He screamed when it hit his chest, and he was thrown backwards and overboard to the turbulent water. The splash of him hitting the sea seemed to snap the others out of their daze. Men came towards me. Bay scrambled, blocking some as Hurley got to his feet and started fighting to get to me.
I stepped back and readied myself, and lifting my hands, I blew. My pink lust magic flowed freely and curled around the first two men. Their pupils were blown as they now fight to get to me to fuck me.
“Kill each other,” I commanded silkily.
They turned and drew swords from their hips, and they stabbed each other at the same time, before falling to the deck and bleeding out with smiles on their faces. Something nicked my shoulder and I spun, faster than humans could see, and grabbed the blade descending towards my neck. Shaking my head, I tut.
“Naughty, naughty,” I whispered and then twist it. He yelled as his grip broke on the weapon. Flipping it in my hand, I buried it in his gut.
I ducked under another sword and turned around, my hand already flinging out. The man who attacked me yelled helplessly as he flew into the mast, his body making a horribly satisfying cracking noise as bones break. He didn’t get back up.
I flew at the next guy and gripped his neck and twisted. He dropped to the deck, his eyes vacant and empty. Dead. Each one seemed to spur me on, building me up like the greatest orgasm. The power was addictive and so fucking right. Lightning crashed down on the ship behind me, as if called by me. I glanced over, noticing it hit just next to a lamp. Grinning, I rushed over and turned back to the other men watching me warily, and I threw it on the deck.
The glass shattered as flames roared, twisting over the wood before catching. I walked towards them, stepping over the fire. They glanced back at Loch, who stared at me, unmoving. He didn’t try to save his crew, he didn’t try to stop me.
“Lor!” Bay yelled in warning as another man came from behind me.
“Baby, watch out!” Hurley yelled.
I didn’t have time to debate why they were helping me, not when big, meaty arms wrapped around my waist. They lifted me from the deck, and my legs flailed as another man came to my front. Kicking off his chest, I flipped over the other man's head and broke his hold. Once behind him, I punched through his chest and gripped his heart. I yanked until it broke free, leaving a hole through his body as he fell to the deck at my feet. Dropping his still beating heart, I brought my hand to my face while I watched the remaining sailors.
I licked the blood from my fingers and closed my eyes as if in bliss. “Yum. Death.”
One man started to back away, looking between me and the fire that was raging behind me, swallowing the ship.
“Fuck this!” he yelled, his hair drenched against his face. With one look back at me he dove overboard and to his fate.
“One down,” I shouted, my hair curling around me in the wind.
Lightning struck again, hitting the mast, and it groaned worryingly. Sprinting, I moved just in time as it broke down the middle and caved into the decking. It broke through the flooring to the belly of the ship and cracked the hull. Soon, this ship would be nothing but debris floating in the ocean. Just another wreckage on the ocean floor, forgotten, and left behind.
Thunder roared as I turned back on the remaining sailors. Only four were left, not including Hurley and Bay and Loch.
I walked through the wreckage of what used to be the deck, and I held my hands out to the sides as magic poured from them while my hair floated in the wind. The storm raged on, and lightning cut through the sky while thunder roared with the waves. They mimicked my anger, calling forth the hate from within me. A human male rushed me with his sword raised, and I turned to him as a song of heartbreak and devastation poured forth until he fell to his knees and crawled to me.
I leaned down cupped his chin. “Drown yourself,” I whispered softly, almost lovingly, against his trembling lips. Pulling away I watched as he dragged himself across the broken boards and off the side of the boat, before plunging into the inky waters and to his death with a smile on his face.
I turned to see my captain. Even now he faced down the stormy tides and death itself as he grinned and held the wheel, screaming into the night for more. Water splashed him, the fires raged at him, and he stood strong and tall. My heart stuttered for a moment, but it was too late. My choice had been made, but maybe…
“Please, please forgive us!” came a cry from a sailor curled up next to the cannon hole. Tears streaked his baby face, he was but a child. He would not know life, but death, and still I forced myself on.
Blood curdling screams of terror followed in my wake, with lust and love in my footprints until they died happily, they died for me.
Something exploded behind me as I ascended the steps, but I only had eyes for my mad pirate captain. I heard Hurley and Bay racing after me. Once I reached the upper deck, Loch let go of the wheel. He grabbed his sword and faced me down. It wavered in the air, and I spotted the lack of conviction in his eyes. The same emotion that held me back. Our feelings. Our past. I had destroyed the whole ship, killed his crew before him, and I stood there in nothing but their blood, cloaked in magic that screams of what I truly was, and he watched me with desire, with love and duty warring in his eyes.
“Why?” he asked, the sword wavering for a second. In his gaze I saw the truth, the love, the pain. Even now, his men begged for his help and he yearned for me.
“It’s in my nature. The sea rages, the fish swim, and the siren must sing. They hurt me. They hurt our world. They kill, they steal, they take what is not theirs. It is the way of the world. Death, a true beginning,” I replied truthfully.
