Page 14 of Of Song and Darkness

Relief washed over me when he slightly angled his body to face me. I swallowed past my rising hysteria as his eyes bore into mine.

“If you take me to Medusa, in exchange for your help, I will offer you the treasure of a sunken ship that went down off the coast of Brazil.”

It wasn’t a lie, exactly. I had discovered that ship on the way to the Caribbean Sea. I wasn’t about to tell him that the ship was loaded with barrels of slimy gunk that smelled worse than something that had died.

He stepped closer to me. His scent assaulted me full force at his nearness, and I couldn’t help but breathe him in. He smelled of the salty sea air that I longed for, with a mixture of masculinity and spice.

He stalked closer to the bars like a predator and rammed his hand through them. “You have yourself a deal, siren.”

I looked down at his hand like it was a shark preparing to amputate my arm if I ventured too close. The last time he touched me, I ended up with a split forehead. I had no intention of repeating that mistake.

“Smart little fish. You might make it after all. But let me warn you, if you ever try to use your siren song on me or any of my crew members again, I will carve you into tiny pieces and use you as shark bait.” His voice boomed and bounced off the walls as he walked up the stairs and left me behind in the darkness.

Cael noticed the smile on my face as I ventured up from the dark hole and back into the fresh, salty air. With a quick jerk of my head, I motioned for him to relinquish the wheel to me. He complied, taking his place to my left, feet apart and arms behind his back. I quickly checked our heading, and I was not at all surprised that we were right on course. Cael could sail just as well as I could.

My mind drifted back to the siren I had locked up tight in the brig. She fell headfirst into my trap. Now she believed she was paying me to take her to Medusa, unaware that a sea witch had an alternative agenda and a prize that I valued above treasure.

“We should arrive in Turronto Port by midmorning tomorrow.” Cael cleared his throat, stating the obvious.

I turned my attention to him, waiting for him to reveal what he actually wanted to say versus this idle small talk.

“If you have something to say, spill it,” I said harsher than I intended, but between my handicapped ship, a siren aboard, and the fact that we were behind schedule, my patience was long past expired.

Cael’s gaze darted around, as if ensuring no one was around to overhear the conversation. The ship was quiet at this point. It was smooth sailing once we were in open waters, except for a few minor rigging and sail adjustments. Most of the crew had retired for the evening in search of much-needed food and rest.

“I take it by the look on your face that your first encounter with the siren went well?” Cael raised a questioning eyebrow at me, obviously hinting at the smile that was on my face when I came from below.

The mere mention of the siren immediately had my mind conjuring up her image, making me hot beneath the collar. The uncomfortable sensation had me reaching up and tugging at my shirt to let in the cool sea breeze. She was beyond dangerous and borderline deadly. If she could make someone like me, someone who hated every fanatical creature that swam below the surface, to be lustful, then she was a force to be reckoned with.

“Well?” Cael pressed when I did not answer him immediately.

“She offered us the treasure of a sunken ship if we agreed to take her to Medusa,” I said barely above a whisper. The name Medusa would have my men jumping ship if they overheard me.

“Pity we will never see it,” Cael stated the obvious.

“We won’t need it after I get my hands on the Wraith.” Thinking about that glorious ship had my skin tingling with anticipation.

“How are you going to keep her in check until we reach Medusa? She is a siren, you know. Not all of us can withstand the song.” Cael’s worried gaze washed over me, and then he turned his eyes back to the ocean.

“She’s already tried her song on me and quickly discovered it did not work. I also told her that if she tried it again, I would chop her up into shark bait.”

“Do you think that threat will deter her for long?” Cael asked without taking his eyes from the horizon.

I followed his gaze to the skyline, admiring the sunset as the last orange rays danced across the sky before twilight gave way to the stars. The colors reflected across the darkening blue sea, setting our faces aglow with the waning light. This was my favorite time of day and the most peaceful, but Cael was messing that up with his constant worrying.

“Probably not, but I think it took her confidence down a peg when her song didn’t work on me. It will probably be a while before she tries it again,” I stated honestly. I learned long ago that I was not affected by siren songs, which possibly added fuel to my rampage of sea monster slaughtering. If sirens, the predators of the Seven Seas, couldn’t take me down, what beast could? Was I too cocky? Probably, and it would likely be the death of me, but I wouldn’t go down without a fight.

“Hmph,” was Cael’s response to my oversized ego.

“I can keep the siren in check. You just make sure that the crew doesn’t learn the truth about any of this until there is no turning back,” I warned.

Cael’s gaze drifted to me. “Do you want me to watch her tonight?”

“No need. I locked the room to the brig, and I have the only key. She’s not going anywhere, and no one can get to her in there. I say we retire for the night; it’s been a long day.” I stretched my tightly wound muscles. “Call that new helmsman and have him take over steering,” I instructed as I headed for my cabin and, hopefully, a restful night’s sleep.

“What is that bloody noise?” When I slung my cabin door open, I nearly tore the hinges off it. I stormed out of the room only to be met by Cael.

“There seems to be something wrong with your prisoner. Her screeching would wake the dead!” Cael met me in the doorway and motioned below to the brig.

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