Sirens and Scales

by Kellie McAllen

  "How could she find you if you were stuck in a necklace?"

  "Blood calls to blood. Just like Kay's blood sizzled when it touched my skin. It's something you can sense in another person, just like witches tend to stick together or know when another witch is about."

  "That's true. Makes sense." I stand up, rubbing my hands together as I think. Sparks fly between my hands as I play with the pent-up energy coursing through me, and Jem snickers.

  "She's all frustrated thanks to you, Beck."

  Beck frowns at her and then eyes me closely. "What did I do this time?"

  "Nothing. I'm just thinking."

  "Why are you playing with a ball of sparks then?" he asks.

  "Because I'm trying to get rid of some extra energy."

  "What are you thinking about?"

  "I'm wondering about how someone would know that Kay and her family have dragon blood if they didn't even know it. Like, what, did they prick her hand and do a test? How would these witches know this?"

  "I'm not sure. Usually only a dragon would be able to sense another dragon. They could have captured another dragon while they were searching for us." His tone is less than enthusiastic at the prospect.

  "How long has this little skirmish been happening?" Ann asks as she walks back into the sunroom.

  "For as long as I can remember. There has been one group that has been hunting us down for one reason or another." Beck scratches at his chin before he continues. "When my ancestors flew the skies, it was because we burned down their villages and took their women. Or so they said. Then it was because we had riches and power when they didn't. Then it became about our power and wanting it for their own."

  "So basically no matter what you do, they just want you gone?"

  "Yes."

  That's a raw deal. Can't even deny that. It seems that no matter how mainstream magic becomes, there's always going to be a witch hunt. Or a dragon hunt as it were. "I'm sorry. We know how it goes to be hunted."

  Beck doesn't say anything, only watches as I toss the ball of sparks between my hands. I'm curious about how powerful he is, so without warning, I launch the sparks at him. Without blinking, he blows out a breath and the sparks freeze midair.

  "Why did you attack me?" he asks, frowning.

  "I didn't. That was harmless. It would have tickled if it hit you. I was just curious."

  "I see."

  I shrug and wait to see if he'll react in any other way. He doesn't. Instead he turns to Jem. "Are you ready to search for more of the stones?"

  "Yup!"

  A little while later, Kay joins us, asking questions about magic here and there as we search. Finally, we unearth some white stones along with purple ones, but Beck tells us they don't hold any dragons. He swears and stands up to pace.

  "We'll find them. We can always track down the people who purchased the ring and the bracelet." I look to Ann. "Right, Ann?"

  "Of course. I can start looking into that once we get Kay and her family to safety."

  "Let's do that then." Beck whirls and faces Kay. "Where are they keeping them? I'll go get them and end this."

  "Uh, before you run off half-cocked, if they're mages and using dark arts, they could capture you. And that would be bad, right?" It would be horrible actually.

  "No one can capture me." Beck puffs out his chest, his bravado exactly what I'd expect from a dragon.

  I pick up the necklace and shake it in my fist. "I beg to differ. Let's just be cautious here. We need a plan." A fool-proof, bulletproof, solid plan. Or we'll all end up dead or worse.

  "What if I go with her? When she delivers the useless stones."

  Something inside me twists at the thought of losing Beck. I just met him and already I'm attached. My heart knows what's right, but my head needs a little longer to wrap around the idea of mates and forever. "And if they have a dragon with them? Won't they be able to sense you?"

  "They might be able to. It would depend on how powerful they are." Beck rubs at his jaw and continues his pacing. "Could you cloak me?"

  I point to my chest. "Me?"

  "Any of you. You all seem very powerful. Or do you not know how to cloak others?"

  Ann scoffs. "Of course we know how. I taught my girls well, but I don't want them in danger if they don't have to be."

  "They will not come to any harm. If they can shield me until I'm inside, they can stay just outside and I can eliminate the threat and get everyone out to safety."

