The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance 2 (23 page)

Alec’s tongue came out to wet suddenly dry lips. He angled towards the merwoman. That’s what straight men did, right?
Pay attention to the hot female.
“So, what’s your name?”

“Giselle. And before you ask, we’re siblings.”

Alec wasn’t gonna but, “Oh, good,” slipped out anyway.

Marvin’s grin widened.

“So, you two are the reason for the pack meeting, huh? And the sushi obsession.” Alec grappled for civilized thought.

“You could say that.”

“And don’t worry about the sushi. You can totally take me out for some later.” Marvin wasn’t particularly subtle. Alec glared at him,
Don’t you dare
out
me, that’s the last flipping thing I need right now.

The merwoman glanced around, taking in Alec’s sudden tension and Butch’s avid interest in their conversation. “You can take
us
out later,” she qualified her brother’s statement.

Alec gave her a grateful look. “So, what’s the meeting for then?”

“Pack protocol,” growled his father, “think we better let Fifi tell us.”

Hearing his name, the alpha looked up from the tri-tip he was tearing into and wiped the blood off his massive beard with his sleeve. “Yeah, let’s get this over with so we can really eat.” The alpha was big and furry even in human form, with a ruddy pockmarked complexion. If he wasn’t a werewolf Alec would have described him as yak-like.

The pack pulled into a loose circle with Fifi, the two merfolk, Alec, and Butch at its centre. This made Alec nervous. He usually tried to stay, as much as possible, out of pack focus. Half the pack seemed centred on Fifi but most of the younger members were looking at Alec. This made Alec even more nervous. It had been happening more and more recently, and he was beginning to wonder if they knew something. If perhaps Jack had told someone something he shouldn’t have.

Fifi gesticulated with what was left of the hunk of meat. “This here’s Marv and Grissy.”

“Giselle, please!”

“Grissy,” said Fifi firmly, “they’s in town on official business. Been ordered to meet with us so as we can provide back-up if needed. We gotta assign them a pack liaison, make sure they don’t fuck-up. Alec here’s closest thing we have to a fish guy, so he’s taking the job.”

A chorus of groans met that statement. Giselle was a tempting liaison prospect.

I am? Okay. Well, there’s that explained.
Alec couldn’t suppress a little thrill of his own.

“We,” stated Giselle very firmly, “are
not
fish!”

“And I specialize in micro-organisms anyway. But I wouldn’t try to explain the difference if I were you,” advised Alec.

Butch casually, and without much attention to detail, backhanded Alec across the face. “Don’t be a smart-ass,” he barked at his son.

Pain blossomed in one cheek. Alec had to clamp down on the visceral response to launch himself at his father. It would be so easy just to morph into his wolf head and tear out his dad’s throat. Butch was stronger but it’d be worth it for that first bite.

Marvin lurched forward, expression shocked.

This snapped Alec out of his violent fantasies. He made an almost-imperceptible stopping motion at the merman with one hand. Then he shook his head to clear it and spat blood. Good thing he’d heal quickly.
So much for trying to impress the cute boy with clever talk.

Fifi brought everything back into line. “Now Marv, you tell us what’s going on.”

Marvin crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. “Think I’ll let my sister do that.”

“What are ya, pussy-whipped?” asked Butch.

That’s my father for you, so fucking classy.

Marvin didn’t miss a beat. He smiled an ironic little twist of a smile. “Nope, fin-whipped. We’re a matriarchal society, four-legs. No point in fluffing your ruff at me.”

Giselle said, “Would you two like to go piss in a corner somewhere?”

Alec hid his own grin at that. This was kind of fun to watch.

His father actually growled. At that, Fifi grabbed Butch by the ponytail and tossed him back towards the circle of other pack members. Butch was a big tough guy, but Fifi was bigger and tougher and everyone knew it. Pack dynamics had some benefit. Butch left, still growling low in his throat.

“So we’re here to follow up a lead from a West Coast investigation,” said Giselle, getting right to the point. “Seems the Irish mafia are in town.”

Alec couldn’t help himself, “There’s an Irish mafia?”

Giselle gave him the same kind of look his father gave him. Apparently she wasn’t used to being interrupted. “Well, yeah. We got a couple of selkie to bark to our song, over in San Francisco. Said there’s some kind of money-laundering scheme going on round this coast. You know, offshore accounts.”

“Selkie! What are they doing mixed up with the Irish mafia?”

Giselle, patted him on the arm condescendingly. “Darling, the selkie
are
the Irish mafia.”

Alec looked around at the pack. “Great, what are we? A sleeper cell for the KGB?”
There goes my smart mouth again.

Luckily, unlike Butch, Fifididn’t seem to mind it much when Alec went off. The alpha grinned. “CIA, pup. Canines In Action.”

Very funny.

The pack laughed obligingly.

“Right, so, Alec, you stick with these two. I trust you’ll tell me anything I need to know.” Fifi seemed to think that was settled.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, let’s eat.”

Fifi wandered off and the pack went back to milling about the barbecues, gulping down booze and meat in equal measure.

Alec turned to their two guests. “So, sushi and further details?”

Marvin smiled brightly. “Perfect.”

Giselle wrinkled her nose. A number of the pack members were ambling in her direction with leers and puffed-up chests. “Definitely.”

Alec and the two merfolk made their way towards the house.

Alec’s oldest brother, Biff, grabbed his arm and pulled him aside before he’d gotten very far.

Alec tensed automatically. He couldn’t be sure but he thought he saw Marvin start back towards him. Giselle put a hand on her brother’s arm.

“So, Bro.”

“Yeah, Biff?” Biff wasn’t so bad, as brothers went. Almost as big as their father and just as tough but a lot less mean. Didn’t say all that much as a general rule, but he had spent some time as a kid pulling the other three brothers off of Alec’s scrawny ass. Alec always felt he owed him for it.

