“Let me see!” I yelled at him, finally getting his body to face me, but he kept one hand over the eye that didn’t have a contact in it. Then he grumbled and shoved away from me, giving me his back. I hopped on him, like a koala.
“You’re freaking me out, Drew!” I yelled in his ear. He grunted and tried to throw me off, so I bit down on his shoulder in irritation. Shocked that this situation brought that urge out of me, Drew yelped and dropped his hands to grab my arms. I kept my legs locked around his narrow waist, which made him slide me to the front of him.
I grinned because both of his hands were on me to support my body, wrapped around his. But then my smile immediately fell when I looked at him.
He realized what he did, then. He practically dropped me to cover his eye, but it was too late. I had already seen it.
A gold, otherworldly iris.
With a gasp, I dropped to my feet and stepped away from him. His hand released my waist, but he clenched his hands into fists after.
“Van—wait?—”
“You’re a siren?” I shook my head with my question, before turning on my heel and bolted into the main cabin. Drew cursed before following me, his speed too fast to be human. I reached for my backpack, where I kept the pepper spray. But large bands of muscle wrapped around my waist, pinning my arms to my side.
“Van, please?—”
“Let go of me!” I yelled. I thrashed and kicked and threw my head back, but it landed on a shoulder, not his nose like I wanted. “Let go, now!”
“I can’t,” he yelled back, pulling me away from my backpack while struggling to still me.
I wouldn’t still. I was terrified. I was filled with rage.
“Whoareyou?” I screeched at him.
Did some random siren wander over to the human realm in search of a mate? Did he view himself as a tourist?
Oh god, we were out on the ocean.Isolated.
This siren could kill me right here and now if he wanted to.
“Vanessa, please,” his voice was low near my ear, and though his strong arms were still wrapped around me tight, he wasn’t trying to hurt me.
Yet. I kept thrashing in his grasp. Eventually, he grunted and pinned me against the interior of my boat, up against the pantry cabinet.
“Vanessa, calm?—”
“Who are you?” I interrupted, still struggling but unable to move nearly as much, pinned between him and the pantry doors like this. “What is this? What do you want with me?”
“Vanessa—”
“—Whoareyou?!” I screamed before falling limp in his hold. Exhaustion overpowered me, perhaps due to fear of how vulnerable I was. Trapped on my own boat with a siren, capable of killing me in seconds. Capable of using his sinndra on me.
Oh my god. Was I ever truly attracted to Drew? Or was it all some horrible emotional siren manipulation? Drew’s breath was sawing in and out of him behind me, almost frantic. But neither of us spoke. We just stood there, his large body pinning mine. Rocking gently with the steady waves of the ocean.
My eyes started to burn, and a single tear escaped to trail down my cheek. His breath caught, and I wondered if he saw the tear.
“…I’m sorry…” he muttered. I didn’t say anything. He knew the jig was up. I knew the jig was up. What did we even do from here? Would he kill me for discovering his secret?
Silent, painful moments filled the space between us. Eventually, fear twisted my chest enough to make me choke out, “…What are you going to do to me?”
His body tensed, and he dropped his hold on me immediately. Cool air brushed against my back, where the warmth of his body had been. I collapsed and slumped against the wood of the pantry cupboard, resting my forehead against it as another tear escaped my eye—a tear of anger.
“Did your king send you?” I asked in a low whisper.
I held my breath as I waited for his response.
“No.” His voice changed, but I couldn’t tell how until he continued in his natural accent, “…this was just for me.” My eyes opened wide before I whirled around to confirm who was standing in my boat with me.
