Ari

Chapter 87: Dylan

She vanished after uttering those words. I was baffled, but I unconsciously followed as I turned around despite seeing the shocked look on Macan and my brother's faces.

I ran towards the end of the huge branch, flapping my wings and took a leap. I could hear my brother and Macan's voices calling out my name, but I still dashed towards the direction of the ocean.

At a distance, I can see a flock of Sirens who suddenly stopped singing upon sensing my presence. They bowed down to me as I landed in front of them without letting go of the females whom they held captive.

My tears were still drenched from crying and my voice was trembling as I shouted at them, "I-I'm here! It's me w-who you were c-calling. Let them go! Let them all go!"

One of the Sirens stood up and transformed to his passive form. His eyes and scales glisten like the stars and the sand on the ground. I couldn't tell the exact color of his hair and eye due to the darkness surrounding the night.

He reached out to me trying to wipe away my tears as he whispered, "My dear goddess Arie, one of the twin children of the queen. Come with us in exchange for all the females we captured."

I instantly answered, "I'll go with you. Let go of every single female you captured from the beginning of time and safely release them back to their family."

"As you wish, my beloved goddess," he replied with glee before trying to press his lips against mine.

My heart was pounding and for some reason, I was so captivated with his very presence. His voice and faint scent was similar to the ocean breeze. It overwhelmed my heart as I unconsciously transformed to my passive form.

"ARIE!!!"

I almost got seduced and almost followed his lead if it wasn't for Ayla's scream.

I backed off and looked around, but couldn't see even a glimpse of her. Then, the male Siren suddenly pulled me back with his right arm wrapped around my waist and his left hand on my chin as he whispered, "Mi dea. Tandem redis. [My dear goddess. You're finally back]," before trying to land another kiss.

A memory suddenly flashed before my eyes, causing me to dodge his kiss as I leaned on his chest and hugged him while trembling—I was crying for some reason. I remembered who he was in my life as Arie.

"Dylan!"

I felt his heartbeat skipped a bit upon hearing his name and hugged me tightly.

Not long after, I heard a roar at a distance, "Ari!"

I tried to look back, hearing Dillon's voice. I saw Lowell rushing towards us, but Dylan covered my ears as he transformed in his beast form before letting out a terrifying scream followed by the other Sirens. He pulled me back in a hurry towards the ocean, while the other Sirens let go of the females and pushed them towards Dillon, Lowell and my brother.

They all looked horrified as they tried to rush towards me while trying to catch the unconscious females one after another. Lowell didn't care and went ahead while dodging the females as he transformed to his aggressive form. He howled desperately trying his best to reach us, but Dylan already pulled me to the ocean.

I tried to look at his face, but while I was pulled in a haste, he covered my eyes as we slowly sank in the water. I held my breath, but he suddenly pressed his lips against mine. I accidentally gasped in shock while we were sinking at a fast pace, causing me to take in a huge amount of water.

I felt like I was drowning, but tried to hold my breath as he loosened his hand on my eyes. I suddenly heard his voice in my head saying, "My goddess, don't struggle. You'll just drown your mortal body."

I opened my eyes with confusion, he was already in his passive – aggressive form. I was trying my hardest to hold in my breath even though I felt the impulse of coughing the water out. He stopped pulling me deeper down the ocean and looked to my eyes—we were already in the deep part of the ocean and I could no longer see the shoreline despite the light showered by the moon.

He pulled me near him while pinching my nose, causing me to impulsively open my mouth. I suddenly felt his lips pressed against mine as he breathed out his power to me—I can feel my senses calming down and felt the water in me turn into air that I can breathe in.

"Breathe slowly, my dearest goddess."

He was speaking in my mind without actually talking, but I followed as instructed. I was clearly breathing in water, but I wasn't drowning.

He smiled at me and kissed my forehead before pulling me to the deepest part of the ocean.

We arrived at a huge underwater cave guarded by some Sirens—the guards bowed down to us. He transformed to his passive form before pulling me in the entrance.

The cave felt mystical as it was brightened up by the luminous crystals around it. There was no water in it and there was a barrier at the entrance that prevented the water from coming in. The interior of the cave was breathtaking and it looked like a castle with thousands of rooms, though most looked quite empty. There were staircases on both sides and a huge door in the center.

A few Sirens were also guarding the door—they also politely bowed down briefly to us upon seeing us and opened the door for us. Dylan was holding my hand, pulling me lightly towards the door.

I followed without a word due to confusion. I still haven't had the grasp of the memories I suddenly remembered just a few moments ago, but based on what I remembered was that he used to be close to me before his race was punished by my mother when I was still Arie.

"Where are we? Why did you bring me here?" I asked despite knowing that it was the palace of the Sirens and the central room was the throne room of their alpha.

He stopped as soon as we reached the throne made from corals and shells decorated with gems and pearls. He pulled me and had me sit on the throne as he leaned towards me. His legs were apart as if he was sitting on my lap without placing his weight while facing me face to face.