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Holy brightness. I turned my head away from the light and into a hard knob. I blinked my eyes open and stared at an elbow. It took me a moment to place where I was, and I nearly chuckled. The only thing that stopped the laugh from escaping was the origin of the light. It wasn’t the sun. It was a spotlight.
I shook Alex awake. His groggy gaze met mine then squinted into the light. He shot to a sitting position, scraping his head on the canopy in his haste to get up. The person holding the light lowered it a fraction. Beyond the bright spot sat another small craft.
“Είσαι καλά?” a voice called from beyond the light.
Alex traded a glance with me. While I understood the question asked in Greek, he obviously didn’t, and without a voice, I couldn’t answer.
“Are you okay?” the voice asked in English this time.
“Who are you?” Alex asked in a wary voice.
“Coast Guard,” the man said.
The tenseness in Alex’s form released and he slumped. “Thank God,” he said. “We’re banged up, and she needs stitches. I did the best I could to try to fix her up before we escaped, but I’m not a doctor.”
The skiff closed the distance, and someone tied a rope to the pad eye of our lifeboat before they pulled alongside us.
Alex helped me to my feet, and just before he handed me over to the Coast Guard, I pointed towards the backpack, meeting his gaze.
“Don’t worry. I won’t forget what little stuff we have left,” he said and gave me a tired smile.
I crossed over into the skiff with the help of three military-built men in uniforms.
“What’s your name,” the one holding my arm asked.
I glanced at him and tapped my throat with a shake of my head.
“She hasn’t spoken since we were attacked on the yacht we rented,” Alex said as he stepped into the skiff with the backpack hanging over his shoulder.
A flashlight shined at my throat, and the owner of the light actually winced. I hadn’t had cause to really study myself in a mirror since my brother died, but I ventured from the man’s face that I had some nasty bruises from when Jeremiah tried to strangle me to death. A crushed larynx would be a hell of a reasonable fabrication and I was glad Alex’s explanation spawned the thought. It certainly would explain my loss of voice.
“We’ll get you to a doctor in no time,” the man said after he shut off the light. He sat me on a bench and wrapped a warm blanket around my shoulders.
Alex took a seat next to me with a blanket wrapped around him too. He put the backpack between his feet and threaded his hand in mine. The simple gesture warmed me more than the blanket.
They brought us to a bigger cruiser, helped us aboard, and brought us into a sheltered area while they headed in the direction of Greece’s mainland.
A formal looking gentleman in a neatly-pressed uniform came in and took a seat across from us. He pulled out a pen, scribbled on the clipboard he held, and then finally looked up at us.
“I am Commander Angelis with the Hellenic Coast Guard.”
His heavy Greek accent was hard to miss, and the fact he remained all business sent off alarms in my head. I gave him a nod and traded a glance with Alex.
“I’m Alejandro Cervas, and this is Kylee Paradox.” Alex put his hand out, and the commander stared at it for a moment before he shook it. The pause was enough to set the mood. This wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.
“Were you aware that Captain Hagan and his crew were murdered?”
I stared at him and slowly nodded. Alex hadn’t been conscious when the captain died. I made a motion for something to write on, and the commander handed me a pen and paper.
We were attacked by something, I wrote. If they found the boat, the crusted statue of my brother would go a long way to substantiate the partial truth I was spinning. Alex played dead, and before the something had a chance to kill me, another boat came into the vicinity, and the thing took off. But before it left, it promised it would be back for me.
I glanced at Alex, and he gave me a nod before I handed the commander the paper.
Commander Angelis raised an eyebrow as he read my note. “You expect me to believe this?”
I stood and let the blanket drop from my shoulders so I could lift my shirt, showing him the deep gashes Jeremiah’s nails left. And then I turned so he could see the same on my back. I pulled the shirt down and took a seat.
Alex draped the blanket around me again. “It did that to her,” he said, meeting the commander’s sharp gaze. “Whatever the hell it was.”
The commander leaned forward and handed the paper back to me. “What did you do next?”
Alex started to answer and the commander glared at him. “I want to hear this from her.”
