For the past three years the two men who live here have been
blissfully happy. Their love has made this house a home and their
relationship gets stronger every day. Today a knock on their door
will change everything. One of them hasn't been entirely honest and
the gorgeous man on their doorstep has secrets to tell.

UNDERWATER SECRETS
by: Charlie Richards

"So you're him, huh?"

Kyle's brows knit and he couldn't hide his confusion. "What?"

The stranger who stood in the doorway snorted, as if Kyle's ignorance
was truly an inconvenience for him. Sweeping his gaze over the
frustrated stranger, Kyle admitted, at least to himself, that the guy
was good-looking, with high cheekbones, a straight nose, full lips, and
a full head of thick brown hair. But the look in his eyes worried him.
They were cool, calculating, and the slate gray color seemed to see
right through him.

"You're Damian's Adelfi Psychi. His mate." The guy rolled his eyes,
shifting his weight in agitation, and muttered, "Gods, has he really
not said anything to you yet?" After running a bronzed hand through
his hair again, he returned his focus to Kyle. "His husband?"

The man's wording confused him, and the erratic emotions flitting
across his face concerned Kyle. Instead of answering, he asked, "I'm
sorry. Who are you?"

"Babe, who's at the door?"

Damian's voice echoed through their lakeshore home. The stranger's
lips curved into a shit-eating grin and relief filled his gray eyes.
"Damian's home! Fantastic! Let him know Darius is here."

Kyle still didn't like the way the guy was looking at him, or his
attitude, but he could see no reason to deny the man's request.
Especially since Darius already knew that his husband was home.
"Wait here," he growled. Pushing the door halfway closed, Kyle
walked the few steps down the hallway to the dining room where
Damian waited at the table for him, so they could continue eating
their supper.

"There's a guy named Darius at the door asking for you," he said. Kyle

was surprised to see his husband's naturally golden skin pale at his
words.

"Darius?" He whispered the question, as if he didn't want the words
to be true.

Kyle nodded, his concern increasing at his lover's reaction. Just who
is this guy? He crossed the room and sank his fingers into Damian's
thick dark hair, surprised when he realized the brown shade was
nearly identical to the guy at the door. He tilted Damian's head back
and stared into his husband's vibrant green eyes. Damian's distress
caused lines of tension around his full lips, and Kyle felt an almost
overwhelming urge to soothe him. He pecked a kiss on his lips. "Yes,
honey. He said his name is Darius. Do you know him?"

Damian's lips parted, and his tongue darted out, wetting them. "Yeah.
Maybe. I have a brother named Darius," he admitted.

Kyle cocked his head and stared at his husband of two and a half
years. He didn't even bother hiding his shock. "You mean from your
family that disowned you for being gay? What do you think he's doing
here?"

"Aw, is that what you told him, Damian? That we kicked you out of
the family for being gay? Couldn't you have come up with something
more original?"

Kyle jerked his head around, anger flooding him. How dare the
stranger have the audacity to just walk into their home without an
invitation! And to find him leaning against the kitchen bar, his arms
crossed, and a cocky grin on his face, no less. Kyle wanted to deck the
guy. But if Darius really was his husband's brother, that wouldn't be
appropriate.

"Hello, Damian. It's good to see you again," Darius murmured, the
mirth in his eyes fading to be replaced by affection as he stared at
Damian. It certainly wasn't the look of a man who was disgusted with
his brother.

Looking down at his husband, Kyle became even more perplexed. He

watched Damian rise from the chair, cross the room, and pull Darius
into a back-pounding hug. When they drew apart, Damian was
grinning widely. "It's good to see you, too, brother." Concern flickered
over his lover's expression, dimming his happiness. "But what are you
doing here?"

Darius's gaze glanced toward Kyle, who waited by the table, still
confused and waiting to see what would happen next. This had to be
the oddest reunion he'd ever witnessed.

"I'm sorry, Damian. I couldn't stop it. Father found out."

Damian's skin once again paled. "He found out," he choked out. Not
liking the near agony resonating in his husband's tone, Kyle crossed
to the man. Pleasure immediately filled him when Damian pulled
Kyle close into a tight embrace. He heard Damian swallow hard. "Is
he coming here?"

"Yes. I wanted to give you warning, but I think he's only a day behind
me," Darius admitted.

"A day," Damian whispered.

Kyle felt his husband's body shudder against him and he reflexively
tightened his arms. "Hey, surely your father can't be that bad," he
crooned, rubbing his hands over Damian's back, massaging his spine.

Whoever this guy's father was really freaked his poor husband out.
Over the three years they'd known each other, Damian hadn't said
much about his family. Ninety-nine-percent of the time he'd instantly
shut down and change the subject if his parents or siblings were
brought up. One night when they were both drunk, Damian had let
slip that his father was a powerful man and had a number of other
children from three different wives. Once he'd sobered, Kyle hadn't
been able to get anything else out of him, and not wanting to drive a
wedge between them over something from Damian's past, he'd let it
go. It wasn't like it affected them. Kyle didn't talk to his family either.

Damian sucked in a breath, obviously trying to pull himself together.
He eased back and cupped Kyle's face, staring down at him intently

for several seconds. To his amazement, Damian sealed his lips over
Kyle's and kissed him, hard. His husband pressed his tongue against
Kyle's lips and he immediately opened to him. Plunging in deep,
Damian held his head steady as he stroked his tongue inside,
plundering Kyle's mouth in an all-consuming kiss, as if branding him.

