Everything is in Jimin's point of view!

THE CAPTURE

The ocean was relentless when the storm reared its head. Winds stronger than we ever fought slammed against the sails. Rain pounded onto the deck in sheets. Black clouds cast an endless shadow over the ship and the surrounding sea while the water rammed into us. Thunder roared just before the inhuman shrieks sliced the air.

Grunting, I shielded my ears from the sound. A sudden lurch of the ship sent me crashing to the floor, and the skin of my forearm tore open from the impact. Peering through the sheets of rain, I saw my blood wash into the water coating the deck.

"HEAVE TO!" Yoongi bellowed above the shrieking.

Rushing back to my feet, I stumbled toward the bow until reaching a loose rope. The crew shouted behind me as they worked at the sails.

"The sirens are keeping up!" Jungkook yelled from my right.

After fastening the rope, I came up next to him, leaning over the railing like he did. My eyes widened at the sight of them soaring through the ocean. There were dozens, and they all stood apart from each other. Their tails were all different hues, shapes, and sizes, shining through the water like reflective metal. Their bare backs were of different builds and skin tones, their hair of different length.

I couldn't tear my gaze away, too mesmerized by the reality that such creatures existed. But then as the ship fought the winds and slowed in the water, the sirens slowed too. I watched in horror at the claws that dug into the wood of the ship and the gleaming eyes that locked in on me. When they began to scale up the side of the vessel, I turned to the captain.

"They're climbing! Orders, Cap'n!"

"Just hurry up and shoot them!" Yoongi yelled from the helm, continuing to navigate the waves. His eyes caught mine and a certain shine glinted in them. "And see if you can catch one."

Catch one? What for?

But never one to question the captain, I ran to join the rest of the crew. Seokjin handed a rifle to me while Namjoon handed one to Jungkook. We split up, three of us taking starboard while the other three took port. I leaned over the railing with Hoseok and Namjoon, aiming the barrel down at the nearest creature. The sky had darkened enough that only the last bit of blue light caught the sirens' scales and reflected in their irises. I counted five clawing their way up.

While the other rifles went off, my fingers refused to budge. Even seeing how animalistic they were and the threat they posed to us, I struggled to pull the trigger.

Are the legends true? Were they once human?

As the others continued to shoot, two of them were hit, and they screeched through widened jaws as they plummeted back into the sea. I looked away, but just as I did, there was a thump at the stern.

"Jimin, get up here!" the captain roared.

I did as he said, rushing up the stairs and onto the upper deck. My feet stumbled to a halt at the sight of the feminine siren lying on the floor, her arms latching into the wood railing behind her. Blood dripped from her taloned fingers, waves of damp silver hair fell over her naked chest, and her turquoise tail curled toward herself defensively.

"Jimin!" Yoongi called above the sound of the storm, and I turned just in time to catch the net he tossed. He resumed his position at the wheel. "Trap it, now."

I looked from the net in my hands up to the siren ahead of me. Her gaze seized mine, and I held the contact while stepping forward. As I came closer, her lips pulled back in a sneer full of fangs. With a hiss sharper than my cutlass, she swiped her tail out and nearly knocked me to the ground. I leapt forward and threw the net over her, wrestling against her thrashing body.

There was a moment, just a split second where our eyes locked through the net and she stilled, pupils dilating. I froze with her, and a melodic hum started swirling past her lips, the sound sweeping my mind under some enchanted mist.

I was freed when a deafening noise blew just behind us. The siren screamed, and it was the most human thing to come from the creature yet. Blood blossomed out from the top of her shoulder right where the shot grazed her, and my gut twisted.

"What are you doing? Yoongi wants her alive!" I shouted at Taehyung. His eyes were big and he stood in place, face draining of color the longer he looked at her. Probably seeing the human likeness in her appearance. He lowered the gun.

"I would've done it if not him," Hoseok grumbled as he came rushing toward me. I tightened my hold on the creature, though she'd lessened her fight. "She could've hurt you."

No response came to mind as I turned back to her. She was panting, and pointed incisors jutted past her parted lips.

Hoseok joined me in tightening the net around her, and soon the rest of the crew joined us. The commotion sent the siren back to squirming and writhing beneath the net, but we were able to fully capture her and carry her to the brig.

AN EXCHANGE OF NAMES

The swarm of remaining sirens had given up after so many failed attempts to scale the ship, and the storm was swiftly dying down. Still, the captain stayed behind to ensure everything was right to last against the remaining waves.

