Oh no. That was the only thought running through Inej Ghafa's mind as her eyes focused on the rocky terrain in the distance. She stood at Kaz Brekker's side, both of their jaws hanging open in shock from what they were looking at.

She knew that the waters were treacherous; not to mention her knowledge of the sirens lurking beneath the black waves while rumors of the kraken were said to have originated from here. Only, that wasn't enough to put her completely on edge. The worst of it was the rocky waters that they were about to sail into.

Spires of black jagged rocks splintered out of the waves, creating disturbances in the flow of the sea. Salty water collided with the rocks, catching in the wind and misting over the members of Kaz Brekker's crew.

"Kaz?" Jordie Rietveld questioned from his brother's side, staring into the nightmarish waters along with the remainder of the group.

The leader only shook his head. "We go into it."

Inej whipped her head around, long dark hair blown majestically by the wind. "What?"

"I'm with the Wraith on this one. Have you lost your mind?" Matthias Helvar questioned with venom, still wanting no part in this mission.

The Wraith was something that the crew had began calling Inej. At first, she'd feared that it was a negative nickname. Only one discussion with Nina assisted her in understanding that she had been incorrect. It was a name fitting for the female's stealthy abilities and her quiet nature.

"Can anyone confirm that he ever had his mind in the first place?" Jesper jabbed; Kaz sent him a lethal glare.

Kaz stepped forward, turning towards his crew in order to address their concerns. "I know that's not the desirable choice, but we don't have other options. If we sail around, then we lose days of time; we can't afford to do that."

"But if we go in, then there's a huge chance of us dying," Matthias explained.

Nina Zenik raised one of her eyebrows. "If we go through, is there even a chance of us making it out alive?"

Kaz only nodded. "Yes. Because, unlike most who dare to traverse this area, we have something they don't."

"Oh? Humor me, Brekker, what would that be?" Jesper insisted.

Not uttering a single word, Kaz turned his attention from all of them over towards Inej.

A sour feeling formed in the pit of her stomach at what he was silently asking of her. Her brain could come up with at least a million objections, but she knew she wouldn't speak a single one of them. She knew that she was going to agree to whatever insanity he wanted from her. Because she owed that to him. He saved her from Tante Heleen; she would always be grateful for that.

"While the rocks and weather can be detrimental, that isn't what kills the crews who try to go through. They get murdered by the monsters beneath the waves."

Matthias shook his head. "You're not throwing Inej down there. You think they'll kill us? Then what do you think they'll do to her?"

"Not kill her. She's one of them. Or she can keep them occupied," Kaz added nonchalantly.

"You want to use her as bait?" Jesper questioned, not wanting to believe the situation that they were all stuck in.

"Well—"

"I'll do it," Inej decided, just wanting this argument to end.

Kaz stared at her as if he didn't like her answer. Perhaps he wanted her to protest. Maybe he wanted her to value her own life. But how could she? She felt like she owed her existence to him, so she'd do whatever he asked. And, if it killed her, then so be it.

With a nod, Kaz stepped towards the edge of the ship. "Great. Nina, fetch Wylan and have him come up here."

"Nina, you watch the unstable Fjerdan, I'll go collect the merchling," Jesper changed the instructions with a smirk etched into his lips.

"Really? This is about Matthias? And not at all because you find Wylan attractive?" Nina questioned, a smirk of her own forming over her mouth.

"Well, I mean, anyone would have to be a fool to think that the merchling isn't attractive, but—"

Kaz shook his head. "I need you up here, Jesper. If something chases Inej or attempts to board our ship, I'm going to need someone with guns."

"Nina, do you know how to shoot a gun?"

"Jesper!" Kaz hissed, making the Zemini boy groan in annoyance.

During the argument, Inej tied her hair up into a ponytail, taking slow breaths in order to prepare herself for the water. It had been days, if not weeks, since Inej had shifted into her siren form. She knew she would be fine, but the rumors of this area would always haunt her. Just seeing other sirens could end in her death, especially if they were associated with Tante Heleen.

