My head dropped in offspring-like resemblance to Therin.“It isn’t an issue, anyway. I’m human. I couldn’t be having sex with any mers, male or female.”
“Your very existence proves that a lie.”I glanced up at her, confused by her words.
I felt my face flush and let my eyes return to the sand. Of course. My mother had sexual relations with a mer. Why not me?
“Either oath or leave.”
“I promise that I won’t—”Won’t what? Won’t be gay? I can’t say those words. Never again. I promised myself I’d never, ever say those words again.“I promise I won’t have sex with any mer. Not mermaids or mermen.”
“That was not my question, demon. I asked—”
“He answered sufficiently, Syleen.”Zef turned toward me.“I think you said his name is Brett. I think it best to let the demon moniker find rest.”He addressed me directly.“You will refrain from sex with males while you reside with us?”
My cheeks heated once more.“Yes. It isn’t an issue. I do not want a relationship.”Finn burned in my mind. A slice tore through my heart. Damn him. Damn him and his entire family, so willing to count me as one of them. Their gay son’s lover. Part demon. A fag. Whatever. Damn them.“I only want to be alone.”
Syleen swam forward again, this time her nose nearly touching mine.“Which is exactly what you will be if your oath is forgotten.”
Six
BRETT WRIGHT
Afterthe queen had turned her back to me and swam off, even faster than I’d ever seen Therin swim, the three other mers retreated without a word into huts of their own, leaving Zef, Therin, and me in silence. With only a motion from Zef to Therin, the two mermen swam to the largest space between two of the huts and up forty or so feet above the ocean floor. Therin gathered large sections of seaweed in his hands and deftly weaved them together in a few smooth motions, followed by Zef looping a severed length of kelp at the juncture.
Once Zef had finished securing the bonds, Therin, without a word, swam off in the opposite direction of Syleen. Zef looked after him, as if debating whether he should follow. He looked back at me, made up his mind, and sank effortlessly to the base of the hut.“This will be where you stay until we travel on.”
He seemed to wait for a response.“Uh, thank you.”
“It is your dwelling. Your place for privacy. A place for you to rest.”
“Thank you.”For the hut. For not letting me be cast out. For sort of making me promise to not be gay. Maybe thank you wasn’t the right thing to say…
He, like the queen, openly inspected my body, but curiously and with a hint of trepidation.“I assume your body relieves itself of unwanted material?”
“I’m sorry. My body does what?”Before he could reply, I realized what he meant.“Oh, the restroom. Yes, it does.”Hell, we’d discussed my sex life. Why not bowel movements?
He nodded.“That makes sense. Do you know where?”
“Do I know where? Where what?”Damn, I was slow.“Oh, where to take a… where to, uh, relieve myself?”
“Yes.”
“No, I don’t. Therin taught me the bundling thing with seaweed and such.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Just put it in there, I guess?”I motioned to the newly erected hut.
A flicker of disgust dusted his expression.“No. The location will change with each place we settle. Of course, it does not matter when you are in the open, but when in the circle, we keep the place sacred.”
“Oh, of course.”What the hell was I supposed to say about shitting to a merman?
“Would you like me to show you the location?”
Oh, God, no! Talking about it was bad enough.“No, thank you. I’m okay for now.”
“Good enough, then. I know the day has been hard, but my sincerity is genuine when I welcome you to the family. I will leave you to rest and have time alone.”
“Thank you, Zef.”He turned to swim away.“Ah, Zef?”
