Chapter 1
My skin was peeling again. With the dryness came that familiar hunger.
I kept my head down, clawing at the flaking skin on my inner wrist. Beneath the torn shreds, a patch of scales shimmered through—dark blue, faintly luminescent.
Siren blood runs in my veins. Because of it, every decade, we must shed our skin.
And shedding requires a human heart to complete the ritual.
Not just any heart will do. Sirens are picky eaters—we only feast on the hearts of cheating men.
The holier his wedding vows, the more vicious his betrayal, the richer the rot seeping from his heart—and the brighter my new scales will shine.
It had been nine years and ten months since my last molt.
Every bone in my body was restless. If I didn't find a suitable offering soon, this human skin would start disintegrating from my fingertips, eventually dissolving into seafoam.
Sitting in a corner café, I scrolled through a dating app with zero interest.
Personal trainer: [Love the outdoors, hoping to build a family someday]—just some guy chasing the American dream. Swipe left.
Tech director: [Looking for something real]—no whiff of sin, too boring. Swipe left.
Suddenly, a location-based match popped up. Distance: less than a block away.
Golden-brown hair, sharp blue eyes, expensive charcoal suit, holding a golden retriever puppy.
Caius, 34, VC executive. His bio was surprisingly honest: [Married. Not looking to cross lines—just barely keeping my head above water. Need a stranger to grab coffee with and breathe for a minute.]
I almost laughed. This earnest, picture-perfect family man couldn't possibly be my prey.
But just as I moved to swipe left, instinct seized me—a siren knows her prey.
Through the screen, I could almost smell it: the overwhelming reek of rot.
Betrayal.
I swiped right.
Seconds later:
[App says you're across the street. If you'll listen to a stressed-out stranger vent for thirty minutes, coffee's on me.]
We met at an outdoor table facing the gallery.
He looked better in person—sharp suit, clean-shaven, no wedding ring in sight. No sleazy moves. He just stirred his coffee quietly.
"Sirena." He pulled out my chair. "Thought I'd scare you off."
"Why?"
"Because you're young, gorgeous, still in school." A self-deprecating smile. "Girls like you probably think married guys with messy lives are pathetic."
I took the gallery brochure and smiled. "Maybe I'm curious."
All afternoon, he kept perfect boundaries. No condescension, no wandering hands, no inappropriate questions.
After our evening walk, he suggested his corporate apartment "for coffee."
I said yes.
The place was private but tasteful. He kept distance on the couch, poured me hot Coco, turned up the heat, asked if I was comfortable.
Then he sat across from me in the armchair, just watching.
"Sirena," he said finally, "do you believe in soulmates?"
"Not really."
"I do." He leaned forward, locking eyes with me.
"Spend enough time in my world—everyone waiting for you to decide everything—you go numb. But when I saw your picture, I thought... maybe I can still really connect with someone. Actually listen. Even if we're just friends."
Those blue eyes held mine.
Over the next week, Caius was perfect.
A true platonic companion—checking in daily, remembering my food preferences, never pushing boundaries.
On day five, he even brought me to a maternity store.
"Sirena, help me out?" He stood before rows of stretch mark creams, looking genuinely lost. "My wife's freaking out about stretch marks. Cries about it constantly. You'd know better than me—which of these are actually safe?"
I glanced at my wrist—another scale had fallen, leaving sandpaper-dry skin beneath.
Meanwhile, this man carefully tested oils on his hand, eyes full of concern for his pregnant wife.
I stared at his devoted expression, drowning in doubt.
He seemed like a genuinely good husband. Had my instincts been wrong?
I didn't have time for this. Not with my skin peeling faster each day. I needed to find real prey—a man rotten enough to sustain me—before it was too late.
On the seventh night, in his apartment, I decided to walk away.
"Caius, I think we should stop here."
His hand froze mid-pour. "What happened? Did I dump too much on you?"
"You're actually a really good person," I said, looking down, pinching my palm. "But the emotional weight of everything you're carrying—it's too much for me. I'm just a student. I need some space."
At the word "space," something cold flickered in Caius's eyes.
Gone in a heartbeat.
"I get it." He looked down, smiling bitterly. "Sorry. I was selfish, laying all this on someone so young."
He took a breath and walked to the bar.
"One last drink then. Toast to what we had. Tomorrow, I promise—I won't bother you again."
He slid a bourbon across. Eyes completely sincere.
I looked at him and downed it.
The second the liquid hit my throat, Caius's expression shifted.
"Sirena, you okay?"
Vision blurring. Limbs going slack.
In my last conscious moment, the scent of bourbon vanished—replaced by overwhelming rot.
I collapsed onto the couch, watching a cold smile spread across his face.
My instincts had been right all along.
I woke to diesel fumes and engine oil.
Lower deck of a yacht. Zip ties cutting into my wrists and ankles. Duct tape over my mouth.
Voices and footsteps from above.
"Girl looks clean. Those old bastards on the island'll eat her up." A man laughed, cigarette in mouth.
"Damn right. Spent a whole week setting this up." Caius.
The gentleman mask was gone. Pure venom in his voice. "College girls are the easiest fucking marks. Play vulnerable, act like a devoted husband, they're so touched they forget how to think."
"Covers tonight's buy-in?"
"Plus a million in chips." Caius stated it coldly. "Sarah's blown up like a damn balloon. Can't even stand looking at her anymore. I played the good husband—I deserve to cash in and enjoy some quality merchandise."
I lay in the rocking cabin, heart pounding faster.
Until the yacht stopped.
Heavy boots on metal stairs. Caius yanked open the cabin door.
Salt air rushed in.
He ripped the tape off my mouth in one savage motion, face twisted with cruelty. "Wakey wakey."
"Caius, please... let me go..." I curled up on the floor, forcing tears, playing terrified student perfectly.
"Let you go?"
He crouched down, grabbed my chin hard, fingers trailing obscenely down my cheek.
"I kept my hands off you because untouched goods fetch an extra million. Don't worry—those sick fucks on the island know exactly how to break in fresh college pussy. You'll scream real pretty for them, sweetheart."
