Chapter 5

As the next two days passed, Martin watched as Casey itched with the urge to transform each night. Because of the storms, the boy had been relegated to the inside tank, not wanting to risk an undercurrent pulling him out past the boundaries and getting zapped. So tonight, as the weather had finally broken that afternoon, Martin could see Casey was excited to be able to go down to the cove, even if he'd be contained in the gated cave to keep the moonlust from drawing him to the open ocean.

Martin followed Casey down the rocky path to the southern side of their property. This path led to their boat dock as well as the gated cave he'd made for Casey's 'nocturnal yearnings'. Another path wound down the small rocky hillside behind their house to the sandy beach that stretched out to the west. Of course, he pointed out the fishing boats that were already out on the waters some distance away as a reminder to Casey why he couldn't be allowed to roam free. Just the thought of the fishing boat's nets brought a shiver to the boy's lean frame. Good, Martin thought, he should be scared.

As they approached the cave, he was glad once again that he'd had the foresight to make use of the crevice hidden within the rocky cove to make this enclosure to contain the boy's urges. Even though the full moon offered some light, the darkness of the waters gave him chills now.

Martin hated being out on the water. He couldn't stand the taste of the salty spray, or the sting of it in his eyes, or the feel of the drying salt on his skin. He'd never really learned to dive like Thomas had. Being stuck underwater if something went wrong scared the hell out of him, especially after Thomas was killed. He only ventured out when he and Casey needed to hunt for pearls.

So with Thomas gone, he'd been hard pressed to reign Casey in on full moons when he was forced to shift and drawn to the open ocean like so many other sea creatures. To him, it emphasized just how much Casey wasn't truly human and helped stave off the guilt at feeling so little anymore.

As he watched the ripple of the boy's back muscles in the evening moonlight, he thought back on how Casey had grown. He was still smaller than most men, but he was definitely a young man now, no longer the young scared child that Martin had helped Thomas rescue from that lab table. The brush of sable hair across the boy's neck (hell, Casey would always be a boy to him) made him think of how Thomas used to soothe the kid back to sleep after nightmares. Martin would watch from the doorway as Thomas's strong fingers smoothed back sweaty strands of hair from the boy's face and neck. His partner and lover would lay with the boy until he fell back to sleep.

That was so not something Martin would do. He'd never been much of a people person, much less a child person. Sometimes he wondered how he'd gotten so lucky to find Thomas, and why the man actually put up with him. Thomas always tried to draw him out, make him have fun. And for a while, he'd been happy living here with Thomas and Casey. The boy had made his lover happy, complete, and Martin loved seeing the joy on Thomas's face whenever he held the boy or played in the water with him. And, he could tell that Casey adored Thomas as well.

As they approached the bottom of the path, Casey turned those hypnotizing gray eyes on him, and Martin could see that they were bright with the anticipation of his transformation. The boy's body was nearly vibrating with the need already.

Martin vaguely wondered just how long he could actually hold out before changing. They'd never really tested it after escaping the lab fifteen years ago. Dr. Harris had been sure that Casey would have survived it. Of course, as far as the man knew, Casey hadn't. But would he have, had Thomas and Martin not faked his death?

At that time, probably not, Martin mused. The child's body was too weak to withstand that. But now? He pursed his lips as he eyed the taunt muscles climbing over a few boulders to reach the gated cave. Maybe...

As Casey stepped to the side for Martin to release the padlock on the gate, Martin would have sworn that the boy's need seemed to be increasing. The wide gate swung open and Casey jumped down to the boulder just inside. Martin watched as Casey stripped off his water shoes, but he turned slightly as the boy removed his swim trunks and set them on a high ledge away from the water.

When he heard a splash, he turned around to see Casey in the middle of the deep pool inside the cave, created by the unending battering of the tide against the shore. Martin immediately swung the gate closed and latched the padlock before Casey could transform and try to break out. The kid had tried that once a few years ago, nearly knocked him over when he'd charged the gate. The feral urge to be free in the ocean's wide expanse was unrelenting during the night of the full moon.

The researchers at the facility had once determined that it was because a lot of marine animals, just like many terrestrial animals, were lulled by the forces of the moon. Apparently, Casey's mer side was as well.

As the tide washed in through the small cove, splashing against the bars of the gate and the boulders inside, Casey surged up out of the dark waters. Martin couldn't help the instinctive step back, almost slipping on the damn rocks. He cursed under his breath as he admired the long tail swishing behind the boy. Martin still found the boy fascinating, a scientific miracle. And he was all his.

"Arm," Martin demanded, and Casey's small fingers gripped the bars of the gate protecting him from the open ocean. He obediently stuck his arm through the bars as Martin readied an alcohol wipe and his syringe. He waited for the next tide to splash in before quickly swiping the boy's inner arm with the sterilizing pad and stabbing the needle in.

