Page 35 of Cursed By a Siren's Kiss

“I already told you what I wanted,” he said with a shake of his head. “You have something that belongs to us.”

“And I already told you that isn’t possible,” I shouted. I couldn’t hold the darkness at bay for much longer, and then every single one of my men would pay the price of my curse, my greed.

Movement behind him caught my eye and I stilled, not even daring to breathe as I watched the door to the lower deck open a crack. They hadn’t noticed her yet, and I silently willed her to go back below deck, to hide and stay safe. I could handle these sailors if I needed to, it would just cost me most of my crew in the process.

“Well, that simply isn’t true. A little fishy told me you have exactly what I am looking for. In fact, he led me straight to you. You have someone I need to thank for my new position, with my blade across her throat,” he said, lifting his pristine blade in front of him as he inspected the silver edge.

“You did all of this for a girl?” I laughed. “Why didn’t you say so?”

He narrowed his gaze to me, stepping closer to me. “So you do have her then.”

“Yeah,” I replied with a scoff, “and she ain’t worth the men you took from me.”

She shoved the door open until it banged, her anger clear in the draw of her brows as she crossed her arms over her chest. My clothing hung loosely over her frame, but still, my gaze was drawn to her curves, her attitude, and that feisty anger boilingbeneath her skin. “You came for me?” she asked, her voice a song that stole my strength.

The captain of the enemy ship turned his back to me as he faced her. “Ah, there you are. The beauty who got away. I see you didn’t leave everything behind though.”

Talia smirked, holding her hand up to inspect the delicate ring on her pointer finger, a blood red gem winking in the early morning light. She shrugged. “A simple reminder of a time poorly spent.” Her glittering gaze pierced the man with a hard, furious glare. “You must be Captain Martin. The man responsible for collecting his slaves.”

Her accusation caused me to flinch as painful memories surfaced of a past I had long since forgotten. Before I’d sailed the seas as the first mate of Captain ‘Cannonball’ Jack, I’d been rescued from a slave ship. A ship I’d been forced to work on and a ship he had sunk with victims still trapped in their cages as they’d sunk to the bottom of the sea.

“I will go with you,” she said, taking another step toward the enemy captain, her voice and movements fluid. “If you agree to let these men go.”

My body tensed, my fingers curling around the ropes as I waited for my moment to strike. I watched the captain’s shoulders loosen, the sword in his grip lower as he watched her prowl closer.

Talia’s hair glistened beneath the glittering sunlight breaking over the horizon, painting the skies in hues of orange and pink that seemed far too beautiful for this moment where everything was caught in the balance. She sauntered closer to him, her fingers lifting seductively as if to touch his bearded cheek. Her lower lip sucked between her teeth as she watched him.

“You want me to let the infamous Black-Eyes go free? If I sink his ship, do you have any idea how much renown I’d earn?” the captain replied.

She smiled. “Do you know how much renown you’d earn simply by having me at your side?” she returned. “I’ll go with you willingly. After all, I didn’t really choose to come aboard this ship.”

Her words contradicted each other, but it was the only indicator I had that she still played the game. She offered to freely go with them, claiming I’d stolen her away, which was true enough, but then also fought for our lives. A pure enigma. When her gaze flicked my way, they flashed with intent, and I knew in a moment it would be time to act.

“You don’t need them,” she continued, her fingers glazing softly against the captain’s cheek as his bones went slack. I watched his men from the corner of my eye, noticing that the holds on their swords also slackened. “You’ll have me.”

Before he had a chance to react, her other hand came up and dark claws broke from her fingertips. Within a second, her entire body sprung, and she coiled herself around the captain, wrapping herself until her legs bound his arms to his sides as her sharpened teeth clamped around his neck at the same time her claws raked up his back.

I yanked on the ropes binding my wrists, and the two men holding me stumbled forward, their swords sloppy in their grips as they swung wildly at me. I dodged one swing and sent my shoulder into the stomach of the other.

Talia’s bare feet slammed into the bloodied deck, and she wrapped herself around another sailor, her teeth tearing the throat out of her victim within the blink of an eye. Blood poured down her chin, her neck, and stained my shirt, but she didn’t even seem to notice as she just fought alongside my men for our ship.

The slice of a blade tore at my shoulder and I swung my body around, ducking and throwing a hard kick into the groin of thesailor who’d cut me. I used the rope still clinging to my wrist and wrapped it around his neck until I heard an unsettling pop.

My feet were knocked out from beneath me, and my head slammed into the deck hard. Talia slid across the deck until she stood over me, her claws swiping at anyone who came close enough. My vision narrowed, and darkness threatened to pull me under.

A body thudded to the deck next to me, blood splattering my face as my head lulled to the side. The early morning light faded into the darkness as everything went black.

Chapter 23

The Knife Slipped

The Siren

The morning hours passed slowly as I watched over Kipp’s limp form. Several of his crew had carried him to his quarters, and while they had seemed weary to leave him with me, I had insisted. It had been Patton who had convinced them it would be okay, reminding them that it had been me that had turned the tides in the battle waged under the dawning sun. He’d left last, making sure I knew not to misplace the trust he bestowed upon me. I’d simply scoffed and waved him off, and I’d sat here in silence ever since.

I’d removed his shirt to dress the wounds he’d suffered, the lines of his chest a map I wanted to discover as my gaze lingered hungrily. The bandages along his abdomen already darkened with his blood, and I peeled them away to replace them with fresh ones. His wounds had been deep, but already his skin seemed to be melding together at a rapid pace. Soon, scars would be all that remained.

Crossing the room, I dropped the soiled bandages into a trash bin by his desk, wincing at the movement. I’d felt thetug of pain at my side when I’d remained in this room after we’d been rudely awakened earlier today. The shirt slipped from my shoulders before I realized what I was doing, my fingertips prodding the new lines that had sliced into my skin at the same time Kipp had been injured. It had been why I’d chosen not to remain where he’d told me to stay.

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