Midnight CEO After Dark

14.

"Come to me, Jake," Audrey called as I took a step off the ship towards the cursed water.

"Seriously!" I heard Bianca yell in my ear as she jumped in front of me and pushed me back onto the deck. I hit the wooden floor like a brick. "Are you kidding me right now?" She was sitting on top of me, her legs spread over my waist and her hands on the deck next to my head. She was leaning down into my face looking pissed off as her long brown hair slid over her shoulders and tickled my face. "Are you stupid?"

"What?" I said, confused as to why she was yelling at me as she straddled me like a horse. "What did I do?"

"You almost jumped into cursed water." She sat up on my waist and shook her head impatiently. "Do you have a death wish?"

"I tried to jump into that water?"

"Yes, you did." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at me. "What were you thinking?"

"I...I...Audrey." I whispered as the memory of her sweet voice came back to me.

"Audrey?" Bianca said, looking confused. "What the fuck are you talking about?" She smirked, pissing me off. "Is she one of your sad, depressed one-night whores?" She laughed wickedly in her throat. "How pathetic does a girl have to be to sleep with you?"

I felt rage surge through my body as I thought about Audrey, and I pushed her off me and stood up. "I heard a familiar voice in my head, and it told me to jump. That's it." I dusted off my black jeans and shirt as I fought the urge to punch her in her face.

"You heard a voice?" Bianca stood up and looked worried. "Siren's."

"I'm sorry, what?" I yelled, panicking a little. "A fucking siren?"

"They are mermaid-like creatures who use their voice to lure men into the water and kill them."

"Yes, I know what a siren is." I snapped.

"Obviously, you don't because you nearly dived right to your death." She yelled at me. "If you can't tell the difference between a siren calling you and an actual being, then we have a problem." She was right in my face.

"I wasn't going to jump," I said through gritted teeth.

"You were already jumping." She spat her words at me. "You're welcome, by the way." She pushed me backward and glared at me.

"The protection spell is up," Callan yelled, closing the book in his hands and rubbing his temples. "The ship is anchored in place, and I have a headache."

"The crew are staying on board, and I think one of us should stay here and protect the ship. Just in case." Henry said, looking at each of us. "Any volunteers?"

"I'll stay," Callan said, raising his hand. "I'll need to keep the spell active while you are away, and that will be easier if I'm here."

"Good." Henry sighed in relief. "Leon has cast the sonar spell on all of us. If you hear the beep in your head, it means you have strayed from the rest of us. We will find you. No one goes alone. That is an order." He looked at Bianca, who rolled her eyes and looked away. "This is unknown territory, so we stay together."

"Ridiculous," Bianca mumbled, putting her hands on her hips.

"Has everyone fed?" Henry said sternly. "You will need all your energy to survive this."

We all nodded like children at the dinner table.

"Ok." Henry closed his eyes and composed himself before continuing. "Bianca will track the souls and call the hounds. Our job is to protect her and ensure she can get to these....whatever they are out here."