The Siren's Curse ✓

01. The Storm

⊰ O N E ⊱

THE STORM

The ocean's crests swelled, waves slamming into the ship without mercy. Gritting my teeth against the biting wind, I tightened the rope that someone had left loose on the mast. I swear this crew is incompetent, I thought, I always end up fixing their mistakes.

"I'd say we only have a few minutes before the rain hits," Yoongi said as he walked up beside me, angling his head toward the menacing black sky. His brown eyes peered beneath the hat he wore and fixed on the storm clouds above. The breeze picked up, whipping the long hair that hung from my bandana.

"I'll stow the sails," I stated before turning on my heel, headed towards the back of the ship. After only a few steps, a rough hand grabbed my upper arm and stopped me in my tracks.

"No. Go tell Jungkook and Jin to do it. Then meet me in my quarters," Yoongi ordered. I nodded, failing to read his stony face. As soon as he released his grasp on me, I went to find the two men.

After searching the top of the expansive ship with no luck, I decided to look below deck. Masculine grunts and yells met my ears as I descended the ladder. Jumping the rest of the way down, my boots landed on the wooden floor. Sure enough, the two scamps were sat at a table while they arm-wrestled.

"Jin! Kook! Cap'n needs you to stow the sails before the storm hits."

Jungkook looked up at me, causing Jin to shout in victory as he took the chance to overpower his opponent. Jin jumped up from the table, hollering in joy and letting out a few of his distinct laughs. I felt my lips tilt up at the sound, rolling my eyes.

"Kat, you distracted me!" Jungkook grumbled as he stood up. "And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Kook? I'm a grown man," he grumbled.

"Yeah, sure you are," I teased, letting out a laugh at his pout. "Now get up there! We need to be ready."

As soon as I finished talking, the two of them were racing each other to climb the ladder. I followed them up and heard rain hitting the deck. Warm droplets soon met my skin and dampened my clothes as I crossed over to the stern of the ship.

My stomach twisted with nerves as I wondered what Yoongi needed to speak to me about. Lately, I'd noticed a tension between us. Something was different and it made me less comfortable being alone with him. It'd been four years since he saved me and took me in, but there was still so much that eluded me about him. He was a mysterious man, to say the least.

I cleared my head as my hand reached out to knock on the door of the captain's quarters. Not even a second passed before it was pulled open and a hand latched onto my wrist, tugging me inside. I stumbled forward from the sudden movement, running into Yoongi's solid chest.

"Sorry," I mumbled, keeping my head down and feeling my cheeks heat up.

A chuckle left his mouth as he held onto my shoulders, gently pushing me back to form distance between us. His eyes matched the color of the boat's rain-soaked wood.

I cleared my throat to break the silence and he let go of my shoulders, making his way over to his desk. I waited for him to sit, but instead, he leaned against the table and crossed his arms as he stared.

"I wanted to talk to you about our relationship."

"Our relationship? What do you mean?" Wasn't he simply the man who saved me and recruited me to be part of his crew?

"Hoseok has been struggling to follow orders lately. It seems he's forgetting that I'm the captain here, so I'm relieving him of his duty as first mate." Yoongi paused for a moment, watching me carefully before he continued, "I want you to be my second in command."