The dark waters of my home disappeared the same moment I was surrounded by a thick curtain of bubbles. I held my hand against Orca, afraid he would be pulled from me with the violence of the traveling. I didn’t scream, but only because I’d been trained otherwise. I would have, had it not been pushed out of me. The effervescence twisted me until I wasn’t certain which way was up, until I nearly couldn’t breathe.
Just as suddenly as it started, the spinning stopped, and I was immediately spit out into brighter waters, tumbling over myself until I was able to right my perspective. The water I found myself in wasn’t nearly as deep as Atlantis, the ocean life swimming around me was far different than what I was accustomed to. Brightly colored fish danced around us in a funnel, welcoming us to the new sea. I reached out my hand and let them slide between my claw-tipped fingers, relishing the feeling of such excitement.
They scattered suddenly, and it almost drew a gasp to my lips. I looked down at Orca with a chiding look when I realized why they’d gone. One of the smaller fishes wriggled in his grasp, panicking. The others were only fleeing the same fate.
“That isn’t very kind when they gave us such a warm welcome.” I gave him the eye until he let the little fish go with an unhappy chortle. It darted away into the water, in a hurry to rejoin its school. “We will find you a nice crab to feast on later.” That seemed to cheer him up marginally.
I glanced up at the surface, not very far from our heads, when the sound of splashing reached my sensitive ears. Odd vibrations danced across my skin from the sounds, as intricate as a lame whale. The sounds were disjointed, irregular. I didn’t have to swim far to appease my curiosity, and it seemed I had already found my first ship. I could sing and bring it down right away and return home, probably far faster than my sisters. I could beat them and be the first to bring a smile to our father’s face. Their faces would be priceless, equal parts admiration and displeasure.
But I was nothing if not a curious creature, so instead of sinking the ship as I yearned to do, I slowly approached and peered up, blinking the saltwater from my eyes. Orca latched himself onto the side of the vessel, waiting for me to decide what I wanted to do.
The ship was full of humans, mostly in sparkly outfits, which called to my coveting nature. I never could resist a bit of sparkle, my collection at home showcasing that. I had lots of shiny objects I had found in the seas. I wondered what I would have to do to steal one of those outfits. There were both men and women alike standing around, dancing, and chatting without a care in the world, as if their death wasn’t just around the corner, as if they weren’t simply waiting for me to grow bored of my curiosity. I was tempted to shake up the waters, make a few of them wobble on their feet or tumble into the sea, but I resisted.
Music came from somewhere onboard, harsh compared to a siren’s song, but sensuous nonetheless. It made me want to move, even if I was unaccustomed to the sound. It seemed to get the humans dancing at least. Most of them swayed if they weren’t full-on gyrating their hips. It was an odd dance that they enjoyed, sexual, tempting. I wondered how it would feel to move in such a way with a human man, and how it would be to play the part, to will my fin away and switch it for legs.
Orca chuffed at me from his position, urging me to decide.
“I think I’m going to go aboard,” I whispered, eyeing a man who was greedily watching the women sway. “Get closer.” Angry chortles were my answer. “I’ll be fine, little warrior. You stay here. I don’t know how kind these humans are to sea creatures.”
I left Orca alone with his annoyed huff and swam up to the back of the vessel, where it would be easier to pull myself up. Two humans swam in the ocean, so wrapped up in each other’s lips that they hardly noticed me swimming up. It was a blessing, because they couldn’t be allowed to see my tail. The number one rule of our people was to stay anonymous, to remain myths and nothing more. If the humans found out about our race, they would want to experiment on us, dissect us, and collect us. Evil creatures.
Once I grasped the edge of the ship, I willed my fin away, my siren magic glowing a pretty blue around it, as strong human legs took its place. I glanced behind me to see if the couple had noticed, but they had progressed from kissing to sloppy sex. I was tempted to watch for a moment, but decided neither were skilled enough to keep my attention. I pushed my legs through the water, getting a feel for the new appendages. I had never had the need for such a transition before, never having explored the human realm previously, but I was thankful for the powers. I would be able to walk among them with none the wiser. They would never know I was a monster in their midst.
