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The sea was calm under the starry night. The kind of calm that makes your heart drop to the pit of your stomach because you know something is coming. Something worse than a storm. Something much less peaceful and much more ominous. On nights like this every sailor and pirate who once had to battle forces of nature knows better than to sail out.
But he wasn’t one. At least not anymore. Gale Galleon, as he was known before he fell into the depths of the sea for eternity, wasn't even human anymore. Not since his lungs ran out of air and his body betrayed him when it gave up on fighting. But instead of just resting peacefully at the bottom of the sea like many before him had, he became something else. His body wasn’t really his own anymore and so was his mind. Captain of the Goldwynd Pirates was no more. The only thing that was left was much more primal. A creature one could question was anything more than its urges and needs. Some tales even say that sirens are not capable of having a soul, driven strictly by its instincts with no room for thought. Driven by hunger. And that hunger was what woke him up. Truth or tales, hunger is not something a creature like him can ignore. So he slipped into the water with the desire to hunt.
It didn’t take long to find a lonely fishing boat near the shore. He could feel there was more than one person there. His lips immediately curled into a smile at the thought. It wasn’t going to be easy prey but he always liked a challenge.
~
The blood trail followed him like a loyal companion, only reminding him of his failure. Anger was dulling the pain from the wounds. He wanted to rip these fishermen apart and leave their bloody remains scattered all over the beach but the survival instincts were stronger despite it all. They were cautious. They were prepared. So now all he had was his anger and soon a few new scars. But the worst was that he was still hungry. And he was no longer in condition to hunt.
His body felt heavy and tired. So it brought him to the one place where he could rest and gather his strength back in peace. At least that’s how it used to be because as soon as he got closer to the rocky shore he sensed someone’s presence. It was definitely a human. People never wandered here before. It was way too far from any human settlements and way too dangerous, especially for someone to be here alone. And humans were usually wary creatures. Especially when it came to cliffs. And this one towered over the secluded shore with no beach and only waves crashing into sharp rocks.
He got closer and, from a distance, took a look at the scene unfolding before him. Before he managed to see anything a sweet smell hit his nostrils, almost making him dizzy. He needed a few seconds to get used to it enough to focus on what was happening before him. And what he saw bewildered him even more. There were clearly two human figures there. But he could still only sense one. And his senses never failed him like that in the many years since he has been given a second life. Something was wrong.
He got closer to them and suddenly winced. His arm ached reminding him of his sorry state. Nevertheless his attention quickly got drawn back to the pair, as one of them laughed loudly. The other one, who he still couldn’t sense, smiled and said something he couldn’t hear. This mysterious figure was making him angry again. Was there something wrong with him? Or with them? Were they even human? He got even closer and then suddenly, there it was. Not something he was looking for but something he couldn’t pass up on. An opportunity.
The one who was certainly human took off some of their clothes and got closer to the water. They were holding onto the rock but they tried playfully dipping one foot in. His hunger reminded him it was still there and he acted in no time. When they turned around to say something to the other person and once again tried to reach the surface of the water with their toes, he acted. The human was in the water in a matter of seconds. Even in his weakened state he could easily take down one, very distracted human. His teeth tore through the skin easily and a muffled scream quickly turned into silence. When he finished eating he let the remains sink down. He didn’t need all of it, just enough to sate his hunger.
“That was quite rude, wasn’t it? Stealing someone’s dinner is a clear sign of poor manners.” said someone above him.
He whipped his head and saw the other person. Lost in his feast and still unable to sense them, the presence of someone else slipped his mind completely. He could see now more clearly that what he was looking at was a tall man. Or at least shaped like one. He was crouching right next to the still bloodied water and watched him calmly. The nauseatingly sweet smell was definitely coming from him.
Gale, betrayed by his own mind, too curious of the creature he just met, swam a little closer to him. Despite his instincts screaming at him to get away, he needed to know what he’s dealing with.