I glanced at Alex then held the pen to the paper once again. We ran. That thing took the bodies with him into the sea and took off. I wasn’t waiting around for him to come back and finish us off. We lifted anchor and headed away as fast as the yacht would take us. Unfortunately, we didn’t get very far before pirates attacked the ship.
I handed the sheet to him and waved my fingers for more. He handed me another piece. Before I continued, my hand fluttered to my throat, and I blinked back the mist that covered my eyes.
The pirates... Well, they wanted to sell me to the highest bidder back home but wanted to make sure I’d be worth the money. They nearly killed me before the men started to turn on each other. It gave us the opportunity to escape. We’d been drifting in that life boat for a few days.
I handed the last sheet to the commander and avoided eye contact. This was the dicey part. If they didn’t believe us, we were going to be screwed for a very long time.
He read the note, closed his eyes, and wiped his face before clearing his throat.
“And where were you during all this?” he asked Alex, his voice as accusatory as it had been before.
“I was in and out of consciousness for part of it and then just blazing mad. But Kylee kept me out of harm’s way and got me down where the lifeboat was. Her voice was gone by that point, but she was able to get me to understand we needed to escape. We left just as gunfire broke out in the main cabin.”
He studied us, his gaze traveling from Alex to me and back like he was measuring the level of bullshit we were feeding him. There was something under the accusation in his eyes. Something haunting. I had an epiphany and pointed at the papers. He handed me one.
I wrote, How many men on this ship died?
When I handed him the slip of paper, he recoiled, his eyes widening before shooting to mine. His composure melted, and he crumpled the paper and looked away.
This man was looking for answers. Answers as to why his ship became a war zone. A mythological creature wasn’t good enough. Especially since he himself had been affected by my brother’s siren song. There were too many haunting glances for me not to be right about this.
I tapped the floor with my foot, bringing his attention back to me.
“Six,” he answered and paled. “One by my own hand, and I need to know why.”
An ensign came in, interrupting the conversation. He handed the commander a photograph. Commander Angelis stared at the picture for a good minute before his gaze rose. Whatever color had remained on his face faded, leaving him almost green. He blinked, glanced up at the ensign, and handed me the photo.
“Was this on the yacht when you boarded?” he asked with a tremble in his voice.
I looked at the black and white photo of Jeremiah frozen in death. A shiver rippled through me, and I dropped the photo as if it were burning my fingers. My hand went to my throat. I shook my head, trying to swallow the bile that had risen up my esophagus. The revulsion and horror filling my form hit like a fastball to the abdomen.
Alex put his arm around me. “That was the thing that nearly killed us,” he said, staring at the photo face up on the floor.
I glanced at his pale profile. His aversion to the photo was as real as mine. I could feel it in his grip on my shoulder and see it in the tension of his jaw. When he raised his gaze to the commander, the man across from us flinched.
Commander Angelis ran his hand over his face. “That is a statue,” he said, denying what he must know as the truth.
In these parts, there was plenty of speculation regarding mermaids and sirens. Especially after what happened to that cruise ship.
“It wasn’t when we saw it, and it had legs, not the damn tail you see in that picture. The face is the same, and so are the clawed hands,” Alex snapped. “If you have any doubts, measure the statue’s damn hand and compare it to the bruise on her neck.” He hooked his thumb in my direction. “Or measure the spread of the thing’s claws and compare them to the cuts on her stomach and back if you still have doubts.”
The commander’s gaze moved to my throat. “If you wouldn’t mind putting your hand over the shape of the bruise,” he said to Alex.
“Excuse me?”
“Do it,” he snarled.
I lifted my chin and turned toward Alex. His hand was much smaller than my brother’s, so I had no issue with the request. At least it might ease the obvious angst the commander had in relation to us.
Alex did as he asked. The commander mumbled under his breath.
“Thank you.” He picked up the paper from the floor and waved the ensign guarding the door over.
I caught the whisper to have someone measure the hand on the statue and for the ensign to measure the mark on my throat. He gave a nod and stepped out. When he returned, he had a piece of string that he used to span the bruise. With the length measured, he left us alone with the commander.
