Siren

by Jessica Wayne

  “You expect me to believe you’re my brother, yet you’re ten thousand years old?”

  Thames turned to face him. “Oh, I’m much older than that.”

  “Yeah, you look it.” Dakota pinched the bridge of his nose. “You expect me to believe you’re related to me, through my mother, who is barely fifty.”

  Thames snorted. “She is much older than that.”

  “This is fucking insane.”

  “We are family, Dakota. The sooner you realize that, the sooner we can move forward with my plans.”

  “Which are?”

  Thames gestured to the dark. “To rebuild our home, of course.”

  “This isn’t my home. My place is with my wife.”

  “She will do nothing but hold you back.”

  “You’re wrong,” Dakota growled.

  “Am I, though?” Thames turned and leaned against the railing. “She was so quick to cage you, simply because she was afraid of what you were becoming, when you wouldn’t have thought to do the same.”

  “She was worried for me.”

  Thames shrugged. “So you say.”

  “May I take form?” a woman asked.

  Dakota turned as Rosabel appeared. She smiled at him, and all but skipped over to them.

  “Rosabel, nice of you to join us.”

  “I apologize for my delay. I was taking care of something.”

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Dakota asked.

  “She’s more than welcome in our home, Brother. It was her that found you in the first place.”

  “Do I really need to tell you again that this is not my home?” Dakota roared and headed toward the doors.

  “Where are you going?” Rosabel asked sweetly.

  “The fuck away from here.”

  “Oh, Brother?”

  Dakota froze, completely unable to move as his body was turned for him to face Rosabel and Thames.

  “You belong to me, Brother,” Thames sneered inside his head. “I own you now, mind and body. There is nothing you can do to escape, and if you refuse to help, I will simply force you to do it anyway.”

  “Get the fuck out of my head,” Dakota said through bared teeth.

  Thames moved toward him slowly, each step a deliberate attempt to intimidate. “The sooner you realize there’s no choice, the sooner we can move forward.”

  Thames released him, and Dakota’s body relaxed. “I will never help you.” He turned and ran like a child afraid of the dark. What the hell did that make him?

  Stone stairs on the other side of the hall caught his attention, and he took them two at a time, desperate to get out of here and away from this nightmare.

  To get back to Ana.

  “There’s nowhere to run!” Thames’ booming voice echoed through the halls, followed closely with a dark laugh.

  Dakota reached the bottom of the stairs and ripped the door open to reveal another hall.

  He sprinted to the end, and ripped the door open. Cold night air bit at him as he crossed the porch and went down the steps. Mud seeped through his toes and up to his ankles, but that wasn’t the worst of it.

  The dead stared at him, dark shadows of who they’d once been as they crawled toward him.

  Their skin fell from their bones, sagging as they groaned and moved. Dakota scrambled back and fell onto the steps. They continued coming, reaching for him, mouths open, gaping holes where eyes had once been.

  He tried to move, but was frozen by fear. What the fuck were these things?

  A large hand gripped his arm and ripped him up from the ground. “You have nowhere to go, Brother,” Thames told him.

  The dead slunk back away, and Dakota stared after them. “What happened to them?”

  “Something they didn’t deserve. But don’t worry, you’re going to help me fix it.”

  Dakota stared as he was dragged away, and looked up at Thames when he tossed him onto the cool marble floor.

  The truth sunk in, a rock in his gut. He was trapped, and not a damn person would be coming for him.

  30

  Texas

  Anastasia

  The portal opened just behind her grandmother’s house, and Anastasia stepped through. Carmen looked up from the book she was reading and smiled brightly as she got to her feet.

  “What a nice surprise!” she exclaimed, stepping down from the porch. Her eyes widened as the others began pouring through. “Oh. This isn’t just a friendly visit, is it?”

  “I’m afraid it’s more than that.” Tony patted Anastasia on the back. “The rest of Terrenia have decided Anastasia has worn out her welcome.”

  Carmen’s hazel eyes focused on Anastasia, and her jaw tightened. “They did what?”

  “Rosabel threatened them.” Anastasia shrugged. “They were afraid.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Carmen said. “Cowards. Well, you’re all welcome here. Come on inside. We may be crowded, but it’s warm at least.”

  They followed Carmen inside the spacious house and spread out throughout the rooms. Before long, Carmen’s house was full of the chatter from the dozen people who’d come with Anastasia.

  “So, tell me what happened?” Carmen went to work in the kitchen, preparing hot water for tea or cocoa. Anastasia followed her into the small space, leaving the others to get settled.

  “Rosabel took Dakota.”

  Carmen spun. “What? I thought for sure he’d just stayed behind to try and talk some sense into those cowards.”

  Anastasia shook her head and swallowed hard, despite the lump in her throat. “She took him, or rather, he left with her. I’m not entirely sure what happened.”

  “Tell me.”

  “It was strange. He stood beside her and said he wanted to leave with her, but his eyes—they were silver like Vincent’s had been.”

  “You think he was being controlled? That possibly they both were?”

  Anastasia’s eyes filled. How her grandmother always knew what she was thinking, she would never know. But the woman was the closest person to her, aside from Dakota.