The siren's tail added weight enough that four of us had to work together to lift her. Despite how wild she'd been previously, the creature seemed to accept her fate and stopped fighting as we took her into the iron cell. She appeared half-conscious when we took the net off and rushed to exit, shutting the door behind us. Seokjin locked it, and then we were just... staring.

She was incredible. Not just for her mythical beauty but for the strength in her physique—the lean, rippling muscle that accompanied every breath. The diamond scales covering every inch of her tail, along with the jagged, sharp edges of her fluke, all of which shined of tropical blues. Her hooded eyes took their time observing each one of us, and something in those irises struck me like nothing I'd felt before. Her gaze was powerful, commanding, and it was undeniable that she'd been through more than any of us. I knew right then she was more than a creature sailors told tales about. She was a person.

The crew failed to make the same conclusion.

"Why did Cap even want us to keep it? Aren't they dangerous? Wasn't that the whole point of fending them off?" Jungkook eyed the siren.

"I heard they're worth more than we'd make in six months of bartering loot," Namjoon replied.

"They do seem rare, but... what would the buyers do with it?" Seokjin asked.

My hands fisted at my sides. Skinned, butchered, enslaved—there were too many possibilities, but they all ended the same way. "We're not selling her. Yoongi's better than that. You all know it."

The tapping of the captain's boots were unmistakable as he descended the stairs and crossed the room to us. His voice sounded just behind me: "Perhaps you have too much faith in me, Jimin."

I clenched my jaw as he squeezed my shoulder. My gaze fell back on the siren, noting how her body trembled and blood still trailed down her collarbone and arm. "Look at her. She's afraid. She's..."

"It would have killed you—or worse—in the blink of an eye."

Chills crept through me as I remembered the loss of control I felt when she hummed. Her human features—the bright eyes, red lips, sharp nose—were overshadowed by the glittering sheen of her skin, the gills on either side of her neck, the claws protruding from her fingertips. Maybe Yoongi was right.

"So we are selling it?" Taehyung questioned, never removing his sight from her. Was that doubt in his voice?

Yoongi took his hat off in one swift move and stepped forward, wrapping his free hand around an iron rod of the cell. He spent a moment watching her, his head tilting almost unnoticeably. "Unless it wants to offer us a more appealing deal, it'll be at the mercy of some buyer by tomorrow evening." Then he pushed back from the cell, put his feathered hat back on, and walked out.

Hoseok followed closely behind, and Jungkook and Jin went after. But Taehyung and Namjoon seemed as stuck as I was.

"It's not right." My voice was quiet.

Taehyung sent me a glance. "Pirates."

"Yoongi lives by a code. He taught it to us. This doesn't fit what we've learned."

"You're right," Namjoon sighed, "it's not like him. Not like us."

"Then how do we stop it?" Taehyung turned to face us both.

Namjoon adjusted his sleeves like he'd already thought everything through. "He said 'unless it offers us a deal'. From what I've studied, sirens might be powerful. It—she could have some ability that Yoongi wants her to share."

"So we try to convince her to make the deal," I said.

They nodded, then all of us looked into the cell once more. She hadn't moved, hadn't made a sound despite us speaking about her fate right in front of her. Those sharp eyes were fogged, and they fluttered closed just as her head rolled limply to the side.

I made a step toward the door, but Namjoon caught my elbow. "What are you doing?"

My gaze locked on the scarlet liquid staining her bare skin. "I'm going to dress her wound while she's unconscious."

"She could wake up—"

I tore my arm out of his grip. "You have two choices. Either tell the captain what I'm doing, or go get me some alcohol and cloth. I'm helping her either way."

Namjoon hesitated, and Taehyung brushed past us before he could move. "I'll get what you need," he muttered as he disappeared up the steps.

"Just... be careful. We don't know what she's capable of," Joon said. "I'll go up to keep watch for the others. Holler if anything goes wrong."

I hardly granted him a nod before yanking the key off the nail in the wall. I could hear him leave, but my senses honed in on the creature in front of me. Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, but all else was still. As silently as possible, I unlocked the cell door. The hinges creaked as it pulled open, and I paused to make sure she didn't wake before walking the rest of the way in, careful to step over her fin. Making my way to where she rested against the wall, I crouched beside her and took in her state.

The wound on her shoulder was too caked with dried blood for me to tell how much patching up was needed. Then my gaze dropped to her taloned hands, noticing that the end of the net had tangled around the wrist closest to me. Training my eyes back to hers, I watched her face while my hand reached out. My fingertips met her skin, but still she didn't stir. Gently, I worked to detangle the net and freed her wrist, then tossed it to the corner of the cell.

