AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Todd? Who are you?” The second man’s shout was far too loud for such a quiet night. He lifted a gun and aimed it at my head.
“Zosime. Todd is disposed.” My emotions drained away, giving me the clear head I needed to complete this job. Todd had been tainted with the Lure, but that was nothing compared to the man in front of me. This man was a sadistic killer, and the Lure had completely eroded his soul.
“You mean indisposed,” he corrected automatically while glancing around for his friend.
“No. I mean, I disposed of him.” I heard the click of him cocking the gun, but it was too late. I’d already disappeared beneath the calm ocean surface.
I waited and watched from just below the surface. I couldn’t risk him going back to where he was keeping the mer, but I needed him to leave the ladder area so that I could board the boat. It took ten minutes for him to lower his gun and give up his watch. He scratched his head, turned, and headed toward the bow of the boat.
This was my chance. Shooting through the water, I grabbed the bottom of the cool steel ladder. Resting my forehead against the bottom rung, I breathed in and out, focusing on what I needed from my body and magik.
Slowly, I climbed the rungs. For most people, this wouldn’t be stressful, but stairs just weren’t something I had been doing lately. I climbed carefully to my human feet, only wobbling for a moment. Once I was sure my legs were steady enough to walk, I moved cautiously toward the front of the boat.
Keeping an eye out for the man or the mermaid, I crept along the narrow walkway on the side of the boat. The sound of the man’s angry voice startled me.
“Do you have friends out there? Answer me!”
I bit back a curse. He must be near the woman, which complicates things. I’d hoped I could flip her over the side of the boat. She would be safe while I dealt with the man and the boat, but that plan was off the table.
A loud crack broke the silence of the night. Bending my body, I leaned around the corner and took in the scene before me. The mermaid lay crying in a heap on the floor, her hand pressed to her crimson-colored cheek. Angry Man was pulling back the hand he had slapped her with while he leered in her tear-stained face.
I wanted her to rip into his throat and laugh in surprise when he realized he had underestimated our species. That wasn’t going to happen. A quick glance was enough to tell me this beautiful mer wasn’t a warrior. She was fine-boned and delicate. Her sagging posture and rapid terrified breathing told me she had already given up.
My emotions flared for a brief moment. I felt an overwhelming sadness at her distress and fear. Anger followed on the heels of my sorrow. It outraged me to see the cuts on her body, from a knife or a net, I couldn’t say. As with Zeno, I couldn’t read all her thoughts, only random phrases and words. I could also sense her feelings, and my anger boiled over at the heartbreak she was feeling at never seeing her family again.
The call pounded in my head, a steady drumbeat keeping rhythmic time to the mission. I breathed out quietly, letting go of the distracting emotions that were more a hindrance than a help.
Without a sound, I ran toward the back of the large man, pouncing on his back and intending to unbalance him so he would tumble over the side of the boat. The man must have had a very stable set of sea legs because he staggered a few steps before he quickly caught his balance.
“She-devil!” His screech threatened to burst my eardrums, and I fought the urge to cringe away from the loud noise.
“I’m back,” I whispered in his ear. My arms slid around his neck.
He tried to gurgle a response, but my chokehold was too tight. Many people don’t realize that choking someone until they pass out or die takes time. If you managed to cut off the blood supply just right, the process is faster, but that is a challenge. Especially when you weigh only a fourth of your opponent’s weight and he is refusing to remain still.
He staggered and righted himself several times. All the while, I clung to his back like the proverbial monkey, only naked and dripping wet. I bit down on his neck, realizing too late that when I shifted to a human form, I must have willed away my fangs as well. With a growl, I tightened my arm until I feared it would break from the pressure.
“Just die already,” I mumbled while mentally trying to call back my fangs.
Those three little words were a mistake. The man redoubled his efforts to survive. He slammed our bodies into the walls, the tiny cabin window, and even the pulley system.
It was when he rammed me into the rack that held the harpoons and guns that I felt the sharp bite of pain. The hooks that held the weapons stuck out from the walls, and the force of us crashing into the wall had embedded two of those hooks into my side and back. This time, there was no biting back my curse. I screamed but didn’t loosen my grip.
Blood poured from my wounds in warm, slick trails, making it hard to keep my legs tight around his waist. I slipped, only a couple of inches, but it was enough. The man lurched to the side, turning at the same time. I crashed hard into the dark wood of the deck. My face and cheek bounced hard against the rough surface. That was going to leave a bruise and maybe a broken bone.
“You little witch!”
His angry shout was enough to rouse me from my stupor. Shoving myself up, I threw up my arms, preparing for his attack. A heavy boot collided with my forearm, and I nearly bit off my tongue to hide my cry of pain.
Click-click.
I wasn’t an expert on this era’s weapons, but I recognized that chilling sound. My arms would not shield me from what was coming.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
I might’ve had a chance for survival in my Siren form, the armored remnants providing at least some protection for the most important organs. This form was all pale, soft flesh.
I hated to die, but if I was going out, I would finish this mission at the same time. I threw up my hands, prepared to go down swinging.
