Into the Triangle (5 page)

Aaron studied him, and then his eyes widened when he looked down Gabe's body. "Uh, did something happen at the lagoon?" he asked, quirking a brow.

Gabe frowned, confused by the teasing light in the other man's eyes. That was, until he looked down his own body and saw that his cock hadn't deflated in the slightest since walking away from the merman.

"Oh! Um…" Gabe blushed brightly, face on fire. He quickly covered himself with his hands and shifted uncomfortably.

Aaron burst out laughing, seeming to enjoy Gabe's obvious embarrassment. "Here, cover up and we'll talk on the way back to camp." He tossed some sort of brown cloth at Gabe, forcing him to scramble to keep himself covered with one hand and catch the cloth with the other.

Gabe wasn't the most coordinated person at the best of times, and his flustered state made him even less so. The cloth fell to the ground, and Gabe suspected his face might never be its original color ever again. Glowing scarlet, Gabe quickly bent and scooped up the cloth, only then noticing it was actually two different pieces of fabric; one was a loincloth, and the other looked like some sort of pouch with strings.

"What…?" he began, holding up the pouch with strings, only to be cup off by Aaron's snicker.

"It's for protection. You're penis and balls go in the pouch, and the strings wrap around your waist and just under your butt to keep it in place." Aaron grinned. "Trust me, you do not want to go running around the jungle with your important bits flopping about all over the place."

"O-oh," Gabe stuttered in surprise. "It's like a jock strap." He ducked his head as he began fighting to get the pouch and strings in place. In the end, Aaron ended up having to help him, the unfamiliar clothing almost defeating both men until finally, Gabe was clothed and feeling much more comfortable now that he was covered.

"Okay, now tell me what happened while you were at the lagoon," Aaron said, slapping Gabe on the back and walking back in the direction of the village, forcing Gabe to follow.

"Well, it's hard to describe…" Gabe sighed, trudging along. Exhaustion swamped him and the events of the past day were starting to catch up with him. He just wanted to lie down and sleep. Gabe rubbed his brow, fingered sliding over his pearl. "Nothing is making sense anymore."

Aaron smiled encouragingly. "Just start from the beginning, after you left me at the village."

So Gabe explained what had happened since he'd wandered away from the village to the lagoon. He told Aaron about the merman and even about the kiss. "Then I heard you calling my name, and I told him I had to leave. He looked so sad… and now it's all I can do not to run back to the lagoon." Gabe sighed. "It's weird, but I miss him. How is that even possible? I don't even know him and he's a merman, for goodness sake! Where I come from, things like that don't even exist…"

Aaron didn't seem concerned however. He nodded. "I think it's the bond forming, from what I remember Douglas mentioning. It's a pull toward your merman—one that makes it almost impossible for you to ignore. I'm not saying you can't, because if you wanted to, you can choose not to accept the bond; but I believe the pull is a way for the Merfolk to get a fair chance at having a relationship with their chosen ones."

Gabe nodded. That made sense. "I think his name is Paxton. I mean, that's what the waves whispered to me… and now I sound crazy again." He sighed, shaking his head.

Aaron laughed. "The mer are mysterious creatures. I've honestly never seen one in real life before. But if you think your merman's name is Paxton, then I think that sounds good to me."

By that time they had reached the edge of the village, and Gabe took a deep breath as he prepared himself to meet the rest of the people he'd probably be spending the rest of his life around. But before he could walk into the village proper, Gabe found himself stopped by a hand on his arm.

Turning, he faced Aaron, noticing the serious expression on the other man's face.

"Before you go meet Father Willis, there are a few things you need to remember. Don't mention the fact that you are, you know," Aaron lowered his voice and whispered, "homosexual. And just to be safe, I wouldn't mention your merman's name." He seemed to hesitate a moment before continuing. "Father Willis has some very strong ideas about the Merfolk—not all of them good—and, well, let's just say, he's not at all shy about sharing them."

