Chapter Seventeen

DAY SIX—At Sea

“I heard all about your new super powers and the big rescue,” the incubus said, plopping into the sun lounger beside Dane and Marcus. “Kinda bummed we weren’t invited to the front row seats Lewis and Theron got.”

While the Magus, his mate, and their magic resistant friend were off getting things ready for the wedding tomorrow with Kevin, the mer-twins, the incubus, and their humans had made plans with Dane and Marcus to enjoy an afternoon of sunbathing on the uppermost deck of the ship before the mourning ceremony for the Magi.

The king had made arrangements to host the somber event on his private island tonight. It would be a chance for the Magus to say goodbye, a funeral for an entire race survived by only one.Every Fae aboard the Pride would attend, as well as the grooms’ loved ones.

The bright sun warmed Dane, invigorating him. For so long he’d been in cold darkness and he’d barely allowed himself to enjoy the beauty of the Caribbean since coming aboard the Pride. Or perhaps he felt warm because Marcus had included him with his friends and family.

If the unicorn could see me now!

“They had more important things to worry about than including us, babe,” Josh told his husband as he hugged Marcus. The incubus had merely fist-bumped Dane’s mate, which had been a wise decision on the demon’s part. “Congratulations on finding your soul mate, Marc. I’m so happy for you.”

Marcus glanced at Dane and smiled at Josh. “Thanks, man.”

Though Dane could see no familial resemblance between Marcus and the baby-faced Josh, their tight embrace reinforced how important family was to Marcus. After hearing what a good man Josh’s father was, Dane decided to like the human.

Even if he had married an incubus.

“Yeah, congratulations, guys,” Nathan offered as Josh sat on the lounger with him, unloading a bag full of all manner of paraphernalia tourists often brought to the pool. Did he have a beachball?

Dane smiled as the men offered polite salutations his way as well, hoping they truly meant the welcome. The mermen had been polite, but Dane didn’t trust demons.

Nathan beamed at Marcus. “A spiritwalker, huh? Never would have guessed it.”

“You and me both, man,” Marcus said.

“And you saved those paras, including Raoul’s brother. Well done, Marc. Well done!” Nathan held out his fist and Marcus bumped it again, as comfortable with the incubus as his cousin.

Dane had always secretly envied those with close families, like shifters and humans. Their lives were short and they fastened themselves so tightly to one another. Not so among the Fae. Finding one’s mate was the most important thing, children and siblings always secondary. Hell, King Raoul and Prince Lauren were Dane’s first cousins and he’d spent more time with the former since arriving aboard the Pride than he had in all the previous centuries combined. Dane had been thrilled when his siblings had been born, but the feeling hadn’t been as mutual as he’d hoped.

It was pleasant but odd after being alone all this time, to be sitting among a group of friends, invited and presumably welcomed. Would Marcus’s family embrace Dane into their affections as it seemed they had with an incubus? It felt too early to hope for such things. He needed to concentrate on building something with his mate before he worried about anything else. But a tiny kernel of hope flourished inside him, that perhaps one day Dane might have the family he’d always longed for.

Dane settled back in the chair beside Marcus, relishing the afternoon sun. Though not keen to be around so many vacationing humans, everything felt better after last night.His bond with Marcus had started off rocky, but now things were moving forward. Dane didn’t have to trust humans, but the misplaced anger at the frolicking human children, or his fear of a random warlock passing by, felt less consuming with Marcus at his side. Dane was mated and he had more power than everyone on deck. The Magus had access to different kinds of power, but as a member of the Royal Family, Dane had no one to fear as he sat beside his mate.

It was a glorious sensation.

“The whole ship is talking about the rescue,” the merman’s human mate said. Skip hid bright blue eyes behind a pair of shades, and a slender spotted seashell necklace had left a distinct tan line around his neck. Like Jeremiah, Skip wore no shirt and modest board shorts.

Unlike Aleek in his ass-flaunting bathing suit!

The merman had eluded and flustered His Majesty for months, helping himself to food and whatever else he liked while sneaking aboard prior cruises, or so Kevin had complained about. Dane would’ve befriended Aleek merely on the basis that Kevin disliked him, but he couldn’t bring himself to while the man wore a skimpy speedo/thong made of seaweed, which showed off his full, tanned ass to perfection.

