Read Into the Triangle Online

Authors: Amylea Lyn

Tags: #gay fantasy shapeshifter erotic romance

Into the Triangle (3 page)

BOOK: Into the Triangle
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"What do you mean by that?" Gabe frowned. "How long have you been here?"

Aaron closed his eyes and his strong shoulders slumped. "Too long.
Cyclops
crashed back in 1918."

Gabe gasped. "That's impossible. The year is 2013, that's almost hundred years ago!"

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, things move differently once you're inside the veil." He suddenly shook his head. "Enough questions. You seem harmless and you've got to be exhausted. Come on, I'd better take you to the village so you can rest and get something to eat. Keep in mind you'll probably be under observation for a while until it's clear you can be trusted around the women and children, but at least you'll be safe there. I remember when I first came to the island; traumatic is putting it mildly. We'll get you taken care of… and get you something to wear." Aaron smirked as he ran his eyes over Gabe's body. Suddenly Gabe realized he was naked.

"M-my clothes were dragging me down, I had to take them off or risk drowning…" he explained lamely, blushing hard, which made Aaron laugh.

"Whatever you say, Gabriel." He grinned and wrapped an arm around Gabe's shoulders, steadying him as he slowly led Gabe toward the tropical forest.

Gabe didn't know what came over him, but he found himself looking back over his shoulder and toward the ocean. For some reason, he felt loath to leave the beach, almost as if something or someone was calling out to him.

It took him a moment to realize Aaron was speaking to him again. "I'm sorry, what?"

Aaron glanced over. "I said, Father Willis is going to never leave you alone. He'll pepper you with questions until you're ready to scream." Aaron grinned. "But down worry, he's mostly harmless… just an odd fellow who likes to think he's more important than he really is."

"Father Willis?" Gabe asked, tearing his eyes away from the ocean as they stepped into the forest.

"Yeah, he's been here longer than almost anyone. He acts as priest and an unofficial leader for the village."

"Oh," Gabe replied. "And he'll want to speak with me about the plane crash?"

Aaron shrugged. "Well, yeah, but mostly he'll want to talk to you about the mermaid."

Gabe froze and jerked away from the arm around his shoulder, suddenly feeling like the ground had dropped out from underneath him. "M-mermaid? What… I mean, how…?"

No, it was a hallucination. It's not possible. He can't be real

Aaron dropped his arm and turned to face Gabe, tilting his head to the side quizzically.

"That pearl there," he said slowly, as if speaking to a child. He pointed toward the object on Gabe's forehead. "The pearl is a gift from one of the Merfolk—either a mermaid or merman—who live in the water surrounding the island. It marks you as a chosen one."

"Chosen for what?" Gabe whispered. His stomach twisted and a cold sweat broke out over his spine. His heart began to race, but whether it was from fear or excitement, he didn't know. Somehow he knew that whatever the answer might be, it would change his world forever.

Aaron watched him carefully, as if sensing Gabe getting closer and closer to a freak out.

"Gabriel, the pearl on your forehead means one of the Merfolk has chosen you for a mate."

Chapter 3

 

Gabe followed Aaron through the trees, stumbling along behind as he tried his best to keep up with the other man's quick pace. Aaron seemed oblivious to Gabe's struggles as he easily made his way through the jungle when they left the beach. Gabe tripped over a root and would have fallen if it weren't for the tree belonging to the root he'd just tripped over. Catching himself on the rough bark scratched up his hands, but Gabe would rather his hands be hurt than smash his face into the tree or the ground.

He sighed when he righted himself and tried to ignore the pounding of his head. Gabe tried to pay attention as he began following behind his host again, but his mind was in turmoil.

What did Aaron mean when he said the pearl I'm wearing marks me as some mermaid's mate
?
This whole thing is crazy
!
Maybe I did drown in the ocean and this is just some twisted hallucination

Or I'm dead
.
That must be it
!
Maybe I'm lying in a coma somewhere, and this is all a dream
.
Or I'm dead and this is my own private version of hell
.

