Page 19 of Rise of the Siren Queen
I stared up at the ceiling, the faint glow of the crystals tracing eerie patterns on the walls, casting shadows that twisted and warped.
My mind played back through the day in fragments, flashing images of the water, the panic, the suffocating sense of drowning. And her, always her. The siren with green emerald eyes that seemed to hold more secrets than I could ever imagine.
Sleep,I told myself.You need to sleep. But my mind wouldn’t obey. Every time I closed my eyes, my brain went into overdrive, pulling apart everything that had happened, everything I still didn’t understand. A part of me wondered if I’d even survive the night. Another part was stuck on the fact that I was lying in a cave, possibly miles underwater, after being saved by a creature I thought only existed in stories.
I have gone insane. It’s the only way.
I turned onto my side, the sharp edges of the stone jabbing into my ribs.Focus, Adrian. You need your strength.But no matter how much I willed it, sleep remained foreign, distant. Just like everything else in this strange, surreal nightmare.
* * *
After a night filled with restless turning and heavy thoughts, I felt more like a prisoner in my mind than a man seeking peace. My body ached, confusion and anger from the past few days blurred my head.But, even worse, the memories I had tried so hard to bury ripped their way to the surface, unrelenting.
My childhood… it wasn’t something I liked to dwell on, but lately, it seemed impossible to escape. Raised in the Nikolai family, a name that was both feared and revered in Thalassa, I had grown up surrounded by power, wealth, and status. From the outside, it must’ve seemed like the perfect life. But on the inside? It was a fortress of control, manipulation, and endless expectation.
My father was a man who demanded perfection in everything, especially in me. He controlled every part of my life. He thrived on it. Cold, calculating, and ruthless, he controlled the intricate web of politics and social dominance that built Thalassa. I was his legacy, his heir, and he made sure I knew it. There was no room for weakness, no space for mistakes.
But as much as he tried to mold me into his image, I resisted. I didn’t want to be him. The man could smile and shake your hand while orchestrating your downfall in the same breath. He lived for control, thrived on manipulation, and expected me to follow in his footsteps without question. And yet, as much as I despised him, some part of me couldn’t help but seek his approval. It was maddening, this constant tug-of-war between wanting to escape his shadow and yearning for the slightest acknowledgment that I was good enough.
My mother… She was different. Softer. She was a flicker of warmth in a house built of ice. But her influence in our home was minimal. She tried, at least when I was younger, to shield me from my father’s harsh methods, but eventually, she too became a part of the machine. It’s like the house swallowed her whole, turned her into another cog in his perfectly engineered life.
The family estate was as grand as they came, looming towers, immaculate gardens, and more rooms than one could ever need. But it never felt like home. It was a prison disguised in luxury, aplace where every word need to be measured and every gesture had a hidden meaning. My father’s voice echoed through those halls like a constant reminder of the burden I carried.
I was supposed to become him.
I clenched my fists, feeling the familiar anger bubble up inside. That was the plan: to inherit the Nikolai legacy and wield power in the way he did, crushing anyone who stood in my way. But the more he pushed, the more I realized I wasn’t like him. I couldn’t thrive on deceit the way he did. The constant scheming, the endless politics, it suffocated me.
The only light in that dark place was my younger sister. In a world so full of cold ambition, she was the only one who still had dreams of something better. She wanted out of the family’s twisted game, and I wanted that for her, too. She was my escape in a way, the one person I felt I had to protect. I could endure my father’s iron grip, but I wouldn’t let her get trapped by it, too.
But Thalassa? It was a dead end for me. I had to leave, and not just for my sanity, but for her future, too. If I didn’t break free, I’d never be able to help her escape the life we were both trapped in. The island was supposed to be my liberation, a place where I could finally breathe without the constant pressure weighing down on me. But even now, even here, I couldn’t outrun the reality of my life.
I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair, and staring out into the water in front of me. The sea was supposed to calm me, but it just stirred everything up. Maybe that’s why I was so angry. I’d left Thalassa, but Thalassa hadn’t left me.
And now this,this,with Iryen, some council, and whatever the hell this place was… it was just another layer of madness added to my life. Sirens? Magic? What the actual hell was going on? My mind keeps circling back to her, instead of focusing on how to escape this situation. I hated it, hated that despite everything, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
The way she moved, the confidence she exuded, her goddamn tail, none of it made sense. But she was so…alive. Every glance, every word, every breath she took seemed full of purpose. And it pissed me off.
Because as much as I wanted to deny it, I felt a spark when she saved me. A connection I couldn’t explain. It terrified me.
Get a grip, Adrian.Shaking my head, I scolded myself.
I wasn’t a child, wasn’t some starry-eyed fool swept up by some mythological creature. I had spent my whole life navigating traps and lies, and this was no different. Whatever I felt toward her, it was a distraction, a deadly one.
But as I stared out at the water, the familiar pressure of my family’s expectations settling back into my chest, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was ever truly going to escape any of it. My father. My past. My future. Or her.
Goddamn it, I couldn’t escape no matter where I went.
I had been sitting at the edge of the pond, lost in thought, when a silhouette appeared emerging from the depths of the ocean.
Another siren lurks in the pond’s shadow, her appearance a perfect, deadly, and raw, predatory power. Her skin has an eerie, gray glow, reflecting the faintest light like moonlight on water.
Long, jet-black hair floats ominously around her, framing her sharp, angular face with high cheekbones and piercing, glowing eyes, deep crimson that seem to see straight into the soul of her prey.
Her lips curled into a predatory smirk, revealing sharp, pearl-white teeth that hint at her dangerous nature. Her tail, long and strong, was a deep iridescent black with hues of gray scales that pulse like warning signals in the dark.
Her entire form screamed danger.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice sharp and rude.