  “Come here, honey.” Carmen wrapped her arms around Anastasia and patted her softly on the back.

  Still fighting tears, the lump in Anastasia’s throat grew to a painful size, making it difficult to breathe. Dakota was gone, Terrenia was no longer safe, and she had no plan as to how she was going to move forward.

  “It will be okay, Anastasia. I promise. We’ll find a way to kick this new enemy’s ass just as we did Vincent.”

  Anastasia pulled away and smiled. “Thanks, Grandma.”

  “Anytime. Now, you think they both were being controlled?”

  Anastasia pursed her lips and folded her arms. “I’m not sure. Seems far-fetched that Vincent was being controlled for that long.”

  “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.” Carmen squeezed her arm.

  “That’s not even the half of it.”

  Carmen turned. “What else?”

  “Apparently, Elizabeth is over ten thousand years old.”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “She’s from another world, and was married to the king of Luxe.”

  “Luxe.” Carmen’s brow furrowed. “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “According to her, it was destroyed ten thousand years ago. Her son, Thames, supposedly destroyed it, and according to her, he is the one behind Rosabel targeting Dakota.”

  Carmen took a seat at the table. “This is a lot.”

  “Rosabel also killed Tilly’s husband.” Just saying the words had crushing guilt settling over her. No matter what anyone said, Robbie’s death was on her shoulders. If it hadn’t been for her, he would still be alive. Shit, a hell of a lot of people would still be alive.

  “Oh, no.” Carmen’s eyes saddened, and she pulled out the chair beside her. “You’re carrying an awful lot of this on your shoulders, my dear.”

  “How would I not? Rosabel is targeting people because of me; how am I supposed to tell all those people out there
that by being with me, they are painting giant targets on their backs? On the backs of their children?” Tears filled her eyes, and she rested her face in her hands.

  Carmen ran a hand over her back, trying to soothe her, but the touch went nearly unnoticed.

  “They are here because they believe in you, in what you stand for. Don’t think for one second they don’t understand the danger of it. They do, and they stay with you despite that danger.”

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Fight.” Vincent’s sudden appearance pulled Anastasia’s head up. He stood behind the small couch.

  “Yeah, you keep saying that.” Anastasia leaned back down.

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the bastard’s right, Anastasia. Now is not the time to give up.”

  “Where do I even start? I’ve been banished from the village, Dakota is gone, taken to who the hell knows where, and I can’t even begin to understand how I’m supposed to stop Rosabel.”

  “We take it one step at a time,” Carmen told her. “Is that all that’s bothering you?”

  “I haven’t been feeling well. This is a hell of a time to get sick, huh?”

  Carmen eyed her. “Uh-huh, it definitely is.”

  “Anastasia.” Tony stepped into the room, interrupting them. “There’s a man here to see you.”

  “Who?”

  “Ashton.”

  “In Texas? What the hell is he doing outside of Seattle?”

  Tony shrugged. “Says he needs to speak with you now.”

  “Great, just what I need.” She pushed off the couch to her feet. Vincent disappeared again, so Carmen was the only one who followed her out.

  Anastasia stepped out onto the porch to face Ashton. “Can I help you?”

  Three dozen men with guns out and ready stood behind him. “You can leave, for starters.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “We were warned you were coming back to this world. People will die if you stay. Seems death has a habit of following you around,” he sneered, more than happy to be the one to deliver the message.

  “Warned? By who?” Tony asked.

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Ashton responded coolly. “Bottom line is, you all need to go, or I won’t hesitate to put you six feet under.”

  “Just what in the hell are you doing in Texas?” Anastasia asked.

  “I told you we were warned. We’ve been watching this house, knowing sooner or later you were going to show up.”

  “You have no jurisdiction here.” Elizabeth stepped forward and put her hand on Anastasia’s arm.

  “I don’t, but they do.” He gestured to the men behind him. “It’s up to you. We won’t risk the lives of our people in this world because some high and mighty bitch wants to run away from her problems.”

  Anastasia stepped closer to him, and gasped. The detective’s eyes were silver, just as Vincent’s and Dakota’s had been.

  Fuck, when am I going to catch a break?

  The men, including Ashton, trained their weapons on her. Bullets could still kill her, but it was the men, women, and children behind her that Anastasia worried about. One stray bullet could mean another light snuffed out because of her.

  “Put your fucking weapons down,” Tony growled, hand going to his sword.

  “Tony,” Anastasia said gently and shook her head. There was no use arguing. Ashton was not in control at the moment. She never thought she’d wish for the day when she could talk to the detective, but facing his cool logic would do her some justice at the moment. “We will leave.”

  “Good.”

  “I hope Rosabel doesn’t come back for more blood,” Shane added.

  “She won’t touch us. She promised,” one of the men behind Ashton said.

  Anastasia looked at him. He was young, barely out of the academy, and his soft brown eyes pleaded with her. They were all terrified of her. What had she done to incur such fear?

  “Anastasia, it’s no use.” Vincent appeared beside her, but based on the way no one’s eyes moved, she was the only one who could see him this time.

