It was feeding time, finally. Her skin was already itching to change, she’d been preparing for this one. She pulled herself back behind one of the rocks hidden on the ocean floor. She had to wait for the exact right time. She swallowed the drool that was forming in her mouth. She hadn’t had a proper meal in months. She stayed completely hidden underneath the rock while a rowboat on the surface creeped slowly towards her, at the back of her cave. She gave her skin permission to change, and it immediately shifted from her usual pale colour to a golden tan, now looking as if she was radiating the sun itself. Her sharp teeth shrunk and evened out as her face morphed into someone else entirely. Her tail split in two as her legs began to take form, her dark purple scales disappearing completely.
On the surface, the rowboat was inching closer and closer toward the back of the cave, the stone walls reflecting the shadow of the couple onboard. It was a small, secluded cave, the entrance only just big enough for the rowboat to fit through. Once inside the walls stretched high, like a stone bubble. It was almost completely dark, except for the lantern that shone out from the rowboat. The candle flickered, giving just enough light for Amaya to pull off her feast. Her usual long black hair had been turned to brunette, and it braided itself to keep out of her face. She started listening in to the couple that was now almost directly above her, while she was still completely hidden under the rock.
‘Yes, this is the right cave, I’m certain,’ the woman said.
Amaya’s ears twitched at the sound of her voice; it had been quite some time since she had heard the high-pitched sound of a woman.
‘Mabel, there’s nothing here and I have no idea how deep the water is,’ the man replied, clearly frustrated.
‘Well, Carl, keep rowing to this ledge there and I’ll have a look for you.’
Amaya poked her head out from the rock to see the shadow of Mabel standing up and undressing. She was trying to remember how many years it had been since a female entered her space. Feedings were so much easier when it was just men, they were the only ones her illusions worked on. She would have to wait until Mabel was out of the way, her curse limited her to only being able to hurt the males. Mabel didn’t wait for Carl to get to the ledge. Amaya had to quickly tuck herself back under the rock as Mabel jumped into the water, now just wearing her underwear. Mabel swam all the way down to the ocean floor; she was an excellent swimmer. She stopped just left of Amaya and had a quick look around, but it was too dark underwater, she couldn’t see anything. Just as fast as she had swum down, she was back at the surface hauling herself up onto a small ledge at the back of the cave. Carl was still on the rowboat, now not moving. Amaya sensed the quiet nervously and realised that her skin had morphed into a replica of Mabel. She demanded it to change back to her vision of a tall, brunette woman with bright green eyes. She poked her head out, swallowing the drool forming in her mouth again, while her stomach made an impatient growl. She could see Mabel looking over the ledge as if she knew she was there. She was wringing out her long blonde hair, the water dripping back into the ocean. It was now or never, Amaya decided. She kicked her legs, still giving the speed of her tail she directed herself towards the entrance of the cave, there was a tiny ledge she had carved herself for these specific moments.
She jumped high out of the water, landing perfectly on the ledge right above the entrance, directly opposite from Mabel. Carl was still sitting in the rowboat right in between them. Amaya crossed her legs and let them dangle off the edge, she kept her body naked, giving Carl the eyeful he wouldn’t be able to resist. She watched Mabel’s face widen in horror, but she didn’t make a single sound, she just reached out her arm to point directly at Amaya.
‘What?’ Carl yelled at her, before turning his head to see where she was pointing.
Amaya watched as Carl’s face went into a dazed state as Amaya took over his body, urging it to come towards her. His blue eyes had turned black. Without a word, he had turned the rowboat around and was rowing straight towards Amaya. This was usually where the females would make her job harder. Mabel couldn’t see the naked brunette girl that Carl could, she could see Amaya for what she really was. Mabel kept quiet, putting her hands over her mouth as if she was deliberately trying not to say anything. She watched as her husband rowed closer to death.
‘You know you want me,’ she hissed at Carl, giving up on swallowing her drool. She let it drip down her chest.