Casey winced briefly, and Martin had the perverse thought that maybe he'd intentionally been a little rough. Sometimes he just couldn't help it. He wanted this boy to know his pain. To know how his heart ached, how alone he was now that Casey had stolen his love.

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Casey rubbed his arm briefly where his uncle had jammed the needle in, certain he might have a small bruise from that one. But he knew it was hard for Uncle Martin to be as careful here. With the splashing waters of the tide, the man had to be quick, and in doing so, he couldn't always be as gentle as he was in his office. Casey was barely aware of his uncle leaving as he gazed up at the dark sky. The bright moon bathed him in its light, and he stared up at the hundreds of faint stars littering the night sky. It was so clear tonight, the waters calm out past the breakers.

Casey ached to swim out into the glassy waters and float on his back with the gentle rocking of the currents. That's what Thomas used to let him do, and he desperately missed that peaceful feeling. Thomas had never been afraid that Casey would 'wander' too far with the pull of the moon because Thomas just swam with him.

"Casey, bud! Wait for me!" Uncle Thomas shouted, laughing.

A thirteen year old Casey rolled to his back as his uncle's boat powered up near him. Uncle Martin was looking his usual sour self, the moonlight making his features even more dour looking. But Thomas was grinning as he slipped on his flippers.

"I don't like this," Martin grumbled.

But Thomas only smiled, his eyes crinkled at the corners with laugh lines. "You always say that."

"That's because I never like it," the slightly older man shot back, gripping the wheel of the boat. "It's dark, you can't see what's out there. Fuck, what if a shark comes--"

"Martin, babe," Thomas soothed, wrapping an arm around his partner's shoulders, "It's okay, I'll stay right near the boat, I promise."

Thomas grabbed Martin by the back of the neck, pulling him in for a passionate kiss. Casey grinned as he watched the two men fight for dominance over the kiss. He felt his own body flare at the sight and immediately felt embarrassed. He'd sometimes wondered what it would be like to kiss someone, and lately watching his uncles' displays of love and affection had him wishing he could know what it would feel like.

But he never would. He knew that, deep down.

Because no one could know what he was. If they did find out, he'd be caged and studied like a lab rat, Martin had told him. Thomas had tried to soften that sentiment, but it still came down to the fact that he couldn't be around others. And therefore would never know another's touch like Thomas and Martin shared.

He felt a playful tug on his tail and turned to see Thomas's masked face. Casey loved when his uncle joined him in the waters. He sometimes imagined Thomas was like him, and he didn't feel so alone in the vastness of the ocean. Knowing there was no one else out there like him, no one that he could ever be with besides his two caretakers, often left him feeling rather depressed. Which was probably why Uncle Thomas brought him out here so much, knowing that Casey felt so alone and confined.

The brightness of the moon penetrated the first few feet of the ocean waters creating a halo effect around Uncle Thomas as Casey looked up at him from below. He felt Thomas's hand tighten on the flare of his tail and he grinned as he took off, playing their favorite game of seeing how long Thomas could hold on as Casey sped through the waters.

He pulled up as soon as he felt his uncle's hand slide free and turned. He knew that Uncle Martin was nervous with Thomas in the night-darkened waters so he would always keep a close eye on him. Casey could see better than Thomas in the dim light and would be more likely to see the approach of a shark or other predator before his uncle. The few times Casey had caught sight of a shark or barracuda he'd been able to steer Thomas back to the boat before either man had been any wiser, and fortunately the offender had swam away without coming closer. Maybe because Casey's tail mimicked that of a dolphin, Casey wasn't sure why they tended to avoid him, but he definitely used it to his advantage and protected his uncle.

After a couple hours of the midnight swim, Casey followed the boat back toward shore. He would continue to swim in the small cove and along the shoreline while his uncles moored the boat. He watched as Martin grabbed Thomas as soon as they were on short dock. Uncle Martin's large hands wrapped around Thomas's waist, pulling him in tight against his body. Thomas pressed himself against his partner's chest, and Casey could hear the moans of passion even from where he was floating on the tide.

The sight of the two men entangled in each other's arms enflamed Casey's body, causing a delightful tingle to ripple through his belly. He knew this feeling, he'd had it as he'd perused websites of other men engaged with each other. He'd tried others with a man and a woman, and even two women, but none caused his body to react as much as the website of the hard bodies of two men intertwined in each other's arms. He often imagined himself as one of them as he stroked himself to pleasure.

