Starving for Love (6 page)

So many people. So many loud heartbeats. So many screams.

It had been some time since he had eaten someone. The hunger inside him was growing, and it tore him up, consumed his every thought, controlled his actions. His heart beat for one simple reason: to keep him alive so he could feed.

Too slow, he reached for the nearest person, but the man ducked behind a table.

He yanked on the back of a woman's dress and pulled her toward him. She screamed, kicking and punching. Several of her blows connected, but he felt no pain. With a groan, he tilted his head back, his mouth open, when one voice shouted above the crowd's panicked cries:

"There he is!"

It was a loud voice, one full of emotion. Which emotion it was, he couldn't remember. All he knew was hunger.

The woman still squirmed in his grasp. He lowered his mouth to her neck when he felt the sudden gust of wind near his back.

Turning on his heel, almost falling down, he whirled around. A short, hunched-over hag glared at him, her eyes crazed, a long dagger in her hands. She touched his tattered clothes, her arm bent back, ready for another blow.

His movement slow yet rushed, he shoved the woman toward the armed hag and ran. Others with weapons had come after him before. One had almost hacked off his left arm. Weapons, he hated. They hurt and only served to increase his appetite. There weren't enough people alive for him to eat to satiate his hunger.

He shoved people out of his way, the ones who hadn't already moved aside, and risked a glance behind him. The armed woman was gaining on him. A tall man was making his way toward them, and he wondered if that man, too, had a weapon.

Trying to go faster, he hobbled along out of the market, away from the dock, and toward the forest. The shadows there were his friends. If he could make it there, he would be live to eat another day.

Sand was beneath his feet. If he could only cross the beach before they caught up to him. He glanced back. The man was nowhere to be seen, but she was right behind him. She jumped toward him, lunging with her weapon.

Somehow, he sidestepped the blow and shuffled back a few steps. She started to fall. In order to right herself, she reached out and touched his hand.

A flash of bright light crossed his vision, and he saw a beautiful girl, her long black hair flowing in the wind, her eyes sparkling, a smile on her face, a smile meant for him.

He blinked. The light faded. Still he saw the beautiful girl. The hag was nowhere in sight.

His mouth fell open. His prey often spoke, but he never said anything other than groans and moans before. But now, now he had something he wanted to say.

"Uhh … uhh…" His lips and tongue weren't cooperating. He tried again. "Llll … llluhh…"

The girl leapt into his arms and reached her hand out to touch his face.

"Love," he managed to choke out.

The girl paused a moment. She stepped back and fell to the sand.

For the first time since he became aware, he felt something other than hunger. Terrified, feeling some of the panic humans felt when they saw him, he backed up and lumbered away to the forest, to the shadows where he belonged.

Tears blurred her vision. Yelling, cursing, screaming, she tried to stand up but couldn't. Her right leg was in so much pain she thought she would pass out. After blinking several times, she managed to clear her vision.

The zombie was gone.

Sirena shook her head. Had it tried to talk to her? She could have sworn it said, "Love." Love. Ha. What did a zombie know about love?

She had been so close too! If only her ankle hadn't rolled, she would have been able to kill it.

Slamming her fists down onto the soft sand, she winced and cried out in pain. The movement had jostled her wounded leg something fierce. Tears streamed down her face.

Closing her eyes, she recalled the strange sensation that had come over her when she had touched the zombie. The face of a handsome man had crossed her vision. A face she felt as if she should recognize although she did not. She shook her head, her thoughts returning to the agony from her leg.

"Rena? Rena! I've been looking all over for you. I couldn't find it after we split up. Did you…" Blaise ran across the beach to her then gasped. "What happened? Did it attack you?"

Sirena shook her head. "No. I was about to kill it, but I hurt myself, and it got away." She stared at the sand, unable to look Blaise in the eye as she confessed her failure. It had taken her some time to convince Blaise to allow her to hunt the zombie with him in the first place.

He bent down and examined her leg. "I think you broke it. Here." Blaise helped her to her feet.

The blood drained from her face, and she swayed. Blaise instructed her to put all of her weight onto him, but before she could, she passed out.

****

When Sirena awoke, Bethany sat near her on the bed.

"Oh, good, you're awake."

She struggled to sit up and was only able to with the handmaiden's help.

"You broke your leg," Bethany said. "The doctor splinted it for you."

"When will I be able to walk again?"

"Not for some time, I'm afraid. Now, hush, no more talking. You need to eat to build your strength back up."

Sirena could not believe her awful luck. It had taken her quite some time to master walking and running. To now be bedridden was beyond frustrating.

No amount of begging would get Bethany to give her details concerning the zombie, leaving Sirena no choice but to eat. The food was quite good, but whether she was becoming accustomed to human food or she was just hungry enough she would eat anything, Sirena couldn't be certain.

She meant to ask Bethany to fetch Blaise, but her full stomach increased her fatigue and she fell asleep.

