“Keep watching,” Smitter said, releasing me from his death grip. “I’m sure he has a plan.”

Rylander’s rough fingers curled around the siren’s neck, keeping her fangs at a distance. Her one fatal set of talons swiped for his face but couldn’t reach. The siren’s ungodly howls echoed in my ears. They grew louder, more painful, with each passing moment.

“Help him,” I yelled at his crew.

The siren’s whole body dripped red, her pale flesh covered in gouges from the spiked netting. The stump’s seaweed stuffing had soaked through, dripping fat droplets onto the deck. Her blood mixed with Lianna’s and her mate’s. Were they expecting her to die of blood loss? Could sirens even be killed that way? “What are you waiting for? You knave jack tars.”

“No. Do not engage,” Smitter said, raising his hand to grab the crew’s focus. “You heard the captain. He said stand down.”

No. I wanted Rylander to die, but not like this. I snatched a pistol out of the nearest soldier’s holster. Before anyone could stop me, I aimed and shot.

Chapter five

Rylander

The full weight of the flailing siren pressed against my ribcage. My arms burned. My lungs pleaded for air. Contrary to what their feminine shapeliness suggested, a siren weighed twice as much as any man, thanks to dense muscles in the tail. I could feel her anger, her yearning to eat my heart, and her grief for her lost soulmate. With every whip of her tail, blackness pushed in the edges of my vision.

“Your hurt brings me pleasure, Emperor.” She spat the last word, sneering her derision at the amulet resting against my chest. “Even now, your mother languishes in her cell, calling out your name, wondering why you abandoned her.”

A grumble from the back of my throat vibrated through me, but I refused to take her bait, no matter how much it pained me. Thank the gods, only I could understand her. Other humans claimed the siren’s words sounded like loud howls, high-pitched whistles, or roars fiercer than thunder. But because I spoke their language, I captured every syllable spoken from her poisonous tongue.

All around me, the crew shouted amongst themselves, arguing whether they should intervene or not. The loudest and most distracting was Lou. We’d only just met, but already I had my doubts that she would ever listen or follow direction. Between their raucous voices and the battle against the siren, my concentration wavered.

The siren’s thrashing claws whistled past the tip of my nose as I held her back. “Killing my mate sealed your fate. Once your powers have completely faded, you will all die by my hand.”

Realization set in like an illness. I sucked in a full breath, calling out to my magic, willing her threat to be wrong. The thrum inside my veins sputtered, snuffed like kindling soaked in water.