“I can’t tell you how impressed I am,” a woman purred.
Now what? I had two choices. Wait to be discovered or bust into the bar. I was opting for choice two when I heard a loud thud on the roof above me. I knew right away it was Ramara. He stomped across the roof five or six times, and that was all it took. Following the voices, he walked toward the back of the bar, giving me the perfect cover to step inside unseen.
Pushing the door open slightly, I slipped in and fell to my knees to avoid being seen. Cruise sat at the bar, tied to a rickety old barstool. Nemesis and Roxana were nowhere to be found, but a short, black-haired woman with no rhythm stood in front of the jukebox dancing—if you could call it that—and smoking a cigarette. She had her back to me as she scanned through the music and dropped in a few more quarters. I poked Cruise on the leg, and he kicked instinctively. His lip was busted, and he had a large handprint bruise on his face. I could see blood on his hands too. I put my finger over my lips and tugged at the rope with shaking fingers.
“Suzie Q, baby, I love you, Suzie Q.” The strange woman sang as well as she danced, but as long as she was busy, I was okay with that.
Whoever tied the knots knew what they were doing. Ramara continued to stomp around on the roof, and I frantically worked with the rope until I heard a voice behind me say, “Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.” Roxana. Before I could get on my feet, she kicked me, nailing me in the shoulder. I toppled over and knocked Cruise to the ground. He landed with a loud thud and a groan, but I couldn’t help him. The crazy dancer had half-transformed into a harpy with dangerous black claws. It scratched at me and began to screech, letting the others know I was present.
I felt my powers begin to awaken. “Cover your ears, Cruise!”
“I can’t! I’m still tied to this damn—okay, never mind. I’m loose.”
“Cover them now!” The harpy charged at me, and I stood up.
I opened my mouth, and divine music began to fill it. I tilted back my head and sang as loudly as I could. Nobody here would understand the words, except Roxana, for it was in a language long dead to the world. After just a few notes, the harpy was screaming with her hands over her ears. I kept singing. It was a love song, an ancient one about Lorelei, a siren who lived across the sea and waited for her human lover. As I sang my tune, the harpy began to shake and blood poured out of its ears. It crawled toward the door, its powers waning; soon it was once again just a plain old redneck woman wearing blue jeans that were too big for her and a tank top. As a siren, it wasn’t in my nature to kill, despite what the fairy tales said. Sirens loved, and rages hated. It was dangerous for me to hate too long. I could flip, and I had before, but I always flipped back. Once, I got dangerously close…
“Help me, Nik.” Cruise’s voice sounded weak. I let the harpy go and went to him. He must have heard a few of the notes, because his nose was bleeding.
“Did I do that?”
“No, it was already like that thanks to Lucy. And I think I cracked a rib or something. I can’t get up.”
“Use your phone and call 911. Can you do that? I have to go to the gate. I have to stop Roxana.”
“What the hell is going on, Nik? I hear you are some kind of mermaid or something? Is this true or did she poison me? I have to be hallucinating, right?”
“I’ll explain it all to you soon. For now, lie here and call 911. Have them take you to the hospital. I’ll come find you when this is done. I promise.”
I stood up to leave, fighting the urge to cradle him in my arms and hold him until help arrived. Maybe Ramara could heal him? Did I want to do that, though? I stared at his abdomen with my siren’s gaze. He was right, he did have a cracked rib and some nasty internal bleeding. “Tell them you have a cracked rib and some internal bleeding. You’re going to be all right. I have to go. I have to do this, Cruise. This is who I am.”
“Okay, but I want to hear everything. Don’t leave out a single detail!”
“Sure,” I lied to him. I had no intention of giving him details. I would find a way to mesmerize him. He didn’t need this kind of knowledge in his head. Knowing too much would put him in more danger than he already was.
“Wait!” he yelled at me. “One more thing.”
“What is it?”
“Is this a date? I mean, we’ve been in a bar fight together. So the next date would be date two, right?”
“Cruise…”
“Just humor, Nik. I did take an ass-beating for you.”
“Okay, the next date will be our second date. Are you happy?”
“Yep,” he said with a goofy grin. I rolled my eyes at him. It was kind of an inside joke we’d had going for a while. We’d been debating when it was appropriate to sleep with someone you’d been dating. He said three dates, and I said four. I guess he was hoping we’d “hook up” on our third date, but he had a surprise coming. Even though I was older than all the women on this island put together—well, human women—I just wasn’t that kind of gal. But I’d let him believe it. For the moment.
I ran out of the bar as he called 911 with a bloody smile. That harpy wasn’t coming back. It had gotten its ass kicked and would be licking its wounds for a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was gone off the island by now. Harpies were cowards, and even the smallest scratch freaked them out.
I had to help Ramara, but the eloi was gone. So were Nemesis and Roxana. I knew where they were headed. I had to get there. Now!
Chapter Sixteen—Nik
The Mermaid’s Gift
I decided to steal Cruise’s car to get to the gate quickly. Strangely, there wasn’t even one light glowing on the island. It was like the whole darn place had lost power. Maybe the Order was trying to help us after all. It was worth a shot, wasn’t it?
