Sirens and Scales

by Kellie McAllen

  His warm breath tickles my neck as he nuzzles me, and shivers hum through my body as his hand lightly traces up and down my arm. “This is pretty nice, huh Princess?”

  Gio frowns at Avery and me as he and the other guys climb in. Liam lays on the other side of me, close enough to touch.

  “Hey, I want to cuddle with the island babe, too!” Jude looks at Liam.

  “Shut up, Jude. She doesn’t need a bunch of guys pawing at her all night,” Gio says, rolling his eyes. Jude huffs but settles down between Liam and Gio.

  Not long after, Avery’s hand stills, and I fall asleep to a soft chorus of snores.

  When I wake, something rigid is pressing against my back.

  5

  I gasp and shift my body around to see what is touching me. Avery grins up at me and winks. “Sorry, babe. Morning wood. Can’t help it.”

  Avery’s thoughts are explicit, and my heart starts pounding so hard I can feel it throbbing in every part of my body. I stare at him, and my own desire must be obvious, because he moves his face closer, his lips coming in to kiss me.

  Avery groans as his lips meet mine, the siren pull deepening with contact, and he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me tight against him. His tongue tangles with mine as his hands roam my body, igniting a path in their wake. I press myself against him as my own desire builds. I’ve never been kissed before, and I can’t get enough.

  Suddenly, Avery pulls away, gasping, and holds my shoulders at arm’s length. “Oh God, Princess. As much as I want to, we can’t do this right here, in front of everyone.”

  I frown at him, not understanding any of the things he’s saying or thinking. What did I do wrong? Why does he not want me all of a sudden? I should be glad he pulled away; I’m not sure I would’ve been able to.

  Falling for one of these humans is the last thing I should do. Returning to Kai and my people will be even harder if I let myself fall in love with a human. Even mating with one of them would infuriate my grandfather, and probably Kai, as well. I’m sure he wants the firstborn heir to be his offspring, not some human’s.

  But Avery’s rejection still stings. What is it about me that’s so undesirable that pushes even a human under the grip of the siren call away?

  “Aww, don’t pout! You’re killing me!” He rubs a hand down my cheek, and his voice wakes up the others.

  “Oh man, I’m dying for some food and water! How much longer do you think it’ll take for the Coast Guard to find us?” Jude’s voice cracks, his tongue sticking to the roof of his dried-out mouth.

  Every one of their thoughts is centered on the gnawing hunger consuming their bellies and the desperate ache of their parched throats.

  “We’re pretty far out, but still, someone should’ve found us by now.” Gio stretches his neck, cracking it.

  “Unless your radio beacon isn’t broadcasting.” Liam’s voice is low and derisive.

  Jude and Avery gawk at him, then turn their attention to Gio.

  “Is that possible?” Avery asks, worry distracting him.

  Gio works his jaw and flexes his fists. “Anything’s possible.”

  “Do you know for sure that you have one of those beacon things on the boat?” Jude asks.

  Gio sighs. “Yeah, we have one, and last I knew it was working just fine. But it could be faulty, or it could’ve gotten damaged somehow. We can’t know for sure unless someone wants to go looking for it.”

  Jude scrunches his brow. “So, what if it’s messed up, and it’s not broadcasting? How will they find us?”

  Gio stares at the sea. “As soon as they realize we’re in trouble, they’ll start looking in our last known location.”

  Jude’s face wrinkles in confusion. “But, how will they know we’re in trouble if the beacon isn’t working?”

  “When someone reports us missing.”

  “But no one’s expecting us back for weeks.”

  The men sit silently, anxiety etched across their faces. I wish I could understand what they’re worried about. The thoughts in their heads are scattered; flitting images of people flash through their minds.

  We lay there for a long time, sadness overwhelming their minds. I long to ease their suffering, but I have no idea what they need or how to help them. The sun beats down on us, heating our skin, and sweat pools between my body and the sticky life raft. My throat is dry, and I long to dive into the water.

