The Little Merman

Chapter Twenty-One: "A Hard Bargain"

Mark whirled around to face the merman swimming up behind him. Swatting his tail up, he smacked the merman up from the water. The merman yelped, retreating from him. Mark turned back to slash his claws out at the other merman, but the merman caught his wrist and sneered out as he electrocuted him. "Big mistake, Mark!" Mark winced, whining softly as his arm muscle straining against the electricity coursing through him. The merman's long eel tail swatted Mark in the torso so hard the air was knocked from his lungs. The merman then wrapped his tail around him to squeeze him tightly before he could catch his breath. Mark dug his claws into the tail, trying to tear the flesh but the merman wasn't releasing him. Wrapping his arms around his neck to hold him firmly against his chest, the merman sneered into his fin ear. "Not so strong now, are you?!" Mark grabbed his arm, digging his claws into his skin. The merman hissed in pain, prompting Mark to show him how strong he was. Through the shocks the merman gave him, Mark hissed loudly as he forced the merman's arm away from his neck.

Mark had removed his arm and twisted enough to try biting the merman, when the other one rushed in and yelped out. "Jetsam!" The merman's tail struck Mark in the face to stun him. Allowing Jetsam to tighten his arms around him better as he told the other one. "Flotsam, he's all yours!" Flotsam rose menacingly from the water, hissing out. "With pleasure." Mark thrashed in Jetsam's arms but was unable to keep up the fight as Flotsam started beating on him. Jetsam shocked him as Flotsam punched him. He was squeezed tighter until Mark was gasping for air and cough up blood. Just when Mark thought he was going to pass out, a feminine voice commanded sternly. "That's enough, boys. Bring him here." Jetsam uncoiled from him, dragging him through the water before slamming him face down against the sand. Jetsam held Mark's arms behind his back, his long tail pinning Mark's tail down. Weakly looking over his shoulder to look at Jetsam's face, he strained out. "What the fuck happened to you...?"

Jetsam chuckled, but it was a feminine voice that answered coolly. "Nothing. They were always supposed to look like... merfolk. But my father's punishment didn't just deform me... Frankly, he didn't know I was pregnant. Though I doubt he'd care if I had told him." Mark lifted his head up a little to see a beautiful slender woman standing on the beach. She had long wavy black hair and the most alluring soft purple eyes. Her lips were a deep red and her long purple dress flowed in the gentle breeze. She crouched down elegantly to be more at his level, giving him a warm smile as she told him lightly. "You have proven to be more of a problem then I thought you'd be." Mark blinked, glancing from Flotsam and Jetsam to the woman, before asking dryly. "Ursel?" Ursel nodded, flipping his hair off his shoulder as he told him casually. "In the flesh." Mark spit blood, growling out weakly. "You leave him alone!" Ursel reached out to brush Mark's wet bangs away from his eyes, while telling him unfazed. "Oh poor, Mark... You can have any merfolk you want with a tail like that. Yet, you limit yourself to just one in particular."

Ursel sighed, lowering his hand from Mark's face as he added. "You care about him so much... but his heart belongs to another. That must hurt. Why are you here? Why would you die for a man that leaves you behind in his quest for love?" Mark glared at Ursel, bitterly hissing out. "Would you have died for James?!" Ursel tensed, then answered without flinching. "Yes. The only reason I'm still here is because HE wouldn't let me. Because... of them." Ursel's eyes misted over as he pointed to Flotsam and Jetsam. Mark looked at Flotsam, who curled up on the beach with a sad look on his face. It was the first time that Mark saw him look so... vulnerable. As an eel, their faces were unreadable. As merfolk, their expressions were so clear. Swallowing, Mark told Ursel hopefully. "Look... I'm sorry that happened to you. But Nathan has done nothing to you. Please. He's so much like you..." Ursel sighed, before grimly telling him. "I know... but you are young. You don't understand. I'm tired of hiding... Of being ashamed of what I am. It's not a life I want for my sons... I won't let Triton hurt them... I don't care what it costs me. I'm protecting what's left of my family from THEM!"