Natasha I’m exhausted, and my lungs are burning from all the crying, screaming, all the sounds I’ve made during the journey here. “Some woman you are!” Aiden pulls us up on some golden beach, and I’m already halfway into the grave when he throws me on top of the sand. I’ve fought him during the entire way here, and the siren is furious with me. “I can’t believe you fucking bit me! And that was after you punched me in the eye—in the eye! I’m probably already blind! Is that what you want? A blind mate? Because I can’t hunt anything if I’m blind, Natasha! And who will feed you then? Huh?” Aiden keeps yelling at me, but I tune him out and focus on the birds circling in the cloudless sky. I can barely see them. My eyelids are swollen and bruised and battered. It’s a miracle that I’m still breathing. I’m not sure what came over Aiden, but he acts like a psychopath. After I tried to escape from his stupid neck where he had placed me, he grabb

Natasha I squint my eyes, barely able to see. The pain in my limbs is excruciating, and I think death would be a kinder fate than to keep breathing through heaving lungs. My skin is on fire, and the two glowing orbs belonging to Hayden study my physical state. "I know you're afraid of me, but if you meet my eyes, I could remove that ugly fear from your heart." "No, don't take my fear," I say, despite being afraid. My voice is weak and exhausted, but it's honest and filled with emotion. "I'm tired of running. It's everything I do. When things get hard, I find a way out..." Hayden is silent for a while, then he inhales. "You don't want that anymore?" "No," a giggle slips out through my lips, and I meet his eyes, smiling with genuine feelings not caused by hypnosis. "You frighten me, but maybe that's because I like you. I've feared what other people will think, terrified of—" I hesitate. My head is spinning. I know what I want to say, but

HaydenI'm not very fond of the idea of Natasha sleeping alone tonight. She is my precious mate, and who knows what type of weird men she will meet inside the fancy hotel?Every minute without her feels like a freaking eternity, and my worry grows when she doesn't open a window. She promised to tell me goodnight.Grumbling to myself, I crawl up on the hill. I dwarf the building, but I don't care if anyone sees me. My woman is a walking wheel of misfortune. She pulls trouble toward her everywhere she walks, and I swear men check her out as if she is meat."She better be okay..."I eye every window. Most are sealed, except for one. I rest my elbows in on the ground and creep closer, freezing when an older woman screams in fright at the view of me.Shit!Without speaking too loudly, I try to calm her. "There is no need to be afraid—I come in peace!"I try to give her a warm smile, realizing I'm showcasing my sharp teeth too

Scylla / KatjaLong ago, my parents locked me in the basement. They said it was because I'm different from them and my sister.At first, I wouldn't understand their reasoning. I couldn't comprehend why I was treated like a dog. My parents would hit me, spit me in the face, and barely give me any food.It took me a long time before I realized my family feared me, that they were human while I was a disgusting sea monster.It was barely noticeable at first.In the beginning, small patches of scales would appear on my body, and my mother would use a knife to pick them away.I would hold on to the element in the wall and shut my eyes. I cried out into the night as she worked that blade, tormented by the excruciating pain that ran over my skin like a flock of spiders."Scylla! Stop being difficult and let me wash you!" My mother would say, in that voice, which told me she no longer saw me as her daughter. "Stop screaming! You're not making

KatjaA week later, I have embraced my human life. Natasha still hates me, and we are sailing the ocean, heading for Scarlett's domain with the mission to kill her.I'm afraid of meeting Scarlett again. In truth, Natasha is right. Scarlett is dangerous, and I'm not the only monster she is in control of—she has plenty of kaiju pets.And although I've said it's a bad idea to face Scarlett, both Natasha and Hayden are convinced the crew can challenge her."Kat, you're slacking," John is peeling potatoes in the scrub, observing me with a tiny smile over his lips. "Those potatoes will not strip themselves of their skin."I sit down in my chair, sighing. "If you hadn't followed the others to that bar yesterday when we visited that island, the potatoes would be done. I worked the entire night alone while you were busy screwing some woman. You still smell like her perfume."John lifts his attention to me. His arms are bent and resting over his