Two weeks passed with Sirena doing little more than eating, sleeping, and putting on even more weight. At long last, there was a knock at the door and someone other than Bethany entered: Blaise.

Smiling, she used her arms to sit up in bed. "Have you good news? Is the zombie dead?"

"No, but I did fashion you a cane." He handed it to her. Made out of wood, the cane was wrapped in seaweed.

Sirena blinked back tears. "It's beautiful. Thank you." She struggled to get out of bed to test it out, but Blaise shook his head.

"The doctor has to give you the okay first."

She stuck out her lower lip. "Why sea … why seaweed?" she asked, her voice thick with emotion.

"You seem afraid of the water, but … I don't know. It suits you." He shrugged.

Sirena gulped. There it was again — the suspicion in his eyes. But how could he know her secret?

She rushed to ask, "No one has seen the zombie?"

"There have been several sightings, actually. But…" Blaise scratched his head. "The zombie hasn't attacked anyone since the day you broke your leg. It hasn't eaten anyone since before that."

Sirena furrowed her brows. "Why do you think that is?"

"I have no idea." He stood. "I had best be going. The king wants to talk to me. Oh, and the queen wanted me to tell you that your bravery is quite commendable, and you are welcome to stay here in the castle as long as you like." He nodded deeply, almost a bow, and left the room before she could say anything.

Sirena leaned against the wall while still sitting on her bed. The zombie wasn't feeding anymore. Was it not hungry anymore? Or was there another reason?

"Love," she murmured. Then she shook her head. Zombies were incapable of love.

And yet, weren't legs and mermaids incompatible as well?

A war was raging within him. His chest was tight. His stomach was empty. He was starved — for both flesh
and
love.

As hungry as he was, he couldn't stand the thought of eating another human. The idea sickened him, even as his body craved it. He now tried to avoid people as much as possible, afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself if he smelled their delicious meat, if he heard their heartbeat.

But he couldn't live this way. Not for long.

At first, he had continued to go into town to look for her, but he never saw the girl again. He thought of her without ceasing. If it weren't for her, he would still be a monster.

Yet he remained a monster. Nothing could change that.

Maybe he could change his fate.

He abandoned the familiar shadows of the forest. The moon lit his path as he walked onto the beach, stepping forward until the tide tickled his toes, crept up to his ankles, touched his knees, soaked his chest, covered his mouth, submerged his entire body. Still, he continued walking forward and opened his mouth, breathing in the water, waiting for it to fill his lungs so he could end his hunger, and his misery, since love itself wasn't a comfort, not without her by his side.

A minute passed, then another. He continued to breathe in the water, and yet he didn't die. He wasn't drowning.

What was he supposed to do now? He didn't want to live — not like this.

Several tiny fish swam by him. He didn't bother to eat them even though he was famished. What was the point? Maybe he could wither away into nothingness.

A familiar thumping filled his ears. A heartbeat. His body reacted to the sound, and his mouth watered. He closed his eyes and held still until he couldn't any longer, and he whirled around.

A half-man half-fish creature stared at him, a golden weapon in his hand.

He could see the pulse of his heartbeat in the large vein on his neck. Although he wanted to lunge for the creature's throat, he refrained, struggling against his body's basest instinct. Spreading out his arms, he closed his eyes. If the creature had come here to kill him, he was ready to die.

Time passed as he waited. And waited. And waited. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes again. "K-k-kill … m-me…" he managed to say. His throat burned when he tried to talk. It burned when he breathed. The only time it didn't burn was when he was drinking blood and eating flesh.

"No," the creature said.

"Please…" he begged. He dimly remembered a feeling, one that evoked tears, but he couldn't produce them, not that they would be seen in the water.

"Who did this to you?"

He frowned, not sure what fish-man meant. This time, he couldn't get out more than grunts and groans.

The creature swam up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, I see. That damn witch. I'm not sure how you got entangled with her."

Her? The creature did not seem to like this her, so she must not be the girl he loved.

The creature muttered something and waved the weapon around, swirling it near his right shoulder, then his left, then near his legs, and above his head.

A numbing sensation filled his toes and worked its way up his legs to his torso, his arms, his neck, and his face. Dry, cracked skin healed itself, the gaping holes of missing flesh healed up, his broken nails healed, his teeth straightened, his hair untangled. The hunger burning in his stomach disappeared. The fog that clouded his mind cleared. All that remained was his love for Sirena.

He remembered everything now — diving to find her, seeing her sweet face, hearing her promise to save him before he breathed his last, and the nothingness of death until a strange half-human half-squid thing appeared and changed him into a zombie.

Oh, God, the people he had killed… The people he had
eaten
. What had he done?

Kristian choked back a sob, and water filled his lungs.

The merman in front of him waved his trident. Kristian's lungs burned for a second until his drowning stopped. He could now breathe under the water.

"I'm sorry about that," the merman said.

"How did you…" Kristian shook his head. "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it." The merman waved his hand. "I have no love for Merlinasea."

