Chapter 6

Cael jumped down from the splintered mast, his boots scuffing against the deck as he approached me. "Cap'n! The rigging is badly damaged. It will take all day to fix it."

I closed my eyes as anger bubbled up inside me. The storm last night had wreaked havoc on my ship. We should have been halfway to Andros by now, not stuck on some godforsaken island repairing our rigging and mast.

"Then I suggest you get to it instead of standing here telling me about it," I grumbled.

Cael shot me a lopsided smile and started yelling orders. He knew to avoid me when I was in one of these moods. I grabbed my scabbard, attached it to my hip, and joined my men in one of the dinghies. My anticipation swelled with each stroke of the oar, and an exasperated groan escaped my lips. We had two tasks to complete, and I was already lagging behind. Despite being a pirate, I prided myself on punctuality when it came to completing a job.

The small boat gently grazed the sandy shore, and my crew eagerly scrambled toward the untamed wilderness to gather supplies. I stopped midway as a mass of seagulls in the distance caught my attention. It was stupid and not time-efficient to go investigate whatever it was, but something about the scene bothered me.

"Carry on," I instructed my men as I headed down the beach.

Whatever was washed up had to be sizable for that many gulls to gather. My boots sloshed in the soft sand and sea spray, and my gaze fixated on streamers of seaweed as they danced in the surf.

I rounded a beachside boulder and came to an abrupt halt as I spotted the source of the gulls" excitement. There, stretched out on the sand, lay the lifeless form of a siren. As I approached, the gulls scattered into the sky. It had been years since I had seen a siren, so I leaned in for a closer look. Was this the siren that the sea witch had informed me was on the way? It had to be. The timing was too perfect.

I cursed under my breath and gritted my teeth in aggravation. The death of this siren also meant that my job of taking her to Medusa and then killing her was void, and so were my chances of getting the Wraith.

I glared at her, my eyes sweeping over her form. Her body was face down in the sand, and she had been through hell by the looks of it. Her tail fin looked like someone had taken a blade to it. It was probably a good thing she was dead because she wouldn't swim again anytime soon with that kind of damage to her tail.

I cautiously advanced and shoved her with the toe of my boot. Nothing. I turned to head back to my ship to rethink the situation. Maybe the sea witch would still give me the Wraith for just producing the siren's body? I needed to return to my ship and find something to wrap the remains in. I didn't want my crew members to see her, or they would become suspicious as to why I was carrying around the corpse of a siren.

Moaning stopped me in my tracks, and I slowly turned back around. Sink me! She was still alive. She seemed stunned as she wiggled until she flipped over and blinked up at the sun. Despite the veil of seaweed and sand, her features were striking. The sea witch said that I would know it was the princess when I saw her, and she was right. Nothing in my lifetime had prepared me for this sight. Sirens ensnared you with their mesmerizing beauty, which made them perilous, but this siren surpassed any description.

I remained vigilant as I approached, keeping my hand on the hilt of my sword. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Panic was evident in her demeanor. Might as well give her something to panic about…

I leaned over her, and our eyes met. "Well, well, what do we have here?" I gave her a rakish grin.

She writhed on the ground, hissing in my direction. She opened her mouth, but all that came out was a spew of sand. She began to sway slightly and then leaned over, expelling seawater and the contents of her stomach all over my boots.

"Bloody hell!" I cursed and stepped back, scraping my boots across the sand to rid them of the offending vomit.

When I glanced at her again, it was evident she wouldn"t survive; maybe it was merciful to end her suffering. I drew my sword from its scabbard, and the sharp hiss of metal against leather halted her frantic motions. Our gazes locked. Her dark, honey-swirled eyes momentarily captivated me, drawing me into a trance. They shimmered with unshed tears before a glint of something indescribable—something akin to bravery—flashed within them.

I should be glad that she was still alive and I could now uphold my bargain with the sea witch, but that meant I had to deal with a siren aboard my ship. That was something I should have considered, but I had no idea I would find her this quickly. I cursed and slowly slid my sword back into its scabbard.

A few moments ticked by as I tried to decide what to do with her. The siren cried out in pain, and I stepped back as her tail split, separating into two distinct limbs. A radiant light enveloped her as her tail morphed into legs. Her anguished cries reverberated, nearly shattering my eardrums. Eventually, she collapsed back onto the sandy shore, unconscious. As her wails ceased, a sense of relief washed over me.

I glanced back down at her, my curiosity piqued by the magic I just witnessed. She was now fully a woman, and I could not help but stare at her like a lecher. Let's be honest—I was a pirate, not a gentleman. I reached down to touch her hair. The hue was unlike any I had seen before. It reminded me of the rich interior of a ripe pomegranate. The sound of my crew rushing down the beach finally snapped me out of my haze, and I stood.