"Jimin," Taehyung called as he stepped into the brig. I turned to him and spotted the green bottle and the roll of white cloth in his hands. With alert eyes, he walked up to the cell and held the items out for me. I wasted no time in grabbing them, then quickly returned to my knees beside the siren.

"Be ready to help if she wakes up," I said over my shoulder.

"I am."

Even knowing someone was there to help if anything went wrong, my heart still pounded as I uncapped the bottle and lifted it above her shoulder. With a tip of the glass, the alcohol spilled onto her wound in a thin stream. My breath hitched and I stopped short when it seemed like her head shifted, but then she was unmoving again. With an exhale, I poured more of the rum over the wound, watching it clear the blood away until there was nothing left but... skin. Clean, unmarred skin—the only sign of injury a slight rosy color where the shot had nicked her.

"What—"

I yelled out when a clawed hand clutched my wrist and yanked my arm away. The bottle flew out of my hand and crashed into the floor, shattering into countless pieces, but I was caught under her gaze. Dark, soft lashes framed midnight irises. A single strand of wet, silver-blue hair draped over the corner of one eye. I could hear someone—a male voice shouting my name, but it was distant and muffled under that same mist from earlier.

The siren tilted her head, corner of her mouth stretching upward as she continued to hum. She looked over every inch of my face as I did the same. Her face grew closer, closer, and her tongue dragged over her bottom lip. Just as we shared the same breath, the siren shrieked in pain and shoved me away from her, breaking the spell over me.

"GET OUT!" Taehyung's shout was finally clear, and I scrambled to my feet and shot past the door, slamming it behind me. I took the key from my pocket and rushed to lock the cell. Only then did I notice Taehyung on the floor beside me, tearing the knife out of the siren's fluke just before she lunged toward him. We both stumbled back, narrowly escaping the swipe of her claws. She hissed viciously, revealing those sharpened teeth and animalistic glint in her eyes.

"Shit," I sighed, running a shaky hand through my hair.

Taehyung wiped his blade on his pants. "Let's go before she tries something again."

I glanced into the cell, seeing how she already calmed and was back to leaning against the wall.

"We have to see if she can understand us."

"That's the second time she's tried to hurt you, and you still want to help her?"

I bit my tongue.

"Let's go." Taehyung tried to pull me with him, but I held my ground.

"What's your name?" I asked, finding the siren's gaze again. She only glared. I stepped forward. "Tell me your name so I can call you something other than 'siren'."

Her tail flicked up for a second, showing the tear in her fluke. It looked to already be healing itself.

Taehyung sighed. "Give it up already."

One more try. "Tell me your name and I'll tell you mine."

Her lips stretched in amusement. She twirled her hair around a finger, fluttering her eyes up at me. Then her mouth parted and the voice that followed was more seductive, more tempting than glittering gold.

"Jimin," she purred.

She'd heard Taehyung shout my name, but what was important was that she understood.

"Since you know mine, it's only fair that I know yours too. What can I call you?" I could sense Taehyung holding his breath with me as we waited.

Her smirk morphed into a devious grin.

"I'm Katherine."

THE DEAL

Namjoon and Taehyung took some convincing, but they knew I was stubborn enough that I'd sneak in to see her whether they helped me or not. After only a few tries the following day, they agreed to keep the rest of the crew distracted while I went to bargain with the siren—with Katherine. Her voice and her name still echoed like a song in my head. I knew it could've been part of her siren spell, whatever that sweet mist was that dropped my guard. She hadn't left my mind a single moment since I'd last seen her.

Even with the risk that came from trying, I had to know I did everything I could to help her. Why Yoongi was willing to do such a cruel thing escaped me, but I had no problem acting against his wishes. I knew he'd respect that, even if he disagreed with me.

She found my eyes and kept them captive from the instant my boots met the bottom of the stairs. I took slow steps in her direction, pausing only when I stood at the bars that separated us. Her gaze finally freed mine as her focus darted all along my face, my hair, my clothes. I took the time to note her now-dry hair, still a light, silvery blue. Her skin had less of a sheen to it as all the ocean spray was gone, but the scales of her tail still shined with movement like twinkling stars.

"Why have you come?" the sound of silk spun from her lips. Her tone grew more playful, "Have you fallen for me already?"

I clenched my jaw. "Listen," I crouched to meet her level, hoping she'd recognize my sincerity, "I want to help you. My captain plans to—"

"I know. He wants to toss me over to whoever bids the most for me," she drawled. "I heard everything yesterday."

