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Authors: Scarlet Hyacinth

Tags: #General Fiction, #Romance MM, #erotic MM

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BOOK: The Demon Who Fed on a Shark
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person, that one person who can sate our hunger, who can turn the lust we feed on into something more. Our mate, you would call it.”

52

Scarlet Hyacinth

Morgan’s heart began to beat faster as he listened. “Few have the

luck to find their mates,” Alexis continued. “More often than not,

incubi settle for a sort of mate for show. My parents have, and it’s one of the reasons behind my complicated family. I have lots of half

siblings, some of whom I know, others who I’ve never met.”

Alexis broke out of his embrace and lifted his head to meet

Morgan’s gaze once more. “But some are blessed with a mate, and I

believe that I am among them. I don’t know if I should tell you this, Morgan, but I can’t stop myself now. I think you’re my mate, the

other half of me. When I’m with you, I feel whole.”

Alexis stopped and took a deep breath. “I understand if this is too

much for you to process or accept. I just…I couldn’t hide it

anymore.”

“Thank you,” Morgan answered. “Thank you for your trust.” The

words and emotions choked him. “You’re the most special thing in

my life, Alexis, and that won’t ever change. Remember it.”

Alexis released a sob that held both distress and relief. “I don’t

deserve you. I—”

“Don’t.” Morgan silenced his lover before the incubus could

continue. “You said it yourself, baby. We were made for each other,

which automatically means we deserve each other. We fit. No more

foolish doubts from now on. You’re mine, and I’m yours.” And

tonight, he would claim Alexis. Under his parents’ roof or not, he

would not wait a moment longer to solidify their bond.

Alexis seemed to want to say something else, but then, Morgan

heard, or rather felt, a new presence approach. It was close by, inside the mansion, but not the gardens.

He frowned. He hadn’t known they were expecting guests. “We

have visitors,” he told Alexis. “Come on. Let’s see what’s going on.”

With obvious reluctance, Alexis climbed out of his lap. “We’ll

finish this talk some other time,” he said.

The Demon Who Fed on a Shark

53

They put their clothing back in order and, hand in hand, headed

into the house. New but familiar voices reached Morgan’s ears, and

he took a deep breath to push back his sudden irritation.

“I’m sorry about this, Alexis,” he told his lover. “I’m afraid this

might not be pleasant.”

Alexis seemed surprised at the warning, but just took it in with a

simple nod. As they at last reached the receiving room, Morgan was

forced to face a certain person he’d have preferred to avoid.

Sophia Bristol was, in a strange, roundabout way, his cousin.

They weren’t actually related by blood since her connection with his family came from Malcolm. Still, she often visited, since she, for

whatever reason, had decided she was the ideal wife for Morgan.

His family was well aware of it. They didn’t encourage Sophia in

any way, but neither did they dissuade her. Morgan’s parents had long ago told him that he would be the one to make the choice of his mate.

Perhaps it would have been convenient if Sophia had been the one for

him, but Morgan didn’t love her. He didn’t feel anything for her,

beyond a slight affection caused by her connection to his

grandparents.

As soon as she saw him, Sophia floated to his side. There was no

other way of putting it—she had that unique way of moving that only

jellyfish did, like a dance that threatened to draw him in if he wasn’t careful.

“Oh, Morgan,” she said with a lazy smile. “How nice it is to see

you again.”

Morgan saw the change in Alexis almost instantly. Earlier, he’d

been relaxed, honest, allowing the usual mask to fall for Morgan’s

benefit. Now, however, he was all incubus, strikingly similar to his

parents.

“Won’t you introduce me, lover?” he purred in Morgan’s ear,

bringing their bodies closer.

It was the strangest thing. Had the tone or the attitude been a lie,

Morgan might have been bothered by them, but they weren’t. They

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Scarlet Hyacinth

were just another facet of Alexis’s personality, one Morgan had come

to know very early in their relationship. It made his libido respond

and his cock harden, which was unfortunate, given that his parents

were maybe a few feet away from him. Ah, well. It couldn’t be

helped, and he’d known it even before bringing Alexis to his home.