I quickly unbuttoned my shirt, pulled it off, and bent toward her. My crew did not need any more enticement. A lone woman on a beach was enough to cause a ruckus, but a naked woman on a beach would likely end in someone or something dying. I awkwardly sat her up. She flopped in my arms like a rag doll as I held her by the neck and tried haphazardly to push her arms through the sleeves of my shirt. I managed to get it on her and buttoned as Cael and the rest of my men rounded the beach and stopped dead upon seeing me.

"What goes, Cap'n?" Cael asked as he ventured closer, staring down at my newfound prize. I met his gaze and gave him a knowing look. It didn't take long for realization to dawn on him. He responded with a swift nod.

Flynt weaseled his way through the pack of men and reached for her. "Look at that fresh piece of meat."

"Stand down." My voice was calm but had an edge of warning and death to it, and he immediately straightened and fell back into the horde of men.

"Seems to be a wash-up," I answered before scooping down and lifting her in my arms.

"What are you going to do with her?" Cael played along with my story as I started back toward the ship.

"Look at her hands."

Cael lifted her swaying palm and inspected it closely.

"They haven't seen a day's worth of manual labor in their entire life. That means she could be worth a hefty price," I lied, and Cael nodded his head in understanding as I wove a tale through my crews' minds.

One thing about my men was that they valued money over a woman any day, so I was hoping that would deter them from her. Probably not, but it was worth a try. I certainly was not ready to announce to them that I was bringing a sea demon aboard my ship. Not until I had a chance to think the situation through. They would find out soon enough about the job I accepted.

"No one is to touch her until we find out how much she is worth." My voice rang loud and clear for all my men to hear as I reached the dinghy, sat down, and readjusted her in my lap. She flinched in my arms, prompting me to glance down at her face once more. It was a mistake, as I found myself immediately captivated by the flawlessness of her skin, the harmony of her facial proportions, and her petite, yet distinct, nose. Undoubtedly, she was destined to become a source of numerous headaches in the days ahead. Her presence posed a distracting complication that my crew and I couldn"t afford.

My men rushed to load the supplies needed to patch the ship. It would serve as a temporary bandage until we could reach a port and mend the damages. Yet another delay in my plans. At least one thing had gone my way this day. I had the siren I was supposed to find. I would not be surprised if the sea witch had caused the storm to wash us both up on the same island at the same time. If that were true and she was the one who caused the damage to my ship, my anger would increase tenfold.

Once we were back on the ship, the men crowded me in hopes of holding the woman while I climbed the rope ladder. They eagerly held out their outstretched arms. I walked past them in the swaying boat without so much as a word, slung her over my shoulder, and quickly scaled the ladder. They all watched me like a bunch of buzzards as I repositioned her in my arms and headed below.

Bringing a woman aboard, especially a siren, was a hazard waiting to happen, but if my men valued their innards, they would obey me no matter how tempting this little morsel in my arms was. I booted the brig door open, walked inside, and laid her on the rickety cot. Her mass of red hair fell across her face, and I brushed it aside. Cael cleared his throat behind me, and I quickly pulled my hand away from her.

"Watch her like a hawk," I instructed him as I walked out of the cell and closed the door behind me. The creak of the bolt-action lock slid into place, and I put the key in my pocket. "I don't want anyone else down here, and the minute her eyes open, come and get me."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Cael answered, standing up straighter, obviously still pissed with the whole situation.

"Don't be a smartass. We cannot afford any mistakes," I warned. "You know as well as I do that sirens are devious creatures. There's no telling what a princess is capable of."

"Which is why this whole thing is a bad idea," Cael snapped as I started ascending the stairway.

"Your concern is duly noted." I smirked and continued up to the deck to help my men repair the ship so we could get underway as soon as possible.

"Look alive, ingrates! We're wasting daylight!" I thundered just as soon as my feet hit the deck.

Suspicion lingered in the glances of my men, their curiosity smoldering, eager to inquire about the girl. I scanned each of their faces, my posture and aura daring them to broach the subject. Swiftly, they averted their gazes, refocusing on the preparations needed to set sail.

"Tie it tighter, Rat," I bellowed, my voice carrying on the cool morning breeze.

"Aye, Capitán," he answered and quickly retied the rigging.

Minutes turned to hours before the ship was ready to sail. The intensifying heat of the day only served to stoke my mounting impatience and aggravation. After I inspected the crew's work and was satisfied that it was seaworthy, we hauled up the anchor and easily sailed through the surf break.

I cast a cautious gaze over the expansive, open ocean. I didn't trust that sea witch or the little siren she supposedly wanted me to kill. The thought had crossed my mind that this entire thing was a trap, and their sole purpose was to end my crew and myself to rid the world of another human that hunted their kind. I chuckled inwardly at the notion. They would have to do better than sending a little siren princess if they wanted to get rid of me.