“Your father is a Son of Orpheus.”
She keenly sensed the danger around her. Trying to appear casual, she stood tall and brushed the sand from her jeans. Inside, she realized if she wanted to survive, she would have to run. The hunting knife was sheathed in her back pocket, but Will watched her every movement, and didn’t take his eyes off her. “But you grew up with Sirens,” she said. “How could you betray us?”
“No,” Will said. “I only lived with Sirens for the first three years of my life. I barely remember it. My mother tried to hide me when she found out my father was a Son, and she succeeded . . . for a while,” he said. “But my father killed her. Then he found me and killed the monsters I lived with. He gave me my real name. Will died. Ortho was born.”
“Ortho,” she said. The word felt cold.
The article. The family who died, and the child who disappeared. Lora put the pieces together. “You were so little,” she said, her heart breaking for him. A vicious cult had brainwashed him for years, when loving Sirens could have raised him. The Sirens would have taken care of him, shown him the ways of their people.
Then she remembered all of the Sirens who had died. Will had a part in the barbarity. All innocence had left him, the child within destroyed. “Didn’t your father recognize your mother as a Siren?” she asked. “Why did he stay with her?”
Will chuckled. “He had a bit of an . . . unhealthy obsession with my mother,” he said. “He tried to ignore the beast underneath and managed to, for a while. But then she realized her singing didn’t affect my father, and discovered the truth.” Will cracked his knuckles and inspected his tightened fists. “She ran away, hid me with another family. But my father found her. And then he found me.”
This man carried no inkling of her friend, Lora realized. The man in front of her resembled a monster.
“Sirens are so trusting,” he said. “All I had to do was show up, make up a story about accidentally killing a girl, and you were mine.”
Lora couldn’t look him in the eye. “The recent killings. The brutal ones. Those were you?” But she knew the answer already.
Will nodded and brushed the hair out of his face. “Yes. The others didn’t always agree with my methods, but I got the job done.”
The car chase. The deaths of the Barbas family. The killings were perfectly orchestrated, but Will had not been involved in those incidents. He hadn’t done all of the work himself. “How many Sons are there?” she asked. The ocean whispered to her, frantic pleas to run and get away from him. Will had managed to fool Lora, but his admissions now were his undoing. A strong wind whipped around them and she gasped, feeling the presence of her father. Lora fought back tears. “Are they nearby?”
Will gazed down at his hands. “No. I’m the only one left in Pacific Grove. The other two have moved on, hunting down your clan members who were able to escape.” He swallowed and wiped his brow. “It’s only a matter of time until they find them.”
Lora found her voice. “Two?” she said. “There are only two left?”
“And me. There were five of us. You killed one. I killed another.”
“You killed another Son?” she said. Did he have any soul at all? This friend she knew for so long?
Will cracked his knuckles and took a step toward her. “My father needed to die. His time on this earth had ended. He didn’t understand what I needed to do.”
One nagging question remained in the back of her mind. She had to ask, even though she didn’t want to know the answer. Lora steeled herself for the worst. “And my mother?” she said, surprised to hear the strength in her voice. “Did the Sons kill her, too?”
She tried not to hear the crying of the ocean. Lora needed to learn the truth.
“No,” he said with a sneer. “Fate took care of her, not us.”
Her father hadn’t lied to her, after all. Lora’s mother had died in a car accident, killed by a drunk driver rather than by a madman. Her father had been telling the truth, and now he was dead. She would never be able to say sorry for all the pain she had caused.
As she asked him questions, Lora realized they were playing a little game. She moved away, and he took a step closer. She couldn’t be certain if Will recognized his actions, but she couldn’t move far enough away to make a break for it. If she could distract him long enough, she might be able to make it back to her car, or at least to the cottage, where she could lock herself in. Even with a knife in her back pocket, she felt completely vulnerable. The ocean did not sing anymore. The ocean whispered words of advice, of encouragement, but they were so frantic she could barely make sense of them. She shouldn’t have come here alone.
