The Sea Witch's Alpha Wolf

Bonus Story: A Dangerous Melody

I lay on my towel with my feet hanging over the edge touching the sand. It's a beautiful summer day but my mood was as sour as a lemon. Days like today remind me exactly of the kind of freedom I lost when my sister cursed me. Sure right now I've got human legs and the ability to walk around on land but by dusk I'll be forced back into the water as my siren form takes over. Some days I feel like its not fair but during others I realize that I earned my punishment.

My eyes wander to the humans crowding the beach and a predatory hunger fills me as I gaze at the guys playing volleyball close by. Everyone knows the tales of mermaids who lured sailors out to sea and drowned them. What would it be like to do that myself? To have someone so enraptured with me that they forgot all common sense and allowed me to willingly drag them into the depth of the ocean. Some sick part of me desires that kind of power. I tried to kill my sister once what makes drowning a stranger so bad? These thoughts are the reason I stay away from shore most of the time. My mind is twisted and wrong. I'm not safe to be around and sometimes I think I can't control these thoughts.

"Hey!" Blinking I look up to see one of the guys yelling at me. "Can you toss us our ball back?"

I look to my left and see the ball sitting not three feet away from me. Sighing I stand up and feel every eye on the beach zero in on me. Yeah okay my bikini is pretty tiny but when you spend most days naked it feels weird to cover your body up. As I walk to the ball I adjust my top slightly before picking up the ball and tossing it back to the guys.

"Thanks!" the same guy yells his eyes raking over my body as he does.

I roll my eyes, "You're welcome." I yell back then settle back onto my beach towel to enjoy the rest of the sun.

Just as I'm starting to drift off someone sits down right beside me. "You have a pretty good arm... For a girl."

My eyes fly open and I glare at the guy sitting next to me. He's your average hunky surfer guy with shaggy blonde hair, tan skin, fabulous abs, gorgeous blue eyes, and an asshole attitude. "So glad you think so now fuck off." I roll onto my stomach set on ignoring him.

"Woah there's no need to be rude I was just kidding!" he exclaims. "I'm Adam by the way."

Turning my head I look at him. He's got an easy grin on his face but that doesn't make up for the fact that I can tell he's a douche or maybe I'm just biased since I think all men are. "That's nice now can you please leave me alone?"

"How about we go grab a bite together?" I stare at him. Did he not hear a word I said to him? Where in the world did the idea of me wanting to eat with him enter his pee-brained head!

"No." I stand up and gather my things intending to move to another section of beach for the rest of the afternoon.

"Oh come on it'll be fun!" He tries to cajole me with his eyes widening into an adorable puppy dog pout. "Please?"

I sigh, "Fine. Let's go." And with that I'm walking away toward the boardwalk. I head silence before the sound of him running to catch up with me reaches my ears.

~

I wish I could say that the meal I shared with Adam changed me. Made me think like a regular girl instead of the vicious siren I am. I didn't bat my eyelashes or giggle at his every joke. No, instead I made him work for even the smallest of smiles and if he expected me to find his dumb stories amusing he was highly mistaken. This was a distraction for me and it didn't work a bit. Instead of leaving him right afterward I let him drag me back to the beach to watch the sunset. He was a sweet guy buried somewhere beneath the obnoxious male tendencies he had. But part of me still wanted to know if he'd succumb to my power. Would he die for a kiss? Would he wade willingly into the water to hear my song?

"Are you cold? Do you want me to wrap a towel around you?" So adorable. Adam truly cares and it makes me sad.

I shake my head, "No I'll use this instead." I grab his arm and wrap it around my shoulder snuggling up against his side. Somewhere deep down I feel disgusted with how I'm acting. To me this is all just a game but this poor boys life hangs in the balance. Kill him? Kiss him? Maybe both.

We sit watching the sun as it begins its decent from the sky and it truly is a beautiful sight. "You know we should head out into the water and watch from there. There's a sandbar right out there," Adam uses his free hand to point out to a portion of water not too far out into the ocean. "but you have to be careful cause it drops off pretty steeply and deep beyond that. Want to go out?"

No. It's a bad idea. A dangerous notion. A delightful plan. No. "Sure." Standing up I shed my cover up and grin down at his stunned face. "Are you coming or should I go on without you?"

He jumps up and yanks his shirt over his head in record time, "Let's go!"

Laughing lightly I grab his hand as we head out into the water. The lapping of the waves against my legs makes me restless to change. We wade out to where the sandbar is and stand in the middle watching gazing out at the sea for a couple minutes. "Come one Adam lets go out a little farther." I pull on his arm trying to get him farther into the water.

He resists, "I don't know the drop off is really sudden I doubt we'd see it coming. We're safer here closer to shore."

"Oh come on! I can swim and you can swim we'll be fine!" My words come out coated with sugar as I coax him farther out. Perhaps I can simply take him to the edge and be satisfied knowing that I could indeed kill him. He comes with me willingly and too soon we reach the edge though he doesn't know it. There's such a powerful feeling coursing through me as I stand with him on the edge of the sandbar. I can't tell what it is but I don't want it to end. All I want is to hold onto this feeling forever.

"Wow it's even prettier from out here," whispers Adam staring at the sunset in wonder.

I smile and pull on his arm, "Even prettier than me?"

He grins, "Not even close. You're so pretty it's dangerous. A dangerous Melody," He laughs and looks down at me his gaze meeting mine. I reach up and grab the back of his head so that I can lean up and kiss him. Our lips meet and I smile - got him. I move in from of him on my tiptoes so that I can stand on the very edge of the sandbar. My legs are growing weak as the change begins to take over and I start to fall backward my legs giving way as my tail grows.

Adam makes no move to stop us as we topple over the edge of the sandbar and into the depth of the ocean. My arms are vicelike around his neck and my mouth is locked to his. This is it. This is the moment or truth. Do I pull him deeper or let him go? My mine whirls and time stands still as I debate my choice. I think of my sisters and how innocent and good they are compared to me. To them I'm a monster, a true siren with a heart as cold as the sea. Maybe it's time I embrace that title for all it's worth. Make myself truly a creature of legend. But then I see Echo's face in my head and I know how disappointed she'd be and despite everything I still love my sisters and want them not to hate me. If I did this she'd hate me. Do I care though? After all Echo did to me to I really care what she thinks anymore? My mind whirls and I know I'm out of time; it's time to make a decision. So I decide.