The sound of birds chirping echoed from outside. Waves crashed against the outer cave. A cold breeze filled the inside, tickling anything it touched. Huddled on the floor was Leon. He tossed and turned as whispers plagued his dreams. He saw nothing, no nightmares or even the usual room he awoke in. It was the first time this had ever happened. This didn't stop his sleep from being restless.

  An unexplainable chill ran down his spine. "Katie?"

  The room was empty, smoke fizzing from their burnt firewood. Did she leave me here? Sand scattered as he jumped to his feet, eyes wide. He scrambled around the room, looking through every nook and cranny she could hide in.

  He hesitated before he rubbed his nose. It didn't hurt at all. His fingers brushed against the tip, squeezing the bridge of it. Yup, I'm officially not human. Pretty sure broken noses aren't supposed to heal overnight... Leon crossed his arms and groaned. What if her sister found us? No.... she'd have killed me if she did. Or maybe Katie convinced her not to?

  He paced back and forth, kicking the burnt wood from the fire pit. Damn it, I've got to save her. But how can I catch up with them? Is this even a populated island? He grimaced and tightened his fists.

  I need to calm down, I'm sure she just- Leon's thoughts were interrupted when a hand touched his shoulder.

  He jumped. "Jesus!" he exclaimed, twisting around.

  His eyes widened.

  There were four women around him. He hadn't heard them enter. Not a footstep, a breath, not even so much as a pebble being scraped aside along the stone floor. All of their hair colors looked like something out of a fairy tail, bright violet, blue, bubblegum pink, but it was their eyes and scales that caught his attention. Gills on the neck, and their legs shined like a fish's body after coming out of water. The one with blue hair opened her mouth, and his eyes watered at the melody.

  It was beautiful. Angelic. The greatest thing he'd ever heard. "~Dearest boy, what brings you into our cove?" she asked, her hand stroking his cheek.

  He imagined pushing her away. Stepping away. Her orange eyes bore into his, but he couldn't move. "We-we got swept away. Have you seen a girl coming from this cave?"

  The fish woman blinked. Almost as if the question offended her. His heart sank against his will. What is happening? This can't be natural.

  "~A girl? There's four of us. Sayet." She nodded to the green haired one. "Basilda" Her eyes turned to the bubblegum pink woman. " Rosalina." Violet hair. "~And yours truly, Silvy. Does your heart not long to be loved? To be worshiped? Why worry for a girl when you can be with women to your heart's content?"

  (Concept of the Siren Silvy)

  They were all sinfully beautiful. Only shells and the scales kept their bodies from being completely revealed to him. Leon's eyebrows furrowed. It felt like his body was moving against its will. At the least he managed to resist touching them. Keep himself from losing himself to their temptations, but he couldn't walk away. Couldn't fight. Couldn't run.

  "~Strong willed is this one, sister. He would make a strong mate," Rosalina whispered, circling him with a hungry look in her eyes.

  Silvy nodded, smiling from ear to ear. "~Come with us dear boy. Give in to your desires..."

  They all circled him like a pack of vultures. He felt their hands caressing every part of him. Lustful images plagued his mind. Being raptured by these creatures. Like his mind was being twisted and turned. He felt filthy. Disgusted. Aroused. Conflicted. He was struggling to see clearly and his knees were growing weak. I can't... I can't let them do this!

  Before he could stop himself, he was walking deeper into the cave with them. Leon's body trembled with the desire to resist. To give in. It was maddening. He broke into a cold sweat, dragging his feet. They had their arms wrapped around his, pulling him with them. It felt like his entire body was being pushed down by a giant with every step. What the hell are these things? Shit... Katie, where are you?

  —--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  A few moments later....

  "Rise and shine! ...Leon?" Katie walked into the cave, her hands full of fruits and coconuts she'd gathered throughout the morning. Her heart dropped to see it empty. What? No... no no... Did mother find us? She placed aside the food, immediately lowering to examine their campfire.

  No... I'd be attacked the moment I walked in or at least hear a fight ensuing. At worst, I'd walk in to find a corpse. She gulped at the thought, but silently thanked God it wasn't true. He left his clothes, so he's still alive. Where would he go in only his briefs? He wouldn't leave without me... would he? Her fingers traced the cave floor, feeling the trails of dust wandering deeper inside. There were two scents filling heavily within the air, like a heavily masked perfume and the smell of fresh seafood.

