Once I broke above the water, I could hear and understand everything they were saying.
“What’s happening?” Aza hissed, whipping his tail hard against the net.
“Humans! Lyric, help us!”
I smiled and swam toward the edge of the boat, which had a ladder attached, and climbed up. The yells of Aza and Zolo warmed me on the inside, and delight gave me a bounce in my step when I reached the deck. My human was already waiting for me, the biggest grin on his face. He hooted, running toward me and grabbing me around the waist, lifting and twirling me about in excitement.
“Fuck yes, Boy! You did it!” He laughed and kissed me hard on the mouth. The mechanical arm made its buzzing noise as it slowly dragged the net up with the two mermen—my tormentors—kicking and thrashing as they tried to escape.
My focus was on Ethan, though—the way he felt against me, how he smelled, how he laughed in joy. This was a perfect moment. Our perfect moment.
I cupped his face and kissed him back as hard as I could.
“Lyric!” Zolo’s voice, deep and irritating, couldn’t ruin the explosion of need for my human inside me.
“Lyric, please. We were searching for you. We’ll die without water.” At least Aza sounded a little more apologetic, but that’s what I expected. They knew what was about to happen, and they knew they were nothing more than prey to Ethan right now. I was their only chance to escape. Except I wasn’t going to let that happen. My human deserved to be happy.
They could suffocate for all I cared because they deserved everything they got.
“What do you say?” Ethan whispered against my lips. “We keep one alive as proof, kill the other one and let them take the tail for testing?”
I nodded and glanced over his shoulder at the mermen as the mechanical arm slowly lowered them to the boat’s deck. It didn’t release the net, but it stopped with a quiet whir as it settled them on the floor.
Ethan turned to look at them, his smile wide and brilliant, and it made him even more handsome. “The one with the gold tail, we’ll take his.”
Aza’s eyes widened and he kicked hard, but it did little to help. “Don’t do this, Lyric. Your father sent us.”
Zolo bared his teeth in my direction. “You’re a seaweed, Lyric. We shouldn’t have wasted our time on you. You were never meant to be one of us.”
“Stop it,” Aza hissed over his shoulder at Zolo.
“Fuck, do you hear this?” Ethan shook his head and laughed. “All this yipping like a dog. Yip, yip, yip.”
I cocked my head toward my human and frowned. Was that what he heard? Yipping? I supposed it made sense that he couldn’t understand them. It worked out well, too, because I couldn’t have him hearing what they were saying about me. I didn’t want to upset him.
“So what do you say, my merman whisperer?” Ethan cuddled me closer and grabbed my chin in a hard grip, slamming his mouth against mine like he wanted to devour me. I let him because I was his faithful slave, his bitch, and his whore. His everything. “Let’s get to work.”
I nodded eagerly.
Chapter Ten
Ethan
I wasn’t entirely cruel. Okay, I was, but I had my limits, and keeping a merman alive while I sawed off his tail took the entire thing too far, even if I wanted to with the first one we’d caught. Putting a bullet in his skull before I cut the tail made things easier, but hearing the raw scream from the merman next to the one with the gold tail made me feel sick. A small part of me regretted this, but I’d started it, and now the town thought I was an even bigger fool. They’d brought Mom’s drowning into the drama, and that was something I couldn’t accept. I didn’t know how she really died, and it had nothing to do with Dad or me.
I looked at the gun in my hand, guilt gnawing at the inside of my chest as I stared at the other merman and the agony on his face, and a part of me thought that maybe these two were more than friends. Family? Partners? Who knew? I couldn’t understand a word they were saying.
My boy, on the other hand, kept cocking his head in their direction, like he could understand. I didn’t question it. Everything about Boy was a mystery to me. I’d been keeping my eye on missing person alerts around the country, and none came in for him. He still had no name and no identity, which made me think no one missed him. If that was the case, I’d have to think about getting him some sort of fake ID soon. After this was all over, I wanted to leave Florida completely, and I’d grown accustomed to having him at my side, so he was coming with me.
There was more yipping, but this time the remaining merman was focused on my boy, his face pulled in anger. His tail flicked furiously, and the entire show was annoying, so I reacted on impulse, landing a punch on the merman’s jaw. His head went flying to the side, and he let out a yell of agony.
“Shut up, you piece of shit,” I hissed at him. I grabbed the rope, tying him to the side of the boat. The last thing I wanted was for him to attack us now that his friend was dead and the tail sawed off. After another punch to the merman’s stomach, I turned to Boy and smirked. Running my hands over his face and figure, I mapped the familiar lines and crevices of his body that I knew well by now.
“You’re so beautiful, Boy.”
He tilted his head toward me, and I captured his mouth against mine, the tangy taste of blood lingering on my tongue as I devoured him like I always did. My cock plumped and my balls already ached. That’s what he did to me. He made me want like no one else had ever before, and I was as obsessed with him as he was with me.
Something hit me on the back, hard, and I spun Boy and me on instinct, and so that it was me who went overboard, landing in the water’s surface with a bellyflop that left me breathless. The world tilted and went black, and when I woke again, my legs felt paralyzed. My arms were weak, and I didn’t know if it was because I’d hit my head or if there was another reason, but my lungs were on fire, and I didn’t know how much longer I’d have before I drowned.
