Siren

Not alone

---Orion's POV---

The crew remained quiet around me, almost reverently so. They shot awed gazes my way, eyes dodging my own whenever I glanced at them, wondering what they were thinking.

Most of their eyes where still hazy, affected by the allure of my song which was unique for each Siren. I sighed and shivered, glancing at the ocean surrounding us and for once, I didn't feel safe even at home.

The merfolk had stopped tracking us, undoubtedly still devouring the feast we had guided them to. My stomach soured at the thought of those men left at the mercy of those vile creatures but it had been the only way.

Not only were they shooting at Cain's crew, the blood and corpses in the water had already started to spread. If I was able to smell the bodies from where I had been sitting in our cabin, then the merfolk nearby were already fast approaching.

They would've attacked sooner or later and knowing their very nature, they would've tried to make their feast that much bigger.

I had acted, knowing that I needed to end the fight or risk the merfolk ending it for us, and then no-one would like, or survive, the consequences.

My fingers drummed on the wooden banisters, ignoring the soft murmurs of the crew as they gave me a wide berth, even though I was distracted and vulnerable out in the open.

That one Mer that had climbed the boat... His entire aura spelled trouble. The way he had leered down at me, ignoring all the potential threats of the crew aiming their guns directly at its vital organs, chest and head...

He had ignored it all, eyes set on his prey as he inhaled the air. No doubt he had memorized my scent and would track me down if he got a whiff of it. But, something had seemed off from the few moments he had been onboard the ship.

He's no ordinary Merman...

I blinked as fingers gently curled over my own, stilling their movement against the wood. I shot a glance at Cain, who was staring down at me with a troubled frown. Cain too sensed something was off but human instinct was weak, with a poor reaction time to boot.

My eyes flickered to Cain's, frowning as I could still see the haze threatening to glaze over his awareness. A Siren's song was a very powerful weapon after all and they all took the full brunt of the lyrics that soothed and disarmed their opponents.

Hell, I had aimed the song purely at the other pirate ship, yet some of Cain's crew had laid down their arms as well, standing there in a patient haze, entranced by whatever visions they received. A Siren couldn't get affected by another Siren's song, so we never fully understood what the humans felt and saw when they got enraptured by our calls.

Averting my eyes, I looked back over the ocean, the sun slowly rising further and further, turning the sea into a brilliant golden surface. It reminded me of long ago, when I was barely old enough to care for my own.

The moon had been full that night, shining down on the ocean and turning it in a perfect mirror. Even better, the bioluminescent algae that floated on the surface had added blue sparks and shimmers whenever I moved.

It had been a night where I had darted and leapt out of the water, feeling as if I was leaping into the sky above. It had been the beginning of my love to be free, to dance and sway on the music only I could hear.

A finger brushed against my jaw, snapping me out of my memory and back into Cain's view. His eyes were focused on the faint smile still on my lips, curiosity sparking in his expression though he didn't ask.