If I knew the supernaturals, they wouldn’t be concerned about a human vehicle. Hey, it was the best idea I could come up with right now. During my time in the bar, the sun had gone down and a few early stars had appeared. Very soon, the gate, merely a rocky arch formation, would begin to glow with power. In ancient times, the gods and goddesses traveled around the world using these portals. That was why in some cultures people knew Ares and Hermes. Others called them other names, depending on the people who lived by those gates.
This was the last gate. It was connected to our original home in ancient Macedonia, but that wasn’t its real power now. It was a power source. Period. Roxana, my sister-in-law, had used another gate to resurrect Alexander once before, but my brother had come back to us mad and raving. Right before he sipped the Immortal Waters, I stole them and dumped them into the sea. I thought that was all of it, but apparently Roxana had kept some hidden. Without his immortality, Alexander had been easy to kill, but I didn’t want to think about that now. The Alexander I knew and loved had been long dead. He could never return to us. I would not allow it because I loved him.
As I got out of the car, I peered into the darkness. Something wasn’t right. I heard a woman wailing—it was Roxana. Instead of sneaking down to the gate, I practically ran. Something was truly wrong—the gate was missing. What the heck? I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Then falling through the sky like two flaming stars were Nemesis and Ramara, locked together in battle. Ramara’s wings were fully extended, and I could see that Nemesis had a broken wing. She screeched in agony as Ramara roared at her. They tumbled from the sky to the sand and continued to wrestle. I watched as Nemesis grew very still; even her eyes were closed. I could see her face plainly in the moonlight.
“She’s not dead!” I yelled, drawing attention to myself. Roxana flew at me, leaving Alexander’s bones behind. Her natural beauty had hardened and her long dark hair was tucked behind her pointed ears, further proof that she was in full rage mode now. While sirens were creatures who used love as their defense, rages used hate. I could see the hate in her eyes now. They glowed green slightly, then purple.
“Where is the gate, Thessalonike? What have you done?” She hu
nched over and let out a scream like I had never heard. “I hate you for what you’ve done to Alexander. I hate you for what you have done to me! You will pay, pretty girl.”
I leaped into the water, not to retreat but to show her I was ready for the fight. She dove in after me. I saw Meri creeping ever closer to Alexander’s bones. She smiled and sent me waves of love.
As she disappeared quickly into the down deep, Roxana and I stood on the churning Gulf waters and began to do battle. She shaped waves with her hands and sent them sloshing over me. I did the same, and for a while we traded water attacks until we were both soaked.
“Enough of this!” Roxana began to spin on the water, faster and faster until it became clear what she was attempting to do. She was using dark water magic. If she could wrap me in her dark waters, she would simply spin me into oblivion. This was powerful magic, more powerful than mine. Thankfully I felt waves of love wash over me. Meri’s pale face popped up behind Roxana, and she continued to send her waves until the rage caught her. Roxana sent a blast of blue energy but missed Meri completely.
The only way I could get rid of her or make her lose her focus was to distract her from her current rageful purpose. “Did you lose something, Roxana? I don’t see that bag you were carrying. You sure you brought it with you?” I knew my mesmerizing eyes were glowing blue now. Roxana cast her eyes on the shore but did not see the bag.
“Alexander! Where are you?” As if he could answer.
“He’s dead, Roxana. He’s been dead. Don’t bring him back, or he’ll die again.”
I overplayed my hand because the rage hit me with a blue flame that temporarily muted me. Then I felt Meri’s waves again, healing waves of love and peace. I felt better, but I was not fully recovered yet.
Roxana’s hands began to glow blue again, but I wasn’t focused on her. A flying being was approaching behind her, and she had not yet sensed him. It was Agrios. I kept my face like stone as he approached. He scooped his arms under hers and carried her away, using a binding spell to keep her mute and calm. I assumed he was trying to take her to the closest veiled island, but I could have been mistaken. What I knew about Agrios could fit in a wine glass. He must have found some of that because he seemed pretty happy as he tried to fly away, but Roxana broke free again and fell into the water and disappeared.
Where was Heliope, the goddess who had pledged to protect me? Nowhere to be found. Heliope, I summon you, I whispered. Where are you?
As I sat catching my breath. I waited for an answer. I heard a faint whisper: I am here. Watch yourself, Thessalonike. Immediately I stood and looked for the danger.
Nemesis was now standing over Ramara as if she had beaten him. In her hand she held a necklace. Ramara’s healing necklace! The one his father had given him—the one she had stolen from him. Would she now taunt him with it?
“No, Nemesis! You don’t know what you are doing!” Ramara shouted.
“I call on the power of this necklace. I command it to work for me.” Instead of seeing a power activate, Nemesis watched in surprise as lighting hit the water—and it was coming closer. Without knowing it, she had summoned Ramara’s father to fight for him.
“I told you it wouldn’t work for you. Give it to me, Nemesis, before he kills you. My father is Poseidon. He won’t show you any mercy.”
