Into the Triangle (8 page)

He stuck the little box into his loincloth for safekeeping until he had a better idea.

Moving back over to Mary, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the evil hut of horrors and into the forest.

As soon as he stepped into the forest, Gabe felt the same tugging sensation in his chest he'd experienced earlier and this time followed it without thought. He ran as fast as he could, dragging Mary along behind him; exhaustion was riding him hard as his adrenaline began to crash, but he knew he couldn't stop yet. He had to get to safety, or what represented the only possible chance at safety in his mind. Aaron's breathing was becoming labored and Gabe knew time was running out.

He wanted to cry the moment the lagoon came into view, but Gabe didn't allow himself the time. He ran straight from the trees and across the beach, plunging into the water. Mary followed along obediently as Gabe led her farther and farther, until the water reached his chest. He was forced to transfer Aaron from his shoulder and wrapped an arm around the unconscious man's chest to help keep his head above water.

It was only when the water became too deep to go any further that Gabe stopped, unsure about what to do now.

"Paxton!" he finally cried, needing his mer now more than ever.

The water seemed to ripple around them, and then there he was; gray eyes flashing with worry, dark green hair floating like algae in the water.

Gabe felt all the emotions catching up to him in a horrible tidal wave and knew he only had seconds to speak before he blacked out from all the stress. Already little black dots swirled in the corner of his eyes, threatening to drag him under.

"Paxton," he gasped, shaking so hard the water splashed between them. He thought he saw the merman move closer, but he wasn't sure as his body began to shut down.

"Help, please…" he managed to get out.

Then his eyes rolled back in his head and everything went black.

Chapter 8

Gabe felt amazing.

Snuggling deeper into the comfortable bed he lay on and pulling the soft blankets up to his ears, he let his mind drift. Keeping his eyes closed tightly to try and stay in those peaceful moment's right before waking, Gabe sighed in contentment.

What a horrible dream he'd had. Never before in his life had something felt so real; the panic of his plane crashing, of washing ashore on a mysterious island, and the absolute terror of almost being killed by an insane priest. It all made him grateful to be lying there, safe and sound in his bed, waiting for his alarm clock to go off and signal it was time to go to work.

And the merman! Wow, he sure had a lively imagination to come up with that stud. He could still remember the way those piercing, dark gray eyes had looked at him as he'd plunged into the water during his dream, seeking safety for him and the others. The mer had been absolutely luscious, and Gabe would have gobbled him up, given half a chance.

His cock hardened at the thought and he rolled on his stomach, pressing it into the soft bedding, seeking friction.
Apparently infrequent bouts of
'pow-wow-get-off-now
'
with William in the bathroom at work just aren't cutting it anymore if I have to come up with a mythical creature to get myself excited
. He began to grind against the mattress, only to be hampered by something foreign and uncomfortable in his underwear. Stilling his movements, Gabe thought about opening his eyes and looking for what had disrupted his morning pleasure, but felt too lazy and content to really care.
I'll just jack off later
…

Instead, he turned his mind back to the day at hand and the busy work schedule waiting to attack the moment his alarm clock went off.

Ugh, work
. The thought instantly killed his hard-on. He wasn't looking forward to it that day.
Maybe I should call in sick
. No, he had to go in. Not only did he have to ready a presentation to give to his boss, he also needed to sit down with William and discuss their relationship. Gabe was tired of being relegated to a dirty little secret, and it was about time his lover made good on some of his promises.

Wait
…
something here isn't right here
.

Gabe frowned, but still didn't open his eyes.

Something nagged at his memory… a sense something was out of place…

Burying his face in the pillow, Gabe tried to ignore the thought but it just wouldn't leave.

Damn it
!
I really don't want to wake up yet. My bed is so comfy, the blankets are like being covered by clouds, and it smells so good in here
…
like saltwater and tropical flowers
…

Understanding suddenly dawned and Gabe's eyes snapped open as he shot upright.

The first thing Gabe noticed was he was naked, except for the uncomfortable loincloth he still wore. The second was the room he was lying in did not look anything like the bedroom of his cheap apartment back home.

"Shit, Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore…" he murmured to himself.

No wonder the bed was so comfortable and everything smelled so good; the bed and the room he was found himself resting in weren't his!

Gabe's eyes widened as he took in the splendor and richness of the room. It was obviously a bedroom of some kind, but it was unlike any bedroom Gabe—with his tiny apartment and small income—had ever had the pleasure to be in.

Gleaming, pale, turquoise-colored stone walls, soaring high ceilings, and large windows covered in gauzy white curtains gave the whole large room a very open and peaceful feeling. The walls were covered in rich tapestries, showing depictions of underwater life in what looked like a grand castle beneath the sea. Big bouquets of tropical flowers dotted about the room, adding life and depth in areas that might have been found lacking without them. Pictures and murals of fish and sea creatures of all kinds added splashes of color to the room that was otherwise missing with the white on white furniture. A sitting area with strangely shaped couches and loungers made up one corner of the huge room, while what appeared to be a small office with a desk and bookshelves crammed full of papers and large tomes was tucked in another. The actual bedroom portion took up the rest of the available space. There were four doors leading off the open concept space, but Gabe could only guess where one led, since the doors itself were covered in the same gauzy curtains as the windows and he could see a bit of what looked like a large balcony through the sheer material. He assumed the other doors led to a bathroom, closet, and the room's exit.

Figuring out which was which was going to be interesting, but he couldn't help but be excited to see what lay beyond doors number one, two, and three.