"And that doesn't concern you?" I questioned, earning a hard glare from her.

"Can't say I especially want to end up as a decoration on someone's wall. Or stuck in some researcher's tank..." she trailed off, a faint smile spreading over her mouth. "Which is why I'm so glad to have you."

I raised a brow. "Have me?"

"Are we not friends?" she asked sweetly, staring from under her lashes.

"I..."

"I want us to be friends, at least. And friends help each other, don't they?" The question was smooth, coated in that mystical sound.

"I am trying to help you. We can make a deal with you. Offer us something—just one part of whatever power you have. The captain will grant you protection in return."

The scoff she let out was only the second time she sounded more human than ethereal. "What a wonderful deal. I gift you power you never even knew existed, and you allow me to not die. How generous of you all." My hands tightened around the bars, and her gaze flicked to my whitening knuckles. She smirked. "And what is it that makes you so invested in my wellbeing?" she sang. "You know, I was only joking about you falling for me before, but you can always say so if it's true. I'd love to hear a confession from those lips of yours."

Her tone sent warmth to my face, but I ignored it. "Katherine—"

"Mm, say it again. It sounds so lovely coming from you."

I lowered my head and sighed. How would we get anywhere when all she wanted to do was flirt and play games? When I lifted my head and locked eyes with her again, amusement danced on her every feature.

I cleared my throat and spoke more forcibly than before. "Listen to me. You likely won't make it until morning if you don't work with me. We'll be at port in a few hours, and whoever is lucky enough to get their hands on you will have far less regard for your life than I do. So if you want to survive, just tell me one thing you can do. One thing you can offer us so I can convince the captain not to get rid of you."

She let the quiet build between us. The only sounds were the faint dripping of water, the lapping waves outside, and an occasional creak of the boat.

"One of my abilities," she finally began, "is that I can tell when someone is lying to me. I want to know just how much I can trust your word, but I need you to come closer in order to check."

"I'm as close as I can be," I replied.

She lifted a brow and gestured to the cell door, lowering her volume, "Closer."

Her music, the words her tongue crafted, would without doubt bring me to my demise. I only hoped it wouldn't be so soon as I moved to unlock the door.

A second after the key turned, she sang.

The sea mist returned, swirling around my mind and coaxing me forward. I stepped into the cell and didn't stop until I was kneeling next to her. My breath hitched as she lifted her hand and cupped my cheek. Her pupils dilated as she paused her song, and the influence over me loosened just long enough for me to grab the dagger from my belt. The blade was almost to her neck when she caught my wrist and dug her claws into my skin. Her gaze was ice as she looked from me to the weapon.

"A fighter, are we?" She chuckled and took the dagger in her other hand. Still holding my wrist up between our chests, she brought the tip of the blade to my index finger. Before I could try to pull away, the blade pricked my skin and drew a bead of blood. Those sharp eyes fixed on mine as she brought her mouth to my fingertip, and I tried harder to tear myself out of her grasp. She only yanked me closer, and I fell forward, bracing my other arm on the wall near her head.

"Let me go," I demanded, to which she lifted a brow and chuckled. Our noses nearly brushed.

"You really are cute, thinking you're in a position to make commands. Stay still."

My breath caught in my throat when her tongue slid over my bleeding fingertip. "What—"

"So squirmy," she sighed and released my wrist. "Now, tell me, Jimin. If you're so determined to keep me out of the wrong hands, would you be willing to do me a favor?"

Still leaning over her frame, I frowned. "What would it be?"

The siren reached up and tapped her lips. If it weren't for her answer, I would've paid more thought to the shortened length of her talons.

"Let me kiss you."

My eyes strayed to her mouth briefly. "Why?"

"Don't you want to know what kissing a siren is like?" she murmured, tracing the back of her hand from my cheek, under my jaw, down along my throat. She met my gaze. "One kiss, and I'll be willing to strike that deal with you."

I swallowed, surprised that she asked me without using her power of persuasion. Still, she was hiding something. I opened my mouth to question her, but she spoke first.

"Yes or no, pirate? It won't harm you, but I need an answer. Now."

"Yes."

The second I accepted, she reached up and held my chin, guiding my face down to hers. With my hands propped on either side of her head, her dark eyes took me in until we were too close and our eyes closed. Her lips brushed mine in a kiss too gentle, too soft to belong to the monster the legends made her out to be.