By the time Damian lifted his head, Kyle's lungs burned from lack of
oxygen, his dick was so hard it pressed painfully against his jeans, and
he could think of nothing but feeling his lover bend him over the
nearest flat surface or chair and fill him with the thick ridge pressing
against his own. Sadly, the fear simmering in Damian's green eyes
told him that wasn't going to happen even before his husband spoke
the words that Kyle knew would bring his world crashing down
around him.

"There are some things I haven't been completely honest about."

A high-pitched laugh escaped Kyle before he could stop it. He took a
shallow gasp and backed out of Damian's arms, needing a bit of space.
"What things?"

Damian followed him, not letting more than a foot of distance get
between them. He brought up a hand and tried to guide him to the
sofa. "Maybe we should sit."

Kyle noticed that Darius had moved to stand near the sliding glass
doors that opened to their back deck. The deck was half built over the
still bayou waters and connected to a dock where they kept a small
fishing boat. It was where he and Damian had spent so many
mornings enjoying their first cups of coffee or tea as they'd watched
nature come to life. Somehow, seeing the other man enjoy their
special view made everything worse.

He glared at his husband and planted his fists on his hips. "Tell me
what the hell is going on, Damian," he demanded. "What have you
lied about?" Just saying those words had bile rising up his throat, but
Kyle swallowed it down.

"Almost all of it," Damian admitted.

Kyle blanched. "What -- What does that mean? You don't love me?
We're not married? You have a wife and kids somewhere? What!?!"
His voice rose with every word, every possibility he spoke made his
stomach roll harder. Suddenly, Kyle realized he wouldn't be able to
keep down the few bites of supper he'd taken before Darius had
interrupted them. He turned and sprinted for the bathroom, just
making it in time to spill the contents of his belly into the toilet.

****

"Oh, you totally fucked that up, brother."

Damian stared after his retreating lover, his heart, his Adelfi Psychi.
"Shut up," he growled, glaring at Darius. "This is all your fault," he
snarled, even though he knew it wasn't the truth. He should have told
Kyle years ago about his family, about himself. Now, as he hurried to
the bathroom and toward the sounds of his retching husband, he
could only pray it wouldn't be too late to repair the damage he'd done.

He found Kyle sitting next to the toilet, his forehead resting against
the cold porcelain, his eyes closed. Even pale and wan, his brows
furrowed in emotional turmoil, Kyle was the most stunning man
Damian had ever seen. He loved the way Kyle's lean, five-foot-eleven
build tucked so well against his own six-foot-two body. He loved
tracing Kyle's high cheekbones, angular jaw, and arched brows with
his lips before he nibbled Kyle's sinfully tempting thin lips. He loved
gently sucking on the bottom one before opening his husband's
mouth wide and plunging in deep to taste his natural masculine
flavor.

Just thinking about it had Damian's shaft filling and he had to turn
away. Focusing on preparing a cool cloth for Kyle's face gave him a
moment to get his overactive libido under control. It didn't matter
how many times he made love to Kyle, it was always the same, and
always would be, until the day he drew his last breath. Now, how
could he explain to his husband of over two and a half years that he
was a merman, his father was a member of the royal court, and since
Damian had found his Adelfi Psychi, it gave Damian the right to join
that court as well and take over his father's duties? Oh, and Kyle's life
could be in danger, since his older brother still hadn't found his own

mate, and wouldn't be too pleased by being replaced as next in line.

He settled on his knees next to Kyle and wiped his love's face gently.
"I'm sorry I completely fucked that up, baby," he whispered, handing
him a capful of mouthwash. "Please, I beg you. Let me explain."

After rinsing his mouth and spitting into the toilet, Kyle gave him a
narrow-eyed stare. "You have two minutes before I gather enough
strength to stand up and slug you."

Kyle's muttered words made him smile faintly. That was his baby,
strong, levelheaded, slow to anger, and wonderfully passionate once
he made up his mind about something. Relief filled Damian that Kyle
didn't stop him from continuing his soothing ministrations. He
needed to touch his mate right now, mostly to assure himself that he
hadn't fled. But would Kyle do just that once he heard Damian's
explanation? He prayed he wouldn't.

Knowing he had a lot of information to share, he started with Kyle's
earlier questions. "I love you more than my own life, which is one of
the reasons I didn't tell you this before," he admitted.

Kyle cracked an eyelid open, looking at him with a clear expression of
disbelief.

Damian held up his free hand. "I'll come back to that," he promised.
"I don't have a wife. I don't have kids. My family didn't kick me out
because I'm gay. Most of us are all pretty much bisexual, although we
often have a preference."

"Us?" Kyle whispered. "You mean your brothers and sisters?"

Damian shook his head. Taking the plunge, he replied, "No. I mean
my race. My kind." He sucked in a breath at Kyle's lifted brows.
Letting out a sigh, he dropped the first bombshell. "Kyle, I'm not
human. I'm a Briny Nix, a water spirit. What you'd call a merman," he
added, elaborating when Kyle's disbelieving look turned to confusion.

Kyle barked out a surprised laugh, his entire expression one of
disbelief and shock. "I'm sorry. What?"

"I can prove it, Kyle," he replied.

