Page 49 of Don’t Hook the Merman

For himself…for his son…

If he was given the option, how could Luke really say no?

17

LUKE

Luke was so enamored with watching Syrus dip and dive in the water that it wasn’t until Syrus dove down without reappearing yet again that Luke realized someone else was on the beach. Even then, Colby saw him first.

Luke was still gazing out at the water, hoping to catch sight of a fin or spur, when Colby waved to someone behind them. Luke turned, startled to find a figure already halfway out to them on the sand.

“Hello!” the man called, noticing their attention. “Beautiful morning.”

Luke nodded warily. He didn’t recognize the stranger, which was rare enough to note on a random weekday morning at this particular beach. Though, to tell the truth, the guy wasn’t exactly imposing. He was short and round, the latter possibly due more to his large puffer jacket than any natural shape. He looked Luke’s age or younger and had a full face and a squint to his eyes that suggested he might be foregoing a much-needed pair of glasses.

“Hello.” Luke set down a wriggling Colby, letting him return to the sand now that their seaside entertainment had—apparently quite wisely—disappeared from view.

The guy came down to stand beside them, looking out at the water. Luke shifted on his feet with a spike of unease. It wasn’t like the guy had done anything overtly odd, but it was common antisocial coastal courtesy to leave people more or less alone on these beaches, other than the locals that knew each other well enough to be friendly.

“See anything interesting?”

“I’m sorry?” Luke asked sharply. Had this guy seen Syrus?

The man turned a mild gaze to him. “I heard there was an orca pod making its way along the coast here.”

Luke let out a slow, hopefully unobtrusive breath. He was letting uncharacteristic paranoia get to him, wasn’t he? He didn’t even know what exactly he was nervous about, other than the fact that Syrus was out there in the water, and everything about his history with humanity so far suggested secrecy was the best policy.

But right. Orca whales. There were sightings off this stretch of the coast every now and again, enough to keep people interested. No boats went out to view them from Pine Bluff, but the nearest town up the road had a small seasonal charter.

Luke cleared his throat. He could say nothing, but if the guy had caught sight of Syrus’s tail… “Thought I saw a young one earlier, but it was a trick of the light.”

He glanced over to see the stranger peering at him with an unreadable expression.

“Wouldn’t be on his own even if you did,” the guy said. “They aren’t solitary creatures by nature.”

Luke had nothing to say to that, and the man gave him a bland smile. “Anyway, it’s not the right season for them, is it?”

No, it wasn’t, although out-of-season sightings weren’t unheard of. Luke turned to face the guy, the hairs prickling at the back of his neck. “I thought you said there was a pod.”

The man only smiled again.

Luke looked down to check that Colby was content and on the other side of Luke from this stranger. He couldn’t shake his vague sense of unease, and he didn’t know if it was only due to Syrus being out in the water.

If there really was an orca pod in the area, would Syrus be okay out there with his fins still healing? He’d been romping around energetically enough, but maybe he’d been showing off more than he should have. Syrus did love to flaunt his appeal—maybe he’d taken it too far and reopened his wounds.

For that matter, did Syrus even have enough of Luke’s…essence to transform again, or did he need more blood to make it happen? Luke should have asked him that before Syrus had gone into the water.

Luke resisted the urge to scan the horizon and reveal his concern. It didn’t matter, anyway. The stranger’s gaze had dropped down to the discarded clothes on the rocks. “Missing someone?” he asked mildly.

Just like that, Luke was able to pinpoint his unease. Everything was mild about this guy, wasn’t it? His presence, his stare, the tone of his voice. And yet he’d approached them, had initiated conversation when there was no need or particular sign of interest. And he kept. Asking. Questions.

Luke straightened. “My boyfriend’s taking a dip,” he said as casually as he could.

“I don’t see him,” the stranger said, glancing out at the water, as if to remind Luke there wasn’t a whole-ass person bobbing around out there in plain view.

“He went around the point.”

“Sure we don’t need to call search and rescue?”