My merman can't be real

A stabbing pain seemed to hit Gabe right on his forehead and he hissed, slapping his hand over his forehead and the pearl the pain seemed to be coming from. He stopped walking and hunched over, waiting for the pain to pass.

A warm hand suddenly landed on his naked back, making Gabe jump.

"It's better if you don't try and think about all the details right now," Aaron said softly, as he helped Gabe stand back upright. "The bond between you and your mermaid is really new, and the pearl is still building it between the both of you. I know you're confused, but if you try and deny it right now, it's only going to cause you pain."

"I feel like I'm in a dream or something," Gabe tried to explain his feelings. He could feel the shock finally setting in; his body began to shake with fine tremors, and his skin felt cold and clammy.

Aaron nodded. "I'm sure. Everyone has a hard time when they first show up, and you've got the added burden of being claimed by a mystery creature from the deep. I think you just need some time to wrap your mind around everything. You can rest once we make it to the village, I promise."

Gabe frowned but allowed Aaron to wrap an arm around him and start them walking again. "How do you know so much about this stuff?" he asked. He glanced over Aaron's face and then the other man's forehead. Nope, no pearl that he could see.

Aaron gave him a sad smile. "I had a…
friend
… who became one of the chosen of the Merfolk. He'd lived on the island for a year before he met the mer one night during a storm. He used to describe everything he was going through, so I learned along with him." Aaron sighed. "Douglas fought it for a while, but in the end even he couldn't deny the siren call of the Merfolk."

Gabe studied Aaron closely. There was something about the way the other man talked about this Douglas that had his gaydar pinging. "You were lovers," he stated without thinking.

Aaron jerked to a halt, staring at Gabe with wide, fearful eyes. "What, no—we, I mean—"

For some reason the other man seemed truly afraid of Gabe knowing the truth. "It's okay, Aaron," Gabe replied softly, laying a hand on the other man's trembling arm that was wrapped around him. "I understand what it's like to love someone then to be betrayed by him."

Aaron's eyes widened. "Y-you're like me? A sodomite," he whispered, saying the last word as if it was a horrible thing.

Gabe smiled gently. "We call ourselves homosexuals—or gay—now. And in my time, in some countries, we can even get married and have the same rights as straight couples."

"Really?" Aaron seemed amazed and Gabe gave a light laugh.

"Yep. And the, uh, mermaid that claimed me and gave me this"—Gabe motioned toward the pearl—"is actually a merman."

Aaron looked absolutely shocked. "That's just—wow." He shook his head and the two of them started walking again. Gabe leaned into the other man's embrace, enjoying the brush of Aaron's arm against his own bare flesh. He found Aaron physically attractive and much more pleasant to be around—especially now he knew they shared something in common other than being stranded on this island—but there was something missing.

No matter how sexy he might find Aaron, his heart seemed to be dormant.

They walked in silence for a long moment before Aaron finally spoke again. "Gabriel, you may not want to tell Father Willis about your sexual preference."

Gabe frowned. "Why? Is he homophobic?"

Aaron looked uncomfortable and shrugged. "He's very old fashioned. His religion doesn't allow him to accept others easily. It was hard enough for him to accept those people of other colors and races when they ended up on the island; accepting people like you and me? Out of the question. Not everyone feels the same way he does, but Father Willis is rather outspoken with his opinions. He believes because we are trapped in the Triangle, we should do our part to help our population on the island grow." Aaron sighed again, something Gabe noticed he seemed to do a lot. "It's just best if you keep your sexual preference to yourself for a while."

Gabe didn't like the idea of hiding in the closet again. He'd been in that situation before now with his relationship with his ex and keeping it hidden while he worked for his father's company. He could kind of understand why Aaron might be worried, though.
Maybe I'll keep everything to myself for a while, until I can feel out the situation here on the island. And figure out what I'm going to do about my mysterious merman suitor.

