“Boy—”
He waved his hand at me, and I pursed my lips together.
Holding the net tightly in his hands, he pressed his knee into the bench seat and leaned over the edge. The sounds of clicking and yipping caught my attention, but I didn’t know where it was coming from. Boy cocked his head and then threw the net overboard, the rope we used to drag it back in wrapped tightly around his hand. There was more yipping and screeches, louder than before, and Boy sent us a desperate look as he struggled with the rope.
Joey and I moved on instinct, rushing forward to Boy’s side. When we reached him, I noticed what had been making the noises.
A goddamn merman was caught in the net Boy had thrown overboard. In the flesh. Real.
Fucking hell.
Joey gasped, and we both grabbed onto the rope, tugging the heavy as hell merman up as he thrashed around like a fish on a line. The tail—gray-scaled—smacked from side to side, and it hissed at us, or more specifically at Boy. Together, we tugged him up and over into the boat.
The thing yipped louder, kicking its tail at Boy, and it would have hit him, too, if I hadn’t yanked him out of the way. Boy fell against my chest, panting, and together we stared at our prize.
A fucking merman.
It wriggled on the floor, as though attempting to head for the side, but Joey grabbed a safety oar we brought with us in case we broke down and smacked it over the merman’s head. It collapsed, eyes slipping closed and limbs crumpling at its side.
“Fuck,” Joey muttered, his chest heaving in short breaths. He turned wide eyes on Boy. “What the hell was that?”
Boy smiled in triumph and glanced up at me from where he rested against my chest. I got the impression that he was searching for approval, so I kissed him hard on the lips, and he moaned against my mouth.
“Ethan… it’s a fucking mermaid,” Joey whispered, staring at the unconscious creature.
I shook my head. “Not mermaid. Merman.” My voice sounded weird to my own ears, and I gently moved Boy away from me so I could venture closer to the anomaly that I’d believed for so long existed, but never really believed until now. I was right, and I finally had the proof I needed.
I crouched beside it and loosened the net, throwing it off the merman so I could get a good look at it. My heart thumped so loudly I was surprised no one else heard it. My gut clamped as I reached down to touch the scaly tail with my fingertips. It felt just like a fish’s body.
“What do we do?” Joey asked, scampering forward to squat on the other side. He touched the merman’s face and winced. “Thought it would feel like human skin.”
“It doesn’t?” I touched the stomach, and sure enough, the skin on this creature had a slimy feel and I didn’t like it. “All we need is proof and we have it,” I murmured.
“Should we take the whole thing back? What if he wakes up?” Joey mumbled, and I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or himself. Maybe both of us. “We can’t control him.”
He had a point. I didn’t know anything about mermen or their strength. Could they survive for long periods out of the water? I slid my fingers down his stomach and over his scaled tail again. “The only proof I need is the tail.”
“You want to….” Joey stared at me with wide eyes. His face went a strange, sickly greenish-white, and he shook his head. “I’m not cutting off his tail.”
“Why? They’re no more human that the fish you catch and gut.”
“That’s not true,” he argued, glancing at Boy over my shoulder as though he’d agree with him.
Boy kneeled beside me and cocked his head. He patted my arm and smiled, and I knew he would agree to anything I said. That compliance made my blood heat with a strange sense of desire. Boy was mine completely, willing to listen to whatever order I gave him, and that did something to me.
“You’re both crazy. That’s murder,” Joey nearly shouted, eyes bugging out of his head. “Ethan, think rationally. Mermen. They’re human.”
I ignored him and turned to Boy, kissing him gently on the lips. “Downstairs there’s a small cleaning closet. Inside that is a toolbox. Can you bring it for me?”
Boy nodded and stood, scurrying off to the door that led downstairs. I watched him go, unable to look away from how his pert ass bounced in those pants, and my cock plumped up slightly at the show.
“Ethan, please. Don’t be stupid. We can’t kill him. We can keep him contained, tie him up.”
“That won’t achieve anything,” I said, tearing my gaze away from where Boy disappeared. “We don’t know anything about them. His strength, if he has any telepathy powers. Nothing.”
Joey snorted but still looked distraught. “Telepathy? That’s crazy. Of course he doesn’t have telepathy.”
“How do you know that? Have you met one?” I raised my eyebrows at him.
“We won’t discover what he can and can’t do if we don’t keep him alive.” Joey’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “I won’t have any part of this. It’s murder. You and your boy can do it on your own.”
He walked away, his boots thumping on the fiberglass of the boat floor as he ascended the stairs to get away from me. I’d never expected Joey to be a coward, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. The only reason he came on these trips was to piss his parents off. They didn’t want him hanging around a guy that everyone around town called nuts.
The door that led downstairs opened again and Boy stepped out with the red toolbox. He struggled because it was heavy with steel tools and equipment, so I got to my feet and grabbed it from him, earning a smile in thanks. We both strode back to the merman, and I dropped the box beside him—it.
Opening the toolbox, I pulled out a saw I kept stashed in there and tugged off the blade covering. Boy’s mouth parted in surprise, and he glanced from the saw to the merman.
“We need proof,” I said, smirking. “The tail will do.”
