Tempting Tide

Chapter 3

I awoke to meowing from Laurent. He rubbed himself against my face to get my attention.

"What could you possibly need in the middle of the night, Laurent?" I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

He hopped off my bed and left the room. I followed him into the kitchen. He laid on the counter and stared at me, clearly expecting me to know what he wanted. Too tired to guess, I placed some food in his bowl and filled his water dish. He chose the water.

As I waited for Laurent to finish drinking, I was too sleepy to notice the towering frame at the kitchen entryway. My heart jumped into my throat as I felt a presence behind me. I quickly turned around and came face to chest with a bare abdomen. I had to tilt my head all the way back to look at his face, and my heart dropped. I felt sick, on the verge of shaking from fear.

Behind long midnight lashes were mismatched eyes—the same as the thing that tried to kill me. One was completely black, the other milk white with a scar running beside it. His hair fell in curtains as he looked down at me, stepping impossibly closer. My eyes widened. I could hear my heart pounding. If I looked away, I was sure he would pounce.

"Ha... you are awake," I whispered.

"Do you n-need something, perhaps?" I asked, trying to push him away to create space, but he wouldn't budge.

He looked down at my hand, grabbed it, and brought it to his nose—sniffing it? Confused, I realized he was completely crazy. But he wasn't a man.

Laurent hissed, snapping him out of his trance. Taking the chance, I gathered all my strength and kicked him between the legs. He let go of my wrist and cursed. I grabbed Laurent and booked it to my room. Out of breath, I locked the door and tried to figure out what to do next.

I can't forget those eyes. They haunt my dreams 24/7. I might have to cut this trip short and go home—like, tomorrow. My panic only deepened as I heard the doorknob jiggle.

"Buka pintunya, tikus kecil," a deep voice called from the other side.

"Aku berjanji aku tidak akan memakanmu, namun," he said again. It sounded like the local language, but I couldn't understand it.

If I stayed quiet, maybe he'd leave. How was Elonah still sleeping through this? I held Laurent closer, trying not to pass out from fear. The jiggling stopped. I didn't hear anything else from the hallway, but I wasn't about to check.

Then the doorknob twisted again, harder. The lock snapped, and the door creaked open. At this point, I had lived a decent life. I didn't get married or have kids, but I made it to 26.

He pushed the door shut behind him and walked toward me. Even if I ran, he'd catch me. Hiding clearly wouldn't work.

"I promise I don't taste that good. You didn't have to leave your home just to eat me," I rambled, trying to save myself. But I stopped when I heard that song again.

My body relaxed against my will. I sank into the bed. Laurent hissed faintly as he tried to block him from me, but I couldn't do anything. The creature grabbed Laurent and shoved him into his carrier, though Laurent scratched him up he didn't flinch.

Then his attention turned to me. He walked back to the bed, staring at me, helpless and frozen. My brain was filled with his siren song. I couldn't move. I felt like prey under his gaze.

He leaned over me, caging me with his body, his long tendrils falling around me. He parted my legs, settled between them, and traced my collarbone with his finger. Then he bit into my skin. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Searing pain shot from my collarbone through the rest of me.

Finally, he stopped and licked the wound, groaning against my neck. He traced my leg back and forth. Wherever he touched, it burned. My skin felt like it was on fire. Everything was too hot, he kissed my chest, neck and face.

"P-p-please st-stop this," I begged, overstimulated just by his touch.

"Tunggu saja beberapa menit lagi untukku, oke tikus kecil," he whispered in my ear.

I tried to touch myself, desperate for relief despite my embarrassment, but he grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head. It became unbearable. What had he done to me? I felt like I was going insane. Tears streamed down my face as the arousal turned painful. I tried to create friction, any kind of release—and then I passed out.

...

I awoke to rain tapping against the window, my head pounding. I struggled to sit up and rushed to Laurent's carrier, but he wasn't there. I ran downstairs and found him in Elonah's lap, glaring at the monster sitting across from her. They were talking. Before I said anything, he turned to me, and my skin crawled under his stare.

"Oh, you're awake," Elonah said, pulling my attention back.

"You've been asleep for quite some time."

"Oh, had I?" I whispered, walking over.

"Can I talk to you, Elonah?"

"Yeah, of course."

We went to my room. Surprisingly, the door was fixed. Was everything earlier a dream? No. It was too real.

"When is he going to leave?"

"He looks a bit lost. Doesn't seem to have a place to stay. Maybe we can let him stay for a few more days," Elonah said, making herself comfortable on my bed.

"Stay here?! We don't even know him!" I whisper-shouted.

"I get it, but I talked to him. He said he and his friends were on a boat. The weather got bad, and it crashed."

"How do you know that?"

"I am not sure but he sounds trust worthy," she shrugged.

"That can't be true."

"What do you mean?"

"He's lying. He's not lost, his boat never crashed, and he's not even human!"

"Are you okay? If he's not human, then what is he?" she asked, sitting up straighter.

"He's a..." I frowned.

"Girl, what?"

"He's a..." I couldn't say it. I couldn't say "siren" or "merfolk." My throat clogged whenever I tried saying either.

"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you're still tired from yesterday."

"I can't say it," I said, clutching my throat.

"Wait—what's that on your neck? Have you always had that jellyfish birthmark?" Elonah walked up and examined my collarbone.

"Really?" I stepped to the mirror. My eyes widened. A jellyfish mark.

"He did this to me."

"How? I've been with him in the living room all day," she said, confused.

"Okay. What about this—we let him stay for three days. Then we kick him out." She eventually suggested.

"Three days. You promise?"

"Yes. Kick him right out."

"Okay. You better."

We agreed, and she went back downstairs. I examined my collarbone again. The jellyfish mark looked more defined the longer I stared. I know he did something to me. I was sure of it. Just remembering the previous events sent a shiver up my spine. The storm outside grew louder as thunder cracked in the distance.

......

Buka pintunya, tikus kecil - Open the door, little mouse

Aku berjanji aku tidak akan memakanmu, belum- I promise I won't eat you, yet

Tunggu saja beberapa menit lagi untukku, oke tikus kecil - Just wait a few more minutes for me, okay little mouse.