“And let me guess,” I sighed. “You can tell me all this because you think we’re going to die.”
“Yeah,” he said. “There’s a slim chance we might just come out paralyzed, but I don’t see much beyond that. I had to take the risk bringing you here though, because I knew it was what you needed from me. I figured, if you could get my heart beating again…I might as well give it to you to do with what you want.”
Aw, to hell with it.
“We’re not dying today,” I said firmly. “I promise you that. Your boys are though.”
“What?” he asked in disbelief.
“When we get to the house, I do all the talking. You only respond if they address you directly, and even then, just give short, vague answers.”
“What are you, a hit man?”
“I can’t tell you yet,” I said, feeling a single tear trickle down my cheek. “I want to. But we have to survive this first. You’ll see clearly by the end of the night.”
“You remember those emotions I was talking about earlier? Yeah, plenty of fear going on right now.”
“I got this.”
“Yeah, hearing you say that is what’s scaring me.”
* * *
Reign whistled the moment he saw my home. Lucas and I were getting out the car slowly, but Keith and John came over and made sure we moved a little quicker. They kept a firm grasp on our arms as their boss took it all in.
“This is all yours?” Reign turned to ask me.
“Yep.”
“You do know that if this isn’t your house, and there are people inside, we’ll have to kill them, right?”
“I understand. I’m not lying. My parents left me this house when they died.”
“Well, alright then, why don’t we see what’s here.”
They escorted us to the front door. It was unlocked as usual and I noticed out the corner of my eye that Reign was shaking his head at the sight. We walked into the foyer and I immediately gave a big yawn and a stretch. Reign and the others gave me a strange look but my boys knew that was the signal to stay put until I gave the order to move. For all they knew, I had brought a victim for my feeding home. Little did I know that I had went and gotten the family combo meal.
“This is nice,” Dave replied while Reign grabbed my arm and pulled me to his side.
“So, what happens now, sweet thing?”
“I was thinking that we consummate our arraignment,” I said, facing him directly with the sweetest smile I could manage.
“What did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking that the boys could check out the place, and make themselves at home while we go downstairs and get comfortable.”
“Oh I see where your head’s at,” he laughed, taking a filthy hand and grabbing my hip. I tried not to call for Noah to rip it off. “But…you know we won’t be down there with just the two of us. You ain’t my queen just yet.”
“I understand,” I said. “That’s why I want a couple guys downstairs with us. And…I want Lucas to watch.”
“You are cold,” he laughed, looking back at Lucas. “But there’s no use giving the man hope at this point, is there? John and Prince, you two are with me. Bring Luke with us. I want him to see what he lost.”
John pushed Lucas forward as I pointed to the basement. I turned back to Dave and the others.
“While you’re at it, you might as well get something to…eat,” I yelled back, so my boys would hear. I only had to worry about Reign and the other two at this point. We descended the steps slowly. Reign was cautious, making sure there were no surprises. I pointed the way to the Prep Room and we entered in. I immediately plopped down on the couch and leaned against the edge, making sure my little black dress accented the little curves I did have. The men stood in the doorway, all of them wondering in their own way how I could be so comfortable with this arrangement.
“Right here is where we do it,” I said to Reign, patting the couch. “Is that okay with you?”
“For sure,” he smiled, taking a seat next to me. He began leaning forward to kiss me when I tilted my head back, and he caught my neck instead of my lips.
“Not just yet,” I said to him, grabbing his face and pulling it away from mine. “I’m thirsty.” I noticed my voice had changed back to its seductive tone, and it made Reign smile in anticipation. I didn’t worry about my body changing. It knew that I was about to feed.
I stepped up from the couch and walked over to the small refrigerator which contained my special soda products. Icy cold and in glass bottles, it was far too appetizing to reject, but even if one of them did, I had more than enough alternatives to get even the most stubborn man to say yes.
I popped a cap and took a long gulp, making sure to give off a deep sigh of relief once I was done. That was more than enough to get the room on board.
“Can I get one of those?” Reign asked, and I handed him one. Without even asking, I threw one to John and Prince. They each made Lucas open their sodas for them, and then they all drank eagerly. It only took a five seconds upon consumption for them to notice something was wrong with their bodies, and only twenty seconds more to fall. John and Prince let go of Lucas and he stood there dumbstruck as I handed him a bottle too.
“You have to drink this,” I whispered to him.
“No,” he said, frowning at me. “What did you do?”
“Paralyzed them. An hour and no more. But I’ll be done but then.”
“Done with what?”
“I don’t want you to see. I can tell you, but you can’t see. I’ll sit you down and turn your head so you can’t see what happens next. The paralysis is just so you don’t interfere.”
“Paralyzed or not, I’m not leaving you here with three men. Why do you have poisoned soda anyways?”
“I do this a lot,” I said with my head low.
“What? Kill people?”
“It’s not what you think. I do it.”
“Alex, this doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know,” I said, lifting my head. “But I’m going to ask you to trust me now. I promise, I won’t harm you.”
