The human before me smiles. “Won’t be following that order, Captain. I’ll just take this stuff up top, then.”
A human girl. I hiss at her. She’s incapable of joining in the fun. Her back turns to me, and my blood boils inside me. How dare she dismiss me! I lunge at the bars, banging and tugging, but they will not move. They’ve trapped me. The disgusting humans. I can sense them moving above. I sing out to one after another, trying to find an ear to free me, but none answer my call.
Some of the power leaves me. My body itches with need. I look around quickly, and my eyes land on a bucket of water. My fingers sink in, gathering it to me, and I sigh from the pleasure of it. Far below me, I can sense the sea life. Water rushes across gills, curls over tentacles, bubbles up from the sandy bottom. A startled fish changes direction at the approach of the ship. A dolphin prepares to breach the surface. A whale hums far in the distance.
And I am queen over them all.
This cage will not hold me long, and when I’m free, I will have the men on this ship dance for me until their feet bleed.
There’s a quiet groaning of hinges, a whisper of feet. A face peeks around the corner.
It’s one of the men. I smile at him coyly, showing just a hint of teeth. Not enough to show him the predator I am. With one curled finger, I beckon him forward. He listens, but takes no more than a couple of steps, distancing us by several feet.
He’s a handsome fellow with silky-looking brown hair. I can picture perfectly how it would look submerged underwater, the strands being brushed by the waves as his corpse bumps onto the shore.
There is a spark of fear in those rich brown eyes. They’re dotted with gold. Fascinating. If I could just reach one with the tip of my nail, I could pluck it out and …
Those eyes firm up with determination. Is he resolved to be unafraid? Well, let me help the poor fool. I round out my mouth and let a few low notes drop from my lips. It’s a slow, sensual rhythm that should bring him to me faster than he can blink.
But the man doesn’t move. He points to his ears. Ah, yes. The humans think they’re safe if they cannot hear me. Doesn’t he know I can do more than sing?
Very carefully, I roll my sleeves up past my elbows, showing off more skin. I run my fingers slowly through my hair, letting the strands fall around my shoulders. The man is riveted, watching my every move.
At last I lean back on the cushions, arching my breasts upward, and stroke the cushions next to me lovingly in invitation.
He turns right around and walks away from me, never giving me a second look. I half scream, half sing at him to return, but of course he cannot hear a thing. All it does is force me to take in more of the water.
*
I stretch and yawn after waking the next morning. Niridia is waiting for me outside the cell with breakfast and boots.
“Sleep well?”
“Like the dead.”
Satisfied that I’m my usual self, she opens the cell and thrusts the tray of food at me. While I busy myself with bread and eggs, Niridia reaches for the bucket.
“Had a rough night, did we?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, wiping crumbs from my face.
“There’s not a drop left.”
The siren in me will eventually give up calling on my crew with her song. There’s usually plenty of water left in the bucket. But last night was different.
It comes back to me quickly.
“Riden,” I growl.
“What?”
“The fool came down here last night.” I stuff the rest of my breakfast in my mouth and shove my feet into the boots as I walk.
“Stars help him,” Niridia mutters from behind me.
I’m up top in an instant, scanning the faces around me. I spot Mandsy in a corner, folding some clothing she’s likely just finished mending.
“Where is he?” I snap.
Riden was her charge until he finished healing. She knows exactly who I mean by he.
She points near the stowed rowboats, where Lotiya and Deshel have cornered Riden. That only makes my temper flare further.
“Allemos!” I shout. I don’t think I’ve ever called him by his surname before, but I’m so furious I can’t stand to let his first name come out of my mouth.
He looks up from the sisters, relief spreading across his features. Until he sees my face.
“Get your arse over here now!”
The girls giggle as he passes, staring at that arse as he moves.
When he finally reaches me, it’s impossible to keep my voice calm. “Draxen may have been lenient with you not following orders, but I do not tolerate it.”
He doesn’t look worried as he stands there. The wind blows across his hair, pressing the strands against his neck. I’m far too furious to become distracted by the slope of his neck.
“Have I done something?” he asks. The rest of the crew pretend to be focused on their chores, but I can tell they’re all listening.
“You were told to stay above deck last night, yet you deliberately disobeyed and ventured to the brig.”
He looks around at the others. “And just who claims to have seen me disobeying orders?”
“I saw you.” Idiot.
His eyes widen momentarily. “I didn’t realize you remembered things from when you’re all … different.”
“Whether you thought you’d be caught or not is irrelevant. You’re my prisoner. Disobeying orders isn’t an option for you. Need I remind you that your brother’s head does not need to remain attached to his neck?”
His nostrils flare, but he reins in his own temper and steps closer, speaking low so only I can hear. “I was only curious. I wanted to see you when you’re all wild. I didn’t take the wax out. I was careful.”
I speak just as loudly as before so everyone can hear. “I don’t care. You put everyone on this ship at risk with your curiosity.”
“Everyone was perfectly safe.”
I think of the lewd way in which I held myself, how I tried to beckon him closer by using my body as an incentive. I hate the siren.
“Do you know what would have happened if you had taken just three more steps? Let me tell you, since you excel at underestimating me. I would have been able to reach you through the bars. I’d have pulled your arm through. I’d have snapped it clean out of its socket. Then I’d have whittled at your finger bones until I’d fashioned them into lockpicks. Do you want to know what would have happened to you once I was out of the cell?”
His face has frozen. He manages a single shake of his head.
“I cannot control the siren. She is a monster, which is why we take precautions.”
“I didn’t realize—” He cuts off, and his voice turns firm, as if he can salvage this. “I wouldn’t have gone any closer. Your siren self does not interest me.”
“Niridia,” I practically shout, “lock him down in the brig. Riden needs some time to think. Have the lads put Vordan down there as well. Separate cells.” Riden hates Vordan as much as I do. He might try something.
“Aye, Captain,” she says.
I turn from them both and head for my quarters. I need to change.