“And what do you need to do?” Lora forced herself to ask the question, though she had no desire to learn the answer.
“Kill you,” he said, as though he were explaining the easiest of concepts. “In my own way. In the way I’ve dreamed about for so long.”
The last thing Lora wanted to hear about was his dreams. If her imagination served her correctly, they were most likely bloody and torturous. “You’ve taken everything from me,” she cried. “My father and Devin. I don’t even have the Clan anymore!” Lora could feel her control slipping. “Why me?” she managed to ask.
“Because of the stories. Because you would be the most powerful Guardian who ever lived. You do know that, don’t you, Loralei?” he hissed. “I’ve fought against my feelings for you for so long. Every day I had to remind myself of the truth: while you were beautiful on the outside, you’re actually a monster.” He moved toward her and his expression changed, reverting back to her Will, the friend she loved. “Part of me loved you,” he said. Will stopped and shook his head. The evil in his eyes returned. “But the love is gone now.” He gave her a leering grin. “I will have the pleasure of killing you.”
Lora couldn’t stop the tears any longer. The malice in his voice maddened her, and she couldn’t believe someone she loved so much wanted to hurt her. He had deceived her for so long. Deceived all of them. Was she so naïve to miss his true intentions all this time? No. He cared about her. He had to. Lora clung to that small shred of hope as she faced this different man. “I don’t believe you,” she said. “I don’t believe you hate me. Part of you must still care about me. It can’t be all gone.”
Will grabbed her chin in his hand, pulling her close to him, and she winced in pain. “I thought we might . . . have a chance,” he said. He gripped her hard, and her chin hurt. “But then you chose Ryan as your counterpart. You chose him over me.”
“I didn’t choose him!” she protested, trying to break away from him. “The ocean did.” Suddenly an idea occurred to her. If she could placate him, make him think she wanted him all along, maybe she could get away.
Lora could tell by his expression he didn’t believe her. “You love him,” he hissed. “I know you do. Don’t deny it, you bitch!” As he swore, he gripped her face so hard she cried out in pain, which only seemed to excite him more. “Yes,” he said, his voice almost a purr. “You’ll feel pain before I’m done with you.” To her horror, he pulled her to him and kissed her. His lips were hot and hard against hers, and she fought against the bile which rose in her throat, desperate to separate herself from his touch. Using both hands, she pushed against his chest until he broke away.
He grabbed her again, crushing his mouth against hers. Lora realized her plan wasn’t going to work. She had to get away now. Gathering her strength, she bit down hard on his bottom lip and his blood flushed into her mouth, warm and sticky. He cried out and she gagged. Using all of her force, she pushed him away so he stumbled backward, tripping over a rock and falling into the sand.
Lora ran. She heard him swear behind her but didn’t turn back. As fast as she could, on the part of the beach where the sand felt the most solid, she propelled herself away from him, jumping over the rocks unde
r her feet. Reaching behind her, she pulled out the knife and gripped in in her hand. She hadn’t gotten very far, perhaps twenty yards, when she heard someone yelling.
Daring to pause, she spotted Ryan and Nicholas careening down the path toward her. Ryan held the hunting rifle in his hands, but he didn’t stop to aim. He raced forward, shouting her name.
Will ran perhaps ten yards behind her, and he also held a knife.
Lora ran faster, breathing so hard it felt like her heart might burst in her chest. There had to be a way to stop him, but she didn’t stand much of a chance against him. The whispers from the ocean were louder and frantic, urging her along, faster, away from the killer who meant to destroy her. She could only think of survival. For her clan. For Ryan. For her father and Devin.
There was only one way she could stop Will: she needed to make him a stationary target for Ryan. Lora ceased running and turned to face her attacker.
