The Mermaid That's Sweetest

4] A Dangerous Trade

4] A Dangerous Trade 

Erebos didn't come out during the day, which made this all the more strange to me that he returned now. I duck through tree branches and whack away the vines. When my work shirt gets caught in too many twigs, I wrench it off so I'm left in a white singlet.

I can't see him up anywhere close and I panic.

Where.

Where did he go?

I jump up and I spot a tall man with black hair waltzing calmly towards the beach, far ahead of me.

Why to the beach?

I only slow down and walk the rest of the way when I reach the ash of the fire from the night before. I see the mysterious Erebos finally halt by the same spot he stumbled out of the tree line the night before.

From my view, it doesn't look like anyone is at the beach in this area.

I assume they've banned this section of the beach until he's caught.

I didn't have to pretend I was desperate for help for Halina right now, but I was kind of desperate for so many answers. Why had he come back so soon? Was he going to thank me for attempting to help him?

I stand a good thirty feet away from him and stare at his back.

He doesn't move or turn to look for me, he just waits.

I shuffle forward, holding up my chin, I clasp my hands behind my back and slip up behind him... and then I take a step beside him. He slowly turns his head to gaze at me as I gaze at him.

He's just smiling... delighted.

So strange.

"Hello," I whisper. It comes out, really, really, awkward, "My name is Lily."

He seems to consider my name with a nod of his head towards the side... and then the other side... was he rolling my name around on his tongue... in his mouth?

I don't know why I think that.

I don't know what I'm doing, for that matter.

This gorgeous rare Merka could kill me if I strayed too close, yet here I was standing fairly confidently beside him.

One of the things I did know was that Erebos killed at night because they had no extra power during the day. So, Coral Mermaids were faster and stronger in the sun, and could escape more often in the daytime.

I guess that kind of gave me some strength now, too.

"So, um, what are you doing here?" I ask and when he turns to look at me, I snap my head to the sea, trying to fix the nervous tremble in my lips as he gazes at me so intensely. I didn't want my jaw to drop or my eyes to stop blinking if we locked gazes. So, I avoid his ocean blue eyes.

"I saw the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life," his snarly voice was exactly as I remembered and I can imagine the air being chomped to pieces every time I hear his sharp teeth clack together, "...a cute little Mermaid... that was scared of the ocean."

"I'm not scared of it, I'm actually..." I try to find the right word, "Disgusted by it. And scared. And terrified. When you stumbled out behind me, surprising me, I thought if the sea is going to kill me, or an Erebos, I'd take my chances with you."

"So you're cute and insane," he murmurs this to himself, "I guess the insane ones are all strange."

Did he just call me crazy?

I side step away from him and glare at the waves of the Rough water.

"I need a... a scale from your tail..." I start off, hoping I don't rush this, even though my need to get away from him was suddenly rearing to the forefront of my mind. When I dare lock eyes with him now, he's looking at me like I've just confirmed I am crazy by asking this question, "Um. Please?"