"The guy sounds down right peachy," Gabe replied sarcastically as a sinking feeling began to develop in the pit of his belly. "And how does he feel about those the Merfolk have marked as chosen ones?"

Aaron shrugged and glanced away, not meeting Gabe's gaze. "Let's get this meeting over with… then I'll take you to my hut so you can rest."

Chapter 6

Gabe fought the urge to squirm as he was examined by a cold, assessing gaze.

It was official; Father Willis gave him the creeps.

There was something about those cool, rheumy black eyes that reminded Gabe of every disappointed and disgusted look he'd ever received from his parents. Those eyes seemed to be judging him, and Gabe had the sneaking feeling whatever the older man looked for, he was sorely lacking in it.

Standing there in the center of the village, in front of the huge hut that belonged to the priest, Gabe tried not to flinch as the older man walked around him.

"So, you are the man who washed ashore on our humble little island," Father Willis commented in a raspy, yet oddly powerful voice. Gabe jumped, startled to be spoken to after being examined in silence for so long.

"Uh, yes," Gabe replied. When the village priest raised one bushy eyebrow, Gabe realized the other man expected him to show deference to his seemingly important position. "I mean, yes, sir. My name is Gabriel Overton. The plane I was riding in crashed after passing into the Triangle. Aaron found me on the beach this morning…"

It seemed strange such a small, frail looking older man, probably in his mid to late seventies, could appear so powerful and controlling. He couldn't be an inch over five-and-a-half feet tall, maybe one hundred pounds tops, and yet Father Willis exuded a presence that made him seem almost larger than life. The silver-colored hair and wrinkles on his face should have made him seem almost harmless, but instead, they reminded Gabe of a used car salesman; someone who tried to appear charming and easygoing, but was instead a sneaky snake in disguise. Wearing full length black robes instead of loincloths and coverings like the rest of the village, even Father Willis's clothing set him apart and made him seem somehow,
more
. Of course, that could also be due to the two large, muscular men who stood off to the side, looking almost like bodyguards or hired muscle.

It was all very strange.

But that's impossible, right
?
I mean why would a priest need bodyguards while on an island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle
?

"Aaron was supposed to have brought you to me over half an hour ago," Father Willis said sharply in reprimand, cutting a quick look over at Aaron, who stood just off to the side, before turning back to him. "But I suppose he was too busy with something much more interesting and seeing you were properly introduced to me wasn't important." The priest's voice was scathing, and Gabe glanced over in time to see Aaron's face blanch as he shot a quick look to the two meatheads standing nearby. It was obvious to him Aaron feared the two for some reason, and he wasn't about to allow Father Willis to punish his new friend for something that wasn't even a big deal.

When the big men took a step toward Aaron, Gabe blurted out the first excuse he could think of.

"Actually, it's my fault we were late. Aaron was nice enough to go and get some clothes for me so I'd be more comfortable, and I wandered off. I got all turned around and ended up at the lagoon, and that's where Aaron finally found me," Gabe explained. He purposely left out the mention of his encounter with his merman, Paxton; Aaron's warnings were still ringing in his ears.

But more than anything, Gabe found himself unwilling to share the details of his encounter with his mer. The stolen kisses and silent communication were his to cherish, and he couldn't help but feel that somehow, someway, the creepy priest might tarnish those memories. He may not be sure exactly what he felt for his mysterious mer—or even what to do about those feelings—but Gabe wasn't going to lay the all out for this stranger here to pick apart and examine.

Father Willis frowned, but motioned with one hand for the meatheads to relax and back away from Aaron. "It's all right, Horace, Simon," he said, addressing each man. "A simple misunderstanding, it seems."

The two men nodded, and the adoration in their gaze when they looked at the elderly priest gave Gabe a sinking feeling in his gut. He'd seen a lot of those looks directed toward Willis from the people wandering around the village, and it seemed to him the priest controlled everyone here. Everyone, except perhaps a select few—like Aaron—but even those people were too afraid to stand up and oppose him. Gabe knew a bully when he saw one, and Father Willis definitely fit the bill.