He cursed. “I love you, Rory!” he screamed, the lightning flashing faster at his words as the ship rocked to the side. I softened inside, staring down at my captain. Others called him mad, others spoke of his hate and anger. I heard them whisper of him while I was in the brig, but to me he was perfect. Bay and Hurley circled to his sides, his first and second mate awaiting their fate with him.
“I know and I you. My brave pirates, who stare down death...tell me, would you die for me?” I inquired, as the ship crumbled at their feet and fire roared all around, but we didn’t look away from each other.
“Yes, gladly,” he answered, dropping his sword and falling to his knees before me.
“Would you give up the air in your lungs, that land at your feet?” I continued, stepping closer. Hurley and Bay copied him, dropping to their knees, and awaiting whatever I decided to do. They loved me and fought for me. It was the reason they were still alive, something in me still cared for them. Longed for them, to be held in their arms again in our cave. To have forgotten the pain of betrayal, the hate of the roaming hands of human men and the cruelty they were capable of. I wished to forget it all and just kneel with them, letting the fire rage through us. Take us together, but I couldn’t. I had a destiny, I had a life. I had a plan.
“Anything,” he replied, watching me with infinite trust and love.
Hurley piped up, a soft smile on his face. “Anything, baby.”
“Always, we wronged you. We didn’t protect you. We will never make that mistake again. Our Lor, our siren,” Bay added, staring at me hard. His face was open, letting me see everything. The love, the pain, the regret, and the resignation. He would not move to protect himself from me, none of them would. His charm sat heavily on my hand, burning through my skin as a reminder of our love—anchoring me. It was the final factor in my decision.
“A captain always goes down with his ship,” I said softly, and Loch nodded as understanding dawned in his eyes. His shoulders straightened but I didn’t plan to leave him to burn. These humans, they were mine. Their lives, their love, and their deaths.
I stepped closer and kneeled between them. Grabbing Loch’s face, I pulled him towards me and kissed him with all of my pent-up longing and love. He returned it, holding me to him like it would be the last one. Pulling away I turned to Bay and kissed him hard to
o. He groaned into my mouth, his hands gripping my hips, uncaring about his fellow sailors’ blood as he dragged me to him. I gasped and pulled away when something else exploded. Jumping to my feet, I stepped away and they got up and followed me, but Hurley was frowning.
“Where is my goodbye kiss, baby?” he joked, but it sounded strained and pained.
“Come and get it,” I demanded and he grinned, some of his usual teasing returning.
Striding towards me, he grabbed my ass and lifted me until I wrapped my legs around him. His mouth found mine, sweeping in and making me forget everything but them for a moment. He pulled away and leaned his forward against mine, as tears gathered in his eyes.
“Time for you to go, baby. You don’t die here. Not even for us.” He went to release me but I wrapped my legs tighter.
“Kiss me,” I ordered and he grinned.
“Well, what’s a sailor to do when met with that offer?” he quipped and I laughed bitterly, the very same line he had given me before all of this...
He leaned into me and his tongue swept back in as Bay’s arms encircled my waist, hugging me. Opening my eyes, I found those of my captain.
I reached my hand out and waited. He accepted it and I pulled him over to us as the fire crept towards us. Pulling away from Hurley, I looked at all three of them, my decision was made.
“You don’t die here,” I promised.
They all frowned in confusion, and I used my newfound magic and yanked us to the edge of the ship. Hurley yelped and held me closer when we met the bannister.
“You are mine, always mine. I love you all,” I whispered, before gripping them and pulling us overboard, with the cry of the damned souls chasing us. Hitting the cold, dark water I dragged them below, down through the blood-red sea and bodies, through the wreckage of their lives.
Mine, forever.
My pirates.
Their Siren.
Blow Them All Down
By Poppy Woods
Where three began, one must swim,
Alone into the world.
Sink the ship, feed the sea,
To tame this young, wild girl.
Dark beauty clouds her seas,
A star snuffed out too soon.
A life smothered in salt and brine,
Blotting out her moon.
Beneath the ocean waves, she waits,
A beautiful death upon her lips.
Their singing; love, life, death, and pain,
Can she do her duty and sink their ships?
Chapter One
Ligeia
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at the whirlie. It was ready for me; all I had to do was swim through, and I’d be on my way to whatever ship the sea had decided to sink. Narrowing my eyes on the swirling water, I flicked my tail back and forth to remain a few meters from the portal, a safe distance away.
I didn’t want to go. I didn’t understand why we still did this. There was enough death in the sea to feed it for centuries; there was no need to intentionally sink ships. It all seemed like a waste of energy to me. I ran my fingers over the gills behind my ear, smoothing a piece of silt away from the split flesh.
“You have to go,” an all too familiar voice reminded me.
“I don’t want to participate in this.” I turned to face my father, Poseidon. “Why are you sending us away?”
“You three have to earn your place.” His voice was firm.
I shut my eyes. My sisters were the only things that could convince me to go through that whirlie, and he knew it. If I refused to perform my task, I’d never see them again. I’d be banished from the sunken city. A chill traveled up my spine and died at the base of my neck, as warm goosebumps broke out across the cool flesh.
