“Sorry to bother you, Beau,” Grayson said, reading the name off a clipboard from the wall. “But I need to run a few quick checks on you and”—He checked the chart—“Makai.”
The Alpha at Beau’s bedside was slender, with fiery hair and teal scales. His fins were a shock of contrasting scarlet—he was easily the most colorful Mer Grayson had seen yet.
“Is something wrong?” the Mer asked roughly.
Grayson’s tense muscles jerked in response. “No, sir, this is all routine.”
The Alpha gave a relenting grunt and fell back into a chair nearby, though his vibrant, piercing gaze didn’t leave Grayson.
“Actually, Loriun,” Beau said suddenly. “Could you go out to the cafeteria and get me some chocolate milk? That’s all I can think about right now.”
Grayson waited, hoping the Mer would acquiesce.
Loriun’s nose crinkled in disgust. “How can you want sugared cow secretions at a time like this?”
Beau rolled his eyes. “Oh, shut up and get me my damn secretions.”
Grayson fought back a laugh as Loriun vanished from the room.
Some of the tension left his body now that it was just him, another human, and a newborn—even if that newborn was a hybrid.
“You’re new here, right?” Beau asked as Grayson wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm.
Beau had warm, brown eyes, though purplish bruising from a night of labor marred his otherwise handsome features.
“Is it that obvious?” Grayson hung his head slightly. “I just transferred to the Mermades last week, from the same small town I was born and raised in. The first Mer I ever met was a gigantic Alpha at the docks when I landed.”
“Green scales, black fins, and unreasonably low voice?”
Grayson blinked at him. “How did you know?
Beau laughed. “His human mate, Jaime, runs a lot of the transport between the mainland and Miami. He likes to tag along and do the heavy lifting. His name’s Vuos, and they’ve been together since before the first Omega program. They’ve got four kids.”
“Four? Damn.” Grayson wracked his brain, trying to remember if Jaime had mentioned that on the day his group arrived. He jotted down the reading on the blood pressure cuff, then removed it. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he’d been in a room with a Mermated Omega, without his Alpha present.
The words fell from his lips before he could stop them. “Um. Can I ask… What’s it like? Is it anything like the Natural Order people say?”
Beau’s answering smile smoothed the edge off Grayson’s worries.
“It’s amazing,” Beau said. “I know the Alphas look big and scary, but it’s all for show. Don’t get me wrong, Loriun would doanything to keep me safe, but no more than any human spouse would. Actually, I’ve never met an Omega that wasn’t head over heels in love with their partner. Don’t let those speciesist bastards get to you.”
Grayson returned the smile. “That’s a huge relief.” He meant it. He was now feeling much less worried about his patients’ home lives. “Thank you. May I?” Grayson held his arms out for the little bundle in Beau’s arms. The baby was huge by human standards, but not the largest Grayson had seen so far. He had lightly golden skin and warm, tawny scales that brought white wine to mind. His crumpled fins were slowly straightening from their cramped position in the womb.
Despite his fear of their Alpha parents, Grayson had to admit the hybrid babies were beautiful.
“What’s your name, by the way?” Beau asked. His eyes lingered on the stethoscope Grayson warmed against his own wrist before pressing it to the baby’s chest.
“Grayson Miller,” he answered.
“Nice to meet you.” Beau was silent for a few moments. “You know… If you’re looking for a nice Alpha, I think I can hook you up.”
Startled, Grayson stared back up at the other Omega. “You can?” was all he managed to say. Did he even want to be set up with an Alpha? He hadn’t thought that far ahead. He was only here to escape his hometown and start a new life. He had friends, he had a good job, but he hadn’t stopped to consider whether or not he might end up mated to an alien. A stupid oversight, now that he thought about it.
Beau grinned at him. “How do you feel about the color gold?”
∞∞∞
Grayson was shaking like an aspen in a hurricane. Why the hell had he agreed to this? Who in their right mind allowed themselves to be set up on a blind date with an actual alien?
