Black Hearted

Part 35

Sean shuffled his feet nervously, mumbling out. "I know how to defend myself without..." Sean couldn't bring himself to finish. He didn't want to offend Nate and come off as pretentious. He just didn't like the idea of kissing strangers. Nate took a sip from his mug, his eyes narrowing on Sean over the top. Sean looked away at the wall to avoid Nate's accusing stare. Watching him from his peripheral vision as Nate lowered his mug and told him bluntly. "You may not like it, but when faced with life or death. It could be the one thing that saves your life." Sean gave him a simple shrug in response. Nate cleared his throat, beckoning Sean closer with his hand. Sean inhaled deeply, dragging his feet as he approached. Nate touched his cheek with his fingers, whispering to him in a warm voice. "Sean, you need to know this stuff. If you don't know how it works... you won't be able to counter it when it's used on you. Sirens use this skill more than any other of our kin. Since were heading into their territory... I'm not asking. I'm telling you. You need to learn this."

Sean swallowed timidly, feeling a shiver run down his back. The crew was all watching them with curious eyes. Nate glanced around to see what was clearly making Sean uneasy. Felix was sitting with Ken on another bench, drinking from a mug with a smug grin. On the other side, Arin and Danny tried to look like they weren't watching... but they looked over on occasion from playing cards. Even Bob and Wade were leaning against the rum barrel watching them with neutral expressions. Nate cleared his throat to draw Sean's attention back to him, telling him coolly. "Don't worry about them. Humans are like that. You'll get used to it." Robin snorted, taking a swig from his mug. Nate ignored him, pulling Sean closer by his gun holster. Sean felt a blush burn his cheeks and he found himself leaning back as Nate's lips moved closer to his. Right over his lips, Nate whispered to him softly. "Try it on me. Focus on trying to control me through my own emotions. Use your pheromones to bring up my attraction and then control them without a word. Use contact alone."

Sean nervously cleared his throat, mumbling out. "I... I can't do that. I only learned how to control through verbal commands..." Nate didn't pull away. He stayed close, whispering over Sean's lips. "Picture the command in your mind and project it into the kiss." Sean swallowed, closing his eyes a minute to collect himself. Picturing a command in his mind, he closed the small gap to press his lips to Nate's. Sean tried to project the command through the kiss, when Nate broke the kiss to chuckle. Sean blushed from embarrassment, mumbling under his breath with disappointment. "That was wrong... wasn't it?" Nate composed himself, straightening up a bit as he answered in a gentle voice. "It was a good effort... but there was no passion in it. Remember you're trying to control my emotions. You want to draw me in. It feels more like you're trying to push me away. Calm down and try again. Take your time." Sean took a shaky breath, feeling like he was the worst Merman.

Robin tapped Sean's arm, handing him his drink. Sean accepted it with shaking hands, while Robin told Nate bluntly. "You've got him as scared as a nun in a brothel." Nate rolled his eyes, stating back simply. "He's not a virgin..." Nate's expression suddenly changed to one of slight concern as he looked away from Robin to ask Sean suspiciously. "Are you?" Sean took a large swig from the mug to try and hide the fact that his blush was expanding to the tips of his ears. Robin scuffed a boot over the floorboards, muttering discreetly over Nate's shoulder. "That's debatable. See, I saw him with Mark... but I'm pretty sure he was drunk at the time... So...?" Nate reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, groaning out under his breath. "Oh, sweet shining sea..." Wade piped up from where he stood in a pleasant voice. "Is that a bad thing?" Nate lowered his hand, answering softly. "Yes. It mostly means that what I'm trying to teach him is physically impossible, because until he has better control over his own emotions... It's just a hurricane of feelings that he's trying to control from both sides. Which is why young merfolk are the easiest to capture... They can be reckless and naïve. Driven by their powerful emotions."