Page 88 of The Noble's Merman

Kent first pushed up on his elbows, then, struggling, tried to push himself into a sitting position. Mo sat up too and supported his back with one hand, helping him straighten up all the way. He looked around, making note of the large rocks surrounding their small area of beach and the sun shining on hilly grassy plains behind them. It all looked quite familiar. If he had to guess, perhaps they landed somewhere in Cornwall.

“You swam us…” Kent panted, brushing his wet hair away from his nose. Mo rubbed small circles on his shoulder blades, caressing him, soothing his aches. But something still wasn’t sitting well in his gut. He dug into his mind, sifting through his memories… and then—it hit him. The recollection flooded his mind like a massive ocean wave. “Wait, I remember now. We were on the John Beaut, and those awful pirates had me. But then… you were singing. Everything stopped. I saw you kill them, and… we… we fell in the water. You’re telling me that you swam me all the way from where we were back to shore?”

Mo bit his lip, fangs peeking out, and he removed his hand from Kent’s back, placing it onto his scaly blue lap. “Yes, I did. It’s… all true. What you saw was real.”

Kent stared into Mo’s azure blue eyes, wet and shiny with concern, a pain-crease between his brows. “I appreciate you saving me, Mo,” he said with genuine intent. “Thank you for saving my life.”

Mo’s brows relaxed, and one side of his lips ticked up in a small smile. “Of course, you’re welcome, darling. I promised to always protect you.” He huffed a small, shaky breath. “I cannot believe what those pirates put you through. It was terrifying enough to watch, but I cannot imagine the horror you must’ve been going through…”

Awful memories flashed in his mind like lightning, twisting Kent’s face. He tried to shoo them away. “It… it was horrible. Oh Lord, I’m so glad to be away from that.”

“How are you feeling now? Are you all right?”

Kent gulped. “Yes, I’m all right. For the most part, anyway. Thank you, again, for rescuing me. I truly mean that.”

Despite being relieved that he didn’t have to endure any more terror the pirates were forcing upon him, despite being relieved he didn’t drown under the waves, and he felt Mo truly was sincere in protecting him—he did swim him all the way here, after all—Kent couldn’t shake the bitter feeling that in some way, he was betrayed. It created a knot in his stomach, and now that he finally knew the truth, he had to speak on it.

“Mo… back on the ship, when you sang… you used the Siren’s Song. You’re a siren.”

Mo was quiet for a moment, gnawing his fangs into his bottom lip again, worrying the scar already there. He looked down, fidgeted with his hands, then looked back up, making eye contact with Kent. “I am.”

“You really had that power the entire time? I had no idea. I…” His lips trembled, trying to find words to express what he was feeling.

“Yes, I—I was born with this power within me. But Kent, I… um…”

“Did you ever feel like that was something I needed to know about you? That you should tell me?”

Mo shook his head, his gaze still down towards his lap. “I truly am sorry I did not tell you before.”

“Truly?” Kent’s heart raced, his nerves attacking his stomach. “But Mo, you didn’t just omit the fact. You lied to me. And I believed you. I defended you against the others that you were merely a normal merman!”

Mo did not reply immediately. But the way he looked at Kent was so pained, so scared, it somehow made the magic in Kent’s heart ache to match what Mo must’ve been feeling. It only upped his restlessness tenfold.

“I’m sorry, Kent. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“I thought sirens were supposed to hate humans. That’s why I so easily believed you. I didn’t think sirens were able to make friendships with humans, or, even more…”

Mo licked his lips, and Kent noticed he drew a tiny bit of blood from where he was biting them. It reminded him of the scene from earlier: the pirates’ blood dripping from his mouth. “Being a siren simply means I am a mer bestowed with the magic of the Siren’s Song. It’s a power I was gifted at birth, but it does not control me. I’m… still free to make whatever friendships… bonds… with humans if I please.”

“All right. I understand that, but…” Kent shook his head. “You still used the Song. You used it to kill other humans.”

“I used it to save you!” Mo cried, hand clutching at his necklaces.

“I don’t mean just that!” Kent shuddered. Tears threatened to spill as pressure tensed behind his eyes. “If you are a siren, that must mean you’ve killed dozens others before! Hundreds even, I don’t know!”

“I…”

“Don’t try to lie to me! I know you must have.”

Mo’s face pulled in a grimace. “But I…” He sighed. “You’re right. But—I usually only ever attacked pirate ships. I went after those that the kind humans deemed cruel. Please, Kent, you must understand…”

Kent was trying to, but the sudden realization of all this new information was so overwhelming. He knew he should calm down, try to talk this out more, try to understand Mo’s reasonings, but his anger at the fact that Mo lied to him was still consuming everything. Mo lied, and here they were now—Kent had trauma from the horrid actions of the pirates, far away from home, shipwrecked with nothing but the clothes on his back.

“I just…” Kent sniffled. “I don’t wish to be here… I want to go home…”

Mo let out a whine, a dry, tearless sob. He tried to touch Kent’s shoulder again, but Kent shrugged him away, forcing his hand to return to rest on his tail. “Oh, Kent, it’s all my fault anyway.” He rubbed at his eyes, cast downward; what was running through Mo’s mind must’ve been just as troubling as Kent’s own thoughts. Kent could feel it in his core, pulsing that shared magic. “The Sterling Mer wouldn’t have been attacked by pirates if it weren’t for me, since I wasn’t keeping watch. You would still be home if it weren’t for me. I never meant to bring you misfortune, but it seems like that’s all I do. If it were not for what I did, you wouldn’t have taken Harris’s place…”

“Wait.” Kent held out his hand to make him stop; he could tell there was more to it with Mo’s tone. “What do you mean by that?”

---