“Of course, baby. Alexis, this is Sophia Bristol. Sophia, my

boyfriend, Alexis Whitaker.”

Boyfriend sounded like an empty word for what he and Alexis

shared, but Alexis let it slide. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms.

Bristol.”

“Likewise. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Sophia gave Alexis a

speculative look. “You’re an incubus, right?”

The way she said the words somehow managed to convey the fact

that she considered incubi something despicable. Alexis didn’t even

blink.

“I do indeed have that dubious honor.” He laughed, his smile and

manners impeccable. “I’m afraid you have an advantage on me,

though, because I’m not acquainted with you at all.”

The genteel, soft tone belied the essence of Alexis’s words, which

basically disregarded Sophia’s importance. Morgan saw anger spark

through Sophia’s eyes, as she was unaccustomed to being treated like

that. A distant part of him was torn between amusement and slight

apprehension, but those feelings were eclipsed by the arousal already hazing over his mind. Alexis’s closeness showered him with a

possessiveness that he’d never experienced from the incubus. He’d

never actually seen Alexis jealous, but he found that he liked it.

Sophia opened her mouth, having obviously prepared a scathing

retort. Morgan didn’t know what would have happened had his

parents and his brother not made their opportune appearance.

Skylar took Sophia’s arm, smiling wide. “Come now, dear. Have

you had dinner?”

“Yes, Mr. Cunningham,” Sophia said, her voice showing the

strain to be polite. “Thank you.”

The Demon Who Fed on a Shark

55

Layton exchanged a look with Morgan, barely managing to hide a

grin. Of course Layton would laugh. Morgan’s twin hadn’t been

forced to deal with Sophia’s attentions, since apparently, she wasn’t attracted to Layton in any way. Twins they might be, but Layton and

Morgan were very different. Still, Morgan couldn’t begrudge his

brother for his amusement. It was kind of funny, if only because of

Sophia’s reaction.

Their father arched a brow, obviously displeased with the prospect

of refereeing a match between Alexis and Sophia. Nevertheless, he’d

gotten used to the socializing thing during his marriage with Skylar, so he took it all in stride.

Byron gestured them all to the living room, and as Morgan

watched Alexis interact with his family, Morgan wondered what other

problems Sophia’s arrival would bring.

* * * *

A few hours after the appearance of the new guest, Alexis and

Morgan finally said good night to their hosts and headed back to their shared room. Alexis was very much relieved since he didn’t think he

could withstand much more of the assault of Sophia’s emotions. She

obviously had interest in Morgan—stupid bitch—and didn’t like that

he’d encroached on her supposed territory. Whatever. Alexis didn’t

consider her a threat.

He felt much better now that he’d confessed the truth about his

hunger to his lover. He needed to tell Morgan the rest. He didn’t think Morgan would be upset or even too surprised since he was used to

such things, but Alexis didn’t want to take things for granted either.

He rubbed his stomach, feeling a bit strange at the thought of

having a small version of Morgan growing inside him. Yes, he

definitely needed to approach the issue with his lover. They were still so very young, and neither of them was prepared for rearing a child,

even if Morgan wanted to take a commitment with him. Thankfully,

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Scarlet Hyacinth

Alexis’s body wouldn’t allow him to conceive until he matured

enough, so they weren’t at any risk of that happening in the near

future.

“What is it?” Morgan asked as they finally reached the room. “Do

you feel okay?”

Alexis beamed at his man. “I feel fine. I just…We never finished

our talk, did we?”

Morgan sat on the bed and patted his leg. Taking Morgan up on

the silent offer, Alexis plopped down on his lover’s lap. It was

quickly becoming his favorite place to be.

“What did you want to tell me?” Morgan asked.

“Do you remember that time when you asked me if incubi were

gender-neutral?”

Morgan chuckled. “I also asked if you could get hard, and I’m

pretty sure I got the answer to that question.”