His lover waved a hand in front of him, and Damian rocked back on
his heels. Even though it was the exact opposite of what he wanted to
do, grab onto his mate and never let go, he gave Kyle the space he
knew his husband asked for.

Kyle rose and headed into the bedroom without a word. He pulled a
suitcase from the closet and started piling clothes into it. He watched
his husband for several seconds, disbelief rocking his system, before
Damian gasped, ran to the bed, and tried to wrestle the bag away
from Kyle.

"What are you doing?" he squawked, hardly recognizing his own
panicked voice.

"If you wanted to move on, you should have just told me. You didn't
have to make up wild stories," Kyle roared, glaring angrily, although
Damian could see the hurt and pain in the man's brown eyes. "I
would think you should at least have enough respect for me to give
me that much."

"I'm not lying! Not this time!" Damian added. "I'm really not human.
You can't leave me, damn it. You're my Adelfi Psychi. My soul mate,"
he cried, his heart breaking into a million pieces when he realized
Kyle was ignoring his words.

Hearing a throat clearing, he glanced over his shoulder to see Darius
standing in the bedroom doorway. "Show him."

"Shit, I didn't want to do it this way," Damian whispered, but as he
watched Kyle close the suitcase, he realized he had no choice.

Using the increased strength he'd always kept in check around his
human mate, Damian grabbed Kyle's shoulder and spun him around
to face him. Then he forced the struggling man back a few steps until
his back was pinned against the wall. He allowed his hands to shift
into the claws he used to fight other mermen and sliced them into the

plaster and wood wall next to Kyle's head. He'd never actually hurt his
mate, but he needed to make a point.

Kyle's eyes widened in shock, his focus fixed on Damian's clawed
hand six inches from his face. "Holy shit."

"Yes," Damian whispered back, letting other changes take place,
scales on his arms, the razor-sharp battle fin at his elbow, the canines
he repeatedly sank into the mating mark on Kyle's shoulder when he
mounted him. He changed for only a few seconds, just enough to
prove his words, that Damian really wasn't human.

"Oh, my god," Kyle murmured. "What are you?"

"I told you, Kyle," he replied softly, returning his features back to look
human. "I'm a Briny Nix, a water spirit, and you are my Adelfi Psychi,
my soul mate." He smiled slightly. At least Kyle was listening now,
and he hadn't shoved him away. They stood toe-to-toe, hip to hip,
chest to chest. "Think back when we met, love," he pleaded. "You told
me yourself that you'd never fucked on the first date before, but you
couldn't help yourself with me. That's because your soul felt the draw
to mine. Something in you recognized that we were meant to be
together."

Kyle was nodding, but his eyes were a bit glazed. Not wanting to
overload his mate, he pecked a kiss to his lips and then grinned. "You
always give me a hard time about swimming in the bayou all year
long. Now you know why it doesn't bother me," he teased.

His mate finally truly focused on him, his gaze searching his face.
"Right, that makes sense," he whispered after a second. Damian
grinned, pleased they were making headway, but then Kyle's eyes
rolled to the back of his head and if Damian hadn't been pressed
against him, his limp body would have dropped like a stone.

****

"Gods, you really suck at this. No wonder you never told him."

"Shut the hell up, Darius. I trusted you to keep father off my back.

You know I never wanted to be his heir," Damian snapped back.

"Then you shouldn't have gone to Baton Rouge. I told you Victor was
living there now," his husband's brother countered.

Damian groaned. "Ugh. I forgot you told me that."

Kyle stayed still, letting the two voices roll through his mind as he
slowly returned to consciousness. What the hell happened? He
searched his memory, trying to remember why he was lying on the
bed, still clothed except for his shoes, with a throw blanket tucked
around him. Then he remembered, and he had to force his body to
take several long deep breaths to keep his brain from panicking all
over again.

The bed dipped next to him and fingers ruffled through his hair in a
familiar soothing way. Except now everything was different. Kyle
jerked away and scrambled up to press his back against the
headboard. The hurt look on his husband's face, like he'd just kicked
his favorite puppy, nearly had Kyle crawling into Damian's lap.
Instead, he held up a hand and softly said, "I'm still assimilating.
Please, just give me a little more time."

"Are you going to reject me?" Damian whispered the question, hardly
able to meet Kyle's eyes.

He immediately shook his head, and Kyle realized the unconscious
decision was completely accurate. Unless … "Do you act different
around me than anyone else?"

Damian frowned. "I … I don't think I understand the question," he
admitted.

Kyle nibbled his bottom lip for a second, brows scrunching as he tried
to figure out exactly what he wanted to know as well. Letting out a
sigh, he leaned forward and touched Damian's cheek. He watched
Damian nuzzle into his palm for a second, then Kyle asked, "Your
personality, I guess. Are you different when you're with your …
people? Would you treat me different? Is that why you've kept us
separate?"

"I will always treat you with love and compassion, my heart," Damian
answered quickly. "Even if we were in my people's court, it would be
no different, and you would be treated with the same respect deemed
appropriate for my station."

Shaking his head, Kyle grimaced. "I have no idea what that means.
Why didn't you trust me enough to tell me about this?" That was
really the crux of the problem, wasn't it? "I feel like you didn't trust
me," he repeated.

He watched Damian's face fall, a grimace crossing the handsome
man's features. "It's not that I didn't trust you, Kyle," Damian
murmured. "I had planned to tell you."