I hoisted myself over the edge, the saltwater running down my body in rivers, and every eye around met mine. I knew what they saw, black hair streaked with white and blue, pale skin, blood-red lips, and pale blue eyes. My sisters teased me playfully all the time, such a dark little siren I was. Even my tail appeared black. You could only see the pearlescent blue sheen under optimal lighting, and in the dark depths of Atlantis, the sheen was rarely seen at all.
“Hey, baby. You lookin’ for a good time?”
I tilted my head towards the human who spoke, his eyes focused on my chest. I pursed my lips. Perhaps, I should have acquired one of the sparkly outfits before climbing aboard. My nudity seemed to be too great of a distraction for the men, their eyes remaining locked on my flesh. It seemed, no matter the species, men cared for only one thing.
“She wants to hang out with me, don’t you, sweetheart?” another male said, drawing my attention. Neither man was particularly pleasing to the eye. They smelled like stale ocean and dead things, whatever they sprayed on themselves to attract women was having the opposite effect on me. It made my nose wrinkle in disgust, and they seemed to have drowned themselves in the scent.
“No, thank you,” I replied, turning away. They weren’t worth any extra effort. They would be dead soon anyway. “I’m not interested in your dry words.”
“You must be interested in something, or else you’d be wearing clothes,” another commented. I rolled my eyes at that. “Naked women want to be pleasured, and lucky you, here I am.”
This time, I turned to the man who’d added his opinion. He was wearing less than the others, with his chest on display. He was nicer to look at, sure, but the way his eyes perused my naked flesh immediately made me want to gouge out his eyes. I could have crushed his windpipe faster than he could blink, and still, he reached forward in an attempt to curl his horrible, slimy fingers around my wrist. I jerked away, too fast for him to capture it, and confusion clouded his eyes.
“Come on, baby.” He curled his lips back from his teeth, flicking his tongue out repeatedly like some sort of serpent. Was that supposed to arouse me? It only made me think of the squid that hung around Atlantis. All useless limbs. “I can show you a good time.”
‘’You lay a hand on me, and I’ll chop it off.” I didn’t have any infliction behind my words, not truly worried about him. It wasn’t an empty threat, but I preferred not to flex my strength so soon.
His expression immediately morphed, going from attempted wooing to anger faster than any merman back home. “Fucking bitch,” he snarled.
I didn’t know what his words meant, but they certainly had an insulting tone to them. I barely moved to take a step forward when something wrapped around me from behind. I dropped and prepared for a fight with whatever had grabbed me, crazy memories of a run-in with the giant squid of the abyss came to the surface of my mind, but I only found a small female with kindness in her eyes. She was dressed in a sparkly green outfit, shimmering like the most glorious of mermaid tails, and her hair was beautifully styled on top of her head. When I looked down at what she had wrapped around me, I realized it was some sort of scratchy cloth, and that she’d only been trying to cover me up.
“Fuck off, Geoff!” she snapped at the man, flipping her middle finger at him. “Cause trouble again, and you’re off the yacht.”
“Oh, come on, Carrie! I was just
having a bit of fun.” The grimace that crossed his face told me all I needed to know, that he feared being kicked out from the party more than he wanted to pursue any more trouble with me.
“Ignore him,” the small woman whispered. “He’s just salty because none of the women on this ship will have anything to do with him. Surprise! We don’t like being ogled like steaks.”
I wrinkled my brow at her. She was shorter than me by a few inches, even with the stilts she wore on her feet. I couldn’t imagine walking in such things, but then again, my sisters had once cinched me into some sort of contraption meant to enhance one’s backside. I’d lasted a mere hour before I’d made them take off the thing, but I had to admit, it did make my ass look good.
“Thank you?” I said, peering into her eyes. Hers were a brilliant jade color, and it brought a small smile to my face. Such beauty would be revered in my kingdom. I had never seen such a color in eyes, not in Atlantis. I considered adding her to my collection, but sadly, I realized the color would not remain in death. I frowned. Perhaps, I should allow her to live to maintain such a beauty. It would be a shame to douse that uniqueness.