  I miss my home and the people I love there — Grandfather, Muriel, Maribel, even Kai. But will they still love me after what I did? Maybe I should go back now, even before the five days is up — before I get myself in deeper trouble. But my spirit resists the idea of returning voluntarily to my prison.

  Liam eventually breaks the silence. “We have to find water if we’re going to survive out here.”

  Suddenly, every one of them starts thinking about the same thing as me — water, but none of them are dreaming of the sea like I am. While Gio and Avery imagine drinking from vessels, Liam pictures a stream of water flowing through the woods, and it reminds me of the water I found the other day.

  “There’s got to be a water source on this island if it’s inhabited. We just have to keep searching till we find it,” Liam says, and all four of them imagine a similar source of water.

  I don’t understand why that strange-tasting water is so important to them, but clearly it is. Can I find it again and lead them to it? I want to try. I feel an irrepressible need to alleviate their suffering.

  I climb out of the boat, wincing as my sore feet hit the gritty sand, but I ignore it and start walking towards the tree line. The men follow me with their eyes, but no one makes a move to come after me at first.

  “Where ya going, Princess?” Jude calls out. I wave at him to come.

  “I think she wants to show us something.” Liam climbs out of the raft and hurries after me, and the other guys follow, eager.

  I turn back towards the trees, trying to remember which direction I came from the day I found the water. I head off into the woods, hoping I’m going the right way.

  We walk for a long time, and I’m not sure I’ll ever find it again. The hopeful curiosity the guys had at the beginning of the trek turns to doubt when I stop and stare into the forest of trees, unsure which way to go.

  “I hear water!” Gio says suddenly, the same moment the trickling sound of the stream reaches our ears.

  The mood immediately lightens, and the guys take off, barreling through the trees towards the water.

  “Yahoo! The princess saves the day!” Jude jumps into the stream with a giant splash.

  I wade into the water, too, desperate for it’s soothing touch and confident that my tail won’t come out in this water. The other guys follow me.

  Jude cups his hands and fills them with water, lifting it to his mouth, but Liam stops him.

  “Don’t drink that! We don’t know if it’s safe or not. We need to boil it.”

  “But the chick led us here, so she must know it’s safe, right?”

  “Maybe, but wait and see if she drinks it.”

  I lay down, immersing my whole body and sucking down deep mouthfuls of water. My body soaks up the water like a sea sponge, refreshing me, bringing me back to life.

  “I think it’s safe, man.” Jude looks at me and scoops up another handful of water then pours it into his mouth with a groan.

  Liam winces at him. “Her body is used to this water, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe for us. I still think we should boil it first.”

  “Well, you go right ahead, Professor. But I’m willing to risk it.” Jude dunks his whole head in the water then yanks it out, his soaked hair spraying us as he flings his head back.

  I yelp in surprise then start to laugh, and Jude turns to grin at me. “You liked that, huh babe?” He wades closer and leans over me, shaking his sopping wet curls, showering me with water drops.

  The water tickles, and I giggle as I try to shield my face with my hands. On a whim, I quickly turn around and dunk my
own head in the water then rise back up, tossing my long, drenched locks in Jude’s direction. I hear a thwack as my hair smacks him in the face, and Jude roars playfully, grabbing me around the waist.

  “How dare you, Medusa!”

  I gasp and squeal, and Jude throws himself backwards with me in his arms, plopping us both in the water. I laugh and fight to free myself from his grasp, wiggling and kicking my feet against his restraint.

  “Nope. There’s no escaping me now, babe! I caught ya!” His fingers reach to tickle my sides, and I squirm and wriggle away from him.

  “You’ll never out-swim me!” He chases me, but I’m a faster swimmer, and I evade his grasp. Eventually, I crash into another body.

  I pop up out of the water to find Gio in front of me, smirking. “You having a good time, Princess?”

  I smile at him, and he smiles back, a wide, toothy, devastating grin, and my heart jumps up into my throat.

  Eventually, we climb out of the water and sit down on the bank, tired but content.

  I watch with curiosity as Liam pulls off his shirt and twists it in his hands, and water runs out of it. My own shirt is heavy with water, and I’d like to do the same. I stand and pull at the shirt, but I’m not sure how to take it off.

