The crowd was dead silent, but Gabe could feel their growing confusion and apprehension. Many began to shift around, as if trying to get closer to the balcony where their King stood giving such grave news.
"Yes, my subjects, what you are no doubt speculating right now is correct. On Bimini Island, even as we speak, is a man doing just that. He hides behind his views of God and righteousness, even as he kills the chosen humans for the pearl they bear on their foreheads." Gasps of horror and anger sounded throughout the crowd, and Paxton was forced to wait until they tapered off before he could continue speaking. "My own mate was almost one of those unfortunate victims, and my sister's mate barely survived her encounter with this madman who threatens our very way of life." He paused, taking a deep breath before asking his next question.
"How many here, with a show of hands, have chosen a mate in the past twenty years or more who never came to the sea?"
Ever so slowly, one by one, hands were raised in the crowd. Gabe gasped and he heard Leando behind him curse softly.
Over fifty people held up their hands, out of the thousands of people gathered below, and even the crowd seemed surprised by the number. Gabe knew there were at least a dozen to dozen-and-a-half mate pearls in the box he'd turned over to his mate, and it made him wonder how many were in the other box Father Willis possessed.
Paxton shook his head sadly. "It pains me to see so many hands up in the air. Those who are raising their hands, please come to the palace… we may have something to give back to you; please see Leando later today. And to any who doubt my story, feel free to come and speak with Princess Dalia and her mate, Mary."
Murmuring started again; no doubt the Mer wondered exactly what the King must have. Gabe knew Paxton wasn't going to share the information about the stolen pearls with the whole crowd. The inhabitants of the square were already on edge and angry; hearing about Father Willis's plans for the stolen pearls would send the Mer over the edge.
"Enough is enough!" Paxton exclaimed, as he slammed his fist on the balcony railing, voice ringing out with authority and banked fury. "We must do what we can to stop this evil from continuing, for the sake of those already heartbroken and those who may come to face that fate in the future! I have spoken with my advisers and a decision has been made… the man behind all this misfortune must be stopped once and for all. Will you stand with me and take down this danger? Will you support me as I lead my soldiers into battle to fight for our way of life, for our past and future mates? Who is with me?" Paxton shouted.
A roar swept up from the restless crowd, all the anger and fear combining into a deafening cry that sent shivers running up and down Gabe's spine.
Paxton glanced back at him as if sensing his unease, before turning his attention back to the bloodthirsty crowd below. "With your support, I will make plans with my Captain, and the battle for Bimini Island will commence as soon as possible!"
Cries in agreement rose from the crowd, and Paxton gave one final wave to the crowd before backing away from the balcony. The King nodded and spoke with the few council members who stepped up to talk with him, but his eyes stayed focused on Gabe.
The dark look in his storm-cloud gray eyes filled Gabe with both excitement and worry.
The Merfolk were going to war… and Father Willis had no idea what was coming for him.
Chapter 15
Gabe lay down on the large shell-shaped bed and tried his best not to pout.
It had been almost two weeks since the big announcement the mer were going to wage war against Father Willis and his evil on Bimini island, and in that time Gabe had begun to feel more and more neglected.
Well, perhaps not neglected, but definitely lonely
.
Paxton had been so busy with planning the coming battle and meeting with his many advisers that Gabe found himself pushed to the side. Oh, it wasn't that his mate didn't care for him—not at all. Paxton was constantly making sure all of his needs were met by a number of servants and even by Mary and Aaron. So in reality, Gabe was almost never alone… but that didn't mean he wasn't lonely for his mate's company.
Ever since the speech, the only time Gabe saw his mate was at night. Paxton crawled into bed each evening, exhausted and asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow, and he was always up and gone the next morning by the time Gabe woke up. They hadn't even had anything more than a mutual hand job since the night before the big announcement.
Gabe felt like his skin was crawling with need for attention from his mate, but he didn't know how to say that to Paxton without seeming like a needy, ungrateful brat. His mate was the king after all; it's not like he could spend all his time catering to Gabe's wants.