"When?" he asked incredulously. "We've been married over two and a
half years. We've lived together for over three. How you talked me
into moving in with you after only knowing you for two weeks is still a
mystery to me," he admitted. Once upon a time, Kyle hadn't believed
in love at first sight, but Damian had made him believe it. Now he
wondered if that faith had been misplaced.

Damian reached out and took his hand. Kyle let him, suddenly feeling
cold and needing his husband's warmth and comfort, needing his
lover to tell him everything was okay.

"I was afraid," Damian whispered.

Kyle cocked his head, his brows drawing down in confusion. His
husband was the most self-assured man he knew, strong, confident,
the epitome of everything masculine. It had shocked Kyle when the
man had approached him at the diner. He never would have guessed
that Damian was gay. "Why? What could you possibly be afraid of?"

Damian let out a shuddering breath, then met Kyle's gaze with a
soulful look. "Losing you, Kyle. You're everything to me. At first I
didn't tell you because I wanted you to get to know me, then I wanted
you to fall in love with me. By that time, I'd convinced you to marry
me, so I worried if I told you that you'd call it off, then I worried it was
too late to share something that life changing," he whispered, anguish

ringing through his voice. "You'd think everything I ever told you was
a lie, just like you do now." A tortured expression twisted his features,
and Damian dropped his gaze, focusing on their joined hands.

Kyle squeezed the hand he held, then moved his other to cup
Damian's jaw, encouraging him to look him in the eye. "Tell me now.
Tell me everything."

Nodding, Damian shifted position, bringing their knees into contact
on the bed. Sparks of desire crawled up his skin at just that simple
contact. Just like always when they were this close, Kyle wanted to
pull his lover close and say to hell with everything else. But he fought
the urge, knowing he needed answers more than he needed sex.

His husband ran a hand through his brown hair, his mouth opening
and closing a couple times as he seemed to struggle to find the right
words. "I told you I'm a Briny Nix," he finally started. "We're just one
of a myriad of what you'd call paranormal creatures out there." Kyle's
brows shot up at that little revelation, but Damian held up his hand,
cutting off any questions. "Let me get through this," he whispered.
"Please. I'll answer anything once I'm done."

Kyle jerked his chin in a semblance of a nod, willing his husband to
continue.

"My kind have been here for millennia. We've watched the
progression of man, and for the most part, we'd always stayed out of
humans' way." His smile turned brittle for a second as he said, "When
our ancestors crossed paths, it's the stuff of myth and legend when it
didn't turn out so well. Most of the time, I can sadly say it's because
my people didn't have respect for humans as a species until a few
centuries ago."

He grimaced and shook his head, before refocusing on his story.
"With the dawning of technology that could map the smallest crevice
of the ocean floor, we realized we needed to send some of our people
back among you to keep the rest of us safe." Damian smiled slightly
and lifted a hand as if to touch Kyle before letting it drop.

"Briny Nix live several hundred years, but don't reproduce nearly as

often," he admitted, "because many of us spend our time searching
the globe for the one soul that will complete us. Our Adelfi Psychi," he
elaborated. "Some get tired of searching. They find someone they care
about, or someone they're willing to reproduce with, settle into one
form, and have children."

With so much information being thrown at Kyle, he struggled to keep
up. When Damian paused for breath, he latched onto the last
confusing phrase he'd heard. "Settle into one form? What does that
mean?" He'd already seen his husband's hands and arms change, and
his teeth, and wasn't that just the freakiest thing he'd ever seen?
Could they change even more?

"Mermen can shift shapes, their forms based on ancestry and
sometimes area. The nobility don't turn into an animal, but their skin
and fins turn into lethal weapons," Damian explained, the look in his
eyes expressing his concern at Kyle's reaction. "Others, like those who
are guards, turn into what many would consider sea monsters.
Massive marine animals that keep us safe from any who'd attack us or
invade our territory. Then there are some who turn into whales, or
orcas, and sometimes even sharks or fish. Regardless of what their
aquatic animal form is, their base form is a merperson, and they can
all become human."

Kyle's head was spinning again. He didn't know what to think, how to
make sense of everything his husband had just dumped on him.
Whatever expression passed over Kyle's face had Damian stiffening.
The man, the Briny Nix, tried to pull his hand away, but Kyle
tightened his grip, not letting the man get away. "No, just let me
absorb for a moment," he whispered harshly.

Watching through his lashes, he saw Damian's jaw clench. Why the
hell was his lover upset? Kyle was the one whose life was just turned
upside-down. A flash of anger surged through him, and he glared at
Damian. "That was a shit-load of information you just dropped on
me," he snapped. Kyle knew he shouldn't let his temper get the better
of him, but he couldn't seem to help it.

Damian's features immediately took on a pained expression. "I know,
my heart. I am sorry."

He took several deep breaths, trying to calm his racing pulse and get
his thoughts in order. What he'd just been told seemed unbelievable,
but he had a funny feeling his husband would be all too happy to
prove it. And before true belief seeped into him, Kyle probably would
need that.

After several minutes of silence, he lifted his gaze and took in the
worried crease marring his husband's brows. "So what about you?"

Cocking his head, Damian frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You told me a hell of a lot about your kind," he said, waving a hand
distractedly, "but you never really told me about you. What about
your family? Why does your father coming concern you so much? Will
he be disappointed you took me … a human … as your lover?"