“Don’t worry about it, girl. Where are your clothes? Walking around naked here will only get you more catcalls and rude comments. You do you, but just be careful about which ones you walk by. I wouldn’t want to have to clean up the mess after you kicked their ass.”
I shook my head, chuckling at her view of me. It was true, I would most likely slaughter the next one that tried to grab me. “I don’t have any clothing.”
“Did those bastards steal them when you went swimming? I’ll murder the lot. We have a very strict no harassment rule onboard this ship. Come on. I have an overnight bag in my room below deck. Roger is nothing but kind and lets women have the rooms on the yacht. The men have to sleep wherever they can if they want to be on here.”
“Who’s Roger?” I asked, curious about the man she spoke so highly of. There was an obvious tinge of respect in her tone, and I wasn’t aware humans were capable of such feelings.
She looked up at me, her brows drawn as she led me below deck. “He’s the one throwing this party. Did you not know whose ship you climbed on to? I didn’t think you were allowed on here without an invitation.”
“Ah, yes, that Roger,” I commented, not wanting to raise more suspicion. Apparently, I’d come aboard some sort of private party. Perhaps the stares I was getting were from more than my nudity. I was a stranger aboard a ship that shouldn’t have strangers.
“Your hair is gorgeous by the way. Do you have a specific stylist? Oh! My name is Caroline, but you can call me Carrie.”
“I’m Luecoisa, but my sisters call me Coi. And my hair is natural.”
Carrie winked at me conspirately. “Of course it is. My boobs are natural too.”
That fast, I decided I liked the female. She was far different from what I imagined. I would still sink this ship, but perhaps I would make sure she found the life rafts available on board. Maybe, I would make sure she was rescued.
Carrie led me down a small set of steps, through a corridor, and into an opulent room. I hadn’t expected such beauty beneath the surface, and that was something I couldn’t fathom. It was very much like the ocean, beauties hidden underneath you couldn’t see from above.
“Can you tell me more about Roger?” I asked, taking a seat on a platform in the middle of the room. It was soft beneath me, cushioning like a bed of kelp. I bounced a little on it, and Carrie gave me an amused look.
She started to dig through a bag, producing clothing from inside. “You haven’t heard of him?” She handed me a few of the items she pulled free. “Luckily, I like my sweats huge, so they’ll fit your leaner legs. The tank top might be a bit small, but it’ll cover the important bits.”
“I only know his name,” I replied honestly, taking the items she held out to me. Carrie didn’t strike me as a creature who would give away my ignorance. She proved my theory when she sat down beside me with a smile on her face.
“I totally knew you had no idea whose yacht this is. I can tell you everything. Just make sure not to mention you don’t know him to the guys with dark sunglasses. They’re actually the security.”
“No dark sunglasses,” I repeated, not knowing what she was speaking of but nodding my head anyway.
“I work for Roger. His full name is Roger Malone, and he’s a self-made billionaire. He owns massive shares in the oil industry and makes his money by forcing giant companies to drill more humanely, without destroying the land. The papers call him some sort of billionaire activist, but honestly, he’s just a really great guy. He hired me straight out of college as his resident geologist, and I’ve never looked back.”
“So, you and Roger are lovers?” He sounded interesting, powerful, and I was curious as to whether he was tied to this female or not. Curious to test these legs out for something other than walking, I couldn’t think of a better way than sex. Sex in Atlantis is a weird sort of dance. Sex in the human world seemed much more fun.
I’d always been drawn to power, and this Roger sounded like the most powerful man onboard. I was not opposed to Carrie being a part of the deal. I was attracted to beauty, not gender.
Carrie laughed as if I had said the funniest thing in the world. The sound was infectious, and my own smile crawled across my face in answer. “Lord, no. He’s my boss, and he’s never tried to overstep. He’s hot as hell, but he’s also sort of like a big brother to me. He lets me come to these parties because he has no desire to be a part of them. I’m in charge of all the heathens outside.” She turned down her brow, an apology in her eyes. “Sorry about that. No matter how often I bust them, they just keep acting like idiots. Money doesn’t make you decent, apparently.”