But I'd settle for an hour of alone time with him
…
just Pax and me. No advisors, no problems or drama
…
just me and my mate
.
As if summoned by his thoughts, the bedroom door swung open and an exhausted Paxton shuffled into the room. Gabe immediately sat up on the bed and gave his mate a welcoming smile.
"Hey! You're early, I wasn't expecting you to be here until later," he said. He couldn't disguise his pleasure at seeing his mate, and Paxton's tired smile in response let his know his mate understood.
"I wanted to see you. I've been so busy lately I feel like I've been neglectful of you, so I begged out of the last meeting to have dinner with you tonight."
Gabe opened his mouth to respond then stopped. He really looked at his mate, and what he saw made him worry.
Paxton's normally lustrous skin showed a sickly pallor, while his hair had been pulled back into a tail and hung limply. His eyes looked dull; there was a depressing slump of his shoulders, and lines of stress and strain showed around the mer's mouth. His mate looked haggard and worn down, the past two weeks taking their toll more than Gabe realized.
Instead of making Paxton think about him, perhaps Gabe needed to start thinking about his mate.
"Why don't we hold off on dinner for a bit," Gabe suggested, as he climbed off the shell-shaped bed and strolled over to his tired mate, holding out a hand. "Since you've got the evening off, I think we should relax for a bit. How about I give you a massage and we can take a nap before dinner." He smiled up at Paxton, feeling excitement fill him.
It may not be the sex he was looking for, but at least he's have the chance to get his hands on his mate's gorgeous body.
Paxton's eyes widened in surprise, but he immediately slipped his hand into Gabe's. "That… sounds amazing, my own. You truly wouldn't mind?"
Gabe tiled his head playfully and pretended to think hard. "Let's see, sit on the opposite side of the table from my handsome mate or get to touch all over his naked body… gee, whatever will I choose?"
Paxton grinned and leaned down to place a quick, hard kiss on Gabe's mouth. "Tease." He chuckled lightly. "Where do you want me?"
Gabe tugged Paxton's hand and led him over to the bed. "Why don't you undress and lie down on the bed. I'm going to run into the bathroom and grab a couple of things. Get comfy and I'll be right back."
He waited long enough to see Paxton was complying with his requests then ran off to the bathroom, grabbing a bottle of oil and a big fluffy towel before racing back into the bedroom.
Gabe stopped dead in his tracks at the vision before him, almost dropping the bottle of oil.
A pale, glorious body was laid out on a bed of white silk, sleek muscles underneath smooth, unblemished skin waiting for his touch. Gabe was unable to tear his eyes away from the strong back and well-muscled butt presented before him. Paxton's hair had been released from the ponytail and the silky strands were moved off to one side, leaving what seemed like miles and miles of naked skin exposed.
Swallowing hard, Gabe moved over to the bed and set down the items he held. Quickly, he stripped out of his own clothes before grabbing the stuff he needed and crawled on to the bed.
"Lift up for a second," he prompted gently, and slipped the towel underneath Paxton when the mer did as told. Once his mate was settled again, Gabe straddled him and settled himself down on Paxton's backside. The feeling of his cock brushing against the hard globes of Paxton's ass almost made him moan, but Gabe forced himself to swallow the sound down.
Focus on Pax, not on my hard cock
…
focus on Pax, not on my hard cock
…
Repeating his new mantra over and over again in his head, Gabe took a deep breath to prepare himself. "Okay, here we go," he said softly. Was that really his voice, so rough and guttural? Steeling himself, Gabe pulled the stopper out of the bottle and poured a little bit of oil onto Paxton's back.
Paxton jumped when the cold oil fell on his skin and Gabe winced. "Sorry babe, just give it a second and it'll warm up." Re-corking the bottle, he set it on the little side table next to the bed and immediately put his hands on the body in front of him, smoothing and warming the oil as he began to massage the tense muscles of his mate's back.