Why wasn’t Mabel warning Carl? To her she was in her siren form, eyes black, teeth sharp, and her tail battered with scars from previous attacks. She urged Carl to go quicker. The veins in his arms coming to the surface of his skin as he pumped the oars back and forth. But she was impatient, and hungry. Amaya stood up on the ledge, wiping the now consistent drool from her chin. She leaped off the ledge, letting her tail form and her teeth sharpen. She loved to watch them realise they were about to die. Her fingernails dug into the sides of Carl’s throat, the rowboat now swaying furiously, and she watched his eyes turn back to his own as she released him from her control. She bit into his throat, pulling out his vocal cords before he had a chance to speak. He was delicious, confirming that he was almost as heinous as she was. The worse crimes they had committed, the tastier and more satisfying they were. His warm blood was gushing out of the hole where his throat used to be and she took a swig, igniting her need for more. She dropped him on the floor of the rowboat, readying her arms to tear into his chest. Amaya plunged her arms right into his ribs, grabbing hold of them and ripping them open towards her, the sound of his cracking bones echoing through the cave. She gave a quick glance towards Mabel, who was still silently standing at the edge of her ledge, tears running down her face. They made eye contact, and Mabel seemed to give her some kind of nod, as if to say it was okay. She looked down at Carl’s face, it was splattered with his own blood, his face muscles twitching his mouth into a smirk. She couldn’t stop herself now, she had already tasted him. Amaya licked her lips as she reached into his chest with her right hand, immediately gripping onto his heart. She gave it a little squeeze, watching the blood ooze over her fingers, before yanking it completely out of his chest. Immediately, she devoured it, bite after bite, she feasted on it until she was licking her fingers, and nothing was left. But Amaya could never have expected what came next.
‘Thank you,’ Mabel says breathlessly.
Amaya just stared at her. Who would thank her after killing and eating her husband? She looked back down at Carl, his body ripped open, and his head only just still attached. That’s when she noticed the shine reflecting off his hand. She snapped a finger off of his left hand, peeling the ring that he wore right off. She threw it at Mabel before quickly diving back into the water, flicking her tail on the surface with such force that the rowboat split in two and Carl’s body fell into the water. This made Mabel give out a little yelp, as she watched Carl’s lifeless body sink slowly towards the bottom. Amaya didn’t bother to hide behind a rock, Mabel already knew exactly what she looked like and what she was. She perched herself on a different rock, directly underneath the damaged rowboat, waiting for Carl’s body to reach her.
Mabel scrambled to pick up the wedding ring, relieved she was free of that monster of a husband. She had finally been right about the cave; she had been searching for the siren ever since she was made to marry Carl three years ago. She wiped the tears from her eyes, it was a lot more gruesome than she had originally thought. She hoped the siren enjoyed him, she hoped that he was enjoyable to eat, he deserved every single bite she took. Mabel threw the ring back in the direction of the siren, she didn’t want the reminder of him, the siren could have it as a keepsake for all she cared. She slumped down onto the ground, now just realising she actually couldn’t go anywhere. She dangled her legs off the ledge and into the freezing cold water, not even caring if the siren wanted to take her or not. She looked at her reflection in the water, she looked like a crying mess. That’s when her reflection started to change. She watched as her icy blue eyes started to turn black, her blonde hair slowly changing to black. But it wasn’t her reflection. The siren was there, staring right back up at her. She let out a gasp and took her feet out of the water, hugging them and resting her head in her knees, she didn’t dare take another breath. The siren leaped out of the water, perching herself right next to Mabel, drenching her with the splash. Mabel nervously turned her head to look at her, she knew what was about to happen. But the siren didn’t touch her, she just curiously looked back into her eyes.
‘Aren’t you going to eat me too?’ she tried to say, but it came out as a whisper.
‘Why,’ the siren croaked, then cleared her throat, ‘Why would you say thank you?’
They were both staring into each other’s eyes.
‘I’ve been looking for you for three years, to do exactly that.’ Mabel sighed and pointed towards the pile of wood that the ocean was slowly drifting towards her.
She looked away from the siren and started to shiver, she was still just in her underwear. She was finished, Carl got the death he deserved, and she didn’t care what happened to her now.
‘I’m Amaya,’ was all the siren said in response.
Mabel reached out and took her hand, it was cold and clammy, but she didn’t mind. Amaya stared back at her, almost in awe. Mabel felt the familiar coldness of metal, and she turned Amaya’s hand over to see her fingers. She was wearing Carl’s wedding ring.
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