Page 86 of Ensnaring the Siren

Reid?

And then she saw him.

A sleek form diving down, his black and silver gear distinguishing him in an ocean of blue. It didn’t look like him—the goggles, the suit, the fins, and the large, cylindrical contraption strapped to his back obscured his features—but she knew.

Down and down he swam—ten feet, twenty, thirty—gradually and carefully descending to seventy feet below the surface, pausing at regular intervals along the way. This was more than twice what humans could safely free dive, according to Cure Creator, and while Reid wasn’t free diving, that he’d come this far into the deep for her, set her heart racing.

This was unknown territory for him.

Lorelei finally turned; a soft smile illuminated by her glowing green bioluminescence. “We’ll give you two some privacy. Be back in an hour,” she signed, before swimming straight for the shadowy silhouette of the boat above. Nireed watched as Lorelei slithered onboard, the engine rumbling to life. And then, Reid’s only way home raced off, leaving them completely alone.

Reid was here. Underneath the water. With her. He’d come all this way. Found a way to breathe. These were not the actions of a man who feared her.

He lifted a hand, a closed fist rotating twice over his heart. “I’m sorry,” the sign said. Slashes of silver outlined his gloves, some kind of reflective material to help her see his hands’ motions. Pointing his index fingers toward the surface, he brushed his fists together up and down, then opened one palm to make a waving motion with his hand like a fish’s tail.

Reid stilled his hands, waiting. He’d practiced the words with Lorelei again and again until his execution was flawless, and he didn’t have to think about making the motions anymore. But Nireed wasn’t moving, save for the barest of twitches from her tail to keep water flowing past her gills.

What if he’d gotten it wrong anyway? Messed up the words in his overconfidence? For all he knew, he may have just insulted her, and his only lifeline to shore had just driven off to collect research samples. Maybe he’d been hasty in agreeing to that.

It was so dark down here he saw nothing else but Nireed, more beautiful and terrifying than ever before. A hundred or so feet spanned between them, her human-piscine skeletal structure glowing faintly in the darkness and her skin a canvas of twinkling amber starlight. Otherworldly. Extraterrestrial. A creature in her domain.

And he was at her complete and utter mercy.

Drown him. Devour him. Smash him on some rocks. Whatever pleased her most. But not leave. At least, not until he had the chance to lay himself bare, as she had so many times before.

She didn’t have to forgive him, or even stick around to see what more he had to say, but he silently begged her not to swim off. He didn’t think he could take it if she turned her back on him and dove where he could not follow.

Something changed in her demeanor as he watched. Her tail swished and bioluminescence brightened to a near blinding degree, like an incandescent bulb moments before bursting.

And then, she sprung.

She darted so fast through the water his eyes could only track the movement as a flash of lightning.

Oh God. This was it.

This was the end.

She’s actually going to eat me.

Those were his final thoughts before Nireed slammed into him.

Head over fin they tumbled through the water, her momentum keeping them spinning round and round. Nireed’s already tender eyes were awash in a fresh, searing wave of tears. He’d learned her name sign.

Starfish.

And not just that. He was here, actually here, underwater with her. At the heart of merfolk territory. Just a dozen feet down began the kelp forest’s canopy, and about one hundred or so more began the cliff-side city where she and her people lived.

When they finally stopped, Reid was sucking in great gulps of air from the mouthpiece between his lips and clutching his middle, fear permeating the water. He’d begun to ascend, the influx of air into his lungs making him buoyant.

No, no, no, please don’t be afraid!

Grabbing the center of his weighted diving belt, she pulled him back down and anchored him in place. In hindsight, tackling him hadn’t been the best move, considering how they’d left things. For once, she wasn’t even trying to scare him, but Reid must’ve mistaken excitement for an attack.

Twenty-Armed Goddess, she was glad to see him. All those grim, defeatist feelings she’d felt for the past day faded into the background, a spark of hope blooming in its stead. When he was by her side, they felt like a possibility again, and that what was damaged could be mended.

Down here, he was vulnerable and exposed, humbled by the open ocean. That meant something.

Still breathing heavy from being pounced on, Reid signed again, “I’m so sorry, Starfish. I shouldn’t have run.” The contrition was in his scent as much as his words, and scents didn’t lie, but they could be misleading.

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