EDITING■The Ocean's Voice- A Mermaid Story

12 The Dare

He somehow managed to stand even taller.

"As you wish." The mermaid grinned, evily. "I'll tell you what. If you can overpower me, I'll sing for you."

Her smile worried him. In one swift motion she knocked him off his feet with her tail. Edmond fell backwards, hitting his head. He winced from the impact and could not recover soon enough. The mermaid pounced further onto the rock, onto him. The prince fought back, wrapping his legs around her tail, grabbing her by the shoulders. She realized he was going to throw her off of him or possibly gain the upper hand. Thinking quickly, Kai removed both daggers from her holster and slammed them into his sleeves; cutting his wrists, cutting through stone, pinning him to the ground. He winced again and tried to get up. Before he could Kai pinned his shirt down with two more knives. As he moved the knives dug deeper into his flesh.

"Blast!" He cursed, dropping back down.

Edmond knew he could tear his shirt sleeves and fight. But if he did there would be a significant gash on both of his arms, too deep to heal properly. He had to surrender.

Kai rolled off of him, beside him. But her tail held down his legs. Her hand was beside his head, her other had its talons against his stomach, preparing to gut him if nesacary. Her face was still lifted above his.

Kai snarled. "Now it is my turn to tell you a story, your highness. So we won't have another incident like this again. Yes?"

He nodded reluctantly.

Kai smiled. "Once upon a time, before your cursed existance, another man made the mistake of challenging me. He believed he could defeat me, simply becuase I was a weak female. 'What could a girl like you do to man like me?' He laughed. Oh the poor fool. It cost him and his whole regiment their lives. After I captured him, I made him watch me kill all of his men. One. By. One."

"Why you-! Edmond growled. "You murderer!"

The prince surged violently in her grip at that moment. He was angry. For she spoke like taking lives was picking flowers. Normal and insignificant.

Kai grinned and continued.

"Easy mortal. I have not yet finished. But it's nice of you to care for your fellow shark bait." She sighed. "So as I was saying, I made him watch. He too looked at me, like you do now, as if I was a demon from down bellow. The man realized his mistake and begged me to spare his men and take him instead. But it was too late. It was not I that killed his men, but his pride. And after I finished off the last of his men, by slitting their throats with a dagger, I came for their ignorent leader. It was rather enjoyable to watch a big man beg for mercy on his knees. He pleaded like a babe for his life. You see what I did next, you will be quite horrified. I had him in a similar hold I have you now. Restrained him. Weakened him. Intimidated him."

Kai leaned closer, so close Edmond could feel her breath fan his lips. "And then I allowed my talons to roam his chest." Her sharp claws caused him to tense as she traced him, showing him how she killed her former victim.

"I sliced from the naval to the jaw, just to scratch the surface." The mermaid repeated this motion on him. She stared at him blankly as she walked her fingertips, now talons, on his chest.

"And then I punched through his chest." Kai said coldly, as she teased him with a fake punch, making him flinch.

"Cleanly through him. As I retracted my hand from his body, his heart fell in to my clutch. And when I finally broke through the rib cage, to free my hand from the entanglement of his bones, I accidentally ripped his heart out too. It was still pumping miserably in my fist. I held it until it finally slowed to a stop."