Ethan
Iwasn’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 shereallydied, 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 tofeelmy 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 youdone?”a male voice asked angrily. “He’s a human. You brought himhere, 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? Hechoselegs 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 couldbreathe. 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’tugly, but he wasn’t as beautiful, either. “He’s the human who corrupted my son,killedour 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 wasstrange, 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.”