He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and nodded, kneeling at me side.
“If you can’t handle it, look away, okay?”
The heavy footsteps of Joey’s boots made me look up again, and he was taking the stairs two steps at a time. He held a pistol in his hand, the same one we kept on the navigation deck in case something went wrong. You never knew what might happen when you were in an ocean full of sharks and deadly animals.
He held the gun toward me with a deep furrow etched into his brow. “At least kill it first.”
“Why?” I glared at him. “I’m sure the merman who saw my father’s boat overturn didn’t make sure he was dead first before watching him drown.”
Joey shook his head. “For fuck’s sake, Ethan. You don’t remember that night. Kill him.”
“I remember enough to know there was a merman there.”
“How do you know it was this one, huh? There’s probably thousands, or more, like him under the water.”
I felt more than saw Boy rise from beside me, but I ignored him, too intent on the argument I was having with Joey. “They are cruel creatures—”
“Because they let your father die, but you don’t remember what happened. All you can remember is one dragging you to shore, saving your life. Your anger is irrational.”
I rolled my eyes. “Careful, Joey, you’re sounding more and more like your mother.”
“At least she doesn’t kill people.”
The gun was snatched out of Joey’s hand, and we both watched in shock as Boy pointed the gun at the merman’s head, pulling the trigger. I didn’t know if Joey thumbed the safety off or if Boy did, but either way the sound of a gunshot echoed in the air. The merman’s head jolted and blood oozed out of a hole the size of a bullet.
Boy passed the gun back to Joey with pursed lips and then turned his attention to me, waving at the merman’s tail. He huffed before giving me a smile.
Fuck. He hadn’t even hesitated in killing the merman. I didn’t know why that made my heart slam against my ribs so roughly.
“Jesus Christ,” Joey muttered, turn
ing his stunned gaze on Boy. “You deserve each other. I’m taking this boat home. We’re going back.”
I didn’t argue because I was too busy staring at the mute man in front of me. Standing, I held out my arms, and he grinned, stepping into my embrace. I captured his mouth in a rough kiss, fucking my tongue into the warm cavern. My cock was so hard I thought it would burst from the confines of my pants. I’d never felt so hot and needy, and it took all of my control not to bend him over the side of the boat and fuck him again.
He whimpered into my mouth and shoved himself to his tiptoes, as though wanting more, and while I was tempted to give him that, Joey fired the boat up and I knew he’d be heading to the marina. We had to deal with this merman before we got there, maybe throw his torso over into the water and take only the tail back.
I broke the kiss. “Joey, call the media when we get close enough to the marina. Tell them about what we’ve found.”
Joey didn’t bother to turn to me, but I knew he’d heard me because his shoulders stiffened.
“We’re going to be famous, Boy,” I whispered, before seizing his lips in another short kiss. “Come on, let’s saw this tail off. Clean it up like a fish. I doubt the reporters want to see the dead upper torso.”
Chapter Seven
Lyric
As soon as we arrived back at the location where my human usually stored his boat, a crowd waited for us. Something flashed in our direction, and I blinked at my sudden blindness. Ethan held my arms to stop me from stepping back and falling over the edge of the yacht—another word he’d used for his boat, and I smiled at him in gratitude.
“They’re reporters,” he said, as though that explained everything. I didn’t know what reporters were, and I must have looked confused because he shook his head in a don’t worry about it kind of way. I hated that he wasn’t bothering to explain it to me. Had I become so annoying already?
When we reached the wooden planks the humans were gathered on, Joey tied the boat up with a rope as Ethan gestured me to follow him off. He’d grabbed Ribbins’ tail that he’d since wrapped in cloth before carrying it over the gangway. I trailed after him because there was nothing else I could do.
The humans pushed at each other and something flashed at us again, and I blinked at the whiteness that filled my vision. It took me a moment to realize they were holding something in their hands, something I’d never seen before. That’s what was flashing.
Joey grabbed my shoulder, steadying me, and I turned to smile in thanks. He looked grim, as though he would rather not be here, and I didn’t quite understand that, either. He’d wanted to find the merfolk, hadn’t he?
“Mr. Turmont! Is it true you found a mermaid?” a woman asked abruptly, sticking something long in Ethan’s direction just as he lowered the wrapped tail onto the wood.
My human smiled, and I felt my heart thump so wildly that I couldn’t breathe for a second. His handsomeness never failed to stun me. He was perfect in every way.
“I wouldn’t say mermaid,” Ethan said with a laugh.
The humans gathered around him moved in closer, flashes of light coming from the devices in their hands, and more long objects were shoved in his direction. I recognized a few of the faces behind the crowd of humans, and the sight of one of the females made my gut twist. I could never forget her because she’d been there the night I saved Ethan. She’d smiled at him, and I’d never forget the emotion I’d experienced that night, the twisted agony that made me feel sick. She’d been beautiful and human.
The way she smiled now gave me that same feeling, and I gnashed my teeth together. I didn’t want her anywhere near my Ethan, but I didn’t miss the way he stared over the heads of the other humans to her and smiled.