“I won’t do it,” he said, backing away from me. I took a deep sigh.
“Noah,” I whispered, and Lucas suddenly went limp in the next second. I only caught the end of Noah’s punch as his fist hung in the air where Lucas had one stood.
“Where are our other guests?” I asked as he caught Lucas in mid-fall.
“They’re taken care of,” he said. That’s all I needed to know.
“These three are mine,” I said. “I can find out the lyrics to three songs.”
“Understood,” he said. He was about to leave when he turned back to me. “You sure you don’t need help?”
“No, I’m good,” I cleared my throat. “But…can you get a chair from the kitchen and prop it up here in the corner? I want Lucas to…see this. I’ve changed my mind.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s a horrible idea,” I chuckled. “But it’s the only way we can move forward.” He nodded and left Lucas in my arms for a few seconds. He began to slip out, but Noah was back in time with the chair. With the chair in one hand and Lucas being dragged with the other, Noah put them both in place in the corner. I nodded back at Noah once everything was in place, and he left me to my work.
TRACK 13 – Siren Song (Alexandra Solo)
I forced half of a soda bottle down Lucas’ throat. I wasn’t sure when he would wake up from Noah’s attack, and I needed him immobile. Slowly, but surely I placed each of the three men on the couch, sitting up and facing me. I grabbed a box of earplugs from underneath the television, opened them and placed a pair in Lucas’ ears. Then I turned to my victims.
“I know you three can hear me,” I said, looking at each of them with disdain. Only Reign’s eyes were open and staring directly at me, but I knew the other two were just as aware. “You’re not going to be able to fight this paralysis, I don’t care how strong or big you ar
e. But no worries, this won’t take long.”
I left and went into the Lyric Room and grabbed a few unlabeled sheets of music. I looked back at the 8 sheets I did know and thought of each victim. All died in their own way so I might live, and all were still stuck in their forms. Immortal and suffering forever. Perhaps I didn’t deserve happiness.
All eight: a tree, a pile of dust, vampire, cockroach, puppy, 2 zombies and a puddle of water. This was what was left of my love life, and I was unsure how many more would follow in their wake. I still didn’t know if I was evil, or just misunderstood, but I continued giving in to my nature just the same. I still carried out the ritual, regardless of how bad I felt.
This time though, I think I was going to enjoy it.
I took the three sheets of music into the Prep Room and placed them on top of the television. Prince would “die” first - just for being rude earlier. I placed ear plugs into Reign and John’s ears but left Prince’s open so he could hear my sweet, sweet voice.
Standing before him, I took a sheet of music in my left hand and on his forehead, I placed my right. I bent down so that he could hear my voice clearly and then, slowly, I sung to him.
I knew how to speak the ancient tongue, but I didn’t know their meaning. Perhaps as a baby I had learned what accents to place on certain letters and which consonants were silent - understanding the mechanics but not what mattered most. It was no different than someone who sung out their favorite song from the radio, even when they didn’t understand the words. It didn’t matter what the lyrics said, it was the response they invoked. That’s what mattered.
As I sung sweetly to him, like a mother’s lullaby, he began to shake and spasm. The closer I got to the end of my song, the worse it got.
The words were sweet and smooth, but became suddenly sharp at the end as if I suddenly gained a forked tongue that whipped at the air. Deep inside, the song’s purpose came to light within my soul. It was a fitting melody. A recital of sweet revenge. I wish it had been for Reign.
Once I finished the last syllable, he shuddered once, and then remained still. I began to see his legs fuse together, and scales beginning to form on his skin. I studied his transformation a little longer until a word suddenly came to mind: merman.
It made sense to me. The sirens of old would often spend much of their time at sea, luring sailors with their hypnotic and seductive lyrics. The sailors longed to be with them, but they never could. Their ships would be broken along the rocks, and they would be killed instantly, like a moth to the flame.
As a merman, he could live in the sea, and see the women he desired every day for the rest of his immortal life, but he could never have them. They would reject him, and in the end, he would become nothing more than a creature of the sea, eventually losing all hope, all purpose, all individuality, and in no time at all, he would forget that he had even been human. Sweet revenge, indeed.
As he continued to turn, I could feel my body gaining strength. I could feel vitality and energy entering my pores as I absorbed what was left of his soul to add to my own. I basked in the sensation for a moment, drinking his essence while he became nothing more than a shadow and a shell of who he truly was. His soul was now mine and there was nothing left but an immortal imitation.
Satisfied, I got back to work. Reaching under the couch and grabbing the axe underneath, I began ensuring that Prince’s immortal existence would be spent in pieces. With those I felt sorry for, I let them out into the world, knowing they wouldn’t reveal my secret without exposing their own, but not these men. These men would spend eternity buried far beneath my house. Henry and Noah were probably preparing a place for them even as I continued to work.
There was no blood, but it was still disgusting work as I put the pieces of him into a garbage bag. I looked back at Lucas, but he was still unconscious. Time for John.