Damian's brows shot up. "No! Oh, gods, no! That's not it at all," he
quickly assured. "Kyle, I --" He paused. "Can I hold you, please? I
need to touch you, make certain you're still here."

He whispered the admission and Kyle smiled largely, unable to hide
the pleasure Damian's confession caused him. Kyle slowly stood and
peeled off his clothes, stripping to his boxers. He saw the heat of
desire light up his lover's eyes and smiled, knowing they probably
wouldn't do anything about it for quite a bit, but it felt good
nonetheless to be that wanted.

"Join me."

It took only a moment for Damian to add his clothes to the pile and
crawl under the covers next to him. Damian reached for him and Kyle
went to him willingly. Settling his head on Damian's broad chest, he
gently ordered, "Tell me about your family."

****

Damian relaxed into the mattress, his arms wrapped securely around
his Adelfi Psychi, and everything felt right in the world. He knew his
husband was trying hard to accept, to understand, and for that he'd

feel forever grateful. He prayed to whatever gods would listen that
since his human hadn't yet run screaming for the hills, what he was
about to share wouldn't change that.

"I'm one of three sons from my father's first mate," he whispered.
"Darius is my younger full-brother. My other full-brother is Drake.
Only the three of us are eligible to receive my father's title and
position in the Nixie Court."

"Nixie Court?"

The concerned, whispered words had Damian tightening his grip on
his husband, as if that act alone could keep him from mentally
withdrawing. "Yes. My father is an elder on the court, the Second
Duke. He's nearing the end of his life and has been encouraging all of
us to take a mate for some time. He didn't care which of us," he
added. "According to Nixie law, whichever child from an elder's first
mating who takes a mate of their own will be granted that elder's title
and position."

Kyle's brows drew down. "That's an odd way to do it. Even a bit
progressive if it includes females."

Chuckling, Damian replied, "Yes, that includes our women, and any
male who says they're weak is either foolish or just plain stupid. I've
seen some of the most lethal intrigue played out between women." He
pressed a soft kiss to Kyle's forehead, knowing they had to get back on
track. "My mother was my father's first mate," he murmured. "I am
the middle of three sons, but I'm the first to take a mate."

He waited for Kyle to put the pieces together. It didn't take long.
"Oh," his husband breathed the word out slowly. His muscled body
tensed in Damian's arms. "That means …"

When no more words were forthcoming, Damian nodded. "Yeah.
That's why my father's coming. He wants me to take over his duties."

"Oh," his Adelfi Psychi whispered again. "Can you do that from up
here?"

"I'm afraid not," he whispered. "We could come up for visits, but we'd
need to move there," he admitted.

Kyle craned his neck back so he could look up at Damian's face. "We?
How could I live underwater with you? It is underwater that we're
talking about, right?"

"Yes, my love," he replied, threading his fingers through Kyle's short
brown hair. To Damian's relief, Kyle pressed into his touch. It pleased
him that his beloved would still take pleasure, and even reassurance,
from his touch. It gave Damian hope.

"How is that possible? I'm human. I can't live under water."

His hand dropped to Kyle's neck, kneading the tight tendons he found
there. "You like it when I bite you when we make love, right?" he
asked. He'd never questioned his mate's responses before, but he
needed Kyle to be able to make the correlation.

The skin under his palm heated, and he glanced down to see a blush
working its way down Kyle's neck. Oh, yeah. That's hot! He fought a
sudden wash of lust. He wanted to change the heat of embarrassment
to passion. His human's muttered confession didn't help him regain
his fragmenting control.

"Yes, you know I do."

"Good." He breathed the word as he caressed Kyle's smooth skin.
"Biting you mixes my saliva into your blood. It allows your body to
make certain changes, like forming gills so you can breathe under
water. As long as I continue to do that, you can stay with me under
water indefinitely."

"That's -- that's amazing."

"It is, isn't it," he said softly. He continued to stroke his mate's neck
and spine, loving the play of muscle under his fingertips.

Kyle growled softly and levered up onto his elbow to stare down at
Damian. His brown eyes gleamed in the light of the moon coming

through the window. Cupping his cheek, Kyle took Damian's mouth
in a deep kiss. Damian relaxed into the contact, happy his mate still
seemed to desire him just as much as he wanted Kyle, willing to let
him set the pace and lead the way where he would.

And it didn't take long for Kyle to make it perfectly clear what he
wanted. Still tangling his tongue with Damian's, his free hand slid
down to tweak Damian's nipple, then he moved further down his
chest, underneath his underwear, to tangle his fingers in Damian's
pubic hair. Every few seconds, the tips of his fingers ghosted over
Damian's erection, making the engorged, sensitive flesh flex and
twitch.

The light brushes sent shock waves through Damian's system, driving
his lust higher and higher. Letting out a growl, he grabbed the man's
wrist and then rolled him onto his back, settling on top of him. He
used a knee to separate his smirking human's thighs and settled his
boxer covered erection against Kyle's. "Are you in need, my love?" he
grunted, thrusting his hips.

Kyle bucked under him. "God, yes. Fuck me, Damian," he moaned
softly.

Damian paused, knowing his man must be going through a myriad of
emotions. He brushed his knuckles down Kyle's jaw. "Are you
certain?"

"I will always need you, Damian," Kyle replied, his voice just as soft.
The truth of his love and desire burned brightly in his gaze.