Something pulled at my leg, and I forced myself to feel my limbs. I tried to kick, but it was useless. I was too tired and whatever—or whoever—was tugging at me would win. I’d let life take me the same way it’d taken my dad.
Black seeped into my vision, and I gave one final glance up toward the surface, which seemed like a small blip of light now. I was in too deep, and there was no going back.
“What have you done?” a male voice asked angrily. “He’s a human. You brought him here, Pru, after you took him to the witch to make it so he could breathe and understand us? That act is pure idiocy. I taught you better.”
“Father, Lyric loves him. That much is clear.” This voice was softer and kinder, and I much preferred his.
“And? Your brother chose to be a human. Did you not hear anything the witch told us? He chose legs and to lose his voice. That’s not something I can and will accept. I told your grandfather that letting him go to the surface was a bad idea. Lyric was obsessed with the humans.”
I groaned, and the voices quieted. There was whispering I couldn’t understand, and when I finally pried my eyes open, the sight sent confusion through me. I blinked twice before I realized that I was definitely still underwater, but my body didn’t feel so tired, and I could breathe. Was I dead? It certainly felt like I was.
“Are you awake?” the soft voice from before belonged to a fucking merman. I shoved myself to my feet, or at least tried, but I floated because I was underwater.
“What the fuck is happening?” I gasped out, and it was real words as though I was above the ocean and not below it.
The merman reminded me of Boy, with the same pretty narrow face and big eyes, but unlike Boy, he had a tail. I shook my head and touched my chest, just to see if my heart was still beating, and it was.
He held up his palms to me and smiled, and that reminded me of Boy, too. Fuck. Maybe I was dead and I really missed him. “You’re safe. We’re not going to hurt you.”
“Safe?” I laughed and even that sounded normal, which shouldn’t
have been physically possible. Glancing around me, I noticed a few other merpeople, including some women, with shell bras and all. Anyone would think I’d found myself in some kind of cartoon. “Where am I?”
“You’re in Atlantia, or close to it. My father wouldn’t allow me to take you all the way.”
“Do you blame me?” another merman with the same voice as I’d heard spoke before he swam closer, and I realized he was much older, with gray hair and a wrinkled face. He wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t as beautiful, either. “He’s the human who corrupted my son, killed our people. A murderer, just like any other human.”
I frowned between them and then around at the other merpeople surrounding me. There were ten, at least, and they were all floating in the water, their tails of different colors flicking to keep them upright. Some were women, some were men, and their appearances were differing, like you’d expect of humans. I didn’t know what I anticipated if I ever found myself in front of a lot of merpeople, but this wasn’t it.
“Your son?” I let my shoes touch the sandy sea floor, and I blinked. My surroundings were light enough that I could see everything, something that should have been impossible. “How can I see? It should be dark this far down.”
“The witch. He made this possible. You can breathe underwater, speak, and understand us, see what we can see. He basically made you a merman without the tail.” The young merman quirked a smile.
Confusion warred with annoyance as I glared at them. “Witch? This is fucking insane. Take me back, my boy will be looking for me.”
“Your boy?” the older merman snorted. “Do you mean my son, Lyric? He has a name. Do humans not use them?”
“Lyric?” I shook my head and tried to step back again, but walking in water was strange, and I hated the feeling. The eyes of the merpeople felt like bullets pointed straight at my chest, and I felt judged. I’d killed two of their people, after all, and another had been tied up. No, not just killed, but I’d taken their tails.
“Yes, Lyric, my son.” The older one rolled his eyes and huffed. “I feel like this is going in circles.”
“Give him time, Father.”
“Time? We do not have that. This human took Lyric and trained him to be a killer. We do not need a court to determine his fate. He deserves death, and as king, I’ll make sure he gets it.” The sneer at the end sounded like a promise, and my instincts told me to fight him. Hell, I’d fight all of them if I had to.
“What would that do?” the younger merman winced when his father turned a mean glare on him. “Father, I love Lyric as much as you, but he would not forgive us if we hurt this human. I don’t know the circumstances behind this situation, but he obviously loves him.”
“Lyric will do what he’s told. He’ll learn to live without this human.”
“He’s old enough to know what he wants, Father. You’ll push him away. Talk to Grandfather, he’ll tell you the same thing.”
“Enough of this!” came another voice from my right, and I turned toward the new stranger that was clearly another family member. He had the same blond hair and strong brow, but unlike the father and son in front of me, this merman’s hair was shorter. He had it sheared close to his head, as though he’d taken a pair of scissors to it. “This is ridiculous. Father, this interrogation won’t amount to anything. If what Pru says is true, and Lyric does love him, we cannot just kill him like the other humans.”
The older man snorted and crossed his arms, brows furrowing as he stared intently at me. “You of all people know how dangerous they are, Wily. You’ve been out there with me and seen the way they take more food than what is required of them. They take and murder for themselves.”
The other man, Wily, swam closer. His tail was emerald like the ones that belonged to the other two, but his had flecks of gray that seemed to sparkle whenever he twisted it a certain way. Now that he was closer, I noticed the scar on his chest, right above his nipple. It was wide and thick enough to look like it came from a blade.
