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It wasn’t but a moment later Leif yelled, “I need her!” Confused, Layala ran back to peer down at the lower deck. “Cut me loose!” Leif begged, wiggling his body on the ground. “I need to go to her.”

“Yes, set us free!” Siegfried shouted in a booming voice so unlike him.

“They need us.”

“She begs for me.”

“We have to help!” Fennan roared.

“Don’t listen to them,” one of the women snarled at Piper and Aunt Evalyn. “It’s a trick of the siren.”

“Obviously!” Piper snapped back.

The sirens’ lovely voices grew louder, drowning out the sounds of the water crashing against the boat and the rushing of the breeze, covering up the pleas from the males below. Layala nervously peeked at Thane again. She let out a long thankful breath, finding he wasn’t fighting to break loose. In fact, he almost looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep. Maybe he was strong enough to fight the temptresses’ call. Some of the knots in her gut loosened. He was the only one she was truly worried about breaking loose.

“On your left!” Fella bellowed.

Layala whipped around, a pale hand with pointed white nails slid over the ship’s railing. A moment later a head of bright pink hair and a face as lovely as the sea itself, rose over the ship’s edge. Her eyes were such a light blue they almost looked white. Layala had expected a beast, something grotesque akin to a pale one but this creature was one of the loveliest beings she’d ever seen. She pulled herself up until her aquamarine-scaled breasts appeared. From her chest down she was covered in shimmering fish scales, and her large whimsical fin waved in the air behind her.

With her sights set on Thane, she curled a finger. “Come to me, my love.” Her voice took on several octaves with whistle tones as well as a dark, lower register.

The allure the beautiful creature had shattered. She wanted the elf Layala loved—she wouldn’t have him.

Thane twitched and thrust his hips, trying to loosen the ropes. No! Layala rushed forward, swinging her sword at the siren with a whoosh. The female ducked below the railing and hissed. Layala hacked down, splintering the wood, and chopping the siren’s clinging fingers off. The siren wailed in such a high pitch, Layala wanted to slap her hands to her ears. She watched as the siren dropped into the water with a loud splash.

“Die, you cock-sucking wench!” Fella cried and swung her curved sword across a siren’s neck, severing it completely. A green-haired head flopped onto the deck with aquamarine lips held open wide in an endless scream, and the body disappeared over the side of the ship. Disgusting.

A loud crack that sounded an awful lot like wood breaking sent a tendril of fear shooting through her veins. Chest heaving up and down with wild breaths, she looked back to Thane jolting and wrenching against the ropes, and a very clear split ran up the mast almost to the top. Holy Maker above, the ropes held but the ship itself wouldn’t.

“He’s going to break my ship! Stop him!” Fella screeched and turned to another onboarding siren, creeping over the edge. “What the hell is he? No elf I’ve ever seen is that strong.”

Layala shoved her sword into its scabbard and pressed her hands to Thane’s chest. “Thane, it’s me. It’s Layala.” He grunted in his struggle and his hard-set jaw didn’t waver. “Those voices are sirens. Remember? They want to kill you. They want to take you from me.” Another snap of splintering wood and she gripped his face, pulling his head down to look eye to eye. Though he stared at her, his bright green eyes had what appeared to be a white cloud over them. Could he even see her? He didn’t focus on her; it was as if he was lost in a dream. “Stop fighting to get free. You must resist them! Please!”

With a flash of red hair, a black hat, and athunk, the ropes loosened and fell to the ship deck. Layala gasped at Fella attempting to pull her sword loose from the wood mast; she’d cut Thane loose. Layala pressed her hands into Thane’s chest harder; there was nothing to hold him back now but her. “What did you do?” Layala cried.

“If he destroys this ship, we’ll all go down.” Fella frowned, jerking her sword free. “I’m sorry.”

Thane marched forward and his strong body slammed into Layala, nearly knocking her to the hard planks. She gritted her teeth and shoved him in the chest, driving her legs until they screamed, and her boots slid on the slick surface. He was like pushing against a mountain that wouldn’t yield. “STOP!”

He kept going, shoving by her.

She gripped his shirt, jerking it so hard it tore the sleeve off, but his determination to get to the edge where another siren waited, smiling, curling her finger at him, was relentless.

Not seeing another choice, Layala jumped onto his back, sliding her arm under his chin and squeezed.Come on, go to sleep, go to sleep!Thank the Maker he didn’t fight her. It was as if he didn’t even know she existed and that might have been their only blessing in this moment. Even without his magic, Layala didn’t believe she could beat him in a real fight and if he wanted to kill her to get to the sirens…

Shit shit shit. It’s not working!With how hard she squeezed around his throat, he should be going down. Wrapping her legs tighter around him, she pulled her sword and knocked him upside the head. His skin split, and blood oozed down his face, but he didn’t lose consciousness, didn’t falter in his step. They were mere feet from the water, from the poisonous but beautiful creature beckoning him forward. Layala swung her leg out, and nailed the siren in the chin, sending her flying off. There was no way she was going to lose him now.

Magic whispered down her arms and a thick black vine appeared, first wrapping around Thane’s knees and thighs then it snaked its way up his body to wrap and pin his arms to his sides. Layala adjusted her position to avoid being trapped herself but held on. The vines traveled down around his ankles, and he stumbled forward toward the opening in the ship that would take him straight into the water. Layala shoved her foot against the ship’s railing and with one big jerk of her body, the momentum carried them both back. She braced herself for the impact and grunted when she slammed into the deck, stealing the breath from her lungs, and the full weight of him crushed her into it. A sharp pitch sent them both sliding toward the center until they hit the mast again.

As Thane bucked and squirmed, she wiggled free, got to her feet and shoved her boot onto his chest. The ship tilted, sending her off balance. Her arms circled around wildly trying to catch herself, and she stumbled into the railing where the sharp edge of it bit into her lower back.

A hiss from the water creature, then a quick jerk of her ponytail dragged Layala into a backbend, exposing her neck and chest. Sleek lavender hair and a razor-nailed hand poised above her. “Die!” the siren wailed.

Throwing her arms up, vines shot from her palms and punched straight through the siren’s neck and chest. Cold blood splattered across Layala’s face, into her eyes, and the metallic taste filled her mouth. “Ugh!” Layala spit in disgust. The vines lifted the siren’s wiggling body into the air until it swung her down into the depths of the lake and the vines went with her.

When she turned back, Fella stared, jaw dropped. “Alright, now I really need to know who you people are.” The cries for freedom and the chaos of fighting from the lower deck made it difficult to hear but Layala understood.

“That is Thane Athayel, High King of the Elves of Palenor and I am his mate and future queen! Now help me keep him alive!”