⊰ F I V E ⊱

SIREN SONG

"What the hell are you doing?!" I yelled as I rushed to the cell.

"I wouldn't come any closer," Jimin warned in a low tone, glaring icily at me. I stopped in my tracks as I noticed his claws digging deeper into Jungkook's neck, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Stop it! Just let him go!"

Jimin had seemed harmless before, but the way he looked in that instant was so sinister. I could tell he was more than willing to harm the man beneath his hands.

"What do you expect to get from this anyways?" Namjoon asked, standing tensely beside me.

My eyes snapped back to Jimin as I heard him sigh.

"This wasn't some elaborate plan of mine. I only pinned him down because he woke me from my sleep," Jimin paused, then shrugged, "Instincts."

"Why did you go into the cell in the first place?" I asked, turning my attention to a flustered and wincing Jungkook.

"I-I saw that he was asleep, so I figured it would be safe for me to go in and grab the bucket that was just sitting there," Jungkook explained.

I closed my eyes. "You idiot."

"Now that I have him here..." Jimin spoke up, "Why don't you tell me what you're planning to do with me? Then he's all yours."

"No, let him go first. I don't trust that you'll release him after we tell you our plans, especially if you don't like what we have to say," Namjoon said.

Jimin's eyes narrowed at Namjoon, but he slowly released his hold on Jungkook. The young pirate scrambled onto his feet and ran out of the cell, closing the barred door behind him and fumbling with the key to lock it.

Jimin returned to his usual position of leaning his back against the wall. His black tail lifted up off the ground for a moment, the action signalling his impatience.

"The captain plans to sell you off in the nearest town to the highest bidder," I finally answered him.

Jimin clicked his tongue in response. "That would be a waste. There aren't many sirens around, you know? You shouldn't get rid of me so easily. I could be of use to you here, but if you sell me off, I'll probably just be dissected or skinned." He spoke evenly, voice monotone. He was trying to sound like he didn't care, but I could sense the fear hidden in his tone.

"Kat and I were hoping we could make a deal with you so that you won't end up in a situation like that. We'd rather work with you than throw you away," Namjoon stated.

Jimin peered at him suspiciously. "What would this deal look like exactly?"

"If you can offer us something that has to do with your abilities as a siren, we will promise not to sell you off and to keep you safe."

The siren scoffed. "Safe? You mean locked up in a cage where I can't even move because I have a tail. Do you really think that's worthwhile for me?"

"It's better than being sold off to some butcher or researcher," I countered. His gaze met mine and we stared each other down.

Finally, he spoke, his eyes unrelenting. "I think I'll take my chances, unless you two can come up with a more appealing offer."

I shook my head in disbelief. He would rather be sold away like an animal than kept safe on this ship? In a cage, also like an animal, I reminded myself. I looked at Jimin one last time before turning on my heel.

"Suit yourself."

Jungkook and Namjoon followed me out of the brig. I was annoyed that we weren't able to strike a deal with Jimin, but I wasn't sure why it bothered me so much. Why did it matter to me if he stayed with us or not?

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly. I helped the crew do chores and different tasks around the ship while also avoiding Yoongi as long as possible. His sudden confession still had my head reeling.

For the past four years, Yoongi had never been transparent about his feelings. I recalled when I first became part of the crew, I saw him as my savior. Thought it was fate, the way he'd found me just in time to rescue me. Yoongi had stolen my heart. But after years of him being closed off and never hinting at returning my feelings, I had forced myself to forget the way I felt about him, to only view him as my captain. Of course it was when I had finally started to move on that he confessed to me. Damn you, Min Yoongi.

Could I just go back to feeling that way about him again? Or was it too late?

"Kat."

I jumped as a voice called from behind me, and I dropped the mop I'd been using to clean the upper deck. I turned around to see the captain staring at me, the corner of his lips titled upward.

"Yes?" I replied through a wavering voice.

"It's time for you to move into the first mate's bedroom. Hoseok cleared it out for you, so you can put your things in there now." He crossed his arms as he waited for me to respond.

"The first mate's room?" That room was directly across from the captain's quarters.

"That is what I said. Get to it, I want you finished before dinner." Then he walked off, but not before I caught a glimpse of the smirk ghosting over his mouth.

I quickly put myself to work, determined to finish before it was time to eat. It took a few trips to bring over all of my clothes, bedding, and items that I'd collected over the years. My favorite item was the hand-held mirror I swiped in one of the towns we'd stopped in a couple of years ago. I'd chosen it because it reminded me of the one my mother used when I was a child.

My heart clenched at the thought of her, and I quickly put the mirror in the drawer of the bedside table.

The first mate's room was much nicer than the crew's quarters since it was private and had more space. It had a queen-sized bed, a bedside table, and a large dresser to house my clothing. It certainly beat sharing a tight space with five other men on cots and hammocks.

Sighing in relief, I fell onto the bed to rest. Unfortunately, my peace only lasted mere seconds before someone knocked on the door. I groaned in annoyance and got up to open it.

"Time to eat!" Jin chirped, sending me a smile. Before I could say anything, he grabbed my hand and tugged me along with him.

Dinner consisted of soup and bread, as it was the only food we had left. Namjoon was sure to comment on how we needed to stock up when we got to town the following night. Yoongi agreed before turning his attention to me.

"Did you get the siren to agree to anything?"

"Not yet," I replied, refusing to display my disappointment. I didn't like that I cared so much, so I was sure none of them would be happy to find out that I did either.