I couldn’t be apart from my sisters forever. We were meant to be together; triplets. We’d been inseparable since our birth. Leucoisa and Lorelai had already swam through their whirlies. There was only so much we could protest before we had to do as we were told. Once we were considered adults, after our rite, maybe we could change some of these archaic traditions.
For now though . . . my shoulders sagged as I moved slowly toward the swirling water. I had no idea what was on the other end of this portal. I could end up anywhere as long as there was a ship nearby, in any time. The world above the water worked strangely. Glancing over my shoulder, I took in my father’s grim appearance. Even as my heart hardened with anger, I could tell he didn’t enjoy this. I didn’t understand his reasons, but he must have them if he looked so pained.
My chin tilted upward, the fins on my forearms standing proudly as my spine steeled. My tail propelled me into the whirlie until the current took over and pulled me along for the ride. I thought I heard my father say something, but the roar of the water in my ears drowned out whatever it was.
The whirlpool pulled me along toward my task. It would spit me out near a ship, the first of many I would send to the depths. My tail flicked this way and that—mostly habit since I had no control over how fast or which direction I moved. The swirling water glowed with the magic propelling it. The light around me changed a fraction of a second before I was spat out into a patch of calm water. I flexed my muscles, my fins rippling by my hips. When I was finally able to maneuver, my eyes rose upward as I sought out the surface.
"If the whirlie sent me here, there has to be a ship nearby," I grumbled to myself.
I ran my fingers through my hair where it floated around my face. The tides in the whirlpool had twisted and tangled my dark hair. My fingers stilled in my hair as movement caught my eye; a shadow darkened the moonlit water.
Above me a human woman drifted; her arms and legs looked relaxed. I swam toward the female with caution. Humans were notorious for their unpredictability. I flicked my tail until I was parallel with her body, floating beneath her. Her dark skin shone in the moonlight, the shadows obscuring the face before me. I tilted my head to the side, studying the creature. Reaching out to cup her face, I couldn't help but notice how the green of my hand almost glowed against her skin. No reaction. My heartbeat skipped as I realized what was happening.
Humans need air.
This woman wasn't swimming . . . she was drowning. I slipped my hands under her arms and rocketed upward. My heart raced as we broke through the surface of the water. I leaned back and stretched out beneath her, resting her body across my tail, beneath the crest of the water, careful to keep her head above. My hands pressed into her chest, feeling for a heartbeat. My fingers rushed to her neck, feeling for a pulse there as well. Above the water, her skin felt different, somehow.
"Oh, seas . . ." A tear slipped down my cheek. She was gone. I had been surrounded by women my entire life. I had countless sisters, not to mention the two whom I shared a birthdate with. Women had always been special in my mind, something magical. Sirens were women for a reason.
"What happened to you?" I whispered as I cupped her face, pushing tiny coarse curls away from her forehead. I stared at her. She was beautiful in the moonlight; her dark skin glowed bronze under its pale rays, even in death. It was a stark contrast to the shimmering green, purple, and pink of my scales. I traced a finger over the split on her full bottom lip and choked back the bile rising in the back of my throat. It hurt my heart to see a woman—even a human woman—lost to the sea. I cringed as the thought slipped through my mind. I had been born to feed the sea, raised to murder masses of humans, but this bothered me. Why?
I turned my head over my shoulder and caught my first glimpse of the ship the whirlie had chosen for me. It was big—possibly a cargo ship. I was going to enjoy sinking it, even if I opposed the practice in general. Someone aboard that ship had hurt this woman, had maybe even thrown her overboard. My eyes narrowed as I watched it grow smaller as it moved farther away.
I turned my attention back to the woman laid across me and sighed. I held her hand and pulled her beneath the waves with me, toward the bottom of the sea, as a song spilled from my lips.
"Oh, don't cr
y my sweet
the deed, it's nearly done.
Just come along with me,
to the depths,
your pain is gone."
Tears welled in my eyes before floating away as I swam back up toward the ship. I thought briefly of my father—he had high hopes for my sisters and me, his triplets. I sank a sharp tooth into my bottom lip and ran my fingers over the fins on my forearms as I pondered my strange reaction to the human woman. I had mixed views about sinking a vessel full of humans, but I knew I was capable of it, so why were my nerves on fire? Why had that woman shaken me? Something awful had happened to her and it turned my stomach. That was the answer.
I swam in the shadow of the ship now and I glided past a small, white shark. He was trailing it for almost the same reason I was, he knew he'd find a meal here.
"You should have plenty to eat soon enough, boy," I cooed, swiping my fingers along his dorsal fin as I passed him. Sharks had always been some of my favorite creatures, there were always several hanging around the sunken city. He thrashed his head from side to side but stayed on his path.
My heart hammered against my breast as I looked at the wooden vessel above. I shot toward it, running my hand along the hull in awe. The barnacles clinging to the wood weren’t nearly sharp enough to pierce my skin, though they were annoying. This ship would secure my place in the sunken city. I'd be a full member of our society, able to come and go as I pleased. Finally. I smiled to myself and flicked my tail, preparing to swim to the side of the vessel when I heard it.
Shipwreck Souls Page 9
