Swim

by M. E. Rhines

  The young one scratched the top of his blond head, then pulled on a lever, stopping the net from moving any farther up and turning off the awful noise the machine made.

  “Miss,” he called down to me. “Do you need help?”

  Licking my lips, I focused on the familiar salty taste to keep myself calm. If I turned and hightailed it down, there was no way they could miss the flash of my blue tail. One of them might come after me, or worse, send down one of their fishing hooks and pluck me from the water like the catch of the day.

  When I didn’t respond, the fisherman removed his hat and said to the older human, “Jesus, Randy. She’s just a kid. Where’s her boat?”

  “Didn’t hear nothing on the CB about a boat in trouble.”

  “Come around the side,” the blond one urged. “We’ll put down the ladder and you can climb up.”

  I made no move in the direction he gestured.

  “We won’t hurt you. Between this storm and whatever you been through already, I’m sure you could use a warm blanket. We’ve got food, too. Are you hungry? Bet your family sure is worried about you. Are there more survivors we should go look for?”

  “Hey,” the one named Randy jabbed at the other guy with his elbow. “How come she ain’t struggling? That water is rough. Hurricane-sized waves and that girl’s just bobbing with them like it ain’t nothing.”

  “Huh. Isn’t that something?”

  The man with the dark hair leaned over the railing, squinting to get a better look at me. His attention made me squirm. I started to sink lower, prepared to make a swim for it, when a swell crested at my torso, the weight lifting me out of the water a few inches. Just enough to expose the top blue rim of my tail circling my midriff.

  “Jesus, Randy!” He fell back on his heels, sprinting toward a barrel on the front end of the ship.

  “What?” Randy looked from his comrade to me. “What’d you see? Oh God, there’s a shark, isn’t there? Hold on, girl. We’ll fish you out of there before that monster does.”

  “Ain’t no shark. She’s got a tail! That down there is a mermaid. That’s why she isn’t struggling with the water. She’s used to the movement. Built for it even.”

  “You’ve lost your mind, Reggie. There’s no such thing as mermaids. It’s an old fish tale, that’s all.”

  “We’re in the Bermuda Triangle, ain’t we? What better place to see one?”

  “The seasickness has gone to your head. That’s a girl down there, shipwrecked and scared as hell.”

  The bearded man fumbled with a lump of something. He pulled it from the wooden barrel, then brought it over to the railing. “There sure as hell is such a thing. And I’m going to prove it.”

  Randy grabbed for his arm, but it was too late. His older friend already cast the object overboard in my direction. Before I could react, a jumble of netting enveloped my body, tangling me inside.

  I screamed as the weight of it overpowered me, forcing me below the surface. I thrashed and kicked and tugged, but just as I wiggled out of one inch of the thing, I found myself wrapped up in another foot of it. My surroundings started to spin as my breathing grew rapid and uncontrolled. Lightheaded and dizzy, panic struck me hard. Like the very fish I’d tried to save, I was a captive of the disgusting rulers of the dry world.

  Would they serve me on a platter, or just toss me in a tank and use me as an exhibit? Some of the humans Mother captured spoke of places where even the ocean’s greatest predators were put on display for the amusement of the young and hardened of heart. An aquarium they called it. Manatees, dolphins, sharks. All subject to the degradation of living in a box for the rest of their days.

  Oh, Poseidon help me. I’d rather die right now.

  Almost as soon as my body contacted the seafloor, the rope connecting me to the human vessel tightened. An illusion of weightlessness befell me as it pulled me up. Despite already feeling drained, I swam against the pull right up until the second my entire body left the water. Suffocating aridness strangled me. I dangled inside the net a good ten feet above the water, swaying along with the howling wind as if it were dancing with me.

  I scanned the rough waters below, desperate for a trace that Lennox was around. But the sea was fuming. Furious, whether at me or the fisherman, I didn’t know. Turbulent waters intensified until waves the size of small squalls slammed into the boat from all sides.