Surprised by her move, Will stopped. A creepy smile formed on his lips as he slowed and continued toward her. “You can’t stop me,” he said. “I’ll kill your lover and the little boy who has a crush on you. They can die first while you watch. Then, I’ll get started on you.” He raised the knife and made a slashing motion with the weapon. “You’ll completely understand who Ortho is before I’m done with you.” He grew close enough to reach her now, and she raised her own knife, which only made Ortho smile. Ryan stopped and raised the rifle.
“Don’t hurt her,” he shouted. “And don’t move.” Faster than she could blink, Will reached behind him and pulled a gun from the back of his jeans. He aimed it at Ryan.
“She’s your friend,” Ryan said, pleading.
The metallic weapons glinted in a single beam of sunlight which shone through the clouds. Neither man moved. Their weapons were steady.
Ryan’s dark eyes narrowed in desperation. “I need her,” he added, glancing at her with a look so loving, she felt weak.
Will sneered. “Not as much as I need to kill her,” he said. Will gripped a knife in his left hand and grasped the gun so tightly in his right that his arm shook with the pressure. He pointed it directly at Ryan. Lora cried out, but Ryan put out his hand to stop her.
Nicholas, who had been standing before the ocean helplessly, gathered his courage. “Leave them alone,” he said in a nasal, whimpering voice.
Will chuckled.
“Your turn will come,” he said. “You’re so weak. It was so easy to convince Douglas and Betsy to turn on you.
Lora shook her head. “Why would you do that?” she asked. “Why would you have two humans pick on Nicholas?”
“Because of you. He followed you around like a pathetic dog,” Will said, gesturing toward Nicholas with the knife. “He wanted you. He lusted after you. You, a monster.” Will repositioned and leaned closer, moving toward Ryan. “No one else is allowed to have you except for me,” he said.
As he spoke, Lora saw Ryan release the safety on the rifle. Will noticed as well, and turned his attention away from her. Taking a deep breath, she summoned the ocean, begging it for help. Will, whose back was to the sea, didn’t notice it rising and creeping toward him.
“You’re wrong,” Ryan growled, his dark eyes flashing. “She’s mine, and you’ll have to kill me if you want to get to her.”
Will’s face contorted in an angry grimace. “Gladly.”
The two men circled one another in a deadly dance, guns raised, ready to shoot. Lora’s heart pounded. She couldn’t let Ryan get hurt, couldn’t bear the idea of being without him. She was his Guardian, and she must protect him, no matter what. The ocean continued to rise, but was moving too slowly. Her eyes burned from exhaustion. If she could throw the knife and hit Will, they might have an advantage. But she’d never thrown a knife before, and the odds of her hitting him were slim. Even so, Lora raised the blade, willing the ocean to hurry. To overcome Will.
Before she could throw it, Will took a menacing step forward and aimed the gun directly at Lora. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nicholas raise his hands. His body twitched and convulsed, and his tiny eyes rolled into the back of his head, revealing startling white. A low moan escaped from his lips. The moan turned into a sharp cry as blue flames burst forth, thrown from his hands like an exploding volcano. The force threw her backwards as the beautiful blue fire stretched its brilliant fingers from Nicholas’ hands toward Will, thrusting forward, licking at the air, searching for their target.
Nicholas’s eyes rolled forward and widened with astonishment. The fire gave off a magnificent glow.
Will screamed and fired his gun in Nicholas’s direction, but missed his target. The gun fell from his hand as his clothing caught fire, a dazzling sapphire which engulfed him entirely. The blue blaze covered his body, head to toe, and Will tried to swat it away like a fly.
The sight stunned and horrified her. Her head felt thick and dizzy with emotion. Intense colors entranced Lora; she could only stare at the flames consuming her former friend, but Nicholas gasped in horror, gaping at his hands which had transformed into lethal weapons.
“I didn’t mean to,” he shouted above Will’s screaming. All this time, the scrawny boy who had followed her around, who people picked on, had been a protector of Sirens. He was still small and vulnerable, however, and Lora grabbed the gun in the sand before Will could get it again. Steadying her arm, she aimed the gun at him.
