Page 39 of Stealing the Merman

“What?”

“The lad. The one who signed up for the first mate position. I thought I had his name written down somewhere, but now that I think about it—”

“Right. It doesn’t matter. Thanks for your efforts.”

“I might be able to get you a…”

Conall didn’t hear the rest of his sentence, he’d already turned and was marching toward his ship. He had no time to lose.

Chapter Thirteen

Finn

It had been a bad day, lust raging through Finn, weighing on him as he panted in uncontrolled desire. No ship had approached the archipelago in months, not since Darin and the others had left. Had the story of Luis’s death spread? The pirates of Vieques knew not to come to Culebra and due to its relative proximity to a pirate haven, merchants steered clear too.

Finn was desperate for a man. He needed one more than anything. And then, by some miracle, Conall’s ship drifted into the strait. Its merman figurehead was unique, and after Shroud Cay, Finn would recognize it anywhere. Everything inside him jumped. For once, fate had mercy on him. The ship parted the sea, heading for him, its dark wood exterior absorbing the glaring sunlight of noon.

Over the previous months, the merman colony at the shores of Culebrita had changed. It had begun with the departure of Finn’s friends and ended with an influx of new arrivals from the South Atlantic. These migration waves happened occasionally. When mermen grew restless, they moved to new places, driven by their unfulfilled needs. The Culebra mermen welcomed the new arrivals, and old colonies changed while new ones formed.

The moment Conall appeared on the ship’s railing, a shudder rattled Finn. Conall wore a pirate captain’s hat with a blood-red feather on top and a thin, white shirt that stretched over his torso like a second skin. Finn throbbed with need.

Never had he thought Conall would show up here, of all places. He hadn’t spoken a word to him in Shroud Cay. But he’d come.

The pirates lowered a boat into the strait, Conall upfront at the bow. Finn couldn’t wait. He jumped into the water and beat his fishtail, gunning for the boat. It darted closer, its underbelly a dark shadow at the surface, and with every foot the distance shrank, Finn’s heart pounded harder. Conall was here. But was he looking for Finn? Perhaps he was seeking diversion withamerman, not him specifically. The thought stung.

Finn broke the surface, grabbed onto the boat’s gunwale and pushed up. He tumbled into Conall’s lap, soaking his clothes with seawater. It rendered his shirt see-through. Finn had to tear his eyes from the dark pink, erect nipples poking through the wet fabric. Conall smirked, and Finn, impetuous, knocked the hat off his head when he weaved his fingers into his golden-brown mane and surged to kiss him. Conall’s warm hands closed around Finn’s hips, holding him in place. Everywhere they touched, Finn’s skin caught fire. His lips parted. Flames licked at him like Conall licked into his mouth. He shivered at the nudge of tongue and gave himself over to the kiss, to Conall.

“I’ve been looking for you,” Conall said when he pulled away. His voice was as deep and rough as Finn remembered. It reverberated through him, filling a void he hadn’t realized was there. He sucked in his lips and lowered his eyelids in pleasure as Conall’s big hand petted his hair, his cheek. “You’re as gorgeous as ever.”

“I missed you,” Finn whispered.

Conall pecked his lips. “Go and grab everything you have. I’ve got a surprise for you. And I’m taking you away.”

“Oh, it’s the pirate kidnapping the merman for a change?”

Conall grunted, and it was a roll of thunder. “I’ve come to claim what’s mine.” Warmth sparked in Finn’s chest.

He collected a handful of items from the cave—unlike humans, mermen didn’t hoard possessions. Then Conall took him aboard the ship, where other pirates joined them with more mermen. Under the shade of the sails, Conall told him of the potion, Finn sitting in his lap. He explained how he talked the crew into visiting the sea witch with him, purchased potion and set sail for the mermen of Culebra. With every detail, Finn’s eyes grew wider.

Conall pulled the vial from a pouch. “I’ve got quite a few of them, and we can always get more.” He pressed a kiss to Finn’s temple.

Finn was speechless. The news of the potion hadn’t traveled as far as Culebra. Now, it’d spread like wildfire. It would change the lives of mermen. He couldn’t comprehend what Conall had done for him. The potion would’ve been expensive. And Conall had said he purchased multiple vials. His generosity shook Finn to the core.

It meant one thing: Conall was going to fuck him. Over and over and over again. Finn’s pelvic floor trembled in keen anticipation. This was everything he’d dreamed of and more. He hadn’t dared to dream ofthis. It was too much.

“You shouldn’t have,” Finn said, eyes downcast, studying the wooden planks of the deck. He wasn’t worthy of a gift this large.

“Nonsense. You saved my life. You don’t know half the things you did for me. I’m indebted to you, and I want you to feel good.” He kissed Finn’s temple. “So good.” His hot breath brushed Finn’s ear, and his warm, wet tongue licked the shell. “Let me satisfy you.”

Finn sank against him, gratitude flooding him. “This will change my life,” Finn said. “Even if I experience it just once. Thank you.”

Conall uncorked the vial and held it to Finn’s lips. Its sharp, metallic smell should’ve made him run, but he downed it in two gulps. The salty-sour liquid burned his taste buds. It shot into his stomach, making him nauseous. His head fell onto Conall’s shoulder as the world spun.

Searing pain hit him out of nowhere, and panicked, he screamed. Something sharp and hot, like a freshly forged sword, metal gleaming red with heat, sliced through his lower half, dividing his fishtail. Conall held him as tears burned in his eyes. He clutched at Conall, fingers digging into his flesh as his world dissolved in agony.

The pain was gone as quickly as it’d come. It disappeared in an instant and without a trace. Finn blinked his tears away. His breath hitched when he saw two long legs clad in golden skin where once his fishtail had been.

He wiggled his toes, delighted at how moving them was different from curling the tips of his fin or his fingers. His gaze drifted over shapely calves to firm thighs and finally his cock. All breath left him. He had a cock. And he liked how it looked. The ideal length and girth for his frame, perhaps a little on the large side. It curved toward his stomach, the glans wide with a well-defined, rounded corona. The skin of his shaft was as golden as the rest of him.

---