While Marcus had not been shy about taking his eyeful, he didn’t continue to ogle the merman laying on his stomach on the other side of Jeremiah, his gorgeous ass catching plenty of attention.

Ugh, shifters! No modesty whatsoever.

Dane never realized what a jealous streak he had, and he wasn’t exactly proud of it. But it wasn’t like he could turn it off, either. Did all of Marcus’s friends have to be so handsome?

“Quite a few crew members came up to Theron at breakfast,” Jeremiah remarked. “They’re so grateful for what you guys did.”

The brownies had sought out Marcus too, offering their profusive thanks. Apparently, the missing brownie was sister and daughter to a small family already aboard the Pride. Marcus had been gracious and humble as the brownies had cried and hugged him.

Dane had almost burst with pride.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen the crew so excited,” Nathan added. He’d been a photographer on the Pride before Dane had arrived, Penelope’s predecessor. “I really hope Raoul’s brother wakes up soon.”

“Raoul mean,” Aleek complained.

“Hey now,” Jeremiah chided. “Raoul’s been very generous with your cabana.”

Aleek made a harumph, and Dane wondered what they were talking about. He wanted to ask but chose to remain quiet and observe. He didn’t have the best track record with polite small talk, and the casual discussion of the king annoyed him.

So yeah, best to stay quiet.

“What’s this about a cabana?” Marcus asked.

“They’re building a series of cabanas on the Pride’s private island and Aleek is buying one. And Raoul gave you an excellent price,” Skip added with a brow arch at Aleek.

“And Raoul’s long-lost brother just returned and it sounds like he’s in a bad way,” Jeremiah added. “I think it’s time to let the past be the past. Don’t you?”

“Okay, be nice to Raoul,” Aleek grumbled.

Dane tried not to bristle at the informal way many addressed the king, but he refrained from remarking on it. One, because he didn’t want to embarrass Marcus, and two, because he wanted Marcus’s friends and family to like him.

“Raoul is still doing the ceremony for Lewis and Theron, right?” Josh removed his T-shirt, showing off a lean, pale chest. He handed Nathan a bottle of sunblock, who dutifully began rubbing it into his shoulders. “What with his brother unconscious and all.”

“I would assume so,” Marcus remarked. “Lewis would have said something.”

“Or had a temper tantrum,” Skip joked and they all chuckled at some inside joke Dane was not a part of.

Yet.

The thought made him smile.

“Greetings,” a gruff voice sounded.

Dane shielded his eyes to look up at the ship’s mysterious head of security. He was dressed in his formal uniform, blue slacks, white dress shirt, and tie. Dane wondered why he’d wandered over to their group.

“Hello, Aleek.” Briggs’s attention zeroed in on Aleek’s ass.

“Hi, Briggs,” Aleek said in a sweet voice, but he didn’t look up from his sunbathing.

“Howdy, Briggs.” Skip gave a jaunty wave.

“Skip, Jeremiah.” The man nodded his blond head at each of them. “Nathan, Josh.”

No one knew much about Briggs—aside from Captain Leonides and probably the king—other than you didn’t want to get on his bad side and he used to work for Poseidon as a Royal Guard.

“Dane,” Briggs said, gaze repeatedly returning to Aleek. He arched a brow at Marcus. “This is your mate then?”

Dane wasn’t bothered by the man’s less than polite demeanor, because he was too happy to introduce his mate. “Lieutenant, may I introduce Marcus Rodriguez, my soul mate the spiritwalker who rescued four of our Fae.”

“I just drew pictures,” Marcus said humbly. He extended a hand to Briggs. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Shaking his hand, he tipped his head at Marcus. “Good job yesterday.”

“You weren’t part of the rescue team?” Skip asked, seeming more comfortable with Briggs than Dane would have expected. “I thought saving people was your thing.”

“No, my assignment is to protect the Pride first and foremost,” he offered, his wording striking Dane as odd. He protected the actual ship, not the passengers? “I came to see if there are any safety issues with all this attention you might be getting. I know I wouldn’t want every Tom, Dick, and hairy shifter coming up to me all day.”

“People are just grateful some paras were rescued,” Nathan told him as he squirted more sunblock into his hand. “It’s not like anyone feels harassed.”