  A melodic cry came from deeper within the cove. The first thing that flashed in Katie's mind was her mother's description of Sirens. Beautiful creatures with the bodies of birds and fish mixed with a human woman. Heavily attracted to other beings of power, usually found near beaches or coves. Known to avoid humans unless they're in small groups or alone. Sadistic and hungry monsters.

  K-Katie... Leon's voice croaked in her mind.

  Her eyes widened. Leon! Where are you? What-

  These creatures... I'm struggling to stay in control... You need... stay away... his voice was weakening.

  No! I won't just leave you... There was an unsettling silence. Leon? Leon! Her body trembled, the room feeling as if it were closing in on her. Memories of all the beatings she'd suffered throughout her years of avoiding fighting. But then she imagined Leon being put through something worse. Something that wouldn't end with him going unconscious.

  She almost considered letting Jalaiya take control. That wouldn't end well for either of them. She had to go as herself. And that scared her. Katie remembered words Leon had said to her when he'd first begun training her.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "You won't save anyone or anything with pretty words and lofty ideals alone. It doesn't matter how much you want the most peaceful outcome sometimes. Sometimes you have to fight. Fight, or prepare to lose everything you care about. Dying is one thing, but dying without even trying to live or fight for your freedom is a thousand times worse."

  And when it came to her usual ideals, for once she wasn't fighting her sisters. She had no reason to turn away from this. Katie took a deep breath and rose to her feet. She entered the cave.

  —-------------------------------------------------------

  (Concept art of the Siren's home)

  The world was distorted. There were gentle whispers, soft touches. Leon could hardly register where he was. The women that pulled him deeper within the cave all slithered with their tails. It felt like he'd been drugged, but he hadn't consumed anything. So many soothing melodies blessed his ears, and every second hearing it, he was beginning to understand it was the cause of his lack of control.

  The fact he hadn't been completely consumed by it couldn't have been normal either. It was taking every ounce of will not to give in. To not lose himself and indulge in every savage pleasure these creatures had to offer. That pleasure was non-existent. A fantasy. He saw the way they giggled, the razor sharp teeth hidden within their luscious lips.

  In his foggy induced haze, he barely saw the cave opening up. Pathways and rock structures pushing out to a giant room. At the heart was a sort of staircase leading up to a throne. Something crunched underneath his feet. It almost broke him free of the hallucination, but his sudden tension went back to being slump. His eyes glanced down at the flooded stony path. It was littered with bones. Human bones mixed with those of fish.

  He felt chills run down his spine. Imagining all of the helpless people that may have been brought here only to be devoured. It was a beautiful room, the water reflecting the ceiling. The women were beautiful. Waves could be heard crashing from the other side of the stone wall ahead of the throne. Everything about this place felt wrong.

  When Leon blinked, he was sitting on the throne. The woman Silvy remained by his side, seating herself on his lap. He wanted to throw her off. He wanted to run. It felt like a dream... like what real dreams should've been. Only he felt all of it. Her fingers caressing his cheek. Her foul breath reeked with digested flesh masked with perfume. Her lips just barely missed his own, finding their mark on his cheek as he turned his head away.

  His grip on the armrests of the throne and her hip tightened, but he couldn't gain full control. He couldn't fight. Silvy's orange eyes bore into him even when he wasn't looking at her. They tried feeding him from a stone plate. Some sort of deskinned fish and something else he didn't recognize. He turned his head away from every attempt to feed. They were trying to fatten him up.

  His hand managed to flail up, smacking the plate away. Rosalina hissed, but Silvy shushed her, renewing her incessant fawning over Leon. He could see her hardly containing her drool. He would've cringed if his expressions weren't uncontrollable.

  K-Katie... I can't... It almost felt like his consciousness was fading.

  "Leon!" Katie's voice called from the entrance.

  The woman around him hissed, all facing her at the same time. Only Silvy continued to ignore her, singing softly in his ear. His left hand stretched out his fingers, as if to reach out toward Katie from afar. It was the most his body would allow. Every part of him felt like he was being weighed down by an invisible giant.

  He was blinking rapidly, trying to keep himself from falling asleep. They were swarming Katie like a pack of animals, armed with tridents and spears. Leon's heart dropped. No!