Gut churning, I made to step forward, but Joey grabbed my arm, dragging me past the crowd. I fought against his hold, but it was useless. He was a lot stronger than I gave him credit for and without the ability to scream in rage, I was useless. Any noise I did make was quiet compared to the questions thrown at Ethan.
I struggled harder as we strode past the girl, but Joey kept a firm grip on me as he dragged me farther away from the boats until we were on land, and then he shoved me onto the cement. I hissed at him, and he glared back at me.
“This is his chance. What he was willing to kill for,” he said as he kneeled in front of me. His eyes sizzled with fury and it looked strange on a man I’d only known as carefree and funny. “What he got you to kill for.”
I swallowed and pressed my lips together. He had no idea the torture Ribbins put me through, the constant teasing and injuries. Killing him for my human had been easy.
“Those reporters out on that jetty? They’ve always thought he was crazy like his father. This is his chance to make it right. Now that he’s finally doing it, maybe he’ll stop with his obsession of proving everyone wrong.”
I stared out at the… jetty longingly. Ethan was out there with a pretty female. It’s where I should be, too, showing her that he belonged to me.
Joey shook his head, a strange smile curling his mouth. “But he’s not the only one with an obsession, is he? You’ve barely known him for a few days and you’d do anything for him.”
I cocked my head at him.
He snorted and stood, and I stared up at the gentle lines of his body. His arms weren’t as wide or as hard as Ethan’s, and I supposed he was good-looking for a human, but he wasn’t my human and never would be.
“Stay here until he’s done.” And then he was gone, walking away from where he’d dumped me, his long legs carrying him quickly.
My attention returned to Ethan and whatever he was saying to the reporters. He gestured to the tail wrapped in a bedsheet before he bent down and opened it for the crowd. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but there was a humming as they shuffled closer to try get a look of their own.
I sighed and pushed to my feet. Taking a seat on a bench that had been built near the rolling waves of the peer, I watched Ethan. And watched him some more. And more. I didn’t know how long I stayed there before the reporters were obviously done, packing away their equipment and leaving. Ethan wasn’t finished, though, because the pretty female finally took her chance, moving toward my human.
Anger twisted inside me, and I forced myself to glance away and stare at anything but them. It didn’t matter what I stared at because it wasn’t enough to distract me, and my gaze wandered back to them. She had her palm on Ethan’s chest, her black hair fluttering in the wind as she said something, and he laughed.
I ripped my attention away and stood, hands curling into fists at my sides. Taking a deep breath, I paced the pier for what seemed like forever until I heard his voice.
“Hey, Boy, help me with this.”
I stopped and turned, staring at him and the tail he was trying to hold in his arms, again wrapped in the sheets. The fins were hanging out from the bottom. He grunted because the tail was heavy, but they were meant to be. We used our tails to fight off predators like sharks.
I wished I could ask him what she’d said, but all I could was nod and grab the end of the tail. We carried it down the pier, ignoring the strange looks we got from people who passed us. He led me to a group of human vehicles until we reached a red one with only two seats and what looked to be a space in the rear to store stuff.
“Let’s get it in the bed,” he said, and I realized he was talking about his vehicle.
Together, we lifted the tail over the sides and into the back. I huffed when we finally got it in, but he wasn’t done. He jumped into the bed and grabbed some rope, securing the tail to one side.
“We need to hurry and get this home, put it in the freezer. Guess it’s like any fish, and it’ll start rotting soon.” He jumped down and guided me around to the passenger side, yanking the door open and then gestured at the seat. I pushed myself up into the truck before he closed the door again and went to his side.
We drove in silence, me staring out toward the ocean and the rolling waves. So
mething unfamiliar twisted inside me, and I thought about my brothers and father and Grandfather. How did they feel about me being gone? I missed them, no matter how much I’d wished to be on land. They loved me.
“We’re here,” Ethan announced, and I glanced through the glass at where he was talking about. It was a little house of some kind, made of wood that reminded me of the boats that had been shipwrecked underwater. While it looked worn down, it also looked… homey with some kind of chair out front on a little patio and a tiny garden at the steps. “It’s not much, but it’s by the ocean, and I spend a majority of my time on the boat anyway.”
I turned to look at him with a frown and then smiled and leaned forward. He froze, and so did I, my stomach twisting in concern. Now that he had a chance with his female, that was it for us? I wouldn’t let it be done. Joey was right. I’d killed for him.
To my relief, though, he captured my mouth in a rough kiss, and I groaned against his lips. He ate at me, and I let him, because it wasn’t just my stomach stirring now, but my cock too.
When he pulled back, it was too soon and I groaned. He smiled and winked, and said, “Come on, help me get the tail to the freezer.”
We moved the tail from the back of the truck to what he called a freezer, which was a long white thing that he opened the lid of and was so cold it made me shiver. Ice lined the insides. I’d never seen anything like it, and my confusion must have been evident because he laughed.
“If we don’t put it in here, the tail will rot and it’ll smell to high heaven, and I want to keep the proof.”
We settled the tail on the edge, and together we unwrapped the bedsheet before lowering it inside with what looked to be fish.
A Merman's Tail: A dark gay retelling of The Little Mermaid (Grim and Sinister Delights Book 14) Page 6