“I don’t believe in mythology...” Commander Angelis stood, glancing out over the ocean. “But I heard the most haunting songs before all hell broke out on this ship. It was similar to what you described happened to those pirates. And if I allow myself to believe for a second that a merman did this to all of us, I will be put in a padded room for a very long time.” He turned to us. “Why did we stop? Why didn’t we slaughter ourselves until everyone was dead like on that cruise ship?”
I pointed at the picture and made the writing motion. He handed me another piece of paper.
If that truly is the being that attacked us, perhaps his death is what released us all from the siren’s control.
He stared at my note and then met my gaze. “You heard the song?”
Both of us nodded.
His expression hardened. “You killed the crew members of that boat?”
We both shook our heads.
“The crew attacked Kylee.” Alex looked at the ground and closed his eyes. “I did, too. She defended herself pretty well considering four men were on the attack, but neither of us killed the crew. She did her best to keep us from harming her or each other. I guess that thing wasn’t satisfied with how things were playing out and decided to take things into its own hands.”
The commander glanced at me, his eyes narrowing. “You were not affected?”
I shook my head and grabbed another piece of paper. No, not in the same way the men were. I tied the captain and Alex up to keep them safe. That creature snapped the necks of the other two and then let the captain loose with instructions to kill me. Alex was already unconscious. When I nearly knocked the Captain out, that thing got angry, broke the captain’s neck, and came after me. Just before he did the same to me, another ship came into the vicinity.
I stopped writing and looked up at the commander. My heart sunk. It was his ship that made it so my life was spared. I handed him the paper as tears welled up in my eyes. Six crew members paid the price instead of me.
He read my words and then met my gaze. I pointed a shaky finger at him and twirled it around to indicate the ship. The truth of it all slammed home, and I buried my face in my hands. If I had only killed Jeremiah that first time, the commander’s ship wouldn’t have been influenced by the siren.
Commander Angelis knelt down in front of me and pulled my hands from my face. I met his gaze through prisms of tears. The hardness in his features softened.
“I think that may have been us, and to know our arrival saved two people from death is more than I could have hoped for.”
I glanced at Alex, and he squeezed me to his side.
“Thank you,” Alex said. He relayed the depth of my gratitude with those two words.
The commander gave a nod, climbed to his feet, and left us alone.
“I’m sorry, Kylee,” Alex said softly and pressed his lips to the side of my head.
I wasn’t sure why he was apologizing, but I accepted his warm condolences.
* * *
THE COMMANDER AND CREW let us be for the remainder of the trip. Neither Alex nor I got any rest, and we didn’t talk. I just leaned into him, thankful for his warmth and quiet strength. Numbness settled into my bones, taking any discomfort from my injuries.
We arrived in Athens just as the sun kissed the surface of the sea.
“Miss?” an ensign said, sticking his head in the room we sat in.
I met his gaze and raised an eyebrow.
“We have medics waiting on shore to take a look at you.”
I glanced at Alex. I just wanted to go home.
“You need to get your back looked at before we get on a plane,” he said as if he read my mind.
I sighed and nodded. I climbed to my feet and took an unsteady step. Alex grabbed my elbow, steadying me before he grabbed our backpack. The minute we climbed onto the dock, a medic swept in and escorted both of us into the nearest building on the base.
I was given a johnny to put on. They tried to remove Alex from the room, but I kept his hand in mine and shook my head.
“I’m staying,” he said.
“We need to check you out too,” the medic said.
I pointed to the floor in the room, still clasping his hand.
“She wants me to stay. I don’t have an issue if you check me out in front of her. And if I’m reading her correctly, she feels the same.”
I nodded, thankful for his accurate interpretation of my actions.
“Fine.” The medic handed Alex a johnny as well. “Get changed and the doctor will be in momentarily.”
Alex helped me out of my shirt and into the garment, then he traded his shirt for the johnny and took a seat next to me on the bench. He didn’t bother asking if I was okay. I thought by then he knew better, so instead, he took my hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
I returned the motion as the doctor walked in the room. She was a beautiful dark haired Greek woman, and she gave me a soft smile.
“Hello, I’m Doctor Romanov. I understand you haven’t spoken since the attack,” she said, looking at some notes scribbled on the clipboard she held. It was strange not seeing a doctor with a tablet like in the states, but perhaps they weren’t quite as advanced as that here on the coast guard base.