“I recommended you’d do for these two, seeing as your job’s, you know, with the ocean and all. Thought maybe you’d heard something.”

Alec tried to look flattered.
I didn’t know Biff had so much sway with the pack these days.
“Supernatural? I’m afraid not. I’m a marine biologist, not a wave psychoanalyst. I look at tiny creatures in a laboratory. Even if I did do mammals, selkies are well outside my expertise.”

His brother shrugged massive shoulders. “Yeah, well, I thought maybe something fishy would be right up your alley. Hot, huh? And you like that sea stuff.”

“I study
micro-organisms.”

Biff was looking at Giselle’s fine ass climbing the steps into the house. “I wouldn’t say no to getting hold of her micro-organisms.”

“Uh, Biff. Everything okay with you and Pam?”

“Just saying, Bro. You seem to have a little chemistry going on with them fishes there. I’d tap that, if I were you.”

Alec swallowed down on some bile. He’d rather have his dad yelling at him than his brother giving him sex advice. “Biff, did Mom put you up to this?”

Biff gave him a very serious look out of his craggy Neanderthal face. “Pack’s talking, Bro. Why you not doing your duty by us? How long you gonna hold out? You need to settle.”

“You think a werewolf and a mermaid can breed? What, some kind of sea-wolf?”

“Hey now, what’s so bad about being half-fish off dry land? It’s not like you’re showing interest in any other kind of tail.”

“Cute Biff, real cute. Didn’t know you could be witty and all.”

Biff frowned. “Alec, all I’m saying is I recommended you for this job. Don’t fuck it up, unless it’s to fuck. We clear?”

“As a Dutch hooker. Ah shit, Biff, I gotta go, our guests are talking to Jack.”

“They are? Fuck.”

Jack was doing his worst. “Alec, this here is Marvin.”

“Yes, we’ve met. And Jack, we really gotta go.”

“Marvin thinks you’re cute.”

Giselle started to laugh. Marvin didn’t look at all embarrassed. Alec could feel his ears starting to burn.

“Jack,” Alec hissed, “not here!”

The ghost swivelled toward the merman. “Alec thinks you’re cute, too.”

“Jesus Jack, what are you, twelve?”

Marvin laughed and then added, “He’s right, you know, I do.”

Aw shit.
Alec lost track of things for a moment.
You do?

“And Biff did kind of set this whole thing up,” cheeped Jack, helpfully. “Could be he approves.”

Alec glared at the ghost. “I don’t think Marvin was the one my brother intended me to get to know.”

Giselle nodded her agreement. “I’m thinking the fuzzy one is right, brother dear.”

Marvin sidled in close to Alec. “Ah, you’re not out, are you?”

When did briny get to be such a sexy smell?
Alec looked between brother and sister. “And you are?”

In this Giselle seemed content to let her brother do the talking, merely watching their interaction with amusement.

Marvin shrugged. “Hey, I live in a world run by women. I was outed by household gossip before I’d even acknowledged I was gay to myself.”

“Nice life, but we really should be having this conversation somewhere other than my incredibly homophobic father’s kitchen.” Alec glanced nervously around the empty room.

“Werewolves not so down with it, huh?”

“Well, just look at them.”

A tussle had started in the back yard, Biff and one of the other youngsters. Punches were being thrown. Any second now the combatants would be ripping off their clothing and fighting, teeth and claw. Alec turned to watch, interested despite himself.

Jack said, “When you gonna just fight Butch?”

Alec shrugged.

“What, afraid you might win?”

“Shut up, Jack.”

Marvin came up and pressed partly against Alec’s back. Alec felt suddenly very warm.

“It seems like a pretty cool situation, if you like ’em big and hairy. You get like that, pretty boy? With the whole growling and tearing off of your clothes? Not that that’s really my thing. I’m kind of liking this lab coat look. I mean, how hot is it that you’re
actually
a marine biologist?”

Well that is a new one. Usually, guys get off on my being a werewolf, not a scientist.

Marvin petted Alec’s arm as though Alec were some skittish animal.

“So here I am, a marine mammal, and I got biology. I was thinking I might work my way on to your sample chart.”

Alec laughed and turned to look down at the man next to him.
This is really a bad idea, with the pack right out there.
Nevertheless he couldn’t help but lean into the petting. “Didn’t you just hear me telling Biff? I specialize in micro-organisms.”

Marvin shrugged. “Probably got a few of those too.”

“Ew, not sexy.”

“So, date sometime?”

Who knew sea mammals could be so aggressive. “Aren’t we supposed to be heading out to sushi?”

“I’m thinking a date
without
my sister along.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Pack.”

“So?”

“Don’t you have, oh I don’t know, a school or something you have to keep happy?”

Giselle interrupted them at that. “My pearl, we’d be happy to see him dating anyone. It ain’t healthy for our kind to go on for such a long dry spell.”

Now it was Marvin’s turn to look embarrassed.

Alec was intrigued.
A man as hot as Marvin?
“Really?”

“Oh yeah, been carrying a torch for some young stud since high school.”

Wow, blonds sure can blush.

“Awe, Giselle! Must you.” Suddenly the two merfolk were acting like true siblings.

Alec arched his eyebrows at the merman. “High school, huh?”

Marvin’s blush got, if possible, deeper. “Hey, you were this hot jock.”

“Wait,
me
?” Alec practically squeaked.

“I had to grow out of being that weird skinny Goth kid.”

Alec was incredibly flattered. “Well, allow me to say, you did it beautifully.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”
My god he has gorgeous eyes.

Jack’s voice interrupted what was looking to be a very interesting progression to the conversation. “Boys! Not that I ain’t enjoying the show, but we got company.”