Page 3 of Bind Me

For a split second, her gaze softens and lulls me into believing she’s coming back to me and will help Daddy.

“Get away from me, little fin,” she groans, using her nickname for me, her voice sounding desperate. “I’m sorry.”

A whimper slips past my lips at seeing the mommy I remember.

In that same second, she pushes me away with a painful shove to my chest. I stumble and lose my footing in the mud and swirling eddies of the riverbank. I catch myself just in time to see her transformation into a siren complete.

She looks like my mom but different, like she’s lost weight in her face, her eyes darker, her teeth sharper, her fingernails pointed.

In a heartbeat, she dives toward Daddy, and a dark, iridescent pink tail splashes out. It’s so much darker than her usual bright pink one. The water accepts her quickly, and they’re both gone, Daddy dragged under by her.

I cry out, the sound tearing from deep inside me. My mermaid form bursts forth, tearing my clothes off me, a response to everything I’ve seen. I dive into the murky, restless river, searching through the silt and shadows for any sign of them. Left and right, I swim frantically, beating my small tail and screaming in the water.

But there’s nothing… only the cold depths.

I surface, crying while the current tugs me away from the house that no longer feels like home. With every ounce of strength, I swim, my tail beating against the push of the water and my arms slicing through the chill until I reach the bank, breathless. Collapsing on the muddy shore, I curl into myself as water sloshes across my tail.

The truth of what my mommy did rains down on me, settling into my heart like a stone.

Mommy’s become a siren—a creature many fear, no longer able to change back into her human form. Her transformation is complete.

Daddy must have been her final victim because he said once a mermaid drowns a number of victims with a kiss of death, they will eventually become a siren. Then they’ll never be able to return to being a mermaid.

Is that what Daddy was arguing with her about earlier?

The sea calls her now, the wild. She’s not my mommy anymore. I hiccup a cry. She’s now the monster who killed my daddy.

I curl up tighter, unsure I’ll ever be able to stop crying again.

Chapter 1

Sasha

Fifteen Years Later

“Are you sure this is the place?” Scout’s voice cuts through the creeping fog rolling over one of the oldest docks in South Africa.

“Yep.” I keep my gaze fixed on the dimly lit warehouses along the dock that give off an unsettling vibe, as if the weather is holding its breath, waiting for something menacing to happen. These old docks we’re walking along seem stuck in time, the place weather-beaten under the weight of the damp air, the moored ships nearby groaning like ghosts. And this strange green tint to the fog spreading over us makes the gas lamps along the dock stretch out like long, twisted shadows.

If I weren’t at work, I might have enjoyed the creepy vibes more, reminded of the noir murder mystery books I like to devour. Instead, I’m focused on the target we’re hunting down—an animal-trafficking asshole who’s skipped bail.

“If I were on the run, I sure as fuck wouldn’t be hiding out here, of all places.” Scout scrunches his long nose at the dilapidated building we’re nearing, which looks ready to fall into a heap any moment. To me, it’s the perfect hiding spot.

“Does it matter?” I say, speeding up, scanning for building numbers, searching for A32. “We’re taking the bastard in today.” I have no doubt in my ability… as long as we find him first before another bounty hunter does.

I’ve been working for Prime Bonds Recovery for the past five years and have an excellent track record for catching more targets than anyone else in the company. I suspect that’s why the boss sent me on this high-profile mission.

But why he threw in Scout as my partner for this task is a joke. The guy started at the company four months ago, yet his father is filthy rich and is buddies with my boss. Of course, that’s the reason. I can’t help but cut Scout a side glare.

I worked my ass off for years before I was trusted to retrieve big targets… unlike some people. Evidently, knowing the right people can escalate your seniority at work.

Except this mission isn’t about me. I want this target taken down. The guy’s been caught red-handed illegally importing and selling animals from different Houses around the globe. There are whispers of him trafficking children as well, but without proof, he was released on bail.

I want him brought in.

The other Houses want him taken down, too, and seeing as he resides in South Africa, in the House of Gold and Garnet and under the reign of King Kaspian, who is personally interested in this case, we have the added pressure of ensuring we don’t fuck this up.

Our king controls several countries, though he’s located at the headquarters in Reykjavík, Iceland. Our House represents wealth and prestige and is also a place where the largest concentration of mercenaries and bounty hunters can be found. So, if anyone can find a criminal, it’s one of us. It’s also why so many other Houses around the world hire experts from the House of Gold and Garnet to carry out their dangerous missions.

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