  "I don't know about this…" I twirl the necklace of moonstone and tourmaline at my throat, letting the soft surfaces of the stones calm my nerves.

  "I will protect you, mate. I would lay my life down for yours."

  "I don't want that either!" My heartbeat skitters and halts at the thought. This entire situation is a clusterfuck and a half. "I don't know about this…" I pull at a loose thread on the hem of my T-shirt, twirling it on my finger as I think.

  "It could work…if we've got the right spell," Jem cautiously adds.

  I give her a sharp look and she winces. She's only trying to help and I'm being unreasonable because of my new emotional bond to Beck as his mate.

  Kay raises her hand, looking sheepish. "Will this 'spell' require more of my blood or anything?"

  I smile at her. "No. Blood magic isn't something to be messed with and is usually reserved for cursing and dark arts. This would more be like we'd push out our own personal shields."

  "Kind of like a force field in the movies?" Kay tilts her head.

  "Yeah, just like that."

  "That's kinda cool-sounding." She purses her lips, clearly thinking about magic in a new way. I'd stop to appreciate the small feat but right now I can't focus on anything but everyone's safety.

  "So we'd just combine our efforts to protect Beck. However, if you come with us, Kay, it's only to show us where they are keeping your mom and sister. You'd stay in the car so we can focus and not worry about your safety as well. You can drive, right?"

  "Yeah, I have my license."

  "Good. We'll take two cars so you guys can get out of there and back here if things get hairy."

  "I want to help though." Kay crosses her arms over her chest, her expression mulish.

  "I know you do. But the best way you can help is to let us handle this part for you. You're going to need to keep your mom and sister calm and get them away from there. That's your job. Can you do that?"

  "Yeah. I can do that."

  "Okay then. What's the address?"

  5

  It's three in the morning and I'm freezing my ass off in a parked car. It's for a good cause, but I'd rather be in bed damp with sweat after a round or three of sex with Beck. He's all I can think about. I'm bouncing between telling myself to keep my hands to myself and being hyper-focused on the right moment for us to infiltrate this run-down house where these dark mages have Kay's family.

  The last light in the house goes dark and I look to Beck. "Show time?"

  "Not yet. Give them ten minutes to get settled and comfortable."

  I huff a breath. My patience is just about gone at this point. I text Jem and Ann, who are on the other side of the house on another street with Kay.

  * * *

  To Jem and Ann:

  Ten-minute warning. Go in at exactly thirteen past.

  * * *

  From Jem and Ann:

  Got it.

  * * *

  "They're ready to go." I drum my fingers on the armrest between the seats.

  Beck presses his palm on top of mine, warming my cooler one with his touch. I turn to look at him.

  "What is the matter, mate? You seem unsettled."

  "That's because I am."

  "I do not understand. We have a good plan."

  "I'm not unsettled about that. I'm horny when I shouldn't be thanks to your little chomp on my neck, and I'm worried about what Kay could do. If she thinks she can help her family or we're taking too long, she might deviate from the plan. She's a teenager. They don't usually l
isten to directions unless it suits them."

  "I know this. My younger sister often made me want to rip my hair out." The corners of Beck's lip tip upward and I study his face as it brightens his normally dark features.

  "I forgot you have a sister. You talk about your brothers more."

  Beck clenches my hand. "I don't know what happened to her. When we were captured, I was with my brothers, Ryker and Jagger. They wouldn't tell us if they had her but they enjoyed using it as a form of torture." Beck laughs mirthlessly. "Sometimes emotional torture is almost more unbearable than the physical, you know?"

  I don't know. I've never been tortured. I turn my hand in his so my palm is flat with his and I entwine our fingers. "We'll find them. All of them. I promise."

  "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, little witch." Beck reaches across the seat and palms my jaw at his words.

  I kiss the rough surface of his hand. "I can keep this one. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. I said I can find them; I just can't guarantee where or when we'll find them." Or in what state. I keep that last bit to myself, not wanting to sound harsh. I can't imagine how I would feel if I lost Jem or Ann. Empty and distraught probably.

