Into the Triangle (17 page)

"I thought you were on the balcony with Aaron and Mary?" Paxton tilted his head and raised a brow. "What are you doing in here, my own?" He stood in the open doorway and Gabe tried not to get distracted by the gleaming armor covering his mate's body. He looked like something out of a medieval festival, a knight sent to rescue a fair maiden or something.

Wait, wouldn't that make me the maiden
? Gabe quickly pushed away the disturbing thought of him in a dress and turned his attention back to the question his mate had asked.

Gabe fought the urge to fidget under Paxton's intense stare. "I… uh, I just needed a moment alone. It's not easy, watching the soldiers all get ready. Makes me feel, you know, guilty, I guess."
It's not the whole truth, but enough to pass hopefully
.

Paxton sighed and stepped into the room, closing the door firmly behind him before moving over to Gabe's side. "Oh, my own… there is no reason for you to feel guilty over the coming battle. That evil priest brought it upon himself by killing off chosen mates." He wrapped his arms around Gabe's waist and pulled him close.

Gabe allowed himself to be cuddled close, even as his mind was mired with guilt over lying to his mate. "I know, but I can't stand the idea of anyone getting hurt. I don't want anyone to be hurt because of Father Willis." Resting his head on Paxton's broad chest, Gabe sighed. "It's not fair innocent people will be punished for his actions." He ignored the chill of the metal breastplate under his cheek and just enjoyed the feeling of being held by his mate.

Paxton answered Gabe's sigh with one of his own, even as he reached up to run his fingers through Gabe's hair. "I know, my own. If there were another way, believe me, I would do it. But the advisers, council, and I have gone over it again and again, and this is the most acceptable solution we came up with it. Better to end Father Willis now than to allow his evil to exist any longer. Who knows how many humans he's infected with his radical ideas? Perhaps when we get up to the surface, things may be different, but we must prepare for the worst possible outcome. "

Exactly
!
That's why I don't want you going up there to face them
! Gabe wanted to yell, but instead all he said was, "I know, babe. But you can't blame me for worrying."

Paxton smiled down at him, eyes filled with so much heat that it caused Gabe's cock to stand up and take notice. "Allow me to distract you from your worries, my own."

Gabe didn't get a chance to respond before he found himself tumbled back on the unmade bed, his mate hovering over him. "Pax, what—" he began, only to have his mouth caught in a searing kiss that left him breathless and hazy.

What was I doing again
… Gabe decided whatever it was could wait until after he spent some time alone with his mate. Wrapping his arms around Paxton's neck, he let all his worries and secret plans fade as he tried to meld his mate's body with his own, pressing so close there was no room for even breath between them. The metal of his mate's armor bit into his flesh but Gabe ignored the discomfort in favor of trying to devour Paxton's mouth.

His cock was hard and aching, throbbing inside his breaches and Gabe wanted to shout for joy when he felt Paxton's hand drifting down with obvious purpose—

A knock at the bedroom door had them both freezing in place then Paxton pulled away with a curse.

"Damn the seas, what?" he hollered. Gabe bit his lip and whimpered, cock still begging for attention where it pressed against the unyielding metal of Paxton's armor covered thigh. Pax glanced down at him, need and want shining in his gray eyes.

"Begging your pardon, Highness, but Captain Leando asked me to tell you the soldiers are ready to deploy," a nervous female voice replied from behind the closed door.

Paxton sighed. "Inform the Captain I will be right there," he ordered. Gabe heard the female murmur something affirmative in reply before he was distracted by Paxton sliding off him and climbing out of the bed.

"Do you have to leave right now?" Gabe asked as he sat up. He tried to keep the whine out of his voice but his body was aching and bereft, already missing the heat of Paxton lying over him.

Paxton looked up from where he was straightening his armor and gave him a sad smile. "I wish we had more time, my own, but I originally was seeking you out to say good-bye before we left." He suddenly looked a bit sheepish. "I suppose I got a bit distracted by your beauty; any time I'm near you I can't seem to keep my hands to myself."

Gabe knew this already and it was one of the reasons he'd fallen for Paxton, even though after his last breakup he'd promised himself no other man would ever own his heart again.

Climbing off the bed, Gabe walked over to Paxton and wrapped his arms around his mate's waist. He didn't want Pax to go, not at all, but knew there was nothing he could say to stop his mate from doing what he thought he had to do in order to protect his people and their future.

"I love you," Gabe whispered, eyes burning with tears as he looked up at his mate. "I love you more than anything. Promise you'll come back to me?"

Paxton's eyes softened as he looked down at him. Gabe bit his bottom lip to stop himself from crying when Paxton gently cupped his face in his hands.

"Do you know why I always call you my own?" he asked suddenly.

Gabe frowned and shook his head, not sure where his mate was going with this strange line of questioning.

"I call you my own because you are the first thing in my life that is only mine. Your beauty, your love, your heart were made just for me… it is not something I ever expected to be blessed with until I saw you the very first time. It was in that moment I realized the seas had truly given me the greatest gift, one I would die to protect," Paxton promised. Gabe could feel the tears he'd been holding back finally spill down his cheeks but didn't try to stop them. His mate deserved to see how these incredible words affected him.

"I love you," Gabe whispered again.

Paxton smiled and leaning down, placed a gentle kiss on the pearl gracing Gabe's forehead. "I love you, my own—now and forever."

Dropping his hands, he turned quickly and strode toward the door, not looking back as he left.

Gabe let him go, heart in his throat as he fought the urge to call his mate back. He'd seen the sheen of tears in Paxton's eyes right before he turned away, and knew the strong mer had left so quickly because he hadn't wanted Gabe to see him cry.