Something was not right with this whole situation, and he wanted to get as far away from Father Willis as soon as possible.

His hopes of getting away were quickly dashed however, when Father Willis walked over and wrapped one skeletal arm around Gabe's shoulders.

"Well, I suppose this once we can excuse the rudeness, since you are new to our little island, Gabriel. But in the future, it is important you follow all the rules and edicts set down by me and the village. As leader, my people look to me to keep everyone calm and happy, and we can't have unknown strangers wandering about, now can we?" The priest used his arm to propel Gabe toward the cooking fires in the center of the village. Gabe had no choice but to follow where led without causing a scene by trying to extricate himself from the tight grip.

"That's… understandable," Gabe finally said. Thankfully, the priest seemed mollified by the humble response and Gabe let out a breath of relief when the other man changed the subject.

Then he promptly choked on that breath when he realized the one topic he'd been hoping to avoid was the one brought up.

"So Gabriel, tell me about the Merfolk you encountered? I make a study of those creatures, you see, and the tales of islanders meeting them always intrigues me. And your pearl is such an unusual color… I don't think I've ever seen a black one before. Very rare indeed." Something that looked a lot like avarice filled the priest's black eyes with an eerie light and the way he stared at the pearl on Gabe's forehead felt wrong.

Gabe couldn't stop himself from shivering, feeling like he was suddenly missing something important and possibly facing something very dangerous.

"I don't remember much," he lied quickly. "The storm was so severe and I was freaking out bad. The next thing I knew, I was on the beach and had this thing on my head."

Father Willis raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Gabe was saved from being questioned about his lame story by a commotion by the fires.

People were yelling, and all their fury seemed to be focused on one small woman who cowered in fear. A pot of spilled food was lying beside and over her bare feet. Although it had to be hot, possibly even burning her, the little woman didn't move away; instead she just stared straight through the people hollering and carrying on as if she didn't even see them.

"Mary!" Father Willis's voice shot through the air, causing all the other people to stop their yelling immediately. He dropped his arm from around Gabe's shoulders and snapped his fingers at the woman. "Get over here right now!"

The woman's head immediately whipped around at the sharp sound, and without further prompting, she scurried over to Father Willis's side. She stopped right next to them without saying a word, and Gabe couldn't stop himself from thinking she was very pretty. With her bright red hair hanging straight over her slim shoulders, curvy build, perfect pert nose and bowed lips, she was the epitome of femininity. The only problem he could see, other than the fact that both she and her tattered cloth coverings looked absolutely filthy, was that her crystal blue eyes remained unfocused and blank, even when she looked over at him.

There was also a large, ugly scar in the center of her forehead where it looked as though something had been ripped right out of her skin.

Gabe's own pearl ached, the longer he stared at the scar, and he suspected he knew what had been removed.

"What happened?" he asked, unable to hide the horror in his voice.

Father Willis reached out and patted the young woman's head in an almost condescending manner, smiling faintly. "Gabriel, meet our Mary. She's been with us a little over three years now. She was found with a pearl, just like you, but in the end, her mer rejected her. Bless her soul, the poor little dear couldn't take the shame, nor the pain and betrayal as the mer ripped out her pearl, and hasn't spoken a word ever since. I found her, near death, on the beach at the lagoon, and nursed her back to health myself." The priest sighed softly. "I tried to warn everyone the Merfolk were not as lovely or benevolent as they seemed, but it wasn't until Miss Mary here was discarded so cruelly that they finally believed me. Still, it seems like every day more and more of our people fall prey to those creature's charms and disappear into the sea, never to be seen again. Why, ask Aaron about his hut-mate, Douglas, if you don't believe me. He just up and vanished one night, without even saying goodbye." Father Willis shook his head as if he was upset, but something about the move rang false to Gabe.