Will thrashed around, trying to throw off the fire consuming his body. With a bellow, he raced forward and leaped on Nicholas, turning and writhing in agony. The flame came to life, growing around them both.
“No!” Lora screamed. She and Ryan raised their guns, but neither could get a clean shot without hurting the small boy. Instead they lowered their weapons and ran to help their friend. She and Ryan used their feet to push Will off the small boy. Ryan dragged Nicholas away through the sand.
But Lora could see the fire had not affected the boy at all. There were no burns on his body. Ryan helped Nicholas to his feet, but the boy only swayed, then collapsed back to the ground. A trickle of blood crept down his stomach.
“You’re hurt!” Lora said, kneeling down next to him. She ripped his shirt and used the fabric to cover the wound.
“Press on it,” Ryan said as he murmured soothing words to the Siren protector. Nicholas winced in pain when she pressed harder.
Behind them, Will’s agony continued. The flames had not killed him yet. He lay on the ground, crying and wailing.
“Help him,” Nicholas whispered.
Lora soothed Nicholas’ brow and grasped his hand, placing it on the cloth so he could cover his wound. Then she grasped Ryan’s hand and approached Will with trepidation. His body still glowed blue from the fire, scorched red and black, and his moaning and screaming were torture to her ears. Suddenly, he stopped thrashing. With a finger of fire, he reached toward the sky.
“Loralei,” he rasped. “Loralei.”
Lora folded her hand into Ryan’s, their fingers entwined. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the screeching emanating from the broken vestiges of Will’s body.
She knelt down beside him and touched his cheek. The flame did not burn her. “Good-bye,” she whispered to the man who had been her best friend all these years. She received no response from the charred body of the man she used to love.
Taking a deep breath, Lora squeezed Ryan’s hand and whispered to the ocean. What she needed, she could not complete alone: she needed her counterpart’s strength and magic.
Τέλος ο πόνος του. Τέλος πόνο του. Πάρτε τον σπίτι.
End his pain. End his suffering. Take him home.
The sea’s tide, which had started to retreat, suddenly swelled to a great height, a beautiful violet and gold. She heard the voices of her ancestors, of her family, of her clan who had died, growing s
tronger until their chanting sounded deafening to her ears.
“I hear it,” Ryan whispered. “I hear them speaking.” His voice echoed his awe, and he squeezed her hand with tight fingers.
The surf rose suddenly, shooting up toward the sky like a steaming geyser. It rose higher and higher until it broke through the heavy layer of clouds, so the sun, which had been hidden away for months, shone down upon the water. Like a powerful waterfall, it crashed down upon the Son of Orpheus who had once been her best friend. The turquoise water covered Will’s body and surrounded him as if he were in a cocoon. She saw the spirits of her mother and father, of Devin, of the Haynesworth family, circle Will’s body in the water. Together, they carried him out to the ocean and pulled him under. His body dissolved until it resembled the surf, nothing more than sea foam.
Lora didn’t know if the ocean would accept his spirit, whose descent into darkness and madness might not be worthy to swim among the other souls.
With a sob, she fell to the sand. Ryan kneeled beside her, holding her as she rocked back and forth, letting the tears flow for all those she had lost.
Several yards away, she heard Nicholas groan. Ryan let her go and ran back to the boy. He pulled out his phone and dialed 911. The detective will come again, Lora thought. And maybe not for the last time.
Chapter Twenty-Four
There were few certainties left in Lora’s life.
Lora had moved into Devin’s cottage. She couldn’t bear to be in her house without her father there. The police had not found his body and, with Will gone, no one could lead them to it. To her surprise, Detective Stone never pursued charging her in any of the murders. Instead, he’d stared at her with such sadness, almost as if he understood what she’d gone through.
There were three pictures now in her entry way. Her mother, her father, and Devin.
Voices of the Sea Page 23