“People can speak for themselves, Nathan,” he drawled. “Marcus, Dane, everything kosher on your end?”

“Yeah, sure,” Marcus said at once. “People are just excited and wanna show their appreciation. No one is bothering us.”

Briggs nodded and Dane didn’t hide his smirk when the lieutenant’s gaze returned to Aleek’s ass.

Ah, so that’s what this drop-by is really about.

“Why is security worried about happy paras offering their gratitude, Briggs?” Dane didn’t hide the teasing note from his voice. “As I recall, no one was concerned when paras were approaching my mate to draw them when he didn’t even know who and what they were.”

Briggs shot Dane a sour look. “Just checking in, is all.”

Checking out Aleek, you mean,Dane almost said but stopped short. His genial mood and desire to tease someone was something he hadn’t experienced in... well? A damn long time. The new/old sensation of comradery, ease, and humor stunned him a bit.

Maybe I really am getting better.

“That was odd,” Jeremiah said after Briggs walked away.

“You mean Briggs is odd,” Nathan remarked.

“He’s just doing his job. And I’m just glad everyone is safe,” Josh said, head tipped back as his partner massaged more sunblock down his back.

“I’m just glad all the secrets are out in the open.” Marcus jabbed his cousin’s arm with his index finger.

“Ow!” Josh flinched and rubbed the poke. “What was that for?”

“For lying to me,” Marcus said. “I thought you assholes were all having some secret orgy behind my back.”

“W-what?” Josh cried, looking far too scandalized for a man married to a sex demon.

“No fucking way.” Jeremiah yanked Skip’s lounger closer to his own. “I don’t share.”

Skip let out a peel of laughter then leaned over to kiss his husband.

“Neither do I,” Nathan purred, burying his face into Josh’s neck and inhaling.

A sharp sensation of lust swept over Dane.

He stared incredulously as the incubus let his fingertips glide under edge of the Josh’s waistband.

Without warning, Dane flushed and his cock inched down his shorts.

Oblivious to his husband’s arousal and what it was doing to Dane, Josh gave Marcus a sarcastic head bob. “A sex orgy? Really?”

Marcus shrugged. “You all were keeping something from me. I knew that much.”

“What were we supposed to do when you started drawing all of us as paras, Marc?” Josh asked seriously. “Should I have said: Gee, cuz, you drew me in a ball-gag with my sex demon husband. How ever did you know?”

“Is that what you drew?” Skip dropped his sunglasses down his nose, blue eyes wide.

“Oh my God,” Josh moaned, burying his face in his T-shirt. “I cannot believe I just said that.”

“It’s a beautiful drawing,” Nathan purred, all but rubbing his face on Josh’s neck now.

Warm all over, Dane’s blood raced.

But his temper simmered.

Aleek popped his head up off the lounger, his ass glowing golden in the sun and his colored hair sparkling. “What’s a ball-gag?”

“I’ll explain later,” Jeremiah assured him and Skip’s laughter exploded, drawing attention to their group.

But not as much attention as Nathan’s sudden spike in pheromones drew from the Fae on deck. Several giggling sprites scurried away, even as a trio closed the curtains on one of the private cabanas—recently added for a nominal rental fee. Two Fae Lords Dane vaguely knew slipped into the bathroom closest to their group, holding hands. They would be in serious trouble if they were caught having sex in the bathroom. Dane hoped the three in the cabana kept quiet and cleaned up after themselves.

But incubi magic was impossible to resist, even this small of a dose. Doubtless the Fae were ultra-sensitive to the other exposures they’d already had during this cruise. Dane knew he was. His cock throbbed, hardening fully as primal need swept through his body. He grabbed a towel and covered his lap.

Damn incubus!

“I wasn’t gonna say anything, Josh,” Marcus teased, but his cousin just moaned into his T-shirt while everyone laughed.

Nathan, meanwhile gripped his husband’s waist, inhaling the scent of his neck like a starved... well? Like a starved sex demon!

“Incubus,” Dane growled.

Nathan didn’t look up from his husband’s neck. “Fae Lord?”

“Stop that at once!” he barked.

“What?” Marcus said at the same time Skip stopped laughing enough to gape at Dane in confusion.

He refused to be embarrassed, even if all Marcus’s friends and half the pool deck were now staring. “Can you not contain yourself, incubus? There are Fae around.” He gestured irritably to himself and around the deck. “What is the matter with you?”