Groaning at Kyle's exquisite response, he rolled over and reached for
the lube in the bedside table. "Clothes off," he ordered while removing
his own.

It pleased Damian how quickly Kyle complied. He knew his Adelfi
Psychi needed to reconnect with him just as much as Damian needed
the same, but that didn't mean he wanted to rush this bit of returning
trust his mate was giving him. Setting the lubricant on the pillow, he
settled half on Kyle and took the man in a slow, lingering kiss.

He slid his tongue into his human's mouth, tangling them together,
scraping over nerve endings. Smiling against Kyle's lips, he buried
one hand in the man's hair to tilt his head, nibbling his bottom lip
sensually before he deepened the kiss. Pleasure filled him when Kyle
moaned and gripped Damian's shoulders and ass.

Dropping his hand to Kyle's chest, he pinched first one nipple, then
the other, into sharp little points. He nibbled and sucked his way
down Kyle's neck, loving how the sounds of his lover's grunts and
moans of pleasure filled their bedroom. He latched onto one nub,
twisting and pulling the other just like he knew Kyle enjoyed. With his
other hand, he caressed the man's side and hip, finally cupping his ass
and pulling them closer.

He moved up so their groins fit tightly together, causing their shafts
to rub together in delicious friction. Resting his forehead on Kyle's, he
stared into the passion-darkened brown eyes he'd come to love so
much. "You are everything to me," he purred throatily. "I would do
anything for you." He said the words, and knew they were true down
to his very soul.

Kyle smiled up seductively. "Then love me, Damian."

"I can do that," he said, grinning.

Grabbing the lube, he poured a generous amount onto his fingers. He
tossed the tube aside and lowered his index finger to Kyle's clenching
hole and slid the digit inside. Sighing, he enjoyed the intimate feel of
opening his mate, readying him for his cock. He brushed Kyle's gland
every few strokes, and it took less than a minute for the man under
him to begin to writhe.

"Now," Kyle panted. "Please now."

Taking in the half-lidded, passion-glazed expression on his Adelfi
Psychi's face, he couldn't deny either of them any longer. Damian
lined up his dick and slid all the way home with one, firm stroke. His
body shuddered as Kyle swallowed him in tight, sucking heat.

"My Adelfi Psychi, my heart, my mate," he babbled as he settled into a

quick thrust and retreat rhythm.

"Yes, yours," Kyle moaned, lifting his hips, searching for that perfect
angle.

Damian didn't disappoint his man. He scooped up Kyle's legs, settling
them into the curve of his arms as he leaned close. He almost folded
the man in half as he began drilling into him. It never ceased to
amaze Damian at his human's amazing flexibility. Then Kyle clamped
his anal muscles down on his cock and all thought stopped.

A low growl of need rolled up through his chest, and he slammed into
the man beneath him again and again. He lowered one hand to Kyle's
cock, loving the way the thick, hard organ fit in his palm, soft velvet
over hard steel. As he jerked his Adelfi Psychi's dick, Kyle spurred
him on with nails that bit deep into his shoulders and a litany of
muttered words that Damian's pleasure soaked brain couldn't begin
to decipher. His balls pulled tight with pleasure as tingles danced up
and down his spine.

He felt the warm pulse of cum soak between them just as Kyle's
rectum clamped down on his cock, squeezing his orgasm from him.
Damian growled out his pleasure as he buried his cock deep one last
time and let the warm, heady waves of endorphins roll over him, his
dick spurting streams of seed inside his beloved.

When he could remember how to move, Damian carefully lowered his
lover's legs. Both of them groaned as his softening cock slid from
Kyle's ass. Damian leaned down and pecked a gentle kiss to Kyle's
lips. "I'll be right back," he whispered.

His steps were unsteady as he made his way to the master bath and
cleaned himself up. He warmed a clean cloth and returned to Kyle. He
paused to stare at his man, admiring the strong lines, the toned
muscles, and the now-flaccid cock lying against his thigh. Kyle
cracked open an eye and smiled. He held out a hand and Damian
went to him, settling next to him on the large bed.

After cleaning him up, he pulled Kyle close and kissed the top of his

head. "Get some rest, my heart."

"Mmm, I love you," Kyle muttered, firmly wrapping an arm around
Damian's chest.

"And I love you," he whispered back. He listened to Kyle's breathing
even out as sleep took its hold over his lover.

His beloved human had had a difficult day. He'd learned some hard
truths about the world, and Damian felt quite certain that Kyle still
didn't completely believe everything. But he would. Especially after
his father's visit tomorrow. And Damian knew they'd find a way to
work everything out, together.

Kissing Kyle's brow, he gently eased away from the sleeping man,
hating the necessity of it, but he needed to know if Darius still lurked
in his home. Damian slipped from the room on silent feet. He found
his brother sipping a cup of tea in the front room, his gaze riveted to
the dark waters of the bayou beyond their deck. Damian strode over
to stand next to him, joining him in staring out into the night.

Darius broke the silence first. "Your Adelfi Psychi is resting?"

"He is. This has been stressful on him," Damian stated.

"It could get worse before it gets better."

Damian didn't like his younger brother's prediction, but it would be
foolish to discount the possibility. "You are welcome to the spare
bedroom. The sheets are clean."

After a nod of acknowledgement, Damian turned away, intent on
returning to his sleeping lover. Darius caught up with him in the hall.
"I'm sorry he had to find out this way."