  Gio notices my predicament and comes to my aid. “You need some help, Princess?” He grabs the bottom of the shirt and pulls it over my head.

  Avery gasps. “Gio! Why are you taking her clothes off?”

  Gio makes a face at him as he squeezes the shirt. “Don’t get your panties in a wad. I’m just helping her wring it out. Besides, I’m the one that gave her the shirt in the first place. I don’t think she minds being naked. It wasn’t covering that much, anyway.”

  Avery frowns at him and takes the shirt from his hands, wrapping it around my waist and tying it at the side so that my bottom half is less exposed.

  “There,” Avery smiles at his handiwork, “that’s better. This beautiful bra wasn’t meant to be hidden, anyway.”

  His fingers trace the pearls that line the edges of it. It’s much more decorative than what most mermaids wear, but I’m not just any mermaid, and this was meant for my wedding day — the day I would’ve taken the throne.

  My mind drifts back to the shoal for a moment, and I wonder how they reacted to my escape. Are they looking for me or just waiting to see if I’ll come back? I can’t even imagine Grandfather’s reaction. I’ve never defied him like that before. Will he even accept me if I try to go back? But what other choice do I have? I’ll die if I stay on the land.

  Sadness overtakes me at my limited options. As hard as it’s been here on land, I’m fascinated by these humans and their world, and I want to know everything about it. I can understand why my mother stayed. Was she supposed to marry someone she didn’t love, as well?

  “Hey, what’s wrong, Princess? Why the sad face?” Avery juts out his lip and frowns at me, stroking a finger down the side of my cheek.

  Attraction overwhelms me, and I grab ahold of him, wrapping my arms around him, dying to let him know how I feel. I can’t leave here without taking a piece of the human world with me. I have to mate with one of them. I crane my neck up to reach Avery’s lips and crash my own against them, sucking and biting in desperation.

  “Whoa, baby!” Avery pulls away from me, panting, but he might as well have slapped me in the face. “You’re really testing my self-control, here, Princess.”

  He’s so confusing! I know he wants me; his thoughts are loud and clear. So why does he keep rejecting me? I should be glad, otherwise, I might do something I’ll regret, but his resistance still stings. Mermaids are supposed to be irresistible to humans, so what’s wrong with me? I hug my arms to my chest and try to distract myself from the ache.

  “Of course, she likes the pretty boy.” Jude rolls his eyes at Avery. “I thought you were batting for the other team.”

  Avery clenches his fists and sucks in a deep breath, puffing up his chest and barreling over to Jude. “Shut the hell up, Jude! I’m not gay, but even if I was, it’s none of your business.”

  “Quit fighting over the girl! All of you just keep your hands off her. We have bigger things to worry about, like finding a way to transport some of this water back to the beach.” Gio growls, interrupting them.

  “I have an idea. Do you have that knife?” Liam runs his hand up and down a smooth, green tree.

  Gio hands him the knife, and I watch in fascination as Liam holds the blade against the tree and pounds it with a rock. “This is bamboo, and each of these horizontal lines indicates a separate, hollow section. They’re watertight, and we can fill them with water.”

  As he works his way around the stalk, a lock of black hair keeps falling into his eyes, and he runs his hand through his hair, pushing it back over and over again, till he finally gives up and lets it hang there. I want to reach out and fix it for him, but I keep my hands tucked against my body, resisting the urge. Touching them only makes it worse.

  With one last thwack, the bamboo falls to the ground, and he smiles — a rare, brilliant flash. “Now we just need to cut this up at the joints.”

  The guys take turns whacking at the bamboo with the knife until they’ve divided it up into five containers — one for each of us. We fill them up with water and head back towards the shoreline.

  “How are your feet, Princess? You want another piggyback ride?” Gio claps himself on the back and looks at me as his memory flashes back to yesterday, and I nod gratefully. He squats down, and I climb on, wrapping my limbs around his sturdy frame. The others look at us curiously.

  “I thought you said to keep our hands off her.” Jude sneers.

