Page 69 of Music of the Ocean

“Come,” Indigo said. “I will show you where they go.”

After they finished, they returned to the main living area.

So.” Saxby settled on the couch. “Your anatomy.”

“Yes.” Indigo paused, and then he shifted, turning so the lower portion of his body was more visible. “I am not built the same way you are. My reproductive system is different.”

Saxby leaned forward. “Different how?”

“I have what is called a mating tentacle that stays sheathed during normal function. It extends during arousal.”

“A mating tentacle.” Saxby frowned at Indigo. “Doesn’t an octopus have a mating tentacle?”

“No. They have what is called a hectocotylus. It is not a tentacle. Instead, it is a specialized arm of male cephalopods that is used for transferring spermatophores. Plus, they sometimes detach the arm, throw it at the female, then die shortly afterward. I have a mating tentacle that does not detach, and I will not be dying on you.”

“Thank fuck, because if you take what’s basically your dick off and throw it at me, we’re going to have a problem. Like, there will be screaming and yelling. Massive freak-outs will take place. I’ll be traumatized and need therapy.”

Indigo’s lips twitched. “I do not blame you. I, too, would freak out.”

“I bet. Gods. All right, now that we have that image burned into our minds, let’s move on. So, your mating tentacle? It—what? Extends from inside you?”

“Yes. It retracts into a sheath near the base of my pelvis.” Indigo gestured about where a human’s cock would be.

Saxby watched as Indigo traced the line of his own body, following the rough path of what he described.

“When aroused, it emerges through an opening that’s usually sealed. There are times I can control that. Other times not. There will be barbs, too.”

“Ha. Funny. I thought you said barbs.”

“I did.”

“Oh, fuck me sideways, are you serious? There are… are barbs?” Saxby gulped. He glanced at Indigo. “I’m not being insulting, okay? You’re sexy as all get out, but barbs? That’s gotta hurt.”

Indigo’s mouth twitched, an almost smile. “The barbs are not sharp. They are sensory structures that allow me to detect chemical signals from my partner.”

“They don’t hurt? Or make you bleed? Or, you know, hurt?”

“Mine do not, no.”

“Okay, that’s good to know. So, when we were, ah… last night. You didn’t...”

“I did not extend it, no. I controlled my arousal.” Indigo’s skin flushed a subtle deep blue as his gaze flicked to Saxby’s face. “The mating tentacle carries genetic material, and the barbs anchor it during mating. The process can be intense but not painful.”

Saxby’s eyes widened. “Anchor it?”

“The barbs lock into the mating partner’s internal tissues.” Indigo’s voice remained clinical, but his tentacles shifted restlessly.

“Internal tissues.”

“Yes.”

“Just to be clear here. In males, you’re talking about anal sex, right?”

“As you humans like to put it, I want to fuck your ass.”

“Oh. My. Gods.” Saxby’s mind spun with the possibilities, half fascinated, half intimidated. Then, he adjusted himself. Why was that so hot?

“The barbs are a biological mechanism that ensure successful reproduction. Also? Until the mating is complete, which can take up to an hour, we will be locked together.”