Nathan sat up straight, hands still on his husband as startled clarity filled his green eyes. “Oh, um, sorry Dane. I’m out of practice being around Fae.”

Instantly the pheromones disappeared and Dane could breathe again. His cock remained hard and he was more than randy, but at least the urgency faded.

Thank the Goddess!

“What are you guys...?” Josh began before understanding dawned on him. “Oh my God!” With another moan he buried his face in his T-shirt again.

“What’s going on?” Skip wanted to know.

Dane’s face felt hot and he could feel Marcus’s stunned gaze on him, but he kept his attention trained on the incubus. “And furthermore, I would appreciate you cease your sexual activities for the duration of your stay. Your magic has adversely affected my new soul bond. I cannot tolerate your influence on me anymore. It is unfair to inflict your magic onto Marcus as he is new to our world.”

To Dane’s surprise and pleasure, Nathan looked contrite. “I can do that. And I’m sorry about...” He waved his hand vaguely at the towel in Dane’s lap.

“Thank you,” Dane said as relief smoothed over more of the cracks in his mind. If he wanted a successful bond with his mate, outside influences had no place. Dane already felt guilty about mauling Marcus. Now he wanted their future days and nights together to consist of honesty as they got to know each other better.

Both in and out of bed.

“I think I need a swim,” Jeremiah announced. “I’m feeling dried out.”

“Same,” Aleek agreed.

A moment later, after they dragged a still-curious Skip away, Nathan stood too. “Hey, didn’t we want to take that cooking class, babe?”

“It’s all booked up,” Josh said, daring to come out from behind his T-shirt.

Nathan fidgeted from foot to foot. “Oh, yeah, well, maybe we can talk to Darrius about it then?”

Josh stared blankly at him before understanding filled his face. “Oh yeah. We should probably do that.”

“You guys are leaving too?” Marcus sounded hurt.

“Sorry, Marc,” Josh said, collecting all his stuff and putting it back in the bag. What did he need a ring-toss game for? “We’ll see you at the ceremony tonight.”

Nathan was already walking away and Josh hurried after them.

Curious what caused them to leave, Dane turned to Marcus, only to find him with his arms crossed and wearing a scowl.

“You seem troubled,” Dane observed.

Marcus bristled. “I’m fine.”

Even without the bond between them, Dane could clearly see Marcus’s agitation. “You are lying to me,” he stated. “Something is troubling you.”

“All right,” Marcus snapped. “There is something troubling me, but I don’t feel like telling you what it is.”

Dane flinched at his tone. Marcus choosing not to confide in Dane bothered him. He supposed situations like this were examples of the human phrase “payback’s a bitch,” for hadn’t Dane been dismissive of Marcus’s feelings since the beginning?But they were supposed to be working on things, right?

“Are you upset your friends left?” he tried.

“No.”

“Did I say something wrong?”

Marcus let out a huff.

“Fine,” Dane said with his own huff. “If you do not wish to tell me, then we shall both be troubled.”

Marcus recrossed his big arms over his chest and frowned deeper. “And what’s bothering you?”

“My mate is upset and doesn’t want to tell me why.”

Marcus scoffed.

Now it was Dane’s turn to cross his arms. “And what was that sound for?”

“You call me your mate, but this whole thing is a fucking joke. You don’t even want me. Not really.”

His words cut deep. “What? I thought...”

Marcus shook his head and refused to look at Dane. Then he plucked his sunglasses from the collar of his tank top and slid them on. “I told you I didn’t want to talk about it.”

If Dane wasn’t mistaken, a twinge of hurt colored his voice. Tentatively he reached out and touched him. “Marcus...?”

“What are we doing here, Dane?” he snapped.

Dane glanced around in confusion. “I’m not entirely sure what you’re asking. I thought we were having a relaxing moment with your friends after a few stressful days.”

Marcus dropped his hands in his lap and gave Dane an incredulous expression. “Are you fucking kidding me? A relaxing moment? And you ran off my friends. So now what?”

Oh dear. I fucked up again, didn’t I?

Dane had been in casual relationships before, though nothing serious because he wasn’t going to do what his parents did and form a bond, knowing he had a mate out there somewhere. But even to one as inexperienced as Dane, he could tell something simmered inside Marcus, so it was no surprise when it came to a full, hard boil.