Damian looked at Darius and shook his head. "This isn't your fault.
It's mine. I should have told him years ago." He shrugged. "We are a
couple. We'll get through this." He said the words with confidence he
didn't yet completely feel, but if Darius sensed his doubts, he had the
good grace not to say anything.

After a quiet goodnight, Damian returned to his bed and his husband.
He held the man close, their heartbeats synchronizing into the age-
old rhythm of sleep, and Damian prayed this wouldn't be the last
time.

****

Damian woke to the feeling of Kyle's body stretching beside him. The
smooth skin of his chest against his own, the scrape of rough leg hair,
and the clench and retract of Kyle's strong, blunt fingers on his
shoulders had a smile curving his slowly waking lips. All these were
things he'd never get enough of, and Damian knew it.

"Good morning, my love," he rumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.

Kyle grunted, but opened one eye to peer up at him. A smirk caressed
the man's lips and for a moment, they just stared at each other.
Damian knew the exact second that the previous day's events
resurfaced in Kyle's mind. Kyle's brows creased as a frown marred his
open expression.

"It wasn't a dream, was it?"

He shook his head. "No, Kyle. It wasn't a dream."

Kyle's gaze dropped to Damian's chest, and he wondered what the
man was thinking. He heard his man let out a slow deep breath, then
he nodded once, as if making a great decision. "Okay, then. We need
to get up. The bathrooms need to be cleaned before your father
comes." He lifted his head and gave him a trembling smile. "What
time do you expect him?"

A surge of emotions roiled inside him, pride, lust, contentment, love.
It was all there as he brushed his knuckles across Kyle's cheekbone.
"I'm not sure," he whispered. "Let's get dressed, eat, and then I'll be
your willing slave to help you clean however you want."

He liked the wicked grin that flashed across Kyle's face, telling him
some of his husband's feisty personality was resurfacing. Damian

laughed. Kyle threw a pillow at him. In retaliation, he grabbed his
human mate and rolled until he lay on top of him. "I love you, Kyle.
Never forget that."

Kyle smiled up at him, warmth filling his brown eyes. "I know. You
should have told me all this long ago, but I still love you. Nothing will
ever change that," he assured as he smoothed the pad of his thumb
over Damian's bottom lip. He leaned up for a quick kiss, then stated,
"Now get up, big guy. My bladder can't handle that kind of pressure
right now."

Barking out a laugh, he rolled off the man and to his feet. Damian
watched his Adelfi Psychi's naked backside as Kyle strode into the
bathroom, and he fought the urge to join him. Instead, he headed for
the kitchen and the coffee, knowing Kyle would need a strong pot
after yesterday's excitement.

He made a cup of tea for himself and Darius, somehow not surprised
to see his brother strolling into the room right as it was ready. After
his brother took a sip of the English Breakfast blend, Damian told
him, "Since you were the bearer of bad news last night, you get to help
us with a few chores to get ready."

Damian grinned as he listened to his brother's groan.

****

Kyle curled his hands into fists, trying to hide their trembling. It had
been foolish to expect Damian's father to arrive in a car. After all the
talks, all the things his husband had explained, he should have known
better, really. It still didn't prepare him for this.

He'd just finished mopping the bathroom floor when Damian had
instructed him to get cleaned up. His father would arrive within
twenty minutes, his husband had said. Kyle hurried through a shower
and shave, then pulled on a pair of nice jeans and the polo shirt
Damian had laid out on the bed for him. He'd shouted a question
through the house about the wisdom of such casual clothes, but
Damian had been insistent.

Once dressed, he'd headed for the foyer, but Damian had intercepted
him. Now, Kyle stood on the back deck, watching how the spring sun
danced across the rippling, dark bayou waters, like glittering gems
flashing in the water as the waves crested and broke. Waves that
shouldn't be there, since no breeze ruffled the boughs of the cypress
trees.

Then two dark-haired heads broke the surface of the water, followed
by tanned torsos, thickly muscled arms, and – holy shit! – the
beginnings of a fish's tail. The aqua and silver scales caught and
refracted the light, making it difficult to really make out much detail
as the two men swam forward.

As the creatures, mermen, closed the twenty feet between the waves
where they'd surfaced and the end of the dock attached to the deck,
Kyle studied them. High cheekbones, long dark hair, dark eyes,
bronzed skin, heavily muscled arms, and serious, watchful
expressions all screamed powerful guardians.

Once the two men took up positions flanking the dock, another head
broke the surface. Long, white hair gleamed in the morning light,
rivulets of water trickled down a muscular chest, just adding to the
majesty of the merman's regal bearing. Considering the man's
obviously advanced age, Kyle decided that Damian's father looked
damn good. He glanced at his husband out of the corner of his eye.
Would Damian look like that someday?

Damian caught him looking, and gave him an encouraging half-smile.
When the merman reached the dock, he raised high in the water,
showing off glittering silver and blue scales covering a powerful tail
similar to a dolphin's. Between one second and the next, the tail split
and formed two thickly-muscled legs, a soft-looking deep blue sarong
surrounded his waist, and the man stepped onto the wooden planks
and strode confidently toward them. The two guards followed.

"Greetings, Father," Damian said, stepping forward.

The two men stood staring at each other for all of two seconds before
the older man grinned and wrapped Damian in a backslapping hug.

