Page 12 of Seduced By the Mermen
“That’s great, but . . .” She lifts her hand, and it’s covered in blood. It’s my blood, and that doesn’t make me woozy, but seeing it on Blair does.
“I’ve got this if you want to sit down.” Eros takes the supplies out of the bag and lays them on the blanket. Sanitizing spray and wound-closing spray. He tosses the towel on the side of the bed.
She nods at Eros. “I can help. Living on a farm, there’s not much I haven’t seen.”
“This is nothing, Aunt Blair.” Eros is poking around in my leg while I’m doing my best to not pass out or gasp.
“Want me to hold your hand?” Blair asks, and she offers me her hand.
“I’d like that.” I take it, cupping her hand in mine.
“You can squeeze really hard if you need to.” She places her other hand on top.
I gaze up into her blue eyes. I’m done for. I’ve never wanted to get to know someone, to completely understand someone, as much as in this moment.
Chapter 6
Grayson
Fuck me. They’re holding her captive in a seabed apartment like a common criminal. The hallway down the podlet corridor, the one away from the main podbedroom, lacks light. Though it’s clean and there’s no smell of saltwater. I brush the back of my hand against the wall and test it—it’s dry. “Your aunt is with Zion now?”
“Yes, they’re back here,” Annabelle says. There’s a trail of her mates behind us. She stops outside of a door and crosses her arms over her chest. “You don’t all need to come in.” She’s talking to the four brutes behind me. Though I remember being overprotective like her mates when I was younger.
Eros brushes past me. “I should check the dressing on his wound.”
But his mate juts her arm out. “Aunt Blair asked me to keep the lot of you out of the room. You’re sucking the life out of it.” Eros scoffs and gestures to his mate. “Aunt Blair’s words. Not mine. But I get what she’s referring to. Grayson here will take Zion home.”
I round my lips and suck them into my mouth. I don’t think any of them notice, though. Because the message I got from Zionsaid he most certainly didn’t want to come home. In fact, he wants me to lie for him and say he can’t be moved yet.
I glance back at the three other mates blocking the way back to the living room. Yeah, there’s not much I’m going to say that they’ll believe. Unless his leg is about to fall off, I should be able to take him home. Although, Poseidon, I’d like to keep the pest out of the apartment for a few days. And it would give us all more time to be able to see how we mesh with Blair. I don’t like rushing her, but there’s plenty of other pods who will soon announce their intentions to her. “I’ll do a thorough exam and assess whether he’s ready to go home.”
“He’s ready,” Nico grunts.
Annabelle drops her hands and opens the door. “Grayson’s a doctor and Zion’s pod mate; why don’t we let him decide what’s best for Zion?”
“He’s a Bureaucratic Barnacle,” Nico says. It’s something people usually whisper, not shout, at me. But I’ve heard Nico doesn’t hold back his opinions.
“I’m a physician. A physician who’s been trying to outlaw the use of Arg-leth for years.” Arg-leth is a poison that slowly kills those about to be exiled. One that Nico had a hard time with. “And I’m sorry I haven’t been able to do it.” I straighten my spine. It’s a shortcoming, something I’ll fix. “You’re right. I’ve been in the administration, but I’m still a physician.”
“He’s a doctor. He’s even got the bag.” Annabelle steps out of my way. Her mates don’t say anything, but their disdain settles onto my shoulders.
I hold my bag up.
“Bag?” someone grunts behind me.
I ignore it and step into the small room, and an olfactory wave of warm peaches sends a shudder through me. Blair stands at the side of the bed. Zion’s dark hair points in all directions. As he’s prone to be, he’s tunic-less.
In the corner, Blair’s daughter sits in a small chair. She stands as I move to the foot of the bed. “If you need me, Mom, I’ll be in my room.” She nods to me on her way out.
“Grayson?” Blair smiles at me. And I can’t stop my heart from giving a big thump. She knows my name. “Zion said you’d come and check out my handiwork.” She inclines her head at the bandage on Zion’s leg.
I nod. Of course Zion told her I was coming. I extend my hand as Alexei taught us the other day. He keeps throwing human things at us. Handshakes, food they like, how to talk—or rather not talk. It really doesn’t help that he’s acting like we’re his pupils. But it’s interesting. I’ve never really taken to cultural studies.
“Oh, a handshake.” Blair takes my hand in hers. Her fingers clasp around mine, and electricity zips through me from my toes up to my head. I smile and stare in her eyes so blue. So different from the gray-blue that’s prevalent in our dome. Hers are like the shallow waters where little reef fish like to dart in and out of coral. My lungs fill and take in a complete breath of her tantalizing scent. The room smells of peaches because of her.
Zion clears his throat, and Annabelle laughs. I need to pull my hand back. Alexei was clear about not too short, not too long. Not too soft, not hard but firm. So many rules. I thought humans were supposed to be lacking in culture, yet here they have as many rules as we have for a docking ceremony or the formal greeting during a ball.
Blair’s eyes are cast down. She’s holding the hand I shook with her other hand.