Yoongi pursed his lips and nodded, surprisingly appearing disappointed himself. Perhaps he was secretly as curious as Namjoon and me.

We finished eating and the males decided to play a drinking game involving dice. I wasn't too interested, so I told them I would be turning in for the night. I noticed Yoongi's gaze linger on me as I bid goodnight to everyone.

As I was making my way to the new room, someone's hand gripped my shoulder to stop me. I turned around, expecting to see Yoongi, but found Namjoon instead.

"What's wrong?" I asked, noting his serious expression.

He looked back toward the pirates who were sat in a circle around the dice and rum bottles, already yelling and laughing. When he saw that nobody was looking at us, he turned back to me.

"You should go talk to Jimin while everyone's distracted. I can tell that he feels more comfortable around you than anyone else, so you have the best chance of getting him to agree to something," he said in a hushed volume.

"Alright, I'll try," I said.

He squeezed my shoulder lightly, "Just please be careful." Then he returned to the game and I was left on my own.

I followed Namjoon's suggestion and quietly went to the brig. As I walked into the darkened room, Jimin wasted no time in greeting me.

"Let me guess, back to try bargaining again?"

The lamp in the corner of the room flickered, casting a dim glow on the wooden walls. I walked up to the cell and knelt down in front of it to gain a clearer view of him.

He sat there, the golden light just barely illuminating his face. Shadows swam over his features as the flame of the lamp swayed, and his irises gleamed as the light caught them. He was staring back just as intently.

"Why don't you just tell me one thing you can do? It can be the smallest thing. Just tell me one thing that would be helpful to us and I can stop Yoongi from selling you off." I surprised myself with how desperate I sounded.

His eyebrow raised and his lips spread into a sly smile. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually care about me." The amusement in his voice struck a nerve in me.

"Yeah, what the bloody hell is that all about? I don't even know you and yet I feel concerned for you. Is that a siren thing?" I asked, knowing it didn't make sense for me to care about him.

He grinned mischievously at me, and sharp fangs caught my attention. "Something like that," he sung.

"What kind of a vague answer is that? Why on earth do I feel so empathetic towards you?" I questioned him again but he simply chuckled.

"Are you sure it's just empathy? Are you sure you're not feeling... attracted to me?" There was a shift in his voice as it became more silky, pleasing to listen to. I could feel my muscles relax in response to the soothing sound. "Don't you feel the need to get closer to me? To touch me?" he continued, his eyes darkening wickedly.

I felt my mind cloud over as if I was lulled into a dream. Without thinking, I slowly reached my hand through the bars and towards the fluke of Jimin's tail like my hands were pulled by a string. The tips of my fingers ran over each black scale, one by one, only to hiss in pain and pull back as a sharp edge cut me.

Jimin clicked his tongue. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you? Let me fix that for you." His voice was once again laced with that intoxicating sweetness, and I could feel myself give in to his every word. "All you have to do is come in here."

His siren song left me no choice.

It was a strange sensation, knowing that he was somehow putting me in a trance without any resistance from me. Every move I made was out of an intense desire to please him.

So I grabbed the key, undid the lock and walked into the cell. I approached him slowly, getting on my knees beside him so that I was at his level. The rope that had once restricted his hands was snapped and laid in a pile on the ground, but the fact barely sunk in as I was too clouded by the spell he put me under.

Without a word, he gently grabbed my hand, causing my skin to heat up from his touch. He brought it up towards his face, then he held my index finger that was bleeding at the tip. He slowly brought it to his mouth and began sucking on the cut, causing me to blush furiously, heat washing over me in waves. His dark eyes held my gaze the whole time.

As my body temperature rose and my heartbeat flew, I could feel my mind start to clear. Whatever trance he cast was beginning to wear off.

Gaining some sense back, I tried pulling my hand away from him. He released my finger from his mouth but continued to grasp my hand. I tried again to get away from his hold, that time causing him to pull me even nearer. His pull brought me forward until our chests were flush with one another, rising and falling with each of our synchronized breaths.

I looked up at him and the air in my throat hitched as I realized how close we were. I took in his beauty, his tanned and dewy skin, the long lashes that covered his dark eyes, his high cheekbones, square jaw, and finally his plump lips that were slowly closing in on mine.

Before I could try to back away again, he captured my mouth with his. I struggled against him for the first few seconds, but his lips were so soft and his kiss was so sensual that I soon found myself relaxing and kissing him back. He groaned when I started responding and his hands trailed down my sides until they reached my hips. He pulled me on top of him and then he was deepening our kiss by opening my mouth and meeting my tongue with his. My hands found their way to his bare chest and ran over the muscles that tensed under my touch.

Jimin nibbled on my lower lip, then he bit down and I yelped in pain. I tried to pull back, but he captured my mouth again and started sucking my bottom lip.

I slapped his cheek, finally breaking free from him. I scrambled away and put my hand to my lip, then glanced at my fingers to see that his bite had drawn blood.

What the hell?

I turned to face the siren I'd just kissed, expecting to see him smirking up at me, but instead my eyes fell on a very naked, very human Jimin.

• • •

Author's Note:

Hi lovely readers, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I just wanted to take the time to say thank you if you have decided to give this story a chance. I'm new to publishing anything on Wattpad, so I really appreciate everyone who is showing any interest in this story!

Everything is intentional and things will become clearer in the future, so please stay tuned! I have a lot planned.

Votes and comments are never expected but always appreciated <3

Lots of love,

-Hoseokiiss