Page 1 of The Pirate and His Siren

CHAPTER ONE

LUARNA

“What is wrong with you?” I ask, perplexed, as Ikina jerks when I run the comb through the locks of her long black hair.

She’s been fidgeting and anxious all day, so I offered her this pampering session.

Nothing is more relaxing than getting your hair brushed. Well, maybe a scalp massage, but I’d already done that.

“Nothing…” She twists to the side, her dark almond eyes peering up at me, and begins playing with the pearl strands connected to the middle of the silk bandeau, covering her cleavage, the same midnight blue as her tail. “Do you know it’sVelade ia cietratomorrow?” While we are speaking the common tongue to each other—it’s a handy language for all sirens to lure in males—she speaks Udiran, the shared language of sirens and merpeople for the holiday’s name.

“Ugh, it’s merpeople’s day of love eve.” My shoulder gives an involuntary shudder. This is the day when sirens flee the sea or keep clear of the mermaid colonies.

While we sirens love a night of debauchery and fucking,it’s the celebration that goes along with this holiday that disgusts us.

The thought of a forever mate makes me shudder.

“Our colony, Sieren, is close to Valis, a village of merpeople. Last time, their celebrations spilled over into our colony, and I swear some sirens were caught up in the aftermath.” Shaking my head, I part the strands of her hair and begin threading them together in a braid.

“Ha, ha, yeah…” Her voice drops off, which I think is odd, but dismiss it. Ikina isn’t a talkative one.

“What are you going to do to escape it?”

She straightens suddenly. “Do you think that maybe the merpeople are onto something? About love and mates?”

I snort. “No, love doesn’t exist for us. Sirens are destined to be single for the rest of our lives.”

Her shoulders hunch over. “I suppose you’re right. I might try somewhere new to escape it… maybe hide out in a cave somewhere.”

“You sure you don’t want to come with me? I’m thinking of going to one of the human villages along the beaches of Wasatell.”

She shakes her head. “No, I’ll be fine. I don’t really want any land males at the moment.”

“Suit yourself.” I finish off the plait, tying it into the other braid to lay them around her crown. “There… you look beautiful.” I squeeze her shoulders and place my cheek next to hers, as usual, envious of her high cheekbones. Though out of the two of us, I have the more magnificent boobs. Great for enticing males, but a bit of drag in the water. I usually have to bind them tightly with a piece of purplish blue Olienter silk, which I twist around the middle so the material emphasizes my cleavage.

She places her hand over mine and squeezes. “Thank you.”

“Come on, let’s get that sour look off your face and go have some fun.”

Ikina and I spent the rest of the day swimming around, chasing porpoises.

But the entire time, Ikina seemed distracted, so we returned to my place, where she said her goodbyes and left.

I watched her swimming away, and now I want to go after her.

Something is wrong with my friend.

But I never got the chance to go after her.

My mother’s voice swept toward me on the current, full of disdain. “Was that Ikina I saw just now?” She enters my home without me inviting her in. All single, non-family sirens’ homes are simple cave-like structures with wide-open arched doorways and windows that allow in light but are too small for other adult sirens to swim through. Ones like mine consist of only one room with a table in the center, a bed off to the side, and a mirrored vanity. The glass is spelled by Manicans to allow one’s reflection to be seen in the water.

My mother places her purse, which is little more than an iridescent blue silk pouch usually slung around her shoulder, on the round table in the center of the room—what she keeps in there, she never shows me. “That one isstrange. Mark my words… shewillbring shame upon all of us sirens.”

I grimace before pushing the growing hatred I have for the female who spawned me, which I believe she only did as her duty to continue our race, down into the dark recesses of my body, and plaster a smile on my face before I spin around to face her.

“Mother, how lovely it is to see you.”

Why are you here?

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