by Kaye Draper
I stared into his eyes, seeing the terror in the emerald green depths, but also the resolution. With Kai missing, I couldn't stand for him to be distant, to think that he might not be with me forever.
"Oh, no," he breathed in mock horror. "Oh, dear Gods, no. Don't tell me you are going to…cry."
I swiped at my face with my free hand, squeezing his fingers in a crushing grip with the other. "Shut the hell up. It's hormones. That's all."
He smirked at me. "Of course."
Reaching up, he brushed my hair behind one ear and thumbed away a tear. "I love you, gryphon. No matter if we are making love, or making an absolute mess of things. Don't ever think otherwise."
I sighed. "It doesn't hurt to remind me now and then. Blond, you know. Kinda dense and all."
He ruffled my hair and gestured toward the road. "Well, carry on blondie. We've got a kraken to find."
When we arrived home, Hisashi was waiting for us at the door. His eyes were slightly silvery, and his ears were showing. "What's wrong?" He demanded, one hand splayed over his solar plexus. "I feel this…pull."
Oisin and I explained the email from Kai.
Hisashi held out his hand, delicate claws extending from the fingertips. "Can I see? Usually I have to have direct contact with an object to use psychometry, but things have changed since I'm tied to you all…."
I handed over the phone and watched as Hisashi closed his eyes and ghosted his fingers over the text on the screen. When he opened his eyes, the icy blue was completely lost in liquid silver. "Kai didn't write this. In fact…I doubt she's ever emailed you since she got to the island."
I growled. "Sirens and their fucking bullshit. I knew we couldn't trust them."
Oisin touched Hisashi's arm. "Did you pick up anything else?"
Hisashi shook his head. "Only that you're right, it was a siren who wrote this message—feels like cold and fish scales."
I snorted. "How fucking stupid could they possibly be? Like they don't think we'll just come back over there and get Kai? Do they really think I won't murder their asses for messing with my mate?"
Oisin tilted his head, his eyes narrowed. "No, I really don't think they do. They remind me of the older fae, in a way. Emotions are…a bit removed. Perhaps they don't understand why you would go to the trouble of traveling all the way back across the world for one little pet, even if she is a rare specimen."
Halstad came out of his reading nook, tugging his gloves on. "Fae's right," he muttered. "Fucking fish think they know everything. The rest of us backward, feeling creatures are beneath notice."
I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes in frustration. "Godsdamn it."
Con came down the stairs from the apartment, carrying with him the warm scents of ginger and cream. He stopped when he saw us all gathered right by the door. "Uh. I was going to bring you something for your stomach, but…."
I made my way to him and took the warm mug. "Thanks but…huh. I just realized I haven't needed to puke lately." Small miracles.
Con shrugged. "Well, it's still good stuff, if I do say so myself. And I put healing and fortifying intent into it. It will be good for the…um. Good for you."
I watched him blush when he realized he'd almost fumbled the whole pregnancy secret thing. I shook my head at him, and he shrugged.
We filled Con in on the situation with Kai and I watched him turn red for a whole new reason. Right now really wasn't the best moment to enjoy it but…Con was so cute when he was pissed off.
"What are we going to do?" the human demanded, running a hand through his brown curls, tangling them up into knots.
Hisashi got a faraway look, then nodded resolutely, as if he'd just had a conversation with someone we couldn't see. "I'll take us there."
I swallowed a mouthful of ginger latte and opened my mouth to protest, but Oisin beat me to it. "Are you sure? We were almost lost last time."
Hisashi quirked a white brow at him, and I was struck by how confident our fox had become when it came to his previously out of control powers. "A lot has changed since then," he reminded the fae. "I have control of things now. And I have anchors. My shrine."
I think that hit us all in the feels, but only Con showed it, giving Hisashi a fond look.
I thought of the expense and time that would be wasted if we had to take a plane and a boat like last time. Kai would be out there, in the Gods knew what kind of circumstances, for over a week before we even got to the area, let alone the time it might take to deal with the sirens. "If you say you can do it, I trust you."
He met my eyes and his own silver gaze flicked down to my stomach and back briefly. He knew I was trusting him with more than just my life these days. "I can do it," he said softly. "Or I wouldn't even offer to try."
I nodded.
"But," Hisashi said slowly. "Someone has to stay here. I think I have to have an anchor here to come back to. One of the pride has to call me back home."
We all looked at each other like a bunch of kids about to shout, "not it."
Finally, Con heaved a gusty sigh and spoke up. "I have work. There's exams this week. And someone has to watch Troya for White."
I gave him a sympathetic look. I didn't like leaving him behind, but it was really the most logical option. Safer for Con. And like he said, he had things to do.
"Well, since Oisin decided to bring her into the bookstore, maybe it will be easier for you to watch over White's victim without being in two places at once." I got out my phone. "And I'll call Orion and tell him they're just going to have to deal with it. If White really wants someone protecting this kid twenty-four seven, he can damned well call in some of his own goons for a while."
Of course, that meant talking to the demons again. At least White would be too busy stalking vampires to bug me at the moment. Dealing with Orion was way better than dealing with Derek fucking White.
An hour later, we were ready to go. I closed my eyes and prayed we weren't about to make a huge mistake. I fucking hated the creepy otherworld that lay in between this world and the next. But if traveling through ghostville was what it took to get my kraken back home safe, then so be it.
Chapter 8
White mist swirled around us and a cold, creeping feeling walked up my spine, like dead fingers dancing over my flesh. I shuddered and let out a groan. "Can we move any faster," I griped. Fucking ghosts.
Hisashi glanced over his shoulder at me, a slip of sharp canine showing as he smirked at me with his vulpine features and silver eyes. "Fraidy cat."
I squeezed his tail tighter.
Oisin looked around, apparently not deterred by Hisashi's warning about locking eyes with the things that lived here. "How is it that there are buildings here?" he mused.
Hisashi shrugged. "There are things that live here fulltime. Not just the ghosts, but…things. I'm sure to them, it all seems as solid and real as our world does to us."
I recalled the tavern I'd seen last time we were here. "Or it's all just a trap to lure people off the path."
Halstad mumbled an agreement. "Everything here seems to serve the sole damned purpose of luring folk away. That can't be a coincidence. The energy here is…hungry."
I shivered as the shadowy place leached away my power, glad that Con was safe at home. Of all of us, he had the least spirit energy to lose. "How much longer?"
Hisashi pointed a long, clawed finger. I looked over his shoulder to see that the glowing thread we had been following for what seemed like ages ended in a soft, yellow ball of light. "Through there," the nine-tail said, just a tinge of relief audible in his deep voice. He might have been more certain about his powers, but still—last time we were all here, he'd been left behind in the otherworld with the conviction that he had just killed his mates.
We stepped up to the glowing, undulating ball of energy. Hisashi reached out a hand and took hold of the glowing cord that led to Kai. Then he yanked us all through to the other side. I felt the brush of cold hands, chill breath against my throat
, and the impression of bottomless, searching black eyes. Then we were free, tumbling onto the white sand, squinting in the harsh sun.
"You did it!" I said, hauling Hisashi in for a hug. The fox chuckled and gave me a squeeze before turning to look around.
"I did…but I kind of…stepped us sideways? I got the impression of water. I'm afraid Kai is out there somewhere." He waved toward the water. "Thought we should aim for dry land."
We all gazed out at the turquoise sea. Not far away, the sirens' town rose up in glaring white perfection from the dense vegetation that covered the island.
"Whelp," I said, turning toward a path that led off into the trees. "Let's go see what the fish bitches have to say for themselves."
I smiled. This time, I wasn't obligated to play nice. They'd started this, and I was going to finish it.
Halstad gripped my upper arm, pulling me to a halt. "Wait a minute, gryphon. You can't go chargin' into siren territory without protection."
I rolled my eyes and turned back to him. "We were just fine last time."
Oisin wrinkled his nose, probably at the idea of agreeing with the mage. "Last time, they were playing nice, feeling us out. This time, they're up to no good."
Hisashi glanced off toward the little town. "And they probably would have gotten around to using magic on us last time, if we hadn't agreed to their demands."
I took a steadying breath. I remembered how the sirens had stared at Kai last time. Godsdamn it, they had been planning on snatching my kraken the whole time. They probably just wanted me to demonstrate what she could do.
"I'm going to kill them and make fish chowder," I said through clenched teeth.
Oisin shook his head. “There won’t be enough left of them to make soup, if they’ve harmed her.” Then he turned to Halstad. "One or two sirens shouldn't pose a threat to us, but if they've ensnared Kai, then they have tricks up their sleeve. The only way I know to prevent you all from being enchanted by the sirens is to weave my own enchantment. But I'm not sure being in fae thrall would be any better than being under the siren's spell…you wouldn't be able to make your own decisions in the heat of the moment."
I gaped at the fae. "That's real?"
He shrugged, giving me a haughty emerald look that said I was so naive. "Only for certain fae. My father compelled. My mother, however, could enchant. It's not much of a weapon, really, but it has its uses. Makes people docile." He smirked. "Now that I think of it, I should have tried it on you ages ago, darling."
"I can muffle our auditory response to their trickery," Halstad cut in. "Our hearing will suck balls, but we'll still have our minds intact. Better odds if it comes to fighting."
Oisin huffed in mock affront. "You take all the fun out of things, mage."
Halstad rolled his eyes. "How about I leave you out of the spell, and you can stay here with the sirens then, fae?"
Hisashi shifted back to fully human and pushed between the two idiots. "Come on, let's do this. You guys can measure each other's dicks later."
I snorted with laughter as both men glared at the fox. I don't know what was up with the fae and the mage. Sometimes they seemed about to kill each other still. But other times, they allowed each other to exist. It was kind of a toss-up in any given situation. Confusing as fuck, to say the least.
Halstad took a vial of milky-looking fluid from his utility belt and held it up to the light. He chanted something in mage-speak and his magic flared, making the liquid boil. It turned a bright, ruby red. "Alright," he said, gesturing to the fae. "Come over here and I'll deafen you."
Oisin stared at him from under thick red lashes. "Ooh, threats. I'm not sure if I want to stab you or shove my cock down your throat just to silence you."
Halstad took the fae by the shoulder and jerked him around, grabbing the smaller guy's head and tilting it sideways so he could administer a drop of the weird liquid to each pointed ear, his motions waspish. "Oh, shut the fuck up already."
I was surprised Oisin allowed the manhandling, quite honestly. I expected the mage to lose a hand. But he still had all his appendages attached when he let go of Oisin. "Good?"
Oisin frowned and wiggled his ears. "Gods, that's strange."
Halstad repeated the procedure on the rest of us, including himself. Then he poured out the rest of the vial into the sand and said some sort of thank you to the elements. I don't know. Mages are weird.
I stuck a finger in my ear and wriggled it around. It felt like I had cotton stuck in there. I could hear, but it was like everything was muffled. Peachy.
"You sure this will work?" I shouted at the mage.
He was glaring at a palm tree. He turned when I spoke, and I watched him wipe the confused look off his face, replacing it with one of tired competence. "We'll see, won't we?"
So much confidence. I sighed and we trudged off toward the sirens' town to kick some ass. Probably.
Chapter 9
Our arrival was way too quiet. Someone should have noticed the minute we set foot on the sand and sounded the alarm. Especially since Halstad had only recently updated their wards.
I wasn't surprised when a trio of beautiful women in gauzy wrap dresses stepped onto the path in front of us. I opened my mouth to demand they tell me where Kai was, but they were too quick. They started singing, of all the stupid, cliché things I'd ever seen. Cold, ethereal temptresses, pouring warm promises of enslavement from their wicked lips.
Fuck that.
My wings and talons burst forth when the magic hit me. They seemed to be using some sort of communal…thing to amplify their power. I'm not sure what would have happened if we weren't all protected by Halstad's magic ear juice. As it was, I could still feel the eerie pull that the sirens exuded. I just didn't quite want it bad enough to give up my will and fall under their spell. The magic eddied around us, like tangible waves in the air, looking for a way into our minds.
Luckily, the security system was on. Halstad's mental sandbags worked wonders.
"Where the fuck is my kraken?" I demanded, striding forward.
The women frowned, but kept singing. "Oh shut, up, already," Hisashi said, sending out an irritated pulse of cold, otherworld magic. "Obviously your crap's not working on us."
The women were shocked out of their song, gaping as we all stood there glaring at them. "Nice show," I said with a slow clap. "But I've heard better."
Oisin hummed in agreement, casting out fae magic like a net. "Hello, there," he purred when all three of the women struggled briefly, then went still under his compulsion magic. "Where is our kraken friend?"
The leader of their little guard looked familiar from the last time we were here. Oisin had used his powers on her then too. She managed to sneer at him, pissed at being caught again, but she couldn't quite refuse to answer him. "Out at sea," she growled in a very unladylike voice for someone who was the epitome of feminine bullshit, "it's chasing off mermaids like a good guard dog."
I growled at her. "That's it. I'm done. Next one of you bitches who insults any of my pride will eat my fist. Now, how do we get Kai back? How the hell are you assholes keeping her here?"
The woman frowned, struggling against the compulsion, but one of her companions wasn't as strong as she was, and she caved almost immediately. "The queen pulls power from her court to keep the kraken in thrall. She is theirs to command. You won't get her back while she's under their combined control."
The leader of this little group grinned. "But you're welcome to try. I'd love to see that."
Oisin sent a mental shove their way, propelling them back up the path. "Take us to the little Queen bee."
The sirens shambled up the path with stiff steps, attempting to fight Oisin the whole way.
We headed after them, but we were all on guard. "You really think it's that easy?" I whispered to Halstad.
He shook his head. "Not a damned chance."
"Shield?" I asked softly.
Mage magic danced over my skin, like a whiff of ozone and fire. Oi
sin had his eyes on the Sirens in front of us, but he spoke in clipped tones. "They aren't even trying to escape right now. They’re just struggling for the sake of appearances. They're leading us right into some sort of trap." He sighed. "So obvious."
Well, we couldn't all learn war strategy from the back of a demon horse during a wild hunt as children. But still, the sirens had a slipperiness about them that made me nervous.
We were almost to the main house where the queen kept court when the bullets hit Halstad's barrier. "Those underhanded fuckers," I said, jumping when a bullet pinged off the shield by my face. "Who the fuck just starts shooting at people? They haven't even told me what the fuck they're doing with my damned kraken."
Hisashi laughed. "Villains these days. What is the world coming to? Where's the cheesy monologue?"
He pulled up his own magic, weaving it in with Halstad's to reinforce the shield.
"Hold it steady there, fox," the mage said, pulling back some of his own magic. "I've got a present for the fish. Maybe they'll think twice about buying people and forcing them to do their magic work."
He took out a crystal from a pouch on his belt, held it between his hands like he was praying. Then, he sent out a wave of his magic. When he held the crystal up, it rang like a bell, a pretty little humming sound.
A handful of explosions sounded nearby, followed by screaming.
I stared at the mage. "What the hell was that?"
He grinned, his mismatched eyes glowing. "I used the energy from the wards I installed…to make their guns and any other combustible weapons explode."
I didn't know whether I should be happy about that, or horrified. If mages had that much influence over the magic work they did, maybe the guild was right to try to control them. Fuck.
Halstad winked at me with his gold eye. "Our little secret."
I shook my head. Scary fucker. "Did you do any other magic work while you were here? Like maybe something near the queen?"