Gabe wasn't sure how long he stood there before he heard another knock at the door. Before he could answer it, the door opened and Aaron peered around the edge.

"Did you get it?" he asked and then frowned when he noticed the tears on Gabe's face. "What happened?" he asked.

Gabe shook his head and quickly reached up to wipe the wetness from his cheeks. "Nothing," he murmured. Turning, he made his way toward the large painting over the dresser, swinging the heavy ocean scene aside on its built-in hinges so the safe beneath was exposed.

Not giving himself a moment to second-guess his actions, Gabe quickly used the combination Paxton had given him. Once he heard the locks disengage, he hauled the heavy door open and reaching inside—ignoring the jewels and other valuables—pulled out the simple wood box he needed.

Swinging the safe door closed and placing the painting over so it was once again hidden, Gabe headed back toward the bedroom door.

"Let's do this," he said as he passed Aaron, who immediately fell into step behind him.

Outside, he could hear the trumpets heralding the departure of the soldiers and fought back his growing heartache and strengthening his resolve.

I'm doing this for Paxton and our people
…
Nothing is going to stop me from making sure everyone I love and care about it safe.

Chapter 17

Gabe eyed the surface of the water above him with trepidation. The sun shone down brightly through the waves, making the water shimmer as it churned above his head. It was beautiful, but Gabe also took it as a sign they were close to the island. In fact, he could tell by the way the sand sloped upward on the ocean floor the island couldn't be more than a mile ahead of them, where the sand and the surface met.

Knowing that the danger they were there to face was waiting only a little way over their heads right at that very moment caused a mess of nerves to settle in the pit of his stomach.

"So, now what?" Aaron asked, looking over at Gabe.

Gabe shrugged and looked over at Mary, who grimaced in return.

Yeah, I have no idea where to go from here either.

The journey had been a long and treacherous one, filled with moments of fear and doubt for all of them. Sneaking out of the palace had been surprisingly easy, thanks in part to all of the hoopla surrounding the departing soldiers, but once outside, the real struggle had begun. Mary and Aaron had continually looked to Gabe for guidance as they made their way out of the city and the magical force field protecting it, and into the ocean proper. Gabe hadn't really known what to tell them; all he knew was they needed to get to Bimini Island before the contingency of mer soldiers heading that way, so they had needed to hurry. Without the map Aaron had stolen from his mate, he wouldn't even have known which way to go.

All Gabe knew was time was of the essence. Where the mer were traveling by swimming, the three humans were stuck relying completely on their seahorses, which needed to be rested every so often. Even with the help of the seahorses Mary had procured for them, they still had to rush in order to beat the mer to the island.

The pearls gifted to them by their mates had protected them from the massive pressure of the sea bearing down and allowed them to breathe. It kind of felt like breathing in thick fog, not easy, but not too difficult either. At least they hadn't suddenly sprouted gills and stuff. Gabe was grateful for that, at least. Even though the three of them were mated to the three most powerful mers of the entire Merfolk race, they were still humans traveling through the depths of the sea alone. Danger lurked around every corner, and Gabe had thought he was going to piss himself once when a giant squid had come just a little bit too close for comfort.

Two days of hard travel, working their poor seahorses to the breaking point, spending one terrifying night in the open sea, and finally now in the late afternoon on the second day, they were there.

Why had I thought this was a good idea again
? Gabe couldn't help but doubt himself now he had reached the island of horrors that still caused him nightmares.

But I have to try
…
for Paxton and our future, and all the mers, mates, and future mates, I have to try and stop Father Willis before he can hurt the people I love
.

"I think we should take the seahorses as close to the surface as we can then go the rest of the way on foot. We should be able to swim close with no problem and walk right up onto the beach.
After that, we should head straight to the village and confront Father Willis. Maybe we can get into one of his huts and look for the other box?" Gabe reached down, patting the hidden box of pearls he carried in a small satchel at his side then shrugged at his companions. "I didn't have a firm plan other than getting here before the mer, confronting Father Willis, and trying to stop a war."

"I guess we'll wing it and watch each other's backs," Mary replied. Clicking her tongue, she set her seahorse moving again. Gabe did the same and got his own animal gliding though the water again, followed closely behind by Aaron and his beast.

Aaron groaned dramatically as he caught up with Gabe. "Speaking of backs, I don't know if mine will ever recover. I'm a city boy, born and bred; I've never even ridden a horse before today! Two days of travel and my back is killing me… I may never walk right again."

"Just think, maybe if we stop this war, you can get Leando to give you a back massage once we get back to the palace." Gabe snickered. He didn't want the others to know, but his ass, legs, and back were also aching something fierce. He'd ridden horses as a child, but never for this long before. Hell, he might not even be able to dismount when the time came; he'd just fall off the seahorse instead. It would probably be easier.

"Yeah, if he'll even be talking to me after all of this," Aaron said with a sigh.

Gabe felt his own momentary stab of fear over his mate's probable anger before he managed to push it down and reply. "They'll understand, Aaron. They have to. We're doing this for them, for our people, and for all the innocents on Bimini. They might be angry for a while, but they'll forgive us eventually."
I hope.

Aaron nodded and they were silent until they were within fifteen feet of the surface.

"We should leave the seahorses here," Mary said softly. "Maybe we can tie them to those big bunches of coral?" She pointed toward their right where a large mass of bright orange coral was growing and Gabe nodded.

Sliding out of the saddle wasn't easy but finally—despite his aching backside—Gabe had both feet loose. He patted the yellow speckled neck of his seahorse in thanks before leading it over to the coral bed, where he tied off its reins. "Stay here boy; we'll be back soon." The seahorse nosed him gently and Gabe brushed his hand along its ribbed neck.