“It’s terrifying how much of that you can handle,” Keld commented. “If I tried that, I’d be on my ass.”
“Deep sea genes, my friend.”
Keld snagged another piece, savoring the searing heat that spread across his tongue. Loriun sighed and followed suit.
“Okay, I shouldn’t have any more,” he muttered. “It’s almost nine anyway. Better get home.”
Zasia patted Loriun’s arm, missing the first time. “Goo’ luck.” She reached for the plate again, but Eksal intercepted.
“You’ll hate yourself if you eat another,” he chided, stealing the slice of skate from her fingers.
“ ’M totallyfine,” she argued. She made another bid for the last piece, but not quickly enough.
Keld popped it into his mouth and laughed at the expression on Zasia’s face.
Loriun chuckled and rose from his seat. “I’ll get the tab. Thanks for tonight.”
“Thanks boss,” Eksal said. His spiny fins flared wide, tops wavering with gratitude.
“Yeah, thanks Loriun.” Keld winked at his old friend. “I promise to behave myself with Grayson from now on.”
Loriun rolled his eyes. “Make sure Zasia gets home okay.” He disappeared through a group of starry-eyed human Omegas.
“Wish Omegas looked at me like that.” Eksal sighed. His scales were a shade of purple so dark it seemed black in low light, with fins to match. Sharp spines threaded through every fin on his body, unlike the softer, more ruffled fins of temperate Mer like Keld and Loriun.
Eksal’s face and throat was a deep, rich shade of brown Keld had seen on very few humans. Perhaps that would have attracted Omegas if it weren’t for the solid black of his eyes and bioluminescent markings along his high cheekbones.
Zasia flapped a hand at him. “If you came with us t’Siren, I guaranteeyou’d get all th’Omegas.”
Keld kicked her under the table. They didn’t typically go around broadcasting their after-work activities, especially since kink was overwhelmingly human in composition.
Eksal blinked at her “What’s Siren?”
“Oops.” Zasia giggled. “Nothin’. Never mind.”
Eksal eyed Keld, brow raised.
He shrugged. “No idea.”
Eksal sighed and got to his feet. “Alright, come on, Zas. Let’s get you home.”
She squinted at him. “You’re not my type.”
“We live in the same building, Zas.”
“Oh.”
Keld watched the deep sea Mer wrap a careful arm around Zasia’s shoulders and escort her from the hustle and bustle of the pub. When they’d vanished out the door, Keld shifted his seat. From his new vantage point, he had a clear line of sight to Grayson.
One of the human servers appeared at his side. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Just some saline water, please.”
Keld sipped at the water when it arrived, chasing away the burn of ammonia in his blood. Grayson refused to turn around, though he was beginning to sway a bit in his seat. A female Alpha with burnt orange scales and a telltale double-pointed fin approached the dark-haired man on the far right end of the bar. He seemed to be the man Keld had met alongside Grayson in the lobby of their building. The Alpha looked familiar too, but he couldn’t quite place her.
The equatorial Mer trailed her claws down the Omega’s arm, and he grinned back. It took only minutes for the two of them to leave the pub together.
The crowd of pubgoers thinned as the night ticked by. Around midnight, Grayson stumbled off the barstool, his three remaining friends in tow. He was clearly the most intoxicated,with the two women doing their best to support his tall, lanky frame.
