The Mermaid That's Sweetest

29] A Violent Exchange

29] A Violent Exchange 

Eros' POV

This mortal ship wasn't filled with pirates at all; they were common sailors. I just said that to convince Lily to come with me after dragging her out to sea. The fact is, those claw marks on her arm were from me pulling her with me when she defied me after being consumed with delirious lust. Our lovemaking was violent, though she enjoyed it as much as I, the blood loss was a bit too overzealous on my part. She never tried to hurt her friends. I had hurt them. I had incapacitated them, thrust them into a net and dragged them through to the mortal ship. I had lied so much in the past few hours, I wasn't so sure I could weave this master plan together without tripping up on my own falsehoods.

Unfortunately, I was mated to a half-wit who distrusted almost every action I had taken thus far. Yes, I enjoyed toying with her, with anyone really. I was proudly sadistic and a tad masochistic. But I was two other things; Rather in love with the half-wit, Lily dearest. And a King of Erebos about to die unless some violent necessary exchanges took place.

I had to do this.

I had to fix this war of territory. The story on how Darvs were created was true. Mermaids with the darkest tails were chosen to mate with mortals, to conceal any concept that Darvs were a cross of species. Rather, they were connected to Erebos's dark scales. A bad omen.

It was a very basic, simple, conniving plan that the Overseers of the Clans had enforced many decades ago. Lily and her friends were next to be traded off, to keep the mortals at bay from Belle Island.

The in-between enemy, being mortals, was going to be our ticket to territory.

I had it all planned. Soon, Lily would get her stupid friends back, unharmed. And then, mortals would be coming to war with the Coral Clans, distracting Aegir from focusing on eradicating us, convincing him to make us all allies instead. Though I hated that, it was the only way. Hate would only get me so far.

I wasn't tutored by some old war legend, I just knew my instincts. I knew how to confuse Coral Mermaids, Coral Merka... they were all so gullible. They also loved strange things. They believed in miracles and the deeper strange meanings behind life altering events. They would consider the war with mortals a sign to stop warring with their own water bred kind; my kind.

Though I hated the Coral Clans, they were my food and we were still creatures of the water. Mortals didn't belong out here. They were expendable. Though they could be considered an occasional snack, I'll admit. They just weren't as tasty as other Mermaids. Although half Mermaid blood, half mortal blood, mixed into Darvs, was just down right delicious.

Hmmm, my thirst was a thought for another time. I'm on the boat now and I come face to face with the small crew. Five men on the lower deck, a couple more above on the upper deck.

"I brought the last slave," I drawl as I walk forward between the men while the humans stare at my strange member between my legs. It did seem to enthral everyone, but could I blame them? It was fabulously violently designed, it was wicked... "As I said I would, she is the last one due this year."

"The captain said you're not the Merka they were expecting to deliver the goods," a short stout man, approaches me, with rope wound up his arm, "Who are you, you're not Devon of sandy hair."

"Oh, no. I am Eros of the Ezili Clan... Devon, sent me," I make it up, except for the next part, "To send a message, actually. The trading of Mermaids, ends today."

"It's a part of a treaty," the stout man scratches his chin, "So the fish people want war, do they? Why did you deliver us these six Mermaids then...? Something smells rather fishy about all this, Eros of the 'Ezili' Clan."