  Shrieks of pain echoed, and Silvy smirked as she turned to look. Her eyes widened when she saw the angel darting amongst her sisters. Katie narrowly avoided each stab and swing, kicking and punching her way through the crowd. Every impact sent each creature flying through or over the stone structures. Sparks burst from her body as she moved swiftly amongst them.

  She's fighting! That thought alone almost completely broke him free. It was seeing a trident cut Katie's cheek that did it. Silvy yelped as his grip turned scorching hot. He didn't know where this burning sensation came from. At that moment, he didn't care.

  He caught Silvy by the neck. She wriggled and choked, surprised by his sudden strength. "Hey!" Leon shouted, and the remaining Sirens paused along with Katie. His vision was growing blurry. He was so angry, the world around him was painted in a malevolent crimson.

  They all watched in shock as Leon stood at the top of the stairs, Silvy clutching his arm as she tried to pry free. She tried to scratch his throat out when his grip tightened fiercely. It was almost enough to make her go unconscious immediately. "Let her go. I swear to God, I'll snap her neck and kill you all. Step back NOW!"

  At his command, the other Sirens slowly lowered their weapons. He dragged Silvy down, her long tail painfully pressed against the steps as he walked down eerily slow. She whimpered, but she resisted moving in fear he would snap her neck. His body was trembling. Even as he stepped into the flooded waters toward Katie, he was afraid of looking her in the eye. He didn't want her to see this side of him. "Move to the exit... We'll run from there," he said, keeping a watchful eye at the Sirens.

  None of them moved an inch. They flinched one after the other when his gaze shifted to them. Others were knocked out, scattered among the broken pillars. Once they reached the entrance, he threw Silvy at them. They caught her as Leon and Katie ran up the trench as fast as they could. Neither of them stopped until they reached the exit.

  They grabbed their clothes from the place they slept in and quickly got dressed before leaving. By the time they got outside, the sun was shining high above them. They paused at the entrance. "We need to keep moving in case they come after us," Leon said, taking a step toward the forest. He took Katie's hand, but her grip tightened, stopping him.

  "Leon... Are you alright? What was that just then?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

  He took a deep breath. His body felt intense. Hot. Like he had stepped into a volcano and could erupt at any moment. He had a suspicion. "Are... are my eyes different?" Leon asked, looking at her.

  Katie had to stop herself from flinching. They were crimson red. His palm was almost scorching hot. She let go to keep her own from burning, but she placed a hand against his chest. "Just breathe. I'm okay now, Leon," she said softly, looking at him closely.

  He wanted to argue that they could worry about it later. He stopped himself. Closing his eyes, he tried to block out any other thoughts. To only think about Katie in front of him, and nothing else. It took a minute, but before he knew it that intense heat began to fade. He could feel the breeze at last.

  When he opened his eyes, she smiled. They had reverted back to their usual cool brown. "When I saw you get hurt... it made me think about all of those times I'd see you come to me injured. All those stories you would tell me. I always felt so helpless that I couldn't help you..." Leon grit his teeth, lowering his eyes.

  Katie took his hands. "But you did help me. You gave me the courage to even make it this far... That was the first time I ever hit someone before. It felt good to try to save you for a change."

  Leon chuckled thinking about the creatures being batted aside left and right. "Remind me not to make you angry. Whatever those things were, you were beating the snot out of 'em! Those were Sirens weren't they?"

  "You know about them?" Katie's eyes widened.

  Turning to start walking down the mountain, he said, "I do enjoy mythology and fantasy. I didn't think they'd actually exist, but meeting you has definitely expanded my horizons on what could be real... Let's go. I don't think sunlight is a problem for those things."

  As they reached the edge of the forest, they took a moment to rest. "I can't believe I was ambushed so easily... Where were you when I woke up, Katie?" Leon asked, leaning against a tree.

  "I was grabbing us food," she said, her eyes lowered as she frowned. "Sorry... I never expected there to be other creatures here. I should've taken you with me, but I wanted to surprise you."

  Leon grinned, moving toward her. She looked at him as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "It was kind of worth it to see you kick some ass for a change. Thanks for the rescue, Katie."

  She giggled, pushing an apple into his mouth. "It was a pleasure, Leon."

  His eyes widened, muffling, "HOLY SHIT, THESE ARE GOOD!"