Page 1 of Blood of the Sirens
ONE
Merrick
“Hey hottie!”
Fear stabbed my chest like a pike, and I whirled around, flinching away from the two females who sat in one of those tiny, colorful boats that were popular with humans. I liked these boats; they lacked sharp blades and made the humans work to propel themselves through the water.
An honest boat.
The first female had bright yellow hair, nearly white, and held a large, fake fin in her hands. Human hands were no good at navigating in the water. The other female had straight, black hair. Both of them had skin too light for this sun. Already it was tinged pink from being out on land for too long.
“I said, ‘Hey, hottie!’ ” she said again.
Hey, hottie!
I recognized the words said, but the contextdidn’t make sense. I wasn’t hot though … nor was I cold. Human slang and speech patterns changed quicker than we could catch up with.
Most of my friends liked to stalk humans from the safety of the water, always hoping this one time would be the one where we'd find a siren born. A few even dared to walk among them, desperate enough to find a partner. But I resisted all of that. I knew what would be required if I successfully bred with a human female, and it didn’t sit right with me.
That didn’t mean I was immune to my instincts, however.
“H-hey, hottie,” I said back. It seemed right.
Females turned me into stuttering messes. Females meant change to my daily routine, and unknown futures with unknown expectations where I’d never again be left alone to do my art—
It wasn’t the fact that I was flitting about on the surface again—no, that was expected from a male of breeding age. Encouraged, even.
The blonde wiggled her eyebrows. I’d apparently done OK. I tread the water. They looked down at me, waiting. I stared at the pearls dangling from her earlobes. They were a pink color I had never seen in the ocean! Maybe I could ask her about them? The sun flashed off their sparkling rings, and not for the first time I wished I could figure out how to mimic the flare of the sun underwater.
“Wanna come back to our place?” The one with yellow hair leaned forward, her breasts bunching underneath the bulky garment she wore strapped to her chest.
The human females were interested in me, paddling toward me and reaching out with their fingers. All thoughts of speaking to them fled as my brain turned to mush.
I flinched backward, nearly stumbling and falling to the water. One sniff as they neared confirmed what I’dalready known: these were not siren born females. They were not suitable for breeding.
Phew. Pressure averted.
I said nothing, mentally chanting at myself to keep my arms and hands above the water. If my extremities got wet, they’d grow scales and fins. Then the females would scream and draw attention.
I breathed out, trying to relax. At least they weren't fishermen. Her boat carried no hooks or poles. No nets or sharp things with which to take from the ocean with no intent to give back.
We stared at each for a long moment.
“I must go now,” I said, figuring that was the easier path.
“Wait—”
I dove into the water, scales erupting over my chest and arms as I pushed off with my tail. I swam out hard down the large canal, staying underwater so the females couldn’t follow me.
You’re going to be late.
And that was the least of my worries. I also needed more shells to finish my latest piece. Running into the two females had wasted a lot of time, so I couldn’t waste anymore and would have to go straight home. Luckily, I had one place close that I usually saved for emergencies. I had just enough time to check a spot on the edge of the canal, then I’d have to go.
Females. Of all days to actually run into some.
Once we turned sixteen, the elders told us to wander the shores, don clothing and walk among the humans. It was why we learned their language from an early age as well. Males must choose a female to breed with, after all. Even if suitable females were getting harder and harder to find. I never protested. After all, it didn’t affect my art—my father didn’t know if I was off hunting females orsea glass.
Father expected a lot from me—to one day take over the clan from him, to beat out all the other males my age and find a female, breed, and bring more mers into the clan.
