Siren's Mark

Chapter 5

ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

I rush into my car and slam the door with such force that the car shakes violently. I sink my fist into the dashboard; the blades of the air conditioning vents snap as a small section of console crumples under my touch.

Fuck.

What just happened?

Why did I have to kiss her?

I've spent a lifetime building up the strength to defy my urges, but in just seconds alone with this woman my resolve shattered.

It's been years since the last time I felt compelled to kiss someone. Decades since I actually went through with it. And a human? Almost never. For me, physical touch is a means to an end—a transaction.

With a human, my kiss takes away their inhibitions. It sends them into a fog of lust toward whomever they're attracted to. In Sirens, a kiss helps the body repair. But it's always clinical, controlled.

In my youth, I would let my urges get the best of me. I'd take advantage of humans for whatever I wanted, without regard for who it harmed. But I knew it was never real, and that made it all feel empty. So now I keep my distance from humans.

Yet tonight, this one girl slipped past all my defenses. A lifetime of building self-control and discipline was all but meaningless against a pair of grey eyes.

It plays over in my mind again: her gentle hand against my face, the sudden surge of adrenaline, her lips connecting with mine, my hands intertwined with strands of purple hair...

Fuck.

My senses are on fire, my chest feels heavy, and my mind is clouded with lust, need for her.

I start my car and drive over to Kieran's. The odds of him having a girl over are good, but I can't be alone with my thoughts right now.

****

As I knock on Kieran's door, I find my fist banging more intensely than intended. I'm trying to be cool, but my heavy breathing and the frantic drumming in my chest will almost certainly give me away.

"Hey bro," he says with a confused look as he opens the door. "What's going on? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping or something?"

"Yeah, er... sorry mate, do you have company?"

"Nah," he says with a shrug and a gesture to come in. "What's up? You're..."

He pauses and his eyes narrow as he takes in a deep breath.

"You were... with Ava?" he asks, with a tone that could easily read as confusion or anger.

He can smell her on me—of course he can. I didn't think it would be that obvious. He has had his eyes on her since he first met her in the elevator. I can see his chest puffing up as a mixture of hurt and rage flash across his face.

"Did you just..." he says, stumbling through thoughts. "But... I wanted... You said you weren't interested. You said..."

"I know. I'm a bloody idiot, mate. I don't know what happened."

His expression seems to soften and a smirk almost appears.

"Holy hell, man!" he exclaims. "You like her!"

I can't tell if this is better or worse than Kieran trying to beat the shit out of me. His grin is growing increasingly more smug by the second.

Yep. This is officially worse.