She'd rather take her chances with the kraken then have to deal with or think about Tante Heleen.

Jordie and Kaz began discussing navigation and how they would maneuver through the rocky waters. Meanwhile Jesper was reloading his pistols, preparing himself for a gunfight. That left Matthias, who was standing next to Inej.

The Fjerdan inhaled a shaky breath, staring out at the sea. "I don't give a damn what Brekker tells you to do; if you're in a dire situation, you come back, understand?"

Fighting back a smile, Inej shook her head. "He saved my life."

"That doesn't mean you owe it to him."

"Maybe it's different for humans, but that's how it works for sirens," Inej explained.

He grumbled. "You live among humans now. Don't give your life away so easily, Wraith."

Outstretching a hand, he offered her a dagger. She accepted the weapon, thanking him softly under her breath. She stashed it in the jacket she wore, knowing it was going to be a defense against whatever lurked beneath the dark waters.

Nina slung the door to the captain's cabin open, both her and Wylan trailing out. In the redhead's hands were different scrolls of parchment, each yellowed and marked on with charcoal. Inej found it impossible to ignore the way Jesper slipped while climbing up ropes that led to the mast; his attention got snagged on the merchling.

If he fell into the sea because of his wandering eyes, she knew Kaz wouldn't allow her to save him. He'd claim it better to let the distracted gunman drown.

"Wylan! You and Jordie are responsible for steering and navigation! Nina, you are in charge of tracking Inej by following her heartbeat! Matthias, you will be working on the rigging and making sure the boat keeps up with our journey! Jesper, you're to shoot any threats that attempt to invade our vessel or hurt the Wraith!" Kaz barked out orders to his crew members.

Nina crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "And what will you be doing, almighty Captain Brekker?"

He shot her a venomous glare. "I will be making sure all of you are doing your jobs. If you don't, you'll be joining Inej in distracting the sea monsters."

Nina didn't appear the least bit alarmed by the threat, meanwhile Wylan looked as if he might pass out after hearing what disobedience would have in store for him. Jesper appeared as if he hadn't been paying any attention at all.

Inej stepped to the bow, exhaling a shaky breath while staring down into the inky water. The waves were violent and loud, displaying the rugged nature of the ocean in this particular area. Temperamental is what she would consider it to be.

Upon hearing footsteps, she stripped herself of her jacket, leaving her in just leggings and a tank top. A shiver rushed down her spine; the temperature in this area of the sea was so frigid that it was beginning to snow.

When she turned to address the footsteps, she found Kaz watching her with curiosity. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

She merely shrugged her shoulders. "No, but I'll do it."

"You don't have to," He explained, which caught her by surprise.

"But you said it was the only way we were going to make it out on the other side. If that's true, then I'm going to do it."

He raised an eyebrow. "You would risk your life for this crew of misfits?"

"A million times over. I know this group hasn't been together for too long, but this is the closest thing to a family that I've ever been a part of," She breathed, words being carried by the wind.

He didn't say another word. He simply placed his hand on her shoulder, gave her a nod, and then left her standing there alone. She watched him go, uncertain what to make of his response. Shaking her head, she decided not to think of that right now.

Next thing she knew, she sprung up onto the railing and dove into the sea.

The initial impact with the water was so freezing cold that Inej worried her body might just stop working. Thankfully, her tail and gills began to appear, body temperature adjusting and making the water much more tolerable. Inej shook her head, snapping herself out of her shock.

"Who the hell are you?" A masculine voice questioned.

Turning, Inej spotted a male siren. A trident was held firmly in his grasp, bright green eyes taking glances up towards the ship.

"Inej Ghafa," She spoke.

He nodded to her. "Myles Tsume. And who are they?" With that, he gestured up towards the ship.

"Friends of mine. They're just hoping to pass through these waters without any troubles."

Myles seemed to ponder this request, then nodded his head. "Alright, Inej. I will inform my group to stand down, but I need to warn you about the kraken. Its nest is right in the center, so avoid that area if possible. Waking it up will end in your demise."

