Page 29 of A Merman's Tail
“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 Iunderstoodthat 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.