“You taught me to make decisions as the future king, Father, and that’s what I’m doing. If you kill him, Lyric will never return to us. Nay, if anything he would destroy us. He’s always been quiet and secluded, but I fear that he has a monster living inside him that I do not wish to see. If you push him, he will break, and it is not just our lives that we’ll need to worry about. Love will do that to you.” He glanced at me and those haunted eyes felt like a punch to the chest, and even though I didn’t care for these bastards, I still felt something because I understood that kind of pain.
“You want us to let him go?” his father said with a shake of his head. “I can’t do that.”
“Nay, Father, I’m not telling you to let him go. We should wait for Lyric because he will follow his human down here.”
“If he is as human as this one, he will not be able to breathe,” Pru said, concern twisting at his mouth.
“He’s coming. The witch has already got him.” Wily straightened his shoulders and shifted closer until his face was near to mine. I didn’t move, too stubborn to show fear to these murdering assholes. I might have been disadvantaged down here, but I wasn’t going to back down, either.
“How do you know that?” Pru asked.
Wily smiled at me and his twisted lips had the same look as his eyes—as though he was a tortured soul looking for a way out. “Trust me, brother.”
“Fine. Take him to the cells,” the older merman snarled with a wave of his hand. “But before you do, let’s give him a little merfolk hospitality.”
“Father—”
He pointed at Wily angrily. “If you want to be king, you’ll shut up.”
I glared at him. “Bring it on, fucker.”
Someone grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking me hard. I didn’t scream. I wasn’t going to give these bastards the satisfaction.
Chapter Eleven
Lyric
I broke through the surface of the ocean, panting as my chest rose in short and harsh breaths. I’d been under the water for too long, searching for my human and finding nothing. Zolo’s laughter chilled me to the bone, and anger spread through me like a raging fire. I swam to the ladder of the boat and lifted myself onto the deck, my clothes dripping wet and my skin warm from the humid weather and the slowly setting sun that hung halfway in the sky.
I stalked over to the asshole and kicked his jaw as hard as I could. His face flung to the side and blood flew from his mouth and onto the floor of the boat. He cried out and the sound made me shiver in delight. I wanted to hear him scream more, I needed him to hurt.
“He’s dead,” Zolo whispered through whimpers of pain. “Your pathetic little human is dead.”
Another kick but this time I made sure to get him in the cheekbone. With his hands tied, Zolo couldn’t fight back, and that’s what I wanted. Down in Atlantia, I couldn’t fight back against him and his group of friends, and now it was his turn to be helpless.
He grunted, and I did it again and again until I’d heard his bones crack one too many times and he lay nearly lifeless on the floor. His chest rising and falling meant he wasn’t dead, but I wanted to take the life out of him, finally give him what he deserved.
My hand shook as I walked over to what Ethan called his toolbox. It had an array of weapons, from his saw to knives of all sizes. The one I wanted was a blade I’d always taken a liking too, sharp along both edges. My human had called it a dagger, but I didn’t care what it was. I’d always imagined that this was what would finally take Zolo’s life. I wanted to see the fear in his eyes as I slowly took what belonged to me—his last breath.
I turned back toward him and his motionless body, but didn’t miss the way his gaze moved toward me. So he still had the strength to look at me? Good. I shifted closer, the dagger clutched tightly in my fist until my knuckles hurt. If I’d lost Ethan then Zolo definitely didn’t get to live. I’d dump his dead and beaten body overboard.
A whistle stopped my journey toward Zolo, and I paused, frowning
. Striding over to the side of the boat, I froze at the sight of the witch out in the water, not far from the edge.
“What did I tell you?” The witch shook his head. “Love is foolish.”
I swallowed and didn’t say anything—no, I couldn’t say anything.
He sighed and waved his hand, sparks of magic dancing in the air and hitting me in the chest. I went flying backward, landing on the deck with a hard thump. My shoulder throbbed from where I’d fallen, and I groaned as I sat up again.
“That hurt,” I murmured, and it took me a moment to realize I had my voice back. Fuck. My voice. I touched my throat and shoved myself to my feet, rushing back to the side to see the witch again. He smirked at me, running a hand over those crisscrossed scars on his face.
“You’re welcome,” he singsonged.
“Why are you here?” My voice sounded strange. Maybe it was because it’d been so long since I’d talked, but I couldn’t remember ever sounding like this.
“To take you to the love of your life, of course.” He rolled his eyes at me and waved his hand impatiently. “Come on. He’s with your father, and we all know how he gets.”
I did, but I wondered how the witch did, too. Glancing back at Zolo, I made a quick decision. Ethan was worth more than taking the time to torture Zolo, but that didn’t mean I was going to leave him here to escape, either. With the dagger still clutched in my hand, I took two steps over to him and slashed the blade through the air like Ethan had taught me once, and it slid straight across Zolo’s neck.
He gasped and gargled and sat up again, his neck splurting out blood. There wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
A Merman's Tail: A dark gay retelling of The Little Mermaid (Grim and Sinister Delights Book 14) Page 9
