Page 13 of Rise of the Siren Queen
His appearance was striking, more so than I cared to admit. Tall, confident, with a presence that demanded attention even in the cave’s stillness.
There was an arrogance to him, the kind born from privilege and power. But beneath that, I sensed something else, an edge, a darkness that mirrored my own. It unsettled me.
And those eyes. Hazel, like the horizon at sunset, burning with a fierce, molten glow that shifted between gold and amber, fleckedwith hints of firelight.
The darker outer ring only intensified their hypnotic depth, drawing you in, much like the fading light of day pulling the sky into dusk.
Adrian’s presence stirred an emotion I hadn’t felt in years. Intrigue, yes. But even more dangerous feeling. A spark. A connection I refused to understand, one I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
I clenched my fists, willing the sensation to fade, but it lingered, like the taste of salt on my lips after a storm. Unshakable.
Focus, Iryen.
But it was hard to focus when memories I’d tried so hard to bury kept surfacing. Bloody hands. The man I had once loved, the man who had shattered my heart and torn my world apart. My former fiancé.
The betrayal had been so sharp, so absolute, that it had changed me. Turned my love to ice and my trust to dust. He had sought me out, not for love, but for power. For the influence that came with my crown, my lineage.
It had taken me years to come to terms with that betrayal. And even now, I wasn’t sure if I truly had.
I had learned to be wary. To shield my heart, to keep others at arm’s length. It was easier that way. Safer. No one could betray you if you didn’t let them in.
But now… now this human came to change and disrupt my life. A man drawn to my world, whether either of us wanted it. His presence threatened to unravel all the walls I had built. And that terrified me.
I knew better than to trust too easily. I knew the cost of letting someone in. And yet, here I was. Watching him. Feeling… something. A spark. A force too strong to ignore.
I won’t let him in.
But even as I thought about it, I wasn’t sure I believed it.
Adrian’s frustration deepened as he paced, his hands running through his dark hair. I almost feel the heat radiating off him, his restless energy bouncing against the walls.
He glanced at the turquoise water, and I held my breath, knowing the magic contained within its depths.
“Fuck it,” he muttered, shaking his head as if to clear it. The sound of his voice echoed through the silence, raw and laced with desperation. I wished I could reassure him, tell him it would all be okay, but my voice remained trapped behind my invisibility.
He stepped closer to the water, his brow furrowing in contemplation. My heart raced. Was he considering swimming away? The thought filled me with dread.
He would never survive the maze.
He dipped his foot into the pond, ripples spread across the surface.
“No!” I wanted to scream, to reach out and stop him, but I stayed silent, paralyzed by my fear again.
He stepped deeper and my heart raced as I watched him disappear, a mix of admiration and fear swelling within me.
The pond shimmered under the moonlight, its depths a tranquil facade hiding the chaos beneath.
The moment he fully submerged, I snapped out of my stupor and dove after him, shifting effortlessly into my tail.
Stupid, stupid, stupid,I chanted in my mind. The words echoing like a mantra.Why didn’t I warn him?
As I glided through the water, my senses heightened.
I should’ve told him that the pond had no way out for those who didn’t know how to navigate the maze, that its beauty masked a treacherous labyrinth designed to trap the unwary.
What if I can’t find him? What if he gets lost? What if he dies?
The narrow passages twisted and turned, shrouded in darkness, each shadow deepening myapprehension.