  Even if Lennox was down there, and I doubted he was, there would be no way to see him through the chaos on the ocean’s surface. I didn’t waste much time searching. He’d said it himself—he was a warrior, a killer at heart. It wasn’t in his nature to go around saving anyone or anything unless it served his king. He was long gone, had left me for dead.

  “You see,” I heard the horrible man shout. “Look at that tail.”

  “I’ll be damned. You weren’t seeing things after all, Reggie.”

  “Yep. Heard stories about mermaids in this area. Didn’t much believe them. Until now, of course. She’s awfully pretty, too. Prettier than I ever imagined a mermaid could be.”

  “What should we do with her?”

  “Are you kidding? People would pay a fortune to just take a quick look at her. Mortgage their own houses, I bet. We’re gonna be rich!”

  The blond man tapped his chin with his index finger, pondering the idea. A small, naïve part of me hoped he might listen to that little voice in his head, the one that should tell him I was a living thing. A sentient, conscious, and intelligent living creature who should be treated with common decency. His conscience should’ve told him to put me back in the water and leave me be.

  But the human, the one who moments ago seemed so kindhearted and eager to help me until my tail was exposed, reminded me about that one ever-important detail I managed to allow myself to forget…

  Humans have no conscience.

  “You think there’s more of them down there?” Reggie asked, eyeing the water for a sign I wasn’t alone. “Imagine how much money we could rake in if we had a pair of them. Or heck, a dozen of them.”

  My gills flapped wildly, seeking water. I gasped, the sound raspy and loud enough to make Randy’s friend look my way. “Don’t get greedy. We better get her in the live well. She’s no good to us if she’s dead.”

  He pulled on a lever, springing the machinery to life again. My mesh prison twirled in small circles as I inched closer to the boat. The motion swirled the contents of my stomach, making me gag. Lack of oxygen weighed severely on my eyelids, and each blink left me in darkness longer and longer.

  Feebleness overwhelmed me until I slumped against the netting, its thick, splintered rope biting into my skin and scales. Strong, animated waves barely visible through my heavy lashes crashed onto the deck. The mechanical sound ceased. Holding tight to the rail, the two fishermen on deck looked horrified as the ocean took on a strange behavior, churning and twisting the vessel under their feet.

  A massive whirlpool appeared, circling the boat with intent and fury. As much as I’d like to believe the sea would swallow the ship whole on my account, I knew this wasn’t her way. There was nothing natural in the way seafoam bubbled up around the hull. My ocean, she had a rhythm about her, and the spastic roiling that extracted screams of terror from the bellies of my captors was an animation of her power—a manipulation of her capabilities. A cautious hope flickered in my chest.

  Lennox.

  “Put her back,” Randy screamed, his eyes bulging from his skull. “The sea wants her back.”

  The older sailor didn’t frighten as easily. Reggie shook his head, steadfast in his refusal to turn in his payload. “Forget it. She’s as good as a winning lottery ticket. Now way am I’m giving her up.”

  The vortex grew stronger, taking hold of the boat until she spun with it. My heart lurched as the net swung outward. Our surroundings twisted and turned, spinning so fast everything melded together until I couldn’t tell up from down.

  Wind whipped with a booming rumble that burned my ears. I covered the
m with the palms of my hands, curling into a ball and squeezing my eyes shut. An involuntary yelp escaped my lips before I clamped my mouth shut, refusing to give in to the panic.

  The men hollered. While I couldn’t make out what they said, the two voices quickly multiplied. Several of their shipmates gathered on deck, arguing among themselves. They discussed my fate as if their lives didn’t depend on mine. It didn’t matter that they couldn’t agree; the ocean would make the choice for them.

  The strain on the netting was too much for the rusted rig to take. With my eyes still closed tight, I felt the fibers snap. I was suddenly freefalling, tumbling through the air and still encased in the tangle of rope. A shameless screech escaped as my body smacked into the water. Searing pain crashed into every nerve, like thousands of knives stabbing me all over. A cocoon of bubbles surrounded me, cradling me and slowing my descent until I reached the seafloor.