It was only once he was finally able to drag his eyes away from the rest of the room that Gabe realized the bed he was lying on wasn't a bed at all, but a huge open shell. Crystalline in color, the top of the shell acted as some sort of headboard, while the rest of it made up the huge, king-sized bed. The soft blankets he'd been admiring earlier actually looked like finely woven strands of, strangely enough, seaweed! Although, there was heaviness and strength to the dark green blankets that made him think it was unlike any sort of seaweed he'd ever seen before.

Wow, I can't believe this is real
…
my dream wasn't a dream at all
!

Which brought home the fact everything up until that point really did happen.

Oh god
!
Aaron and Mary
…
where are they
?
They need my help
! Suddenly the strange room didn't seem that appealing. Anxiety built as Gabe glanced about the bedroom, half expecting to see the others standing there, waiting for him to stop gawking at his surroundings and notice them. But no one else was in the room with him and Gabe began to worry about what that meant.
Did Aaron die from his injuries
?
Did Mary wander off and get lost
?
What happened to Father Willis and how long do I have until he comes after us again
?

Gabe closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath, pushing down the panic he felt before it could take over completely.

Okay, first things first. He needed to figure out where he was and why he'd been brought there and then he could worry about what happened to the others. Once he had those things taken care of, he would be able to plan if this new and splendid place was something he needed escape from, and what exactly his next step would be… because there was no way he was ever,
ever
, going back to Bimini island again.

Gabe's gut suddenly cramped and he mentally revised his list.
Okay, first I need to find the bathroom to take a leak
…
then I can figure out where I am and find the others
.

Nodding to himself at the good plan, Gabe carefully crawled over to the edge of the shell and climbed out of the bedding. He had the horrible image in his mind of the bed toppling over and the top of the shell slamming shut, trapping him inside it forever. Shaking away the silly thoughts as useless and asinine, Gabe still found himself moving very slowly and hesitantly toward the edge of the bed. Thankfully the shell never even wobbled, not even once, and Gabe breathed a huge sigh of relief when his bare foot touched the cool, marble-like floor.

Then he about jumped out of his skin when one of the big, white doors on the opposite side of the room suddenly burst open.

Gabe's jaw dropped and he forgot all about his achy bladder and finding his friends at the sight of the stunning man walking into the room.

A frown marred the smooth, alabaster skin of the man's brow, and eyes the color of storm clouds swirled with a mixture of worry and anger. Tall, taller than Gabe's own height of five-eleven, the man had to be over six feet and stacked with lean muscles. Dark, green hair flowed over powerful shoulders covered by an icy, white silk shirt, and tight black pants hugged powerful thighs. The pants stopped halfway down the man's calves, revealing pale legs covered along the outsides in blue-green scales, leading down to a pair of scale-covered webbed feet.

He was a vision, and Gabe soaked him up like a flower would the sun's rays.
Someone so beautiful can't be real
.
Just look how he carries himself
…
so regal, so powerful
… Gabe's cock thickened and pulsed in need at the familiar stranger standing before him.

The black pearl in the center of the man's forehead caught his drifting attention, and suddenly Gabe realized he really was looking at his merman, minus the ever-present tail. The mer was so lost in thought, grumbling softly to himself as he made his way over to the desk in the corner, he hadn't even noticed Gabe standing there, watching him this whole time.

"Paxton?" Gabe winced at how loud and rough his voice sounded when it shattered the stillness of the lovely room.

The mer's head jerked up and swiveled around at the hesitant question, and dark gray eyes widened when he saw the human standing next to the bed.

"Gabriel! You've awakened!" The merman smiled, showing off a row of vivid white teeth. "I am glad, young one. We all feared the stress and trauma you'd experienced might have been too much for your mind to cope with." His voice was deep and aristocratic; it seemed to reach in and caress something deep inside Gabe's soul.

The mer took a step forward, and Gabe's breath caught. He felt frozen underneath that piercing gaze, unable to move or look away as the other man prowled closer.

"H-how are you talking to me? You couldn't talk before… and you're walking? What happened to your tail?" Gabe couldn't stop himself from blurting out the questions. It was like switch was flipped the moment the mer walked into the room and now his brain was stuck on stupid.

The merman laughed; the deep rumbling sound washed over Gabe, reminding him of thunder and he couldn't stop himself from shivering in delight.

"You are in my world now. The moment you came to me and allowed me to take you back to my palace, accepting the bond between us, I was finally able to show you my legged form and speak to you," the mer explained. "Before, I could only do that in the city and palace, with the use of magic. Now, with you as my balance, I can take this form whenever I wish… to be with you wherever you are." He was close enough now Gabe couldn't have run away, even if he'd wanted too.

A strong arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer to that broad chest he'd been admiring, and Gabe couldn't have stopped the moan bursting from between his lips. "B-balance?" he asked, throat feeling too dry to speak as he gazed up at the ethereal creature holding him.

The mer smirked at Gabe's stuttering. "Indeed. As my chosen mate, you will help to keep my magic stabilized once I am outside of the sea, allowing me to keep my legged form if that is what we wish." The mer leaned down and his lips brushed lightly against the pearl embedded in Gabe's forehead, causing a shock wave of warmth and arousal to flood his already trembling body. "I have waited for you for so very long, my own." The mer sighed, closing his eyes and resting his cheek on the top of Gabe's head as he hugged the human close. "I knew you were the one for me the moment our eyes met and I saw the same loneliness and need I feel, reflected within their beautiful depths. We will complete each other, of that I have no doubt."