They walked for perhaps another ten minutes, and the farther away they got from the ocean the worse Gabe felt. It felt like a stone sitting in his belly, and the ache in his head steadily grew worse as the time passed.

The two men entered and stopped at the edge of a small, bustling clearing.

People wandered to and fro, some carrying fishing poles, others sitting in the doorways of small lean-to type huts mending clothes. There was even a fire in the center of the little village being tended to by a couple of people, with a large pot of something that smelled surprisingly good simmering away in it. Almost everyone was wearing a version of Aaron's own loincloth, covering their important bits to preserve their modesty, but otherwise they were bared and tanned, looking incredibly comfortable in the tropical heat.

Gabe covered his naked groin with his hands, feeling woefully underdressed.

Aaron grinned at him, obviously sensing his discomfort. He released his grip from around Gabe's waist and patted his shoulder. "Wait here and I'll grab you some clothes. There ought to be something in my hut that will fit you. I'll be right back." Aaron headed into the clearing and immediately set off toward a small hut near the opposite side of the village. Gabe ducked back behind a tree and waited for him to return.

He was standing there, listening to the sound of the people in the village laugh and talk to each other, when he suddenly felt a strange tugging sensation at his sternum. The ache in his belly seemed to increase then fade away, pulsing and calling him to move.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Gabe found himself walking back through the trees, heading away from the village. The branches and plants caught on his skin, but Gabe ignored the stinging and continued to follow the silent call.

It took him a moment to realize he wasn't heading back toward the beach like he might have expected, but somewhere new. Making a sharp turn to the left, Gabe walked quickly through the trees. He could hear the faint sound of water, and it seemed to grow louder and louder, the farther he walked.

Breaking through the jungle, Gabe's eyes widened when he realized somehow he'd made his way toward what looked like a lagoon.

The white sand stretched out in a horseshoe-shaped beach, and the calm, turquoise water was beautiful and appealing. There was a small outcropping of rocks stretched out over the water, large enough to bear a man's weight, hanging just above the water by only a few inches. Moving toward the water in almost a trance, Gabe found himself crawling up onto the rocks, ignoring the way they bit into his already-cut-up hands.

Reaching the edge of the rocks, Gabe leaned his head over the side and looked down into the water. His own reflection stared back at him, and Gabe's eyes were instantly drawn to the pearl on his forehead.

It was beautiful.

About the size of his thumbnail, the smooth, black pearl almost seemed to shine. The skin around the embedded stone was slightly red and swollen, but it didn't look bad or infected; honestly, it looked a lot like his nipple did the time his best friend in high school managed to convince him to pierce it. Not painful exactly, but more of an uncomfortably tight feeling surrounded his pearl.

He'd been so caught up in studying his reflection he didn't notice the rippling of the water below until his own image faded and strangely familiar, dark-gray eyes were suddenly staring back up at him from underneath the water.

Chapter 4

 

"Shit!" Gabe jerked back in shock, arms flailing as he lost his grip on the rock. He would have gone tumbling headfirst into the water if a large, muscled body hadn't suddenly broke through the surface of the water and a big, cool hand stopped his free fall by pressing on his chest.

"Oh!" Gabe's eyes widened and he found himself unable to look away from the strange merman staring up at him.

Storm-cloud eyes filled with mirth, and the corner of the man's full lips quirked in a smile.

"W-who are you?" Gabe whispered in awe. The mer continued to stare up at him, silent save for the small smile gracing his lips.

Gabe tilted his head. "What's your name?" he asked. Again, all he received was silence. Gabe sighed, and the mer echoed the sound. Gabe frowned in confusion.

The mer just continued to watch him, and it took Gabe a moment to realize the merman actually seemed to be copying Gabe's facial expressions. Dark green brows were furrowed, and the tips of his lips were turned down.

BOOK: Into the Triangle
13.44Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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