Inej nodded, thanking him before swimming back towards the surface. When her head bobbed out of the water, the snowfall was much heavier than it had previously been. She pushed her hair out of her face, keeping it out of her way as much as possible.

"Jes!" She cried, resulting in him looking down at her with widened eyes. To her horror, his first instinct was to aim a pistol at her.

Blinking a few times in confusion, he placed his pistol back in the holster. "Inej?!"

She rapidly nodded, which resulted in the Zemini boy's body visibly relaxing. "I need Kaz and Wylan! Have them come to the edge!"

He nodded, disappearing from her sight in order to do what she'd asked of him. At least she really hoped that was what he was doing. Though, if she was honest with herself, it wouldn't surprise her if he got distracted on his little mission for her.

Myles surfaced next to her, which startled her far more than she'd like to admit. He eyed the vessel, appearing far beyond weary. But he didn't say anything. He just waded at her side, as if wanting to see this crew for himself.

By the time Kaz, Jesper, and Wylan had made it to the railing, the snowfall had worsened. Inej was doing everything in her power to prevent her teeth from chattering. She could already see snowflakes sticking to her eyelashes.

"Inej!" Jesper called for her. She waved in response.

Kaz's eyes instantly locked on Myles. "Who the hell is that?"

"His name is Myles. He lives around here with his group. He said we're clear to go through. He also advises we avoid the center," She explained all the information she'd learned.

Kaz still didn't look away from Myles. Wylan picked up on her last sentence, taking out one of his scrolls and beginning to scribble a new path onto the page. Jesper watched Wylan with immense interest, even though Inej knew he didn't give a damn about their path.

"Do you wish to come aboard?!" Jesper asked, looking between the two.

Inej turned to Myles, wanting to see if he'd like to join them. He simply shook his head. "I'll stay below, ensuring that no one harms your vessel. Just keep out of the center; if you venture there, I will not follow."

She nodded. "I understand. Thank you so much for your help."

"You're very welcome, Inej Ghafa."

Out of politeness, he grasped onto one of her hands and kissed the back of it. She smiled, having not met a gentleman like him in quite some time. Not to mention that humans didn't believe in chivalry nearly as much as the sirens did.

A rope descended into the water next to them. She grabbed onto the rope, being yanked out of the water just enough for her tail to breach the surface. Once the tail and gills melted away into water, she used her legs to climb up to the main deck. Thankfully her tank top and leggings had remained on, despite her transformation. But now she was drenched and trembling, snow sticking to her as it cascaded from the sky.

Kaz greeted her at the top with a thick fur jacket. He wrapped it around her, dragging her into the captain's cabin with him to find her dry clothes. Inej caught a glimpse of Nina shooting her a smirk and Matthias grumbled something about how she could do better. But she didn't care about that.

All she could think about in her current state was the cold.

As soon as they entered the room, Kaz shut the door behind them. He walked her to the fireplace, sitting her down next to the flames and keeping her wrapped up in the fur jacket. Meanwhile he walked to his closet, shifting through the clothing that was inside.

She observed him from where she sat, watching his back muscles shift beneath the white shirt he wore, which had gotten a bit wet from his attempts to keep her warm. Melting snowflakes fought to survive in his hair, but ended up dissipating into droplets of water. One of his arms reached out, grabbing a t-shirt off a hanger; on his forearm there was a jagged tattoo of an 'R'; she recalled Jordie having a matching one.

When he turned back towards her, she was quick to look away, but knew she'd been caught. Mentally, she was swearing at herself. She knew she shouldn't have been looking at him. Yet she was. And now she'd been caught.

He approached her in silence, extending his arms to offer her some of his dry clothes. She rose to her feet, accepting the clothing with a small nod. His eyes held an intensity that she'd never seen before. Just looking at him in that moment felt like too much for her.

"I'll step outside while you change. Just let me—"

"Wait!"

He paused, staring at her in alarm. Her cheeks heated up, flushing as she turned her stare down towards her feet. She'd never felt like this before. She hated that a man could make her feel this way; especially a man like Kaz Brekker.

