THE HUNGRY MERMAID. ❪ Brett Talbot ❫ ✓

ten

Zia ran through the forest. There were only two places Brett could be. The lake or the forest. She went to the forest first, realizing that there would be nowhere for Brett to hide from onlookers at a lake.

As she ran, the cold air was smacking her in the face, pulling her hair behind her. Her nose was cold and runny, her hands numb, and her heart beating rapidly.

The last time she was in the forest, a human tried to skin her and eat her flesh. She tried not the think of that moment. The only thing she should have been thinking about was finding Brett.

But if Gerard and Monroe couldn't find him either, then what chance did Zia have?

She didn't stop running, but she tried to ignore everything else around her. She needed to find Brett quickly before he died. She could feel the devastation around her, but she couldn't smell him. Merpeople didn't have good senses of smell. They didn't need it. Whenever a predator came near, they would be able to sense it by the way the water rippled and the sudden shift in emotions.

She tried to focus on Brett. Where did he first meet her? Was his current emotion depression? It had to be. He was hurt and alone in the middle of the night. He had to be scared.

And somehow, Zia found him. She followed her heart and let her feet guide her to him. If Brett was right about her being an alpha, she was connected to him. There was a red string connecting her to Lorilee and Brett. She would always know where they were.

"Oh - sweet Poseidon, you're hurt, Brett!"

"No shit," he said, spitting up back blood in the process.

Zia bit down on her lip. Her lip was trembling as she went through her options in her mind. She slowly reached out for Brett's hand and squeezed it. He looked at her through half-closed eyes.

"Flick out a claw," she ordered. "Don't question me. Just do it."

Brett did as he told. He flicked out the claw on his index finger. She grabbed it with her right hand and straightened her left arm. She dug the claw into a small patch of her flesh. Zia let out a guttural scream. She clenched down on her teeth to stop any noise from emitting. She cut a square on her flesh. It wasn't perfect, but it had to do. Then, she dug his claw underneath the square, cutting her flesh. Zia started stomping on the ground with her left foot, trying to hold back the screams. She dropped his hand and peeled off the square of her flesh and dangled it in the air.

"Eat this," she breathed out.

Even through his exhaustion, Brett looked at her with erratic eyes. "Are you crazy?"

"Eat it," she ordered. "My flesh will help you heal."

Brett shakily took it and brought it to his mouth. He breathed heavily through his nose, smelling it. He really did not want to eat her flesh, but he didn't want to die either. Brett opened his mouth and popped the whole square into his mouth, ceasing his breathing and closing his eyes tightly. Then, he started chewing. He only chewed a couple times before choosing to swallow it whole. Brett collapsed to the ground, leaning against a tree. His accelerated healing was kicking in. Although he was still covered in blood and the taste of veal, fish, and blood resided in his mouth, he could feel himself healing and feeling better.

"Where's Lorilee?" Brett asked, crawling up to his feet and holding onto the tree for support.

"I left her with Liam. Last I saw them, they were looking for you," Zia said.

"We have to get out of the forest and find them. There are hunters trying to kill me, but I think they're aiming for supernatural creatures in general," Brett said.