The song I sung to John was gruff, with sentences so short, it was as if each line was merely a single letter. Once again, the song’s purpose came to me. It was of warning, not intended to harm the victim too much. Its purpose was all about taking away mobility. Perhaps it was for a man that had shown respect to the sirens and didn’t quite deserve death.
John’s legs turned to stone, and then the effect rippled up his entire body slowly. Before it got half-way up his chest, I made sure to sever the head. It still turned to stone, but I felt better knowing there was a separation. There was always the off chance that he could remove the stone layer willfully.
I noticed that I didn’t feel any vitality entering me upon John’s “death.” Maybe my “stomach” was “full.”
Last, but not least was the captain of the crew himself: Reign. I took the last sheet of music and sung it as slowly as possible so he could grow even more anxious upon each word I uttered. His eyes were still wide open, and I stared into them fearlessly. I could only imagine the swears and curses he laid upon my name.
It was a slow, sad song. One that made me feel lost and cold. The purpose was one of calling for companionship. A song sung by a Siren that had been lost from her sisters. All alone and afraid, she longed for companionship, and this song was the answer.
Reign’s arms shriveled up and began to melt. His feet shrunk to the point that his shoes fell off them. He began to grow talons and his nose and mouth fused together to form a beak. I didn’t need to see the rest to know he was becoming a bird. An eagle by the looks of it.
I severed his limbs.
With all of them in the garbage bags, I called for Noah, and he was there before I finished the last syllable in his name. I didn’t have to say a word. He knew what to do with the bags. Once he sped away, I examined the couch for any evidence of what had just happened, but I couldn’t see any. Knowing Elliot, he would be staying up all night with a black light to make sure.
I turned around with the sheets of music still in hand.
And saw that he was awake.
Lucas was glaring at me, with more anger than fear. His eyes were heavy from the concoction, but he was trying desperately to keep them open. His hands were trembling as he fought against his immobility. I could see it in his face. He was trying to run.
“It will wear off in another fifteen minutes or so,” I said. “And then you’re free to do what you like.”
He stopped trembling and stared at the sheets of music in my hand.
“I’m a Siren,” I said to him. “It’s the first time I ever told that to anyone I didn’t plan on killing. That sounds wrong…I’m not a murderer in the sense that I enjoy it. I mean, I did enjoy killing Reign, but…okay, that sounded wrong too. All you need to know is that I do this for survival, not because I want to. I’ll die without performing a ritual every so often.”
He didn’t even blink, and his anger had not subsided.
“I didn’t want to get involved with you at first. Because I knew that someday, you would have to learn about me, and what I am. And, I decided, that rather than let this play out for too long, and someday break your heart…I would tell you now, so that there’s no secrets between us. You don’t have to speak to me again, and I’m sure it might be kind of hard just going through life like normal, but I just want you to be happy. And…you don’t have to worry about Reign anymore.”
I walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a water. I unscrewed the cap, brought it to his lips and forced him to drink a little. I sat back down on the couch as I waited. Soon I heard him fidgeting in his seat violently and within a couple minutes, he was able to move and speak freely. He coughed and rubbed his throat before walking over carefully and taking a seat next to me. I had to let him speak first. I had to.
“You should get to Margaret’s,” was all he said, and I felt my heart fall into my knees. But who was I kidding? What hope did a creature like me have…with love?
TRACK 14 – Fireworks
He left without another word, and from what I could hear, none of the boys made a move to stop him. Why would they? If I intended for him to die, it would
have happened already. Besides, it was 7:00 and Margaret wouldn’t excuse me being tardy. As I reached the top of the basement stairs, all three guys came down from their bedrooms and sat on the foyer steps, waiting for me to speak. I had to gain my composure first. All I could think about what was going through Lucas’s head. Would he ever speak with me again?
“Did you guys get enough to eat?” I asked them. They all nodded.
“Are you okay, Alexandra?” Elliot asked me. I was about to nod, but I ended up shaking my head.
“Not really,” I sighed. “I don’t even know why I’m upset. It’s not like I ever had a chance at a normal relationship.”
“Then he wasn’t the one for you,” Henry replied. “Plain and simple. Whoever you end up with, he’ll accept you for you.”
“I’ve never heard a story in which Sirens had a mate. Not one.”
“There has to be some form of reproduction,” Elliot said. “You have to feed in order to extend your life, but you said yourself that the intervals are getting shorter. There must be some way the species continues.”
“If there is, I have no way of knowing how. I’m the only Siren I know.”
“Perhaps it’s time we go searching for others of your kind.”
“Road trip?” Noah asked in excitement, clapping his hands together.
“It’s up to Alex,” Henry said.
“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “I kind of like it around here...if we leave, I’m certain the house will be taken. We wouldn’t be able to come back.”
“The question is,” Elliot said. “Would you want to come back? Considering what transpired?”
My Immortal Playlist (The Siren Collection #1) Page 13