Still thinking this was a game, unwilling to admit defeat, she dangled the necklace over him as he lay halfway in the water. Suddenly, Meri jumped out of the water like a dolphin and snatched the necklace from her hand. She sent waves of joy to me as she dove back into the shallow water and swam off. With her wings fully extended, Nemesis made her hands into two fists and punched them together. I saw Meri’s body disappear under the water.
“Meri! No!” Meri appeared again, obviously wounded. There was a hole in her tail, and blood was pouring from the wound. Still, she clutched the necklace. Nemesis flew to her as Ramara called her back.
“Give me that, mermaid!” Nemesis tossed her wet, dark hair back and showed her pretty face. But she was so full of bitterness that it marred her beauty.
Meri was still in the shallows and struggling. Nemesis pounded her fists together again, but this time I leapt between them, taking the blow for my friend. Her power took my breath away, and my chest now had a hole in it. Could this be the end of me? Meri sent me love, but her healing waves were weak and not much help. “No, Meri. Heal yourself. I’ll be okay. Friend is okay.” Meri crawled up beside me, the necklace clutched in her hand. She was in only six inches of water, but she lay in my lap protectively. Her turquoise eyes were heartbroken as she sent more waves of love, regret and fear.
“No regret, no fear, Meri. All will be well,” I cried as she lay unmoving in the water.
My friend was dead. She’d spent all her energy healing me, saving me. Now she was gone. She who had thought of nothing else but to love and serve me was gone. “No! No, Meri! Wake up!” Everyone got quiet. It was a rare thing to see a mermaid die. But the sanctity of the moment did not last long.
“Still want to play?” Nemesis taunted me, her eyes on the necklace.
I saw Agrios again. This time he wore a look of determination like I’d never seen. He scooped up Nemesis and carried her away. She was suddenly gone from the fight, but I was still full of rage. I was on the verge of crossing over. Meri! How could I have done this to you!
Ramara was there now speaking to me, but I could not hear him. All I could hear was the pounding of my own heart: Hate, hate hate.
Roxana was running toward me, and I began to scream with rage. She laughed at the sound.
Ramara shook me. “You are a siren! Not a rage! You can’t do this! Roxana has lost, Thessalonike. Meri hid the bones. Roxana will never find them now. She cannot hurt you anymore.”
He turned to her and shouted, “Go, Roxana! Go, and never come back here. Alexander is gone. You have no right to the gate. Hear now the proclamation of the Order. You are no longer fit to use the gate. You will not return here on pain of death. Go home to Greece and never return! What you want can never be.”
Roxana began to wail and weep. She walked out into the ocean and kept walking and wailing until she was completely gone. Immediately, I went back to Meri and pulled her on to the shore. She was gone, but her sweet face was as lovely as it had always been.
“I am sorry about your friend,” Ramara said, touching my shoulder lightly.
“She died trying to heal me. She did heal me. She sacrificed her own life for mine. How can I live with that?” Silver tears rolled out of my eyes. Those were the sign of a new, unexplored power. Ramara didn’t miss them either. He picked up Meri and began to walk to the beach.
“What are you doing? Where are you taking her?”
“To the gate.”
“There is no gate now. The Order must have destroyed it.”
“No, it’s here. Come out now, Heliope.” The air began to shimmer, and soon I could see Heliope standing atop the rocks that made the Sirens Gate formation.
“Phew, I am exhausted. I can’t believe how much work that took. I must be getting old.”
“You did that?”
“Of course I did. Why do you doubt me, stepdaughter? I would never leave you to fight on your own. You are my charge, aren’t you? Oh no. The mermaid. Such a sweet thing. What are you doing, Ramara?”
“I thought we’d see if this gate really worked. If the stars are right and there is enough power, maybe we can bring her back to life.”
“How do we do it, then?” I asked.
Heliope gave me a small sad smile. “You can’t. Only a god or goddess can initiate the gate. That’s why Roxana called Nemesis to help her. Give her to me. I can walk through without being harmed. I don’t know how long it will take for me to return. Sometimes it is right away, and other times it takes much longer. Sometimes it doesn’t happen at all.”
“This can’t be goodbye,” I said with tears in my eyes. “I can’t say goodbye to you both, Heliope.”
; “You have a new protector now. He’ll keep an eye on you for me.” Ramara looked away, blushing. Heliope leaned toward me and said, “Just remember he’s not as strong as he thinks.”
“Hey, I heard that.”
“Good, you were meant to. Remember your vow, sexy one.” To me she said, “Take care of yourself, Thessalonike. There is much you have not remembered yet. I will be back as soon as I can. Tell Agrios…” She gave a wistful smile. “Well, they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Let’s see if that is true.”
Then she spoke the magic words and soon the gate was glowing bright purple. Ancient letters glowed in the rock arch. I read them quietly.
Oceans swell at the ringing of the bell at the Sirens Gate.
In a flash of purple light, Heliope and Meri disappeared. The Sirens Gate was once again just an interesting rock formation on Dauphin Island.
We sat in the sand, Ramara and I, staring at the ocean. Heliope and Meri were gone, hopefully alive somewhere. Agrios was headed to the veiled island with Nemesis (good riddance). Roxana had slipped away under the waves. Only Ramara and I were left.
“