  “Her feet are a wreck, covered in cuts and blisters,” Gio explains. The others nod but exchange a smirk.

  The walk back seems faster, the mood pleasant, and soon we’re back on the beach again. Gio heads for the pieces of wood they were messing with yesterday, and Liam joins him. I sit down to watch.

  “Hey guys, wanna hear a sea joke?” Jude asks.

  “No,” Gio grouses without looking up. He grunts as he forces the stick back and forth along the wooden plank as fast as his massive arms will move. I stare at the designs drawn on his skin, trying to figure out what the symbols mean.

  Avery frowns at Gio and turns towards Jude. “I’d like to hear it.”

  Jude grins and sits up, excited. “So there’s two whales, and they swim by this whaling ship that killed the first whale’s father a long time ago. The first whale wants to get revenge, so he says, ‘Let’s swim under the ship and blow air through our blow holes until we flip their boat.’ The other whale agrees, and together they manage to sink the whaler. But then they see that most of the sailors survived and are swimming to shore. The first whale is like, ‘Let’s gobble them up.’ But the other whale says, ‘No way. I agreed to the blow job, but there’s no way I’m swallowing seamen!’ ”

  The guys are silent for a second, but then they crack up laughing, even Gio, who is trying his best to ignore what Jude is saying. I laugh along with them, amused by their happiness, even though I didn’t understand what Jude said.

  “The natives think I’m funny, right Barbie?” He nudges me with his shoulder, and we share a grin. Making me laugh makes Jude happy, and his brown eyes sparkle as he looks at me. I feel a tingle of electricity like an eel slithering past.

  “Hey, why don’t you give me a shot at that, Gio? You look like your arms are about to fall off.” Jude heads over towards Gio and plops down next to him. Gio hands over the wood and flops back on the sand with a sigh.

  Jude takes over the motion, putting his whole body into it, his tanned skin glistening with sweat. “Whoa! Whoa! We got smoke here, boys! This sucker’s about to ignite!”

  He rubs harder and faster, and tiny, gray wisps rise from the pile of wood dust at the end of the channel. Liam kneels closer and blows gently on it till the pile turns black then red.

  “Quick, tip it into this.” Liam grabs a pile of drie
d grass and holds it next to the wood.

  Jude slowly turns the wood sideways till the tiny ember drops onto the grass. The gray wisps get larger and suddenly turn bright orange.

  6

  “Look what I have created!” Jude shouts, raising his arms in the air then pounding on his chest. “I have made FI-RE!”

  The others laugh and clap him on the back, but I just stare in awe at the blazing sight before me.

  Liam shoves the burning tuft under the pile of sticks, and the flames grow larger, quickly licking up the sides of each piece of wood, turning them black. I gasp and move closer, mesmerized by the crackling flames, and the heat engulfs me, the smoke stinging my eyes and irritating my throat. Undeterred, I reach out a hand to touch the flames but instantly pull back, yelping as the heat singes my skin.

  Gio races over to me and yanks me away from the fire, pulling me tight against him, shaking me. “What the hell are you doing? You can’t touch that!” His voice is harsh with fear and anger. Shadows from the flames make his face menacing, and tears well up in my eyes.

  “Hey! You’re scaring her!” Avery rushes over and pulls me from Gio’s grip, scowling at him.

  “She stuck her hand right in the fire!” Gio yells.

  Avery runs his hands gently up and down my arms and pulls me into his chest then lifts my hand and examines it. The skin is red and burning so much my hand throbs with pain.

  “Come on, let’s get this in some water.” He pulls me over to the bamboo containers and hands me one. I look at it, not sure what to do. Does he want me to drink? Avery pinches his brow when he sees my confused look and sticks my sore hand down into the container. The cool water instantly soothes the sting, and I whimper. So far, the human world seems a lot more dangerous than the ocean. Maybe it’s just because I don’t belong here. The thought makes me sadder.

  I drop to the sand, and Avery sits next to me and strokes my back and hair. “Aw, Princess. I’m sorry. I know it hurts, but the water will help. Why’d you try to touch it? Haven’t you ever seen fire before?”