---Orion's POV---

My body felt incredibly heavy and sore, almost as if I was just one giant bruise. Each breath I took was nearly painful, hissing between my teeth in short bursts, gills flaring out to aid in getting more oxygen in my body.

There was this faint, fuzzy feeling in my head, almost as if I had rushed upright and in doing so, deprived my brain from its necessary blood supply. But I was quite certain that I hadn't been upright for quite some time now.

Soft murmurs sounded in the background, the steady sloshing of water against the hull of the ship slightly comforting. Almost hypnotizingly so, attempting to rock me back to sleep.

I could clearly hear the footsteps of the crew as they thumped over the solid wooden floor, laughter and banter sailing through the air to, what I assumed, was Cain's quarters.

Any attempt to open my eyes and satisfy my curiosity failed, as they were far too heavy to budge. At least I felt a slight hint of relief when my breathing was slowly starting to get under control, though there was still that fleeting panic in the back of my head.

What happened?

All I remembered was getting bitten by that Merman, slowly and agonizingly feeling its venom spread through my body, altering my scent.

I had only heard vague tales from other Sirens. Because there wasn't anything besides that ; tales. No Siren that had become the mark of the Merfolk or had actually received their physical Mark had lived to tell the tale.

All of them had disappeared, without their relatives or friends knowing what happened to them. Had they been taken away? Mercilessly hunted down by the pod and devoured alive, only to stop before the Siren would perish and letting it regenerate?

It was one of the most dreaded fates amongst Sirens because it was highly possible that the Merfolk would think of the same solution.

Sirens healed from most wounds, if given the time. Hell, I myself had healed from an attack from a great white, where it had mistaken me for a seal and had chomped down on my side, nearly tearing me in half.

It had taken several weeks for the tissues to close together, and months after that before my skin and scales had slowly returned to normal.

Merpeople were intelligent enough to realize this and see the benefits of cultivating their captured Siren. It was their ultimate prey after all.

They relished in the hunt, the dread of their prey as they were closing in to strike. They would have no qualms with releasing the Siren only to hunt it down and partially devour it, dragging the weakened Siren back to its cage until it was recovered enough for the next hunt.

A shiver coursed over my body, a slight hiss expelling from my chest as I wondered if that was my fate.

Silence followed as the hiss cut through the air before rushed steps halted at the bed, fingers pressing gently against my cheek.

"Oh, stop your mother-henning already. He'll wake up in less than a minute." A bored and awfully familiar voice sounded, followed by a whack and an audible "Ow!"

The voice of that mer was enough to send my heart in overdrive, instincts taking over as my body realized it was in grave danger.

Adrenaline flooded my veins and I was already attempting to scramble back, albeit weakly before Cain managed to stop me. I barely managed myself from taking a swipe at him out of reflex, chest heaving and sweat drenching the covers in a rapid pace.

My eyes settled on the mer, who was perched on top of the table, cheek resting in his palm. The second he saw he had my full attention, he grinned wickedly, sending a wink my way.

And then he scowled, glaring down at where Archer had smacked his thigh in warning. The mer rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Spoilsport. You people are so boring."

Archer raised an eyebrow, smirking as he crossed his arms and cocked his hip with a pointed look towards the mer. I watched fully confused as the mer seemed to shiver, biting his lower lip as his eyes flitted slowly over the quartermaster before he chuckled.

"Well... maybe not all of you. Some are very entertaining." He said with a slow flick of the tongue over his lips. As if the merman couldn't wait to devour Archer.

Archer chuckled, a low and deep sound as his eyes dipped heavily. "Well remember Elijah, if you keep scaring Orion and undoubtedly pissing the boss off, I'll be taking care of myself tonight whilst you can just watch."

Elijah's nostril's flared, in anger or lust, I couldn't say for sure. Remarkably, the merman relented, crossing his long legs as he leaned back with a sigh.

"Fiiiine. But you owe me one."

Archer smirked, "Just one?" he teased, making Elijah chuckle with satisfaction. "Hmmm, a man of my own heart. I'll behave, at least for now."

He glanced at me and sent me a wink, but I just couldn't understand their carefree banter, their laughter and teasing. Because Merfolk didn't tease. They hunted and pursued their quarry, they fed and as far as I knew, hardly made any friends.