"Merlinasea?"

"The sea witch. I could see her enchantment on you. What did you do to cross her?"

Kristian hesitated. "Can I ask you a question? Then I'll answer all of yours."

The merman's eyes darkened for a moment before he curtly nodded. "Go ahead."

Kristian gaped at him, the realization that he was talking to a merman beginning to sink in. Could that crazy Blaise have been right all along about there something strange about Sirena — only instead of being a selkie, she was a mermaid?

"Do you know… You have to. Don't you?" He was rambling and not making sense, not even to himself. "I-Is… Is Sirena here? Is she a mermaid? Is she okay? She… I…"

The merman's face twisted into fury and rage. "How do you know of — of course. Now it all makes sense." He swam around Kristian in a tight circle. "How long have you known Sirena?"

"Ten years."

The merman snorted and pulled up short in front of Kristian. "And you knew she was a mermaid?"

"Not for certain until you just said so." Kristian didn't know which part of this revelation shocked him more — that Sirena was a mermaid or that Blaise had been right. His mind was a blur, and he began to float as he forgot to move his legs to keep him in place in the water.

"So you don't know where Sirena is?" the merman asked. "She's been missing for quite some time."

Kristian opened his mouth to say "no" when the rest of his zombie memories returned, and with it came a fierce dread that made his chest ache. "That witch — could she use her magic or whatever on mermaids?"

"Yes." The mermaid raised his white eyebrows. "Why?"

"I think she changed Sirena into a…"

"A what?" the merman roared.

Kristian glared at him. The sea creature seemed protective of Sirena — too protective. "Who are you?"

The merman shifted the trident so it pointed at Kristian. The threatening movement made Kristian suppose he wouldn't answer, but the merman said, "Her father. Who are you?"

"Her … her friend." Kristian gulped. It felt wrong to say "friend" but he could hardly say "lover" to her father, especially considering Sirena didn't know how he felt. He cleared his throat. "It's nice to meet you. Sirena never mentioned you."

He crossed his arms, his trident still pointed toward Kristian. "I would think not. I am not a man to be crossed."

Obviously not. Sirena's father had to have magic himself to be able to lift a curse or spell or whatever the sea witch had done to him.

"Sirena was changed into…" her father prompted.

"A… She has legs now, but she doesn't look like herself."

"What does she look like?"

"Like a…" Kristian sighed, stalling. The water here was a darker color than he had ever seen. Several schools of small fish swam nearby, most glowing or radiating light, a rather majestic sight, more beautiful than anything he had ever seen on his dives. A few larger fish swam sluggishly by, but none paid them any attention.

Kristian returned his gaze to Sirena's father, who was looking angrier with each passing second. The prince rushed to add, "Her back is hunched, her hair is always matted, her eyes are crazed, she walks as if it pains her…"

"Is she ugly?"

What a question to be asked, and by her father! Kristian coughed then nodded. Actually, the term "hag" came to mind, but he could never say that about his love. Even though she didn't look like herself, she remained his.

"She must have given up her looks for legs. That's my guess at least," the merman mused.

"Given up her looks?"

"That's how Merlinasea operates," Sirena's father explained. "She takes before she'll give."

"What did Sirena have to give up to save me?" Love and devotion filled his heart. If Sirena had gone to such lengths as to give up a part of herself for him, then she must love him in return. His chest swelled with pride.

"You needed saving?" The merman's tone was haughty, as if Kristian was a peasant and not worth his time.

Despite his infuriating attitude, Kristian remained unfazed. "When Sirena didn't come to see me like she'd promised, I went diving to find her—"

"I thought you said you didn't know she was a mermaid."

"I thought she might be a selkie. Anyhow, I thought something might be wrong so I tried to find her. I got caught in a current and ran out of air and died. That witch must have brought me back, but she turned me into a zombie."

Sirena's father tapped his fingers on his bulging bicep. "I'll forgive you for not knowing this, but I am the ruler of the sea. I am King Tritonion, and I deserve more respect than you are giving me."

"Well, I forgive you for not knowing this, but I am Prince Kristian of Heroica." As King Tritonion did not look amused, Kristian hurried to add, "What did Sirena have to give up in order to save me?"

"I don't know." He stared at something above Kristian and tilted his head.

Kristian had a suspicion the king had a guess, but he didn't seem willing to share it. "Is there anything I can do to help her?" He would do anything, risk anything, give up anything to be by her side again.

The king turned his back on him. "Don't you think you've caused her enough trouble? Leave her be."

"But—"

"I said let her be or else I'll do worse than turn you into a zombie." Sirena's father made no move closer to Kristian yet his form seemed much larger, as if he had ballooned to encompass a bigger body and longer fin.

Kristian's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious."

"I thought I told you to treat me with more respect!"

"You can't be serious, Your Highness!"

The king pointed his trident at Kristian, and the prince was no longer able to breathe underwater. He grabbed his throat and began to drown.