“I told you about my life, and how it wasn’t easy,” Marcus began, voice roughened with anger and something that terrified Dane to identify. “But I got myself somewhere I really wanted to be. I’m successful, I have friends, a business, my own home. I even got a cat. I just wanted a man to share the life I built with. And then I saw you and everything changed. I couldn’t think of anything but you for months. You saw the book. I drew you all the time. I was obsessed with you and didn’t even know why. I thought I was losing my sanity like my father. Do you know how that made me feel?”

“I’m s—”

Marcus waved his hand to cut him off. “Don’t say I’m sorry. That’s all you say to me. You knew we were something to each other, and you didn’t want me because I was human. I get that some evil paras and humans treated you horribly, but I never did anything to you.”

When his voice rose, several passersby stared at them, including Marcus’s friends in the pool. Jeremiah watched very closely, and Dane felt the disapproval coming off the merman in tangible waves.

Couldn’t say he didn’t deserve it.

After a hasty glance around, Marcus lowered his voice, but none of the hurt and anger left his quieter tone.“All this time you knew there was something between us, a soul bond, or whatever you call it. Which is just some way for you guys to increase your magic and it can be broken. Don’t think I missed those details. You’re were probably trying to figure out how to use one of those spells to get rid of me until you realized I had a gift to speak to the spirit world. I’m super glad we saved those guys, and if you want me to keep helping, I will. No one should have to suffer what you went through. But again, I didn’t do that either.”

He pointed an angry finger into his own chest and before Dane could speak, he went on in a hushed whisper. “You obviously don’t like me because the first time you had a chance, you started erasing parts of me.” He gestured to the naked skin on his forearm and shoulder. “You didn’t even want me until I had something of value to you.”

Marcus leaned forward and Dane was stunned when he saw a tiny tear trickle down from behind his sunglasses and catch on Marcus’s goatee as he whispered, “You can’t even have sex with me without incubus?magic.”

With that, Marcus sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, wiping at his face angrily.

Dane was dumbstruck. There was so much truth and hurt in Marcus’s statements that Dane didn’t know where to begin. He sat silently for a moment and sent a silent prayer for the Goddess to forgive him for what he had done to his mate and to help him figure out what to do next. Then for good measure he asked the unicorn for her help too, and wondered if she could hear him.

Did unicorns grant wishes like the jinn?

Question for another day.

Dane took a steadying breath. “Thank you for sharing your feelings with me. I appreciate your honesty, but will you give me a chance for a rebuttal?”

Marcus snorted and waved his hand. “Sure. Why the fuck not?”

“First and foremost, you should know there is no out,” he did air quotes, “for this soul bond business, as you call it. Those spells and the vampire bite only effect mates not united by blood. Our bond is complete and our souls have united. There is nothing, not even death, that will separate us. If someone were to kill either of us, our souls would still be one. We would be reborn together like the Magus and your friend Lewis. I am Fae, which means I am pure magic. Even if I die, I don’t truly die because my magic reforms me. I would be reborn. Human religions call it reincarnation. Since your soul is bound to mine, if you were killed, you would still come back to me, most likely in this form, the way Lewis did. If I died, I would be in a new form but the bond would still be there.It will never disappear. It is forever.

“Not once, not ever, Marcus, and you must believe me, did I ever even think of using evil magic to sever our bond. To do so is unthinkable. I did not know what to do about you because I was broken and angry. Yes, the decision to complete the bond was forced upon us, but we both would have suffered otherwise. I would have been back in a prison, haunted by memories of rejecting my gift from the Goddess. You would have lived a restless life then died. While you would have been reborn eventually, I may not have been free to find you in your next life. Therefore you wouldn’t have been whole in this life or the next. And I would have remained tortured by what I’d done to you because my own fears and anger.”

“Dane, I’m sorry,” he began softly.

“No, we’ve said this both to each other, there is no need to apologize for what we did not do. Yes, I made many mistakes. If I have not sufficiently apologized for them, I do so now. I am sorry that I am no good at being a mate. I am sorry I keep hurting you, truly. But the one thing I do not regret is binding my soul to yours. You are a good man. You’re hardworking, honest. You have people who love you. I feel like I could love you one day. I want to love you.”

