Page 25 of Sea and Sky
Gavin had wondered. Those days after their first meeting, he’d examined the pictures and determined Kyler had to be related.
“How? Where?” Kyler flipped to the next page. Another gasp. “Father.”
“Did you know their surface names?”
Kyler shook his head. “I only recognize them because of the features we share.” He ran a finger over his father’s nose, his lips. “I was so young when they died. I’d forgotten what they looked like.”
“You’re almost a spitting image of them. Kallen and Rayla were their surface names. What did you call them?”
Kyler made a series of clicks, much like a dolphin. His cheeks grew pink. “I haven’t made that sound in so long. I’m surprised I remember. Before the day they died, I’d never been to the surface. Never heard a spoken word. I hadn’t understood what Vex was telling me on the beach. I didn’t understand what was happening.”
“That must have been hard.”
“It wasn’t so bad in the beginning. He was patient teaching me how to speak and understand surface languages. I doubt I can communicate with other merfolk anymore, though.”
“Your parents’ journal is fascinating. They intended for you to have it. They were waiting until you were much older to take you to the surface.” Their plan had been his eighteenth year. Apparently, that was the merfolk tradition.
Kyler simply nodded and flipped through the pages to study any pictures he found. “They’d used to take turns going to the surface for weeks on end. I knew they studied, but I was too young to understand much.”
Gavin had to tell him the truth of why he brought up the journal now. “There’s something they mention in the journal that would help me with my Task. It’d allowmeto retrieve the stone myself.”
“The kiss.”
Gavin shoved his dinner from in front of him and leaned forward to flip to the proper page. He pointed to a drawing of a person growing gills. “A kiss from a sea mer underwater as the person is drowning allows the person to breathe underwater for hours.”
“I’ve never performed the kiss. You could die.”
“We could practice.” The thought exhilarated Gavin.
Kyler nodded and finally met Gavin’s eyes. “We could. But then how would we keep me being mer a secret from the rest of the crew?”
“Right. Right.” Gavin tapped his lips, having forgotten that.
“It’s bad enough Damon and Ambrose know. Oh, and I’m sure Leander figured it out.”
“But… why do you want to stay hidden? You can make a name for yourself. You can… I’m not sure, but I’m sure you could make a good living if you wanted to—”
“Perform for a living? Be a creature in a tank? No, thank you.” Kyler leaned away from the table. “I’d rather keep sucking cocks.”
For some reason, the knowledge felt like a slap to the face. Gavin hadn’t thought of how Kyler had made the coin he found in the hem of the man’s shirt. At the time, Gavin had thought his uncle had paid him. But there was no uncle.
“I use my body for coin. I’m not ashamed of what I’ve done.”
“I suppose a lot of people pay money to experience what I did with your haze.”
“That’s not what I mean. I don’t use the haze on purpose.” Kyler’s cheeks reddened further as he threaded his fingers through his hair and leaned his elbows on the table. “It only happens whenI’maroused. Which tends to be rare. But there’s something… I’m not sure, maybe my saliva. But some of the men get aggressive the more often they use me. Like they’re possessive of me. I have to cut them off.”
“I don’t remember reading anything like that in the journal. Or other books.”
“Maybe Iamcursed.” A sad little huff came from Kyler. He picked up his roll and ripped it apart before dipping it into the cooling stew.
Gavin felt bad for talking so much. Now the food was cold, and Kyler was sad.
“I don’t know why I don’t want others to know about me, okay? Self-preservation. My binding is different from everyone else. I’m allowed to pretty much do as I please while we’re on shore. But once we ship out again, I have to be on the ship otherwise…” Kyler swallowed and stuffed more bread in his mouth. “I feel like I’m being ripped apart. My insides feel like they’re boiling. I—” He stopped himself from saying more and took another drink of wine. “It’s not pleasant.”
“And how long will it be before you have to be on that ship again?” In time, Gavin would find a way to free him from ever having to return.
A sly smile lifted Kyler’s lips. “I may have caused quite a bit of damage before we docked. Vex still hasn’t figured out it was me, or how I do it. But it’s going to take a long time to fix.”