  "I know. I've resigned myself to never seeing my siblings again." Beck rubs at his chest before reaching for the door handle. "Time's up. Let's go."

  "Let's go save some people and put a damper on some plans."

  Shielding us both, I block the sound of the car doors clicking closed from anyone other than us. We advance on the house, heading to the front door. We move from tree to tree, staying in the shadows until we're crouched behind the bushes next to the door. I watch as the seconds tick by on the watch that Jem and I synchronized. We didn't want any technology if we could help it. Magic tends to short it out or go wonky and it could give us away if it interferes with one of their protection wards.

  Thirty seconds left.

  I start wrapping more protection around Beck, giving him as much of my shield as I can without letting the mages know I'm here as well.

  Fifteen seconds.

  I send a prayer up to the gods and goddesses to please help us be successful in our endeavor to save Kay's family and keep us all safe.

  Five seconds.

  Beck moves to stand directly in front of the door. Before I can look between him and my watch one final time, he's kicked in the front door and shouts ring out. This is the hard part. We have to stay out of the way while Beck battles the mages. We can shield him and keep their attacks from hitting him, but if we were all in there, he'd be more worried about our safety than getting the job done. Flesh thumps against flesh and I wince. Hopefully that was Beck's fist against someone and not the other way around.

  Bursts of magic light up the windows in a color show similar to a rave in Germany, and I concentrate as hard as I can on keeping Beck unscathed. He's got another minute left and then they should all be knocked out and we can get them out of there.

  "Clear!" Becks gravelly voice calls out with only seconds to spare, and I run inside, barely checking my surroundings before I ensure that Beck is relatively unharmed. "Split up. I don't know how long they'll stay down."

  Jem and Ann head to the rooms on the first floor and I take the basement.

  The stairs creak under my weight as I descend, and I hope that we didn't miss one of those evil bastards down here. Just in case, I wrap more protection around myself, the layers so thick not even a bomb could shatter them. I turn on my flashlight and start my search. There's a table in the corner with poker chips and some cards scattered on the surface. Empty glasses sit atop it and smoke from a lit cigar still swirls in the air. At least we'd caught them by surprise.

  A shuffling sound ahead of me makes me turn on my heels, flashing the light toward where I heard it. There's a door in the corner of the room. Dread blooms in my stomach like a weed and I walk toward the door. Quickly, I scan for any magic or anything that could harm me if I touch the wooden surface or the metal handle, but nothing triggers my protection wards. Whew. I pull open the door and shine my light inside.

  "I've got them!" I shout the words and rush forward, falling to my knees to pull the fabric from the older woman's mouth first. She's awake, her eyes wide. The little girl next to her is huddled on her side, her eyes closed in what I assume is sleep. She's got something in her mouth too, and her hands are tied in front of her. "I'm here with Kay. I'm a friend."

  Tears fall from the woman's eyes and she licks at her cracked lips. "Thank you."

  I nod and work on untying her hands. "Don't worry, I'm not alone. We'll get you guys out of here and to safety."

  "Where is Kay? Is she okay?" The woman's voice is scratchy, like she hasn't used it in a few days, and I wince.

  "She's outside. We didn't want her to get hurt in the scuffle." I free her hands and work on her daughter's, keeping the gag on her for now in case she wakes up and screams. "If I take her gag off, can you keep her quiet? We knocked out the men upstairs but I don't want her to scream and wake them up before we can get out of here."

  "Keep it on until we get out of here. They've been taunting her. She might panic when we move her."

  "Can you carry her, or do you need me to?"

  She stands up and picks her daughter up. "Get us out of here."

  "Follow me." We head back up the stairs and meet Ann, Jem, and Beck in the living room.

  "Hi. We're friends of Kay's. We've got her outside. Why don't you come with us?" Ann's voice is soft and soothing, and Kay's mom follows her out of the house with a determined set of her shoulders.