  I lay motionless, staring up through the slits in the net. The storm above the surface raged on, relentless, unforgiving, and all on my account. A barnacled white hull overhead still circled, completely at the mercy of a livid, fluid force more powerful than anything the men onboard had ever encountered. The sight helped to calm me. Shaky breaths left my lungs in quick spurts as I regained my composure.

  Let the sea tear them to pieces.

  Even as I thought it, I reminded myself this wasn’t the sea punishing their selfish nature. She wasn’t this violent and vicious. She was gracious and disciplined. The ocean gave me the opportunity to turn back, to keep my tail in the water where it belonged. It was my choice to ignore the warning, and any fate that might have befallen me would have been my own doing. If I had ended up stuffed inside the vessel’s holding tank, I’d have no one to blame but myself.

  While the ocean was content to allow such a consequence, someone else refused to let that happen.

  “Lennox,” I said, trying my voice. The sound was strained and croaky, muffled by the fright still lingering in my chest. I coughed hard, clearing the wariness, and tried again. “Lennox! I’m over here.”

  The waters went still at once, and I marveled at the smokescreen created as sediment returned to the bottom. Slowly, clarity restored itself, and even a small fish skirted past when the water returned to calm. From the corner of my eye, a shadow approached, trudging closer with a familiar awkward effort.

  “There you are,” Lennox announced with a sigh of relief. “I saw them pull you up, and I wasn’t sure I could get to you quick enough. They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

  He knelt beside me, slicing through the netting with his blade in expert swipes. His fingers gripped the butt of the knife, but the shining dagger acted as an extension of his body. The blade landed where he commanded it, even without him having to look. Lennox was truly a master of his trade—a warrior in every right.

  I beheld this feature with a newfound admiration. His ferociousness had filled me with rage a brief time ago, but there was no denying he could use that nature to benefit the ocean and all who lived in it. It was his choice, and he chose to use his gift to save me instead of fleeing.

  “No,” I answered. “They didn’t even get me on the deck.”

  “Good. Stay here. I’ll be back.”

  “Wait, where are you going?” I lunged forward, grabbing his hand. The movement sent a tremendous pain through my tail, starting at the fork and resonating the entire length. It gave out from under me, plopping me to the floor with a pitiful cry of anguish.

  Lennox rushed to my side, searching my tail for injury. “You are hurt,” he accused. “For crying out loud, Angelique. The fork of your tail is split clear in half. Why do you have to try to act so tough? You should’ve told me you were in pain.”

  I sucked in a breath, trying to will back the moisture burning in my eyes. It didn’t help. Lennox’s jaw flexed as he watched a stream of shimmering tears float from my face. Good Poseidon, I hated crying. Having him witness it was downright humiliating.

  “It doesn’t hurt that much,” I lied. “And I didn’t even know I was injured until I tried to swim.”

  He nodded in understanding. “Adrenaline from the shock must’ve masked it. There’s no way you’re going to be able to swim on your own.”

  “Well, you’re certainly not capable of carrying me the whole way.”

  “Sure I am. I was planning to create a current from here to Finfolkaheem anyway. It’ll take us a little longer, but we’ll just ride the stream instead of swimming with it.”

  I arched a brow at him. “You’re going to create a current?”

  “Yeah. That’s what I was trying to do when I ran out of air. Speaking of which, we probably won’t be able to make it in one shot now. I’ll have to stop to breathe at some point.”

  If the idea of relying on him to get me from here to there made me uncomfortable before, it terrified me now. With a split fork, there would be no fending for myself at all. Lennox would be my sole source of protection. While I didn’t question his capabilities any longer, playing the mermaid in distress was not a role I was accustomed to. I preferred to take care of myself.

  “Maybe we should go back to Atargatis,” I proposed. “Myrtle can heal me, then we can set out again.”

  “We’ll get you help in Finfolkaheem. We have some of the best healers in the ocean, I promise.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip, coming to terms with the fact that I had no choice in the matter. Without the ability to swim on my own, where I went was completely up to him.