“You do?” he asked in the tiniest of whispers.

Nodding, Dane smiled at him. “Yes, I thank the unicorn daily for saving me twice. Once when she healed my broken body, and again when she saved your life.”

“What are you saying?”

Dane smiled. “Is it not clear yet? You are my life now, Marcus. The other half of my soul. I will not and cannot live without you. You must understand and accept this if we are to move forward and have a happy relationship. Trust me when I say I want you, in every conceivable way. Both in simple moments like this one,” he gestured around to the pool area. “Or in our bed. I will always regret that our first time was tainted, but surely after last night, you must know how much I want you.”

“Last night there was no incubi magic?”

“No, there was not.”

“But you were apologizing to me. And so... needy.” He whispered the last word, cheeks reddening, then he cleared his throat and said more confidently, “You said it was all magic.”

Dane blushed, recalling their passion. “I apologized because I feared I was being too aggressive,” he admitted. “You consume me, Marcus. You leave me out of my mind. You amazed me with what you were able to do, and I was so proud to be your mate. I was so happy the Goddess gave me a man who can save my people from the things I suffered. To know I can help paras and hopefully stop these monsters with you at my side is the greatest gift She could have bestowed upon me. But Marcus, your heart and trust are a gift far greater. That was the magic I referred to. The magic we create together.”

Dane took a deep breath and laid it all out on the table. “I was a fool to run away from our bond. My magic was broken. I was broken. I still am broken. My magic may be whole, but my mind and heart are not. I will not pretend to be perfect, and it may take me time to earn your forgiveness, to learn to trust you, and to fix what’s broken in here.” He touched his own chest. “You’re not some fuck-toy because of incubus magic or some useful tool to help me find missing paras. I want you to become my dearest ally, by best friend and lover. That is how the Goddess intended it to be. Our former king treated soul bonds like contracts, business deals. But King Raoul sets the example by having a loving and nurturing relationship with his mate. I want the same. I desperately want to be happy with you. One day I want to say that I love you and know I am loved in return.”

Marcus had been sitting still through Dane’s heartfelt speech, holding his breath and waiting.He raised a trembling hand and brushed it across his cheek, where another manly tear slipped out. Then he waved Dane closer, urging him into his arms. Dane immediately shifted close, and Marcus pulled him into his lap and hugged him tight, tucking Dane’s head below his chin.

In every way, their bodies fit together perfectly.

Marcus wrapped him in those big arms, voice trembling as he whispered, “I just wanted you to want me as much as I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Dane withdrew enough to cup Marcus’s cheeks with his little hands. He pushed his sunglasses up and nestled them in the crunchy gel to gaze into those tortured, soulful eyes. “I do want you. And I want to love you. More than anything.”

At those words Marcus gripped Dane’s nape and roughly brought him in for a passionate kiss, hot and intense but far too brief. Breathless, he pulled back but kept their foreheads together as he clung to his neck. “So last night... there really was no incubus magic? That was just us?”

Dane’s heart shattered at the pain and desperation in Marcus’s tone.

Why do I keep hurting him?

I suck so hard!!

Dane forced a calming breath. “Yes, my love. I told Nathan to stop with his powers just now because he was pumping out pheromones and giving me wood. Not the most ideal situation, right?”

Marcus let out a breathless laugh. “No, I guess not.”

“I asked him to stop for the rest of the cruise because I feared taking advantage of you again. With our tentative truce, our agreement to get to know each other, I thought one dose of incubi magic was more than enough. I want everything we’re building to be honest from here on out. Real and true. I want to build a solid foundation with you.”

“You do?”

He caressed his cheeks, drowning in those chocolate eyes. “Yes. Sex is another expression of love between mates, so of course when I fell under the demon magic, I wanted my mate, you. Hell, even when I didn’t want you, I wanted you. Does that make any sense?”

Marcus brushed the hair off his brow and kissed him lightly. Dane melted with relief, feeling his forgiveness. “Sort of, I guess, but that’s okay. Somehow together we’ll figure out what does make sense for us.”

“Are you still upset?” Dane asked as more tears fell from Marcus’s eyes.

Marcus laughed, teary and relieved. “No, I’m stupidly happy. And I want to fall in love with you too, Dane.”

“Then we will have to make sure it happens.”