I chuckled at her obvious distress for the males aboard. “Men are all the same, no? They think that if something is in front of them and they want it, then they should take it for themselves. It doesn’t matter what species they are.”
Carrie shrugged. “They’re not all bad. Roger isn’t like that. Women throw themselves at him all the time. He just doesn’t care for the blonde bimbos or the gold diggers.”
“Gold diggers?”
“Women who want his money.”
Well, I cannot fault them for that if the money is shiny. I, too, like sparkly things. “Ah, there are many of those?”
“Too many. That seems to be all that’s ever aboard this yacht. It gets tiresome. Roger hides. I’m being paid not to.” She glanced down at something on her wrist. “Speaking of, I should probably get back to the party. They’ve no doubt started trouble by now. You’re welcome to stay down here, Coi. This is my room, so you can either stay here or explore. Just knock before you enter a room. You never know what kind of horrors you’ll see these people get up to.” She shivered as if she had lots of horrible memories and left me alone in her room, a siren that intended to kill them all, except maybe not her. I couldn’t decide quite yet if I wanted to start sparing humans.
How did a siren choose her target? Should I just sink whatever ship I find, maybe save those my whims demanded me to? Should I just kill them all and pretend I didn’t see bright lights in the evil? There were no rules stating I must kill every single person aboard, but the more we fed the sea, the better she thrived. This ship had plenty of undesirable souls aboard I could feed to the depths. Saving one wouldn’t be such a big deal, I didn’t think. And besides, when did I ever care about rules?
I pulled on the clothing Carrie left for me, the pants were so loose around my waist that I had to roll and tie them. I had no idea how the smaller woman kept them on her legs. The top stopped right above my belly button, leaving a large amount of skin revealed, but it did, indeed, cover my breasts at least. I shook my hair out, willing it to dry and settle around my shoulders, the crackle of my magic completing the task quickly, before I stepped from the room.
I had no desire to go back above deck. Instead, I was more curious about what lay below. I star
ted trying the doors, disappointed to find many of them locked. I could break inside, but that seemed counterintuitive. I didn’t want to call too much attention to myself before I was ready. I didn’t knock on any of them, and when I threw open the first unlocked door, it was to find it empty of any humans. I didn’t find anyone at all until the fourth unlocked door, and that one had something very promising.
Inside, there were four humans intertwined. Two women and two men were in the middle of some very curious sexual acts, ones I have not been privy to with a fin. Humans got the luck of the draw when it came to sex it seemed. I found myself watching the humans for longer than necessary, entranced. One of the women rested on her knees, a man taking her from behind vigorously as she moaned out in pleasure against the apex of the other woman’s thighs. The woman being licked by her had her mouth full of the second man’s member. I stood there much too long, until I drew attention.
“Why don’t you join us, baby?” the man pumping inside the woman from behind asked me, his eyes beckoning me forward. I was tempted, so incredibly curious, but ultimately, I decided to back out of the room and close the door behind me. They had already set their pace, and if I joined I would have interrupted that. Besides, I didn’t like odd numbers.
“Find something interesting?” The new voice caught me off guard, and I nearly tripped on my legs when I spun. Damn feet. I missed my fin. The man behind me laughed, catching me by my biceps to steady me. He let go just as quickly with an apology on his face. “Easy there. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Who are you?” I questioned harshly, a little flustered at being caught off guard.
This new man was far superior in looks compared to the ones I had seen. He was dressed in similar attire to what Carrie gave me, comfortable as he could possibly be. His shirt fit him like a second skin, letting all his muscle definition show through. His hair was tousled as if he’d been running his hand through it all day, so dark it almost matched my black if it wasn’t for the flashes of red. But his eyes were another beautiful color. They were almost violet, the color of the coral deep within our cave in Atlantis. They should have been feminine, especially with the full, dark lashes surrounding them, but on his face, they were wholly masculine.
Shipwreck Souls Page 19