Inej didn't know how to tell him that her body was too cold and stiff that it hurt to move. She wasn't sure how to phrase the fact that just extending her arms to accept the clothing from him and standing up made her limbs ache. She couldn't think of a method to explain that she could hardly move her fingers, let alone feel them.

And she certainly didn't know how to explain that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to change on her own.

"I think... I... Can you... Help me?" She whispered, unable to meet his eyes when she spoke.

Kaz didn't speak initially. For a horrible moment, she feared he'd already left. Looking back up, she found him standing right where she'd left him, cheeks crimson and staring at her with those eyes that she couldn't decipher.

Instead of answering her, he removed the folded clothes from her hands, placing them on his bed that sat in the corner of the room. She kept herself close to the fireplace, doing her best to make her fingers work again; but it seemed hopeless.

When he stepped close to her, she turned to look back at him. With trembling hands, she watched him extend his arms and carefully grab the bottom hem of her soaked tank top. She did her best to lift her arms as he pulled the cloth over her head. Air hitting her damp skin made her take a sharp inhale, goosebumps blossoming over her flesh.

As soon as her shirt was gone, Kaz's jaw fell open. He was left staring at the conglomeration of scars that Tante Heleen had left on Inej's skin. Some were short and thin, just little nicks from the older female's claw-like nails. Some of the other scars he caught sight of were bite marks. Then there was one that ran all the way across her torso, passing over her belly button; it was jagged, deep, and thick. Inej hated it. It reminded her how weak she was in comparison to Tante Heleen.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, hiding that particular scar from Kaz's line of sight. But he wasn't buying it. Gingerly, he grasped onto her hands and unveiled the scar once more.

"Tell me she didn't do this to you..." His voice was more gravelly than she was accustomed to.

Inej shifted uncomfortably. "And what if I can't tell you that?"

He finally looked away from the remnant of the wound to meet Inej's eyes. "Then I would have Jordie turn this boat around so I can go back and disembowel her."

"All bark and no bite," She commented, a tiny smile tugging at her lips.

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? You don't believe me?"

She couldn't ignore the way he was weakly smiling too. "No. My pride versus your money? Let's not kid ourselves, Brekker."

He chuckled, but didn't make an effort to argue against her.

Now standing in nothing but her soaked leggings and sports bra, she exhaled a shaky breath. She slowly moved, turning her back towards him and facing the fire. "Can you unclasp my bra?"

She could feel his fingers tremble as he worked on the clasps. As soon as his hands touched her flesh, a shudder involuntarily rushed through her body. There was no way his hands were so warm. He didn't even have on gloves, so how did he keep them warm against the freezing cold?

"Saints, Inej. You're practically an icicle," He commented as her unfastened the last remaining clasp, allowing the bra to fall off of her.

She shrugged. "To be fair, I was in the ocean in the middle of a snow storm."

Kaz began putting the dry shirt on over her head. She did her best to help him, slowly sliding her arms through the sleeves and trying really hard not to squirm. As soon as the fabric was in its proper place, she already felt so much warmer.

Next Kaz slipped his fingers into the waistband of her leggings. A soft gasp escaped her against her better judgement. He froze, interpreting her gasp as pain. But she shook her head, gesturing for him to keep going. He slid the tight-fitting fabric all the way down to her ankles. She lifted one foot at a time, stepping out of the pants.

She felt her cheeks flush again as she knew what came next. In an agonizingly slow fashion, he began to peel her underwear off of her skin. She was glad she was still facing away from him. Once she stepped out of them, he helped her step into a pair of his boxers. Then she was stepping into a pair of his sweatpants.

When she turned back towards him, he was already fussing over the pile of her drenched clothing; the pile was already sitting in a puddle of water and carried the salty scent of the ocean. He laid each article out in front of the fire, giving them the chance to dry.

"Are you feeling warmer?" He asked, finally looking away from her clothes in order to inspect her. Quickly, as if her appearance was repulsive, he turned away.

She sniffed, wrapping her arms around herself and nodding. "Yeah. Much warmer."

"Good," Kaz replied.