And yet, here was a Merman himself, laughing, joking with a human as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

I'm still unconscious, undoubtedly having a bad fever...

It was the only viable explanation my mind could come up with, but when Cain drew my attention towards him and smiled when he noticed I was more than a bit confused, I felt even more lost than I had before.

"Bless the heavens for watching over you." Cain murmured passionately, nearly yanking me off the bed and straight into his solid chest.

A squeak of surprise left my lips, along with a powerful hiss as both the sudden jarring motion creating sparks of pain, plus the stressful situation made me want to defend myself.

Yet, instead of the previous kiss, which had left me deprived of air and dizzy, thoroughly claimed by the captain, this one was.... Different.

It was softer, almost tender. I could feel Cain shivering and sensing how weak I felt, I guessed he had been terrified that I was going to die in his care.

So I patted him on the shoulder, albeit a bit weakly. Cain chuckled, pressing one last kiss before he sighed and begrudgingly pulled away.

"Why don't you make yourself useful for a change and go catch something fresh for Orion to eat?" Cain glanced at Elijah, who scoffed slightly. "It's your fault he's weakened and hasn't been out of bed for at least a week."

My stomach gurgled at the thought of a fresh, fatty fish, making everyone in the room aware of my hunger, much to my shame.

"Fine, might as well stretch my fins for a moment." Elijah groaned, standing and stretching himself until there was a satisfying pop.

I backed up on the bed when he came over, hissing as he reached forwards, only to pause and snarl lowly when Cain whacked his hands out of the way.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, mer?" Cain snarled venomously, gaining a sharp hiss in return that made me shiver and press myself as far back as the wall behind me allowed me.

"Maybe you've forgotten but he's a Siren, meaning he needs salt water to survive. I'm sure you've been quite diligent in spoon feeding him some during his sleep, but that isn't the same as taking an actual swim."

Elijah once again reached forwards, ignoring Cain's glare and my weak hissing as he grasped my wrist and pulled me forwards. He nearly shoved my wrist under Cain's face as he continued,

"Look. His skin is already flaking and will only get worse until he has been fully submerged. If he can go out on a small hunt with me, he'll get a healthy dose of exercise, his own fish and a swim that'll boost his healing."

A sigh escaped Cain , my heart drumming in my chest even though I was slowly calming down. Still, instinct made me all too aware of the strong hand wrapped firmly around my lower arm.

A hand I knew could easily sprout vicious claws, that could tear through my weak skins, hell, even my scales, like a hot knife through butter.

I shivered at the thought, causing Elijah to smirk slightly before he pulled, yanking me in his arms. "Up we go princess." He chuckled, hand settling on my head to press it against his sternum, the other holding me with cheeky ease.

A low warning growl rumbled through my chest as Elijah stared at Cain with a challenging smirk, once that soon dropped when Archer cleared his throat.

Orion better be returned to the captain in tiptop shape and untouched. I'm not about to be punished for your behavior so any mishap on your end and I'll just edge you for hours on edge without release in sight."

Elijah chuckled, releasing my head and allowing me to move more comfortably as he twisted to the side. It allowed me to see both Cain and Archer, who was giving Elijah a cocky grin.

"Tempting. Perhaps for a later date. Right now, we need to feed, preferably before the boy passes out again."

He was right though, no matter if he was only teasing. I felt extremely tired and faint but also thirsting for the cool bliss of the ocean.

The second the cabin doors opened, I averted my gaze, squinting against the bright sunlight. The wind that ruffled my clammy skin was warm and pleasant, smelling rather fresh.

When my eyes had adapted, I could tell it was a nice summers' day; bright blue sky with not a cloud in sight, a warm breeze that sailed over the waves, which lazily lapped at the boat's hull.

The crew eyed us both curiously but made no attempt to stop Elijah. In fact, several of them shivered and backed away from the mer, as he sent them a rather toothy grin.

"Alright princess, let's catch you a meal without any of the pod's stragglers attempting to make a meal out of you." Elijah said mockingly, tossing me overboard without a care in the world, ignoring my surprised squeal before he jumped after me.

Asshole.