But then, following a shared breath, she deepened the kiss. Her hands slid to hold my jaw and pulled me closer to her, then our mouths parted and our tongues met. My face warmed, my heart sped. Inhaling through my nose, she smelled of salt and sea breeze—of both freedom and seduction. But when her fingers trailed down my neck, I realized they felt normal. No claws.

I pulled away from the kiss and pushed off from the wall, panting. My eyes widened when I noted the dulled color of her skin, the lessened shine of her hair. She laughed, and her teeth were nothing like those fangs from before. My gaze fell over her chest, past her stomach, down to her hips, her thighs— I froze. No tail.

But before I could move, she reached out and caught my chin again. "Eyes only above the neck, darling," she purred. It was obvious she didn't actually care what I saw from the way she grinned. Her pupils dilated and her voice shifted to that spellbinding tone. "Two last favors, gorgeous. One, I need you to lend me that nice long coat of yours. Two, you're going to have to fetch your dear captain for me. Bring him back here, will you? Don't let the others follow, and don't let him know of my new... assets."

There was no choice. I was hers.

Quickly, I stood and pulled my leather coat off, handing it to her awaiting palm. She slid up to stand, leaning against the wall for support. "Been a while since I've used these," she chuckled, adjusting on her feet. She shrugged the coat on and it covered her to just above those newfound knees. Her eyes snapped to mine. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go."

So I went. Up the stairs, onto the deck, past the working crew, over to the captain's quarters. The mist led me, and though I was aware of my actions, I had no conscious say in them. My fist raised to tap on the double doors to his quarters. A grumble from within, bootsteps, then the doors flung open to reveal a perturbed Yoongi.

"What do you want?" he demanded, glaring right into my soul. When he got a better look at my face, his expression shifted, brows pulling tight. "Is it the siren?"

"She wants to see you," I heard myself say. "She's willing to make a deal."

He leaned back skeptically. "That so?"

"She asked to talk with you first to negotiate."

Yoongi toyed with the rings on his fingers. After a moment of thought, he said, "Then let's go."

We made our way down to the brig, and as we descended the stairs, I tried to warn him, tried to tell him she was trickier than we thought, that she had legs now. But my warnings were caught in my throat, and I couldn't bring them out with the leash she bound me with. So when we made it to the last step and the cell was empty, I could only grind my teeth.

"Where—" Yoongi's voice cut off as Katherine lunged out from the shadows and wrapped her arm around his neck from behind, holding my dagger under his chin. The captain slowly held his hands up, grinning as he met my gaze."Led me right into the lion's den, Jimin?"

I shook my head. "She—"

"He makes a good little pet, doesn't he?" Katherine whispered in the captain's ear. "Years of loyalty to you, I assume, only to switch to me the second we share a kiss."

"You tricked me," I said. "And forcing me to act for you is not the same as loyalty."

She only clicked her tongue in response. The dagger pressed farther into Yoongi's skin, and her mouth brushed his ear. "Since you lacked the basic respect to come and bargain with me yourself, Captain, I decided to take matters into my own hands."

"How did you even manage to shift?" her captive questioned, grunting under her hold.

"Sweet Jimin here lent me his blood. Don't worry, it was just a drop. But that brings me to my offer. So," she said smoothly, "I'm willing to share a skill of mine as long as you let me continue to take a bit of his blood. Has to be his. Sound good?"

Why my blood? My eyes locked with Yoongi's, but he hardly seemed concerned for me.

"I'd like to know what skill it is before agreeing," he said carefully, tilting his chin higher. The blade followed.

"I suppose that's fair," she replied, and her gaze left his face to set on mine. Her mouth fell into an easy smile. "I can bring each and every one of you pirates to whatever you want most in this world."

The captain's gleaming eyes were impossible to miss. All nerves for the situation he was in were replaced by a look of hope.

He didn't hesitate.

"You have a deal."

And with that, my fate intertwined with hers.

Author's Note:

Hey lovelies! I'm so happy to finally get this out to you! I know the bonus updates take forever in between, but it's because my life has been hectic lately and this is not my top priority at the moment. Still, it is a promise I intend to finish! Which means deleted scenes, TSC shorts (fun little scenarios with the characters), and the alternate ending are all to be posted in the future!

I also wanted to take a moment to thank anyone who still checks these late updates after so long haha. It's crazy to me that any of you who read this when it first came out might still be here now. But I'm grateful to both the old readers and the new! Thank you for the support.

Also ??? Thank you for getting this story to almost 1 million ??? What on earth. Thank you ❤️

Hopefully, I'll see you all soon!

- Kat

May 11, 2021