  Lennox moved closer, swiping a curl from my face. He leaned in, pressing his lips against my forehead. The heat of his skin stunned me. As he pulled away, I was left to catch my breath. Static remained where his mouth had been, a lingering phantom that soothed me far more than it should have.

  “I need you to trust me,” he said, his green eyes sparkling with sincerity. “I’m going to finish those sailors off before they get away. When I get back, we’ll head out.”

  “No,” I begged, sounding more desperate than I had anticipated. “Don’t go.”

  He took my hand again, brushing his soft lips against my knuckles. “They can’t get away with what they did to you. I won’t let them.”

  As much as he infuriated me, I ached for his closeness. I tried to tell myself it was just the ordeal, that I was simply shaken up and he was the closest being around, but that wasn’t the whole of it.

  The Lennox I thought I knew, the bloodthirsty killer only out for my mother’s head, had the opportunity to rid himself of me and take off on his own to Finfolkaheem. No one could blame him if he had. I had a pension for running off, and my aunt wouldn’t question the story. He could get away free and clear.

  I stumbled on my words, the tenderness behind them alien to me. “Lennox… I-I’d prefer you to stay with me.”

  His eyes widened, my admission shocking him as much as me. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

  “You came back for me,” I said, my voice soft and vulnerable.

  “Of course I did.”

  “But… you’re a warrior. I thought you didn’t go around saving the ocean’s unfortunates.”

  A smirk played on the edge of Lennox’s lips. He tugged at my hand, pulling me against his chest. This time, I didn’t resist. Instead, I relished in the way his skin set mine ablaze. I didn’t fight the electricity crackling between us. It was there, like it or not, and it felt delicious.

  “Are you kidding me? I was doing those guys a favor. They’d no sooner get you on deck before they’d throw you back in.”

  I slid my hands up his chest, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Is that so? You rescued me for their benefit?”

  “Absolutely. That sharp tongue of yours would slice their ears right off. They wouldn’t be able to stand listening to you for more than a few minutes.”

  “I’m that terrible, am I?” I asked playfully.

  His lips hovered over mine, so close I could almost taste them. My pulse raced at the thought. Suddenly, I couldn’t thi
nk of anything in the ocean I wanted more. Calloused fingertips drummed on the small of my back, sending jolts through my body each time one landed.

  A brazen nature overcame my senses as I ran my gaze along the length of him. He truly was a wondrous sight. Literally aglow, he was fit and stunning. Eels swam about in my stomach as I took him in.

  “Some may call you positively awful,” he murmured, closing his eyes as I walked my fingers along his breastbone. His reaction filled me with bravery, urged me to continue. I traced his jawline with my lips until he let out a soft moan.

  “I’ve heard that,” I admitted. “Treacherous and mouthy, too. And what about you, Lennox? What would you call me?”

  He took a deep breath, then opened his eyes, holding my stare. “Bold. Determined. Engaging. Bewitching.” His pupils dilated, and the lust in them would be my undoing.

  Soft trembles shook my hands as I drank his words in. Troublesome and loudmouthed was how people had described me. It was my nature, and there was no changing it. But Lennox spoke as if those qualities were endearing, something to be proud of. I squinted at him, struggling to wrap my head around the way his approval made my chest swell with pride.

  Ignoring the biting sting that came as I swished my tail, I pushed up, closing the distance between us until his mouth crashed into mine. Rough hands roamed my back, then tousled in my hair. He slid one hand to cup my face, returning my kiss harder and more urgent than I could bear.

  I melted into him. His hungry lips sucked the air from my lungs, once again putting my gills into overdrive to compensate. A burning heat enveloped me. I pulled back, breathless and astounded at the passion that sent my heart skipping beats. I hadn’t even known I could feel this way. My inexperience with males, mermen or otherwise, had left me stranded in this unfamiliar territory.

  “Are you all right?” he whispered, still holding me against him.

  My fingertips searched out my tingling lips, covering them. While they were always plump, his kiss left them swollen and full of life. I nodded, concealing a stupid grin. “I’m fine. It’s just… that was my first kiss.”