Morgan squeezed Alexis’s package as he spoke, and the pleasure

elicited a moan from Alexis. He couldn’t
not
be aroused when Morgan touched him. Still, he focused on what he wanted to say,

needing it to be out there and off his chest.

“Well, we’re not gender-neutral, but males can conceive and give

birth. I was born from a man and a woman, but some of my half

siblings were born from same-sex couplings.”

Morgan’s caresses stopped. “You can get pregnant? Pregnant with

my child?”

Alexis nodded, licking his suddenly dry lips. “It only happens to

fully mature incubi, usually after the age of thirty. So for the next ten years, give or take, we’re safe. But…I just wanted you to know.”

Morgan’s arms tightened around his waist. “You know, I always

wanted what my parents have,” he murmured. “I thought there were

little chances of it happening since I’m naturally inclined toward men and all the seahorses I’ve met held no appeal for me.”

The Demon Who Fed on a Shark

57

Morgan’s eyes met Alexis’s, so green they were almost black.

“You’re such a gift, baby. When you’re ready, when we’re ready, we

can have our family together.”

Alexis’s heart started to beat faster. Suddenly, they weren’t just

talking in terms of boyfriend or lover, but of a lifelong commitment.

It should have scared him, and to a certain extent, it did, but he was also ecstatic. He knew Morgan would never say such things if he

didn’t mean them. They were too serious to joke or lie about in the

first place.

Still, he couldn’t help himself but ask, “Really?”

Morgan’s smile seemed almost too wide for his face. “Yeah, baby.

And while we’re on the topic, I have to confess something, too. I want to claim you, Alexis. I need to make you mine in every possible way.

I’ve wanted to since the first time we were together, but I’ve held

back. It was much too soon. You weren’t ready. But…you’re my

mate, Alexis. I’m convinced of it, and I want to share my life with

you.”

Alexis swallowed around the sudden knot in his throat. He knew

what matings meant. It was what Morgan’s parents had, the

equivalent of marriage for shape-shifters. Their friends, Angel and

Clark, had also recently mated, and Alexis had learned a few things

about how it worked, including that they’d essentially share thoughts.

A part of him shied away from having his mind invaded, but his

heart told him what choice to make. In truth, it wasn’t really much of a choice. He feared that once Morgan saw his memories, the shark

would be disgusted with him. But at the same time, he yearned for

Morgan so much. He wanted to do this. He wanted to be Morgan’s

mate. He remembered Morgan holding back those times they’d been

together, and now that he knew what was hiding behind that

hesitation, he ached to fulfill their bond. It was both frightening and exciting.

“I’m scared, Morgan,” he confessed, much to his dismay. “I don’t

want you to hate me.”

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Scarlet Hyacinth

“I could never hate you,” Morgan murmured as he peppered his

face with kisses. “I love you too much.”

Those words showered over Alexis like a palpable caress. He

began to tremble in his lover’s arms, so deeply under Morgan’s spell

that he couldn’t remember how to become coy and seductive. He

forgot how to be an incubus and just lost himself in Morgan.

Thankfully, Morgan was there to take over. The shark lowered

him on the bed, and with almost excruciating care, he began to

remove Alexis’s clothing. “Close your eyes,” Morgan whispered.

Alexis did, and the sensations, sounds, and scents assaulted him

with double intensity. His shoes thumping on the floor, the sound of

Morgan’s breath and that of his own heartbeat, accelerating with

every second that passed. Morgan caressing him, undoing his trousers

and pulling them off, pressing butterfly-light kisses on every inch of skin he revealed. The swoosh of Morgan’s clothing as the other man

undressed, the jingle of his buckle, the creak of the bed under

Morgan’s weight. Morgan’s smell, so wild and untamed, heavy and

thick with their shared arousal. God, the arousal, the need, so intense Alexis could taste it in his mouth. His incubus senses were assaulted by sexual tension, and his cock throbbed, aching for Morgan’s touch.

He wanted to open his eyes, to look at his sinfully handsome

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