  I look to Jem and Beck. "What do we do with the mages?"

  "Call the cops on them?" Jem suggests.

  "We bind them. Or they'll come after us," Beck responds.

  I gasp. "You want us to remove their magic?" I know they're evil, but removing a part of someone that's as integral as a pair of lungs is almost cruel. To have felt magic and to lose it… It would be like missing a limb.

  "No. I want you to restrict it. I'll show you." Beck utters a few words, and with a blue pop, the mage closest to him jerks before lying still again.

  "Got it." Jem heads back to the rooms she searched and I hear her muttering under her breath. Beck and I clear the rest of the room, but he hesitates when we reach the final man.

  "What is it?" I press a hand to the middle of his back, hoping my touch will help him in some way.

  "I think I know this one."

  "You think you do, or you know you do?" Beck running into anyone who was a part of his torture can't be easy. I can't imagine that he'd feel friendly or merciful toward them.

  "I can't be sure. But he looks so familiar. He might have been there when they cast us into the stones."

  A light bulb blinks in my head and I step in front of Beck. "I've got this one. We're not going to strip him. We're going to keep him sleeping and take him with us. Then we're going to get some answers for you."

  Beck whistles low. "I would not have expected you to approve of torture."

  "I don't. But there are other ways we can get him to talk to us." A few of the right herbs mixed together and a line or two in Latin and he'll sing like a canary. "You want to find out what happened to your sister, and we need to know if they'll come after Kay and her family again."

  Beck bends and wraps an arm around the man's middle before hoisting him over his shoulder. "Can you shield anyone from seeing me? This might look suspicious."

  "I've got you covered."

  Together we walk out the front door like nothing's wrong. I twirl the car keys on my finger and chuckle at the scene we'd make if the neighbors could see.

  "Something funny?" Beck smirks.

  "Nah, not at all." I pop open the trunk and Beck tosses the man none too gently into the car before slamming the door closed. He stands there for a moment, staring blankly at the back of the car before he turns to me.

  "Let's get out of here." Beck presses a kiss to my forehead as he passes me, walking to his side of th
e car, and I sigh in contentment.

  "Where to?" We buckle up and I look over at Beck, his light blond hair skimming the ceiling of the car.

  "Somewhere we can keep him and no one will notice."

  I grin. "I've got just the place."

  We hustle everyone inside Ann and Jem's giant mansion, cloaking ourselves to keep the nosy neighbors from seeing exactly what we're doing. Mrs. Jones down the road can tell you about every coming and going in the neighborhood for the past ten years if you let her.

  Ann and Jem take Kay, her mother, and her sister into the house first, and then Beck and I head toward the back of the house with the mage slung over Beck's shoulder again. I snap my fingers and unlock the deadlock on the cellar doors. I pull them open and wave Beck through, checking over my shoulder to make sure no one magical is watching that shouldn't be. Nothing. Whew.

  "Where should I put him?"

  I nod toward the cell we've got down here. We built it to help out the local lycan pack when they've got an unexpected or early turn with one of the youngsters. "Right in there."

  "Do I want to know why you have this?" Beck tosses the mage none too gently on the cot in the corner and closes the door behind him, the metal door clanging shut.

  I snap my fingers, locking it both physically and magically. "It's for the local pack." I look up the stairs leading to the house. I hear footsteps. The door opens and I reach out with my magic. It's just Jem. I shake out my hands, trying to relieve some of the residual tension. Last thing I need to do is blast my sister with some magic.

  "The local pack? Do you mean werewolves? They're still in existence?" Beck sounds relieved.

  "Yeah, of course. We help them when we can with youngsters." I nod to Jem as she clears the steps. "I need you to seal this as well. And once Ann settles the girls upstairs, she should too. The more magic and layers we have on it the better."

  "Agreed." Jem whispers a few words before flicking her wrist, sparks flying from the tips of her fingers. "Done. I'd like to see him get through that."