But now, he felt that odd tingle in his mer form, and that had never happened before. He glided deeper, trying to push away the erotic thoughts, not knowing what would happen if he had them while in his mer form. He had the sudden urge to transform back, which was unusual for a full moon night where he preferred to stay in this form until almost dawn.

He focused on the coral instead, allowing his tail to scrape along hard edges, using the sting of pain push to back his desires. When he came up fifteen minutes later for air, he briefly noticed his uncles had moved. But the soft grunts and groans from the shadows near the rocky cliff made him dive again. He knew they'd moved so he couldn't see them, and they probably thought he couldn't hear them as well. They didn't know just how good his sight and hearing were, and he didn't want to intrude on their privacy. Thomas would call for him when he was ready to head back up to the house. At that point, if Casey still felt the need to transform, he'd have to spend the time in the tank as he uncles headed to bed.

It wasn't but a few more minutes when he could hear his uncle's voice calling from above the soft crashing of the tide.

"Casey! Sweetheart! Time to go in!" Thomas called.

His sandy head popped up from the shadowed waters as he took in his uncle's form. Uncle Martin was already at the bottom of the path leading up to the house, waiting on them. Casey waved briefly in acknowledgement as he focused his mind, fighting the moon's enticing pull and forcing his body back into his human form. As his tail seemed to split, he bit back the cry that always threatened to escape. It was the moment he hated the most, as his body seemed to rip in two before melding back into two long legs.

He swam over to the dock, lazily kicking his feet, before hoisting his naked body up onto the wooden planks. Uncle Thomas handed him a towel that he wrapped around his waist.

The man's strong arms wrapped around him in a comforting hug, and Casey leaned against the older man. A firm hand swept over his dripping hair, and he felt a fatherly kiss pressed to the top of his head.

"You okay?" Thomas asked, always concerned about how Casey felt about transforming back on full moon nights.

Casey nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I'm good. It was fun tonight. Thanks for swimming with me."

Thomas playfully ruffled his wet hair. "You know I love it. But this old body isn't as energetic as yours and I can't swim all night like you probably could."

Casey batted at the man's shoulder with a frown. "You're not old, quit saying that."

Thomas chuckled. "Well, I'm older than you. And this old man needs some rest."

Casey just glared at the man for continuing to deride himself. He knew Thomas was just teasing like he always did.

"Come on, bud," Thomas said as he wrapped on arm around Casey's slender shoulders. "Let's head up. As much as I know you'd like to stay out here all night, it's just not safe for you to be out here by yourself. You know that."

"I do," Casey agreed.

"God, if anything ever happened to you..."

Casey heard the hitch in Thomas's voice and felt the tightening of his fingers on his shoulder and knew the man was fighting back his emotions. He looked up to see a faint glimmer in the man's eyes.

"Don't worry, uncle," Casey assured him. "I'll do anything you and Uncle Martin tell me to do. I know you are doing everything you can to keep me safe."

"Good," Thomas sniffed slightly. "I just don't want you to think we don't want you to be happy, it's just..."

When his uncle couldn't finish, Casey reached up to pat the hand draped on his shoulder. "I know. I understand," he reiterated, "I really do. You both are sacrificing so much for me already. I don't feel resentful at all. I know you're just protecting me, and I have to accept some limits."

There was a time when he'd rebelled briefly and had been angry about being reigned in and not allowed the freedom he felt he needed. Which was probably why Thomas continually had doubts now. It had taken Uncle Martin's hard lessons of what could happen should he be discovered for him to truly understand the reasons for his uncles' rules and autocratic decisions.

"You know we love you, don't you?" Thomas said softly.

Casey smiled and nodded, reveling in the warmth of his uncle's embrace. "I love you both, too."

A salty tear slipped down his cheek at the memory of his Uncle Thomas, mixing with the splash of the tide crashing through the iron gate. He gazed longingly out at the open ocean, the image of the man frolicking in the waters with him as Casey drank in the lunar glow still in his mind. He missed the gentle currents of the deeper ocean, the way the water caressed his body as he floated along. Currents closer to shore were rougher, stronger, and while he still loved the tidal flux, the softer flow farther from shore was now a luxury that he sorely missed.

The rush of water through the gate buoyed him up and down with its harsh pull. He fought the outgoing tide to keep himself from being bashed up against the grate. As water rushed in, he allowed it to push him further into the cave. It was fairly deep, and he had plenty of room to turn and move but not really to swim like his mer side itched to do. He floated on his back, looking up through the iron bars at the bright moon, as he did every full moon night now. Seeing the moon through the bars only reinforced how different he was, what a freak he was, not really part of either the land or the sea.

And with Thomas no longer here to spend part of these nights with him, he would spend the entire night locked in the cave by himself until his uncle came down in the morning to open it. He settled himself back in the waters for his long lonely night.