7. Kelp

7

KELP

M att

I'd been kidnapped by two vicious mermen, ones that wanted to actually eat me.

One of them hissed at me, baring his fangs in my face. I fought the urge to close my eyes, staring him down.

"To think that our leader would keep you alive," one of them sneered. "Kolp will be pleased we stole you away."

"Kolp. Like kelp? You'd think all of you could be more original," I quipped, which earned me a punch straight to the gut.

I grunted, choking on a cry, pain radiating through my entire body

Fuck.

I'd taken my fair share of punches having lived out on the sea for so long with a bunch of burly men. Hell, I'd thrown my fair share too.

There was something a lot heftier about how these merbastards threw theirs.

"Do not speak to us," the other growled.

I turned my gaze to him, trying not to feel a wave of awe again. They were my captors and ready to tear me to shreds, and still all I could think about was how fucking cool it was that every merman was different.

Also, I was amazed by the fact that we were in deep darkness, and I could see them perfectly.

And not because they glowed like Aegaeon either.

This was different.

The mating bite on my neck burned, and I felt my chest tighten. I could feel Delphin reaching for me, calling for me.

He would come for me. I knew it.

I had saved him and he would save me.

Fucking hell, I had it bad. I'd known Delphin for… how long had it been since I'd seen him at the bottom of my boat?

I'd lost track of time already, but it hadn't been long.

In a very short amount of time, I'd said fuck it to everything I knew and threw myself into his world.

Into Aegaeon's world.

Well, if he would keep me.

The pain finally burned off, leaving an ache in my gut.

"I can't believe they kept a human as a pet," one of them sneered. "And even mated with him. I can smell it."

"He smells like he's in heat," the other one said, giving me a hard look.

I still wasn't a hundred percent sure what they meant by that, but I knew that I consistently ached to be railed by my mermates.

Ever since Delphin had bitten me, my body had changed. I could see in this pitch darkness now, could feel the way the currents moved around us like wind. I could hear more noises, and every breath that I took was…different than how I'd breathed before.

My life had been changed, and even though I was in danger, I didn't regret it.

Even though it had been such a short amount of time, I didn't care. How could I?

"He's going to come for me," I whispered.

That earned me another punch and this time, I felt two of my ribs snap. I gasped in pain, biting off a scream.

I just had to try and survive until I was rescued.

What if they didn't come for me?

If I hadn't been underwater, I would have been pouring sweat. Instead, I found myself shivering, the gills on my neck flaring as I dragged in breaths.

"How much longer do we have to hold him?"

"Until Kolp arrives. Let's go take a look around and make sure we weren't followed. We put a lot of distance between us and them, but still."

I listened to the two of them go back and forth for a few minutes, until finally they agreed looking around would be good. I stayed silent until they both swam off, leaving me alone in the dark cave.

I was bound by fishing lines, the plastic cutting into my skin. It would be poetic if I died down here beneath the sea, bound by the fishing lines I had cast for so many years.

I shook my head, shaking off the cold thought.

I wasn't going to die. They would come for me. They had to come for me.

I could feel the ache, the need. I wanted Delphin and Aegaeon desperately, needed both of them to hold me between their bodies again.

After a few minutes of dead silence, I heard a dark laugh. I lifted my head, my gaze meeting an unfamiliar set of eyes.

Kolp. This had to be… her?

Kolp moved forward, her hair floating around her. Unlike the mermen I had seen, this mermaid had a mouth that reminded me more of a shark's— and as she parted her lips, I saw rows of teeth.

" Sing me a song, little sailor ," she hummed.

I felt my bones melt the moment her sweet voice found me, all of my worries and concerns nearly going away. She swam closer, her body just as magnificent as the other creatures I had seen.

She continued to sing, her words turning into a language I didn't know. I felt like I was floating now, barely aware of the fact that she was now right in front of me and there were very sharp claws around my throat.

"As if I would allow a human to become the mate of our leader," she said, her voice never losing its musical edge. "A lost little sailor, drowning in our world already. No one will rescue you. Delphin doesn't want you and neither does Aegaeon."

This time, my haze lifted for a moment. I made a noise, trying to find my voice.

"I'm theirs," I rasped.

"Are you?" she asked. "Their meal. Meant to be devoured by us, just like we devoured your shipmates. How does it feel to be fucking your friends' killers?"

Fuck. I felt my insides clench. The tips of her talons broke the skin around my neck, squeezing. I watched her nostrils flare as blood twisted out from the fresh wounds, curling like smoke through the dark water.

"I didn't think your kind used that word," I rasped.

"The mermen are idiots," she said, baring her fangs. "I've spent plenty of time around sailors like you. Around mortal men. I know your words, and how fucking vile every single one of you are."

I saw a flicker behind her, and felt the tug in my chest.

One of my mates was close.

I fought to not give it away as I saw silver glint behind her.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"For what? For being a useless piece of meat?"

"For the fact that my mate is about to kill you."