It took a few moments for Paxton to relax, but Gabe knew the moment he did. His mate gave out a long groan and his body went limp.
Gabe grinned but didn't say a word, just continued to work on loosening the muscles, working his way up and down his mate's body, relaxing the strong thighs and calves, paying close attention to Paxton's feet before moving all the way back to his neck, paying particular attention to the base of Pax's skull.
He wasn't paying attention to anything but his mate's needs, so he didn't even realize he'd gotten painfully hard until Paxton suddenly turned underneath him—nearly unseating him in the process—and their equally hard cocks touched.
Gabe gasped and Paxton gave him a lazy grin.
"You know, it's very hard to relax when that rod is stabbing me in the back," Paxton said, causing Gabe to blush.
"Sorry," he mumbled, "it's so hard to stay soft when it keeps touching your naked butt. Damn thing has a mind of its own!"
Paxton laughed and reached over to the side table to grab the small bottle of oil. "Well, then perhaps we should do something about that."
"Oh-oh!" Gabe gasped when he saw Paxton wet his fingers with oil before reaching down between Gabe's spread thighs to press them against his entrance.
Gabe squatted over his mate, stunned and filling with lust as his mate expertly loosened and relaxed the rim of his hole with talented and clever fingers. Paxton grinned when he jumped as those fingers crooked and brushed against his prostate.
"Pax!" Gabe gasped trying to catch his breath, even as he wriggled his hips and rode the fingers inside him. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to… I just wanted to help you relax…" He threw his head back and moaned as the most delicious feeling he'd ever felt filled him.
Paxton leaned up and nipped at Gabe's stretched throat. "And what, my own, would be more relaxing than an orgasm or two?" He licked a line of sweat that was dripping down Gabe's throat. "I have need of my mate—have needed my mate for more than two weeks since the last time we were together. Will you let me have you, Gabriel."
Gabe felt himself nodding before he even realized what he was doing. "Yes," he whispered, throat tight at the needful and hungry look in his mate's gray eyes. "Take me…"
Paxton grinned again and with his help, Gabe scooted up. Counting on his mate's strong hands around his waist to keep him steady, Gabe reached behind himself to grab Paxton's erection to point it toward his entrance. The oil used to loosen him up and the oil still coating his hands allowed for the head of Paxton's cock to easily slip inside him.
Gabe groaned and slowly lowered himself, enjoying the delicious push of the large member inside him. Paxton's grip on his hips tightened, and Gabe suspected he might have bruises come morning, but he didn't care.
It seemed to take forever for Gabe to seat Paxton inside himself fully, but the moment he felt Paxton's balls brush his ass, Gabe shivered. Paxton's chest was pumping as he breathed hard, seemingly to try and keep himself from moving until Gabe was ready.
Gabe let himself adjust for a moment before nodding down at his mate. "Move, Pax. Fuck me!"
It seemed that was all Paxton needed to let himself go. He thrust up hard and fast, sending Gabe reeling as his body took the pounding his mate was giving. Bracing his hands on his mate's chest, Gabe pushed counter to each upward pump, losing himself in the rhythm of two bodies straining for release.
Sitting atop his mate, Gabe felt both beautiful and desirable, nothing like he'd ever felt before. In the past, sex was about pleasing his partner and putting his own needs aside. Now, here with Pax, sex was about the beautiful joining of two souls and receiving as much pleasure as he was giving. Paxton made him feel loved and cared for, and Gabe relished in each emotion as he rode his mate.
Pressure built in the base of his spine, and Gabe new he was moments away from release. "Pax, Pax! I'm coming!" Sweat beaded on his brow and ran down his temple. His cock throbbed, ready to burst without even being touched.
"Yes, come for me, my own!" Paxton demanded. Letting go of Gabe's hip with one hand, he reached of and tweaked on of Gabe's diamond-hard nipples.