"Well, met, my son," the older man replied. Then he glanced over at
Darius. "And you, my youngest, are in so much trouble."

He said the words, but the sparkle in the man's green eyes, so similar
to Damian's, made Kyle wonder, as did Darius's huge grin as he
replied, "Hello, Father."

Finally, the man turned to Kyle. His gaze swept over Kyle's form
slowly, as if assessing him, maybe deciding if he were worthy to be
mated to his son. The old merman's face remained impassive, giving
away none of his thoughts.

Damian held out a hand, palm up, and Kyle took it. Kyle was grateful
for the show of support when his husband slid his arm around Kyle's
waist and pulled him against his side. "Father, this is Kyle LaRoche.
He's my Adelfi Psychi," Damian said, introducing them. He smiled at
Kyle. "This is my father, Fabian."

Kyle held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," he offered
respectfully.

"So, you've known my son for over three years," Fabian rumbled
slowly, taking Kyle's hand and giving it a firm shake. "I'm surprised it
took this long for us to be introduced." The older man gave Damian a
disapproving look before turning back to Kyle. "Do you know why
that is, human?"

Kyle heard nothing derogatory in Fabian's tone, only curiosity and
concern. Glancing toward his husband, Kyle discovered that Damian
was blushing. He realized Fabian's disapproval stemmed from his
husband's lapse in honesty with his mate, and he decided he needed
to set Fabian's mind at ease that Kyle wasn't going to hold it against
the man he loved. Smiling, he looked at Damian and stated dryly,
"Because he's stubborn and a bit pigheaded, sir, but we're working on
it. I'll have him whipped into shape in no time."

Fabian's laughter rang out over the now still waters of the bayou as
Damian's jaw dropped. "I'm going to like you, Kyle LaRoche. You will
do well with my son," Fabian replied, still chuckling. He clapped his
hands together and grinned. "Now, I'd like a cup of hot chocolate. I

haven't had one of those in decades. Can you make me one?"

"I'm certain we can accommodate you," Kyle replied with a grin.
"Come on inside."

Ten minutes later, Kyle handed a large mug of hot chocolate,
complete with whipped topping, to the aging Nixie. The man smiled
his thanks, grunting happily after taking a sip. Kyle settled on the
couch at a right angle where Fabian sat on an easy chair, his two
guards standing behind him.

Fabian sighed, staring at them over the rim of his cup. Setting the still
half-full mug on his knee, he said, "You found your Adelfi Psychi first.
You are now eligible to receive my title, Damian."

Kyle felt his husband tense, the hand clasped in his own tightening.
Before Damian could reply, Fabian held up a hand for silence.
Smiling slightly, Fabian stated, "I received a message from Drake this
morning."

"I suppose he's heard about my mate as well," Damian murmured. "I
never intended to usurp him. I know how much he wanted to be your
heir."

Fabian shrugged. "It is the way of things, but that is not what his
missive was about. Well, at least not completely," he added. At
Damian's questioning look, Fabian smiled. "He does send his
congratulations, but the real reason is that he has, also, found his
Adelfi Psychi."

Both Damain and Darius let out loud whoops, clearly pleased for their
older brother.

"That's great!" Darius cried.

"Just leaves you trailing, D-man," Damian teased, leaning over to
punch his brother in the arm.

Darius laughed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, dude. I like my
bachelor status."

Even as he said the words, Kyle saw the sadness and envy lurking
within the depths of his gray eyes. A pang of sympathy filled him for
Damian's younger brother, and he said a silent prayer to whatever
gods cared to listen that Darius would find his soul mate soon. No one
should be alone.

"That also means if you don't want the title of Second Duke, you can
pass it to Drake."

Fabian's words may have been quiet, but they seemed to easily drown
out the good-natured ribbing the brothers were still giving each other.

"What?" Damian whispered.

His father gave him a slight smile. "I've known about your Adelfi
Psychi for two years, my son. It is only now that the rest of the court
has found out that I've had to approach you."

Damian's jaw dropped, and he glanced first at Darius, who shrugged,
to Kyle and back to his father. "You knew all this time? Why didn't
you say anything?"

"You needed time, and I knew you really didn't want to be one of the
dukes. If you wish to pass it to your brother, that is now an option."

Damian's brows creased and his gaze slowly slid to lock onto Kyle. He
could barely manage to catch his breath when he saw the intensity of
his husband's stare. Damian smiled at him. "All I've ever wanted,
since the day I met you, is to be with you, my Adelfi Psychi. What
would make you happy?"

Kyle opened his mouth once, then snapped it shut. He swallowed,
forcing moisture into his dry throat. "I feel the same, my husband," he
managed to reply, though his voice sounded hoarse. "I would follow
you to the ends of the earth and beyond. If you want to be Second
Duke, I'll stand at your side." He smirked. "Once you've explained
what the husband of the Second Duke is supposed to do, anyway," he
added. Then his smile faded. "If you want to stay right here in this
house with me, I'd be happy with that, too." He finished with a shrug,

not sure what else to say. "It doesn't matter to me what you choose, as
long as I can be by your side."

Kyle found himself wrapped in two powerful arms, his face pressed
tightly to Damian's chest. "My love, my heart, I will never let you go,"
Damian crooned, kissing his temple. "You will always be by my side."
The arms loosened only marginally when Damian's head lifted a bit,
and he said, "I formally renounce my eligibility for my father's title."

THE END