“I promise,” Nick said, “that I will come back.”
Kit’s breaths were loud against Nick’s ear. “I have lost many people. My parents, teachers, friends. I do not wish to lose you too.”
“You won’t.”
“Promise me,” Kit insisted. He pulled back and cupped Nick’s jaw, making their eyes connect.
“I promise you won’t lose me.” The promise felt as important to Nick as the one he’d made to keep Kit safe from Desre. Though where that promise had been vicious, this one was soft. Hopeful. Nick had been struggling to visualise his future, but now Kit stood at the precipice of a dozen different paths forward, inviting Nick to join him.
Kit studied Nick’s face in great detail. He slowly nodded. “Very well,” he whispered. “I trust you.”
Nick pressed his forehead against Kit’s. “I have a list too,” he shared. “And I can’t wait to get started on it with you.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The engine of Connor’s yacht rumbled through the quiet air of Aridia’s docks, white hull reflecting off ripples in the fresh water. The afternoon sun warmed Nick, and he eyed Kit, who stood at his side, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, hands loose at his sides in leather gloves. Kit watched the approaching yacht with interest, unbothered by the heat.
A few paces ahead of them, Connor waited at the very edge of the dock, Adonis circling the water, growling. “Don’t chase them away,” Connor warned.
Nick followed Adonis’s glare to where Bee and Dew, the two mermen with tails of copper and pale blue, were helping guide the yacht in. His gaze slid up to the hull, the decking becoming clearer. “My dad is at the wheel,” he said to Kit. “Trevor. He’s the kindest man you’ll ever meet.”
“True,” Connor echoed.
Kit hummed. “From what you have told me of him, I do not doubt he has a good nature. The other is Laurence?”
“He’s a bundle of sunshine.” Nick nodded, spotting the leaner figure of his little brother as he hopped onto the side rail.Nick startled. “He—oh for, is he really going to jump? Laurence, don’t you dare –”
Laurence dared.
The yacht engine cut off, and momentum and mermen carried it side by side with the dark stone dock. Laurence balanced on the railing like a goddamn monkey. He didn’t hesitate, jumping for the dock and landing on solid stone ground with a neat forwards roll.
Laurence nimbly leapt to his feet and ran towards them. Nick scowled. “You couldn’t wait twoseconds?”
Connor caught Laurence around the shoulders, wrenching him to an abrupt stop a foot away from them. Laurence threw Connor a distracted look, a confused question in his dark eyes.
“Gently,” Connor warned.
Laurence’s eyes latched on to Nick’s arm in a sling. He nodded, shoved away from Connor, and before Nick could get out another word of a lecture, Laurence’s arms were around his midsection. Laurence buried his blond head against Nick’s throat, clinging on as sobs shook his body.
The lecture died on Nick’s tongue.
He hugged Laurence back with his free arm, resting his chin on Laurence’s head as he squeezed him.
“I was so worried,” Laurence got out through hiccupped gasps.
“I’m all right,” Nick reassured.
Connor cast a glance over them before turning away and going to the yacht, where Trevor was waiting for help to dock. Water churned around the yacht, and Kit’s tail curled around Nick’s leg, sneaking a hold between him and Laurence, as Adonis lunged for the other two mermen with vicious intent. Kit edged slightly forward, positioning himself between Nick and the river.
“Adonis,” Connor warned, without even looking at his quarrelsome boyfriend.
Nick caught Kit’s eye. “It’s okay,” he mouthed. He slid his attention to Laurence, whose blond hair was a few shades lighter than the last time he’d seen him, bleached by the sun. His pale Irish skin had taken on a golden hue. “Where’d you learn how to tan and not burn?”
“Vi gave me cream,” Laurence sniffed. “She has a special formula for Sam because he burns really easily.”
She must have given him clothes too. He was dressed in a similar type of linen shirt and cotton trousers to what Nick had on, though Laurence’s clothes were stitched with fine golden thread and fit him perfectly.
Two faces rose from the water a few feet away from them. The clear river water left the shining brilliance of their scales on full display. Bee and Dew cast only a cursory glance over Nick, clearly not overly interested in him, but seemed very concerned as they fixed their attention on the still-crying Laurence. Both hummed out reassuring, gentle sounds.
