular royal, the fourth youngest alpha son
of the king who ruled the nearby Northern Colony, that drew him. Though, he
couldn’t quite put his finger on what attracted Nic, besides the fact that he
was an alpha male.
Even
so, he’d felt a strange pull toward this alpha when they had spoken the last
time. And he was pretty sure Marlin felt it, too.
Otherwise,
why would he just show up at his doorstep uninvited?
Oh,
that’s right... to talk.
Still,
the princes were known to take human
lovers. Well, all except for Prince Adrian. No, that pompous ass always thought
he was too good for humans. Not that it mattered. He was now bonded with his
fated mate and was stuck with one lover for the rest of his life.
As
was Kai.
Nic
sighed and pushed off the door, heading in the direction Marlin disappeared. He
found the prince standing in front of the empty fireplace, his arms crossed
behind his back as he stared at it.
“I
suck as a host since I don’t get guests too often. But I can get you a drink if
you’d like.”
“Thank
you, but I don’t want a drink,” the prince told the hearth.
“Then
what would you like?”
Marlin
turned and pinned his gaze on Nic. “You.”
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Also available in paperback and coming soon to audio!