I nodded and lifted my chin to show my neck.
Dr. Romanov put the clipboard down and crossed to me. Concern displayed in tiny wrinkles around her mouth. She pressed lightly on either side of my Adam’s apple. I winced. She made me stick my tongue out while she flashed a light down my throat, but I knew there was no real indication of damage. Fate had just stolen my ability to speak, and no medical doctor would be able to restore it.
“Did you cough up blood?” she asked.
I shook my head and glanced at Alex.
“No, she didn’t,” he said. “I think her back and shoulder need more attention at the moment than her throat,” he added as the doctor kept tinkering with my neck. “I did my best to patch her up, but I still think stitches are necessary.”
The doctor glanced at him before returning her gaze to me. “Does it hurt to swallow?”
I shook my head then shrugged and pointed to the sides of my neck. I signed that the muscles were sore, but not my throat directly.
“You’re muscles are sore?”
I nodded. You know sign language?
She stared at my hands and gave me a nod. “Yes. As far as the muscles in your neck, they will be sore for a while. You sustained some really nasty bruises.” Her glance jumped to Alex in a manner I didn’t like.
He saved me, I signed. So don’t give him that look. He’s got a head injury, if you hadn’t noticed.
Dr. Romanov took a long breath. “Okay. Let’s take a look at your back,” she said and walked to the other side of the table. She pulled off the patchwork that Alex had done. “Your boyfriend is right. You are going to need quite a few stitches.”
I traded a glance with Alex and he shrugged.
“I told you it wasn’t pretty,” he said and squeezed my hand.
“I wouldn’t talk, mister. That bruise on your forehead is pretty nasty,” the doctor said, coming around to the front.
“I’m fine,” Alex said. “I just need about thirty hours of sleep after I eat a four-course meal.”
His comment brought a smile to my lips. It had the same effect on the doctor as she shined her light in each of his eyes.
She returned to me and slid the johnny off my shoulder to inspect that wound. When she finished, she met my gaze. “You are one lucky lady. It looks like this missed the tendons and just hit bone. If this had been a half inch in either direction, you wouldn’t have been able to use this arm. At least not enough to keep fighting whatever attacked you two.”
I shrugged and glanced at Alex. I’m not sure I could have kept fighting if it wasn’t for him, I signed.
The doctor nodded. “I’ll be back with one of the nurses, and we will get you sewed up.”
Thank you.
Dr. Romanov and the nurse who had got us settled in the exam room worked together to stitch up my shoulder and the gouges in my back. They then sent us on our way with enough bandages to get us home to the states. I stopped at the marina store and bought both Alex and me some flip-flops for our feet before we got into the cab that the base had called for us.
I leaned back in the seat and winced. Any pressure on my back pulled at the stitches. I leaned forward enough so my back didn’t press on the vinyl. Alex slid inside next to me with the backpack.
“Where to?” he asked softly.
Airport, I mouthed and made the hand signal for an airplane taking off.
“The airport, please,” Alex said to the driver without hesitation.
While he didn’t know formal sign language, he was reading me pretty damn well, and I was thankful for that.
The cab driver dropped us off and waved away payment, telling us the coast guard had covered the cost before he drove away. Alex and I turned and took in the airport, and I wondered if there was even a flight today.
When the airline clerk told us there wasn’t anything until tomorrow morning, I almost burst into tears. I nodded and wrote a note to please book us on the earliest flight possible, then I handed over my credit card to cover the charges for both of us.
“I assume there’s a hotel in connection with the airport?” Alex asked after our tickets were all squared away.
“Yes,” she said and pointed to our right. “If you go through the doors at the end of this hall, you will come to a passageway that connects with the hotel.”
“Thank you,” he said and took the tickets and my hand and led me away from the airport terminal.
I felt like a walking zombie, numb except for the discomfort of my back. I let Alex take charge. He booked us a room and got me settled under the covers before he slid into the bed next to me. I didn’t remember anything beyond his soft peck on my lips and then the shifting of the covers before darkness yanked me under.