Page 85 of The Noble's Merman

The screams of pirates jolted his eyes open again. Mo clutched Kent’s frame tighter as lightning brightened the sky once more?—

—striking the top of the mast.

The large white sails were consumed by raging flames.

Kent’s heart thudded and thudded in his chest, his ears, his throat. He saw Allen carrying Seth, unharmed, taking large strides to himself and Mo.

The ship’s wood creaked and cracked as the fire only grew hotter. It burned so fiercely, not even the rain could quell it. For whatever reason, the pirates even helped stoke the flames, throwing the bodies of their fallen men into the blaze.

“I’m so sorry, Kent,” said Mo, holding him firmly. “But I promise, I will protect you at all costs.”

It didn’t matter that chaos was all around him.

It didn’t matter that he’d witnessed Mo kill three men.

Kent felt safe.

Safe enough that the magic within soothed him; closing his eyes again, he let go of all tension.

Another crack. Everything jolted—the wind, the heat, the floor, the ship itself.

But Mo kept his hold on him strong.

The next thing he knew, he was falling.

He was in the water.

Mo used the Siren’s Song.

Submerged in the ocean, feeling the warm embrace of his merman, Kent held his breath.

He’s a siren.

TWENTY-NINE

As quickly as his tail would allow, Mo swam to the surface, holding Kent in his arms.

He whipped his hair back and out of his face as soon as he was in the open air, and tried to do the same for Kent, reaching up and pushing his curls away from his nose. But Kent didn’t respond to his touch—his eyes stayed closed, his mouth parted slightly. Was he breathing?

Please, please be all right!

Mo held Kent close to his chest, his nose above the water as best as he could manage, and there?—

He felt Kent’s heartbeat against his own. He felt soft, warm breaths on his skin, on the crook of his neck.

“Oh, thank the seas…” He held one hand on the back of Kent’s head, keeping him steady as wave after wave continued to roll around them.

In front of them, the massive blazing John Beaut was a sight to behold. The ship creaked and cracked, splitting in two, flames reaching high into the sky, and the remaining pirates on board panicked in a frenzy, their senses returning. While Mo made sure he swam a safe distance away so as to not get hit with any flying debris, the mens’ terrified screams echoed through the sky, reverberating through his very bones. Some pirates jumped into the water, while others seemed to accept their fate, staying on the ship until it could float no longer.

Rain continued to fall, yet it was lighter than it was initially, and the thunder started to wane. Mo had heard tales about how, if used with such intensity, the Siren’s Song could affect the weather. This had never happened when he’d sang before, but then again, no other time were his emotions as strong as they were now.

“Mo! Over here!”

He turned his head, and to his left, he spotted Allen. The burly man swam toward him, cruising easily through the rolling waves that threatened to push him under; though curiously, he’d lost his shirt in the wreckage. That’s when Mo spotted it—there were deep lines embedded on Allen’s neck, almost like scars?—

No, they were gills.

“Are you all right?” Mo managed to ask.

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