“Hello there. You’re quite lucky you ran into me , since I’m one of the nicer ones. But I suppose it’s also partially my fault. That’s what I get for trying to get things done in unconventional locations…” The man propped his head on his hand and stared at Gale intensely for a moment.
“You have a pretty face for a siren… At least the ones I had the opportunity to meet up close." He reached his other hand towards Gale’s face but before the stranger's fingers touched his cheek, he retracted his hand quickly to avoid the sudden bite. Gale wasn’t stupid enough to let the strange man touch him. He was clearly something different than human. Something way more similar to him.
In response to the sudden attack, the man laughed.
“Pardon my rudeness, I haven’t even introduced myself yet. I’m Zander, resident incubus if I may call myself so.” he flashed his teeth in a practiced smile and revealed his true form, making the sweetness in the air weaken. Gale moved back a bit, stunned.
So, he just crossed a demon. It wasn’t the first one of this kind he met but the one before was a woman, so that would explain why he didn’t recognize the smell immediately. He looked closely at the incubus. His tail moved slowly, his lips still stretched in a smile that looked way too comfortable for Gale’s liking. Demons were cunning, he could have been plotting this encounter to lure him out. He needed to be cautious.
“No need to be worried. I don’t plan on doing anything to cross you. It was truly nothing more than a chance meeting.” he spoke as if he just read his mind and Gale didn’t like that. He didn’t like this whole situation he found himself in. It should be him who’s in control. It should be him who the demon is wary of, not the other way.
He moved closer again and got out of the water. He was now sitting next to him but still with some distance between them. It was obvious Zander was surprised by this action - his smile disappearing for a split second, replaced with fleeting worry. Gale felt pretty satisfied with that, it proved the demon was wary of him. Unfortunately for him, the smirk quickly came back.
“I assume that means my presence is welcome?”
Gale glared at him and, once again, the demon laughed.
“Alright, I got too carried away I see. That’s fine, that’s fine…”
They sat in silence for a while, Zander looking at the horizon and the slowly rising sun and Gale glancing at Zander every now and then. He wasn’t going to miss even the tiniest move from him. The sweet aroma around them wasn’t making it easy to focus but he was determined.
“You’re intriguing.” Zander said, suddenly breaking the silence and when Gale looked at him he met a pair of pink eyes staring right back at him. The incubus slowly raised his hand and moved it in his direction. Clearly to show him what he was doing and give him time for any reaction. With the same slow movements he reached Gale's hair and carefully took seaweed out of it. The sweet scent intensified when the demon's skin got closer to him for this split second and instinctively a low growl-like sound came from the back of his throat. It only made Zander’s grin widen.
“Yes, darling, you’re very dangerous. I didn’t forget about that, I was just helping you out.” His hand backed away now and Gale caught himself wanting to chase it.The sweetness surrounding him was addicting in a way that didn’t make much sense to him. It was almost making his head spin but it wasn’t unpleasant after a while. It should be. Incubi magic doesn't work on sirens just like siren's call wouldn't work on incubi. Where was this feeling coming from then?
Zander finally got up and slowly stretched out. Gale’s eyes were still following his every move carefully.
“That being said, I suppose this is all for today. I will be going back, since I do have to find a new dinner now. But I hope to see you around next time.”
Tales say sirens don’t “want” things. They just need them. But Gale very much did not need anything from the creature right next to him and yet he wanted. He wanted a lot. He wanted it all. It was a want he doesn’t remember feeling since waking up in the depths of dark waters. He doesn’t remember much from his previous life but perhaps even then he had never felt anything like it. He wanted to keep feeling it. He wanted to keep the demon to himself. Gale licked his lips, locking eyes with him. His mind was made up.
He will eat him. He will devour his insides and feast on his heart like it's the most exquisite delicacy in the whole world. No matter what it would entail he was going to eat and even when his hunger is sated he will still eat - until there's nothing left. Not even a piece. Because no one besides him should have it. And when he's finished he will even lick all of the blood off. Until the demon whole is a part of him forever and no one else can get him. That demon was his prey. That demon was his .