Romance with the Cursed Siren

CHAPTER 17. Awful Guests

It was already late in the afternoon when the family finally arrived back at Caro Island. The golden sunset painted the ocean in shades of orange and crimson while the waves gently crashed against the shore.

The moment the yacht stopped near the dock, Crystal immediately jumped into the water with relief.

“Crystal, don’t go too far!” Aya called worriedly.

“I won’t, Mom!” Crystal laughed before diving gracefully beneath the surface.

After being trapped inside the bathtub for hours during their journey, her body had become stiff and numb. The cool seawater instantly relaxed her muscles as she swam freely beneath the waves, her silver tail glimmering faintly under the fading sunlight.

Meanwhile, Christian helped Aya carry their belongings as they walked toward their cabin.

But the moment the house came into view, both of them froze.

A group of strangers—three men and two women—were gathered around the wooden table outside the cabin as though they owned the place.

One of the men lazily leaned back on a chair while drinking from a bottle, while another sharpened a knife against the wood. The women were laughing loudly beside them.

Christian immediately stepped protectively in front of Aya.

“Who are you?” he demanded sharply.

The man with the large belly slowly stood up. His greasy hair was tied back, and a wicked grin spread across his face.

“Relax, my friend,” he said casually. “We’re just travelers. We accidentally found this charming little island.”

His eyes wandered around the property before returning to Christian.

“And I assume this lovely house belongs to you?”

“Yes,” Christian answered coldly. “And I own this island. Which means you have no right to stay here.”

The man chuckled.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” he replied mockingly. “We mean no harm. We only need somewhere to rest for the night.”

He pointed proudly toward a large basin filled with freshly caught fish that still twitched weakly.

“We even caught dinner.”

Aya’s breath hitched at the sight of the struggling sea creatures. She instinctively clutched Christian’s shirt from behind, her heart aching for the helpless fish.

The man noticed her reaction and smirked.

“Or maybe,” he continued, “we can trade these for some of your chickens. I’m honestly getting tired of eating fish during our travels.”

He dropped the basin carelessly onto the ground.

“By the way,” he added while extending his arms dramatically, “my name is Roco. These are my comrades.”

His grin widened further. “And I’m certain our stay here will feel like a five-star resort.”

Christian ignored the insult and walked past him toward the cabin, his jaw tightening. But the moment he stepped onto the porch, he noticed the front door hanging slightly open.

His chest tightened instantly.

“Oh! About that,” one of the women suddenly spoke.

She was tall, heavily tattooed, with black hair and a piercing above her eyebrow. Aya’s expression darkened the moment she recognized the dress the woman was wearing.

It belonged to Crystal.

“We checked inside earlier because we thought the house was abandoned,” the woman said casually while inspecting her nails. “Hope you don’t mind.”

Aya’s stomach twisted in disgust seeing a stranger wear her daughter’s clothes so carelessly.

Christian slowly pushed the door open.

The sight inside made both him and Aya freeze. Their belongings were scattered everywhere. Drawers had been opened, cabinets left messy, and the fruits they had harvested before leaving were half-eaten and tossed carelessly across the table. Even Crystal’s belongings had been touched.

Aya covered her mouth shakily.

“How do we get rid of them?” she whispered anxiously.

Christian immediately noticed her trembling hands.

“Hey,” he murmured softly, holding her hands firmly. “Calm down. I’ll find a way to make them leave. I promise.”

He kissed her forehead reassuringly.

Outside, the strangers continued roaming around the property freely while laughing loudly as though they truly owned the island.

Aya and Christian silently began cleaning the mess they left behind.

But as darkness slowly approached, another fear settled heavily inside them.

Crystal’s transformation. Aya’s eyes widened.

“Christian…”

He immediately understood.

Without wasting another second, Aya hurried toward the shore while Christian carefully checked if any of the strangers were following her.

The sea had already turned dark blue beneath the evening sky.

“Crystal!” Aya called desperately.

But there was no response.

“She’s underwater,” Aya whispered fearfully as Christian arrived beside her. “What do we do? They can’t see her like this!”

Christian quickly removed his shoes and dove into the water.

Beneath the surface, he spotted Crystal swimming gracefully through the dark ocean, unaware of the danger waiting onshore.

He gestured urgently for her to follow him.

Crystal immediately noticed the seriousness in his expression and obeyed without question.

Christian resurfaced briefly for air before diving again and signaling her to remain underwater.

Together, they swam farther from shore until they reached the hidden yacht docked near the cliffs.

Crystal surfaced beside him, confused.

“What is it, Da?”

“There are strangers in our house,” Christian explained quickly while catching his breath. “You can’t go back there.”

Crystal’s eyes widened. “What? Who are they?”

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “But you need to stay hidden here for now.”

Crystal looked terrified but nodded.

“I have to go back to your mother,” Christian continued. “There are clothes and food inside the yacht. Stay here until morning.”

Minutes later, Crystal’s tail slowly split into human legs.

Christian quickly wrapped a dry towel around her shoulders before helping her climb inside the yacht.

The cabin remained dark except for the moonlight entering through the curtains.

Christian suddenly knelt near the kitchen floor and opened a hidden compartment. When he stood up again, he was holding a gun.

“Dada…” Crystal whispered nervously.

He handed it to her carefully while placing another weapon inside his waistband.

“But I don’t know how to use that,” she said shakily.

“You aim and pull the trigger,” he explained firmly while guiding her trembling hands around it.

“Crystal,” he said seriously while looking directly into her eyes, “you need to be brave.”

Tears already began forming in her eyes.

“You must protect yourself if something happens.”

“Yes, Da…” she whispered weakly.

Christian cupped her cheek gently.

“We can’t stay with you because we don’t want them discovering this yacht.”

Crystal nodded slowly.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he whispered before kissing her forehead. “Stay safe.”

Then he left.

As Christian swam back toward shore, panic immediately rose inside him when he realized Aya was no longer where he left her.

His heart pounded violently and sprinted toward the cabin.

Relief finally flooded through him when he saw Aya standing outside serving the strangers glasses of water.

“Aya!” he breathed heavily.

“What happened to you?” one of the men laughed.

Aya quietly approached Christian and handed him water.

“They saw me near the shore earlier,” she whispered nervously.

Roco walked closer while eating roasted fish from a sharpened stick.

“You don’t need to look so paranoid,” he said smugly.

“We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

Aya quickly looked away from the cooked fish, unable to bear the sight.

“We only stayed because we thought nobody lived here,” Roco continued casually. “No offense.”

Christian clenched his jaw.

“It’s fine,” he replied coldly. “Just leave as soon as possible.”

That night felt endless.

The strangers occupied the living area loudly while Christian and Aya stayed inside their room. Christian remained awake the entire night, listening carefully to every sound outside while protecting his wife. But no matter how alert he stayed, his thoughts remained with Crystal.

Morning arrived slowly.

Before sunrise, Christian carefully wrapped the blanket tighter around Aya’s sleeping body before quietly leaving the room.

He needed to check on Crystal.

But before he could even reach the shore—

“Roco! Roco!”

A terrified scream echoed outside.

“There’s a monster!” one of the men cried while rushing toward the cabin. “A woman with a fishtail! I saw her feet turn into a tail!”

Christian froze.

Aya immediately woke up.

“Christian, what’s happening?”

His face drained of color. Without answering, he ran outside.

Roco and the others quickly followed behind him. Inside the cabin, the black-haired woman smirked at Aya.

“So… you’re hiding a monster here?”

Aya’s eyes instantly filled with tears.

“My daughter is not a monster!” she hissed furiously.

The woman only chuckled.

“Oh… this just became interesting.”

Meanwhile, Christian raced desperately toward the shore.

“Crystal!” he shouted while diving into the water.

Again and again, he searched beneath the waves.

Until finally Crystal surfaced near him, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Da, I’m sorry,” she cried. “Someone saw me transform…”

Christian immediately held her face gently.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” His voice trembled.

Then his expression changed into something more urgent.

“Listen to me carefully. You need to leave this island now.”

Crystal stared at him in horror.

“No!”

“Go to Creekwood,” he continued quickly. “Find Gabriel. Then go to your grandfather and tell him everything.”

“No, Da! I can’t leave you and Mom here!”

“Crystal!” Christian snapped desperately. “You have to go! It’s not safe anymore!”

Tears streamed endlessly down Crystal’s cheeks, turning into tiny pearls as they touched the seawater.

“Promise me you’ll follow me later,” she begged weakly.

Christian forced himself to smile despite the fear in his eyes.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he whispered while kissing her forehead deeply. “May the good Spirits guide your journey.”

Crystal sobbed harder.

“I love you too, Dada… I love you, Momma…”

“There they are!” Roco suddenly shouted from shore.

A gunshot rang out.

Christian immediately moved in front of Crystal and fired back toward the men.

“Crystal, GO!” he screamed.

Crystal stared at her father one last time.

Then with a shattered heart, she turned and swam away from Caro Island—leaving behind the only home she had ever known.