  The sound of a gunshot rang out, and Anastasia threw up her hand, freezing everyone and the bullet that was headed straight for her chest from Ashton’s gun.

  She stepped forward and plucked the hot bullet from the air. She waved her hand, releasing everyone in the clearing, and stepped closer to the detective. She threw the bullet, and it bounced off his vest.

  “You just made a very powerful enemy.” A portal opened behind her, and she turned to face her people. “Grab your things. We’re leaving.”

  The crack of another gunshot cut through the air.

  “Anastasia!” Shane pulled her behind him, then crumpled against her.

  She reached out to him, then looked down as blood poured from a wound in his chest.

  “No!” she screamed, rage and terror roaring to life inside of her. Anastasia turned to face the group of men and a sneering Ashton. “You will pay!” The storm raged around her, whipping her dark hair across her face. Some of the men ran, others began firing toward her, toward her people.

  She flung her hands up, creating a barrier the bullets bounced off. She shoved them back toward one officer in particular and watched with twisted satisfaction as the bullets buried themselves in him.

  Should she feel sadness? She faced the others, those who would condemn her without even knowing her, and wondered why she shouldn’t simply end them all.

  It was the young officer with the brown eyes that stopped her. Who knew how many of them had been forced to come, had been lied to? Hell, Ashton himself wasn’t in control.

  “Go,” she told them. “I would never have brought any harm to this world.”

  He and the others ran off toward their cars and sped from the drive. She walked over to Ashton, who was lying on his back. Most of the bullets had hit his vest, but a few went into his arms and legs. He would live.

  Did he deserve to, though? After everything he’d done? Anastasia conjured a ball of light in her palm and bounced it, enjoying the fear in his eyes as he stared up at her.

  Vincent appeared in front of her and shook his head. “This isn’t you, Anastasia. Push the rage down. It will bring you nothing but pain.”

  “He tried to kill me! He shot Shane!” she screamed.

  “Exactly. Shane needs your help, niece. Think about those who need you,” he urged. “This man is not in control of his actions.”

  She snuffed the light out and looked down at Ashton. “You’ll live, this time. But if you come after me again, I will kill you.” Anastasia turned and ran toward the still open portal.

  Once on the other side, she knelt beside Shane.

  “You okay?” he asked, his body shaking.

  “I am. You will be, too.” Anastasia pressed her hands to his chest and poured her healing power into him.

  He’d been hanging on by a thread, and she had very nearly left him to die for revenge.

  What the hell was she turning into without her light?

  31

  Terrenia

  Anastasia

  Bright stars lit the sky while Anastasia stood, arms wrapped around herself, in the chilly night air. The valley below was shadowed, the moon only illuminating what wasn’t darkened by the mountainside.

  She’d portaled them to the mountains of Terrenia, in hopes they could find a cavern to keep warm in. They’d found one and quickly built a fire to warm the children, who were both terrified and excited at the change.

  Anastasia pressed a hand to the wall as the contents of her stomach heaved again. Stress of Dakota’s abduction was getting to her, and on top of that, she still wasn’t feeling any better.

  I better not be getting the flu. Wouldn’t that just be icing on top of the crap sundae she was living in?

  Someone stepped out of the mouth of the cave, and Anastasia looked up as Tony stood beside her.

  “How’s Shane?” she asked.

  “Tired, but
he’ll be fine, thanks to you.”

  Anastasia scoffed. “He almost died because of me.”

  “No, he almost died because of that bastard who shot him.”

  She didn’t say anything; arguing with Tony was futile. He wouldn’t see her side of things on this, whether he truly didn’t think she had any fault or just didn’t want to admit it.

  “How did everything get so upside-down?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Vincent is good—for lack of a better word, Dakota is not, and is possibly being controlled by the same person who I think used Vincent and Ashton.”

  “Things always tend to get worse before they get better.”

  “Isn’t that the understatement of the year.”

  “We will find a way to beat this, Anastasia. Just as you found a way two years ago.”

  She sighed. “Any idea where to start?”

  “I might have one.”

  Anastasia and Tony turned toward the sound of Vincent’s voice. Their uninvited guest leaned against the mouth of the cavern.

  “Vincent, how nice of you to drop in.” Tony folded his arms over his chest.

  Anastasia glanced up at him, then back at the man she was beginning to see a little different than before. “What idea?”

  “What do we know of Sirens?”

  “Are you here to help or quiz us?” Tony asked.

  Vincent glared at him, then looked back at Anastasia expectantly.

  Fine, guess I’m playing this game. “They are nearly impervious to all magic, turn into water bitches, and steal husbands.”

  “I would have said it differently, but essentially, yes. We also know where they live, and I just so happen to know they are a secretive species, and it is doubtful she was allowed to leave her home.”

  “Okay, what are you suggesting?”

  Vincent raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes, obviously having expected her to put the pieces together. “I’m suggesting you go to where the Sirens live.”

  “You want her to walk into the home of these creatures? Creatures who are not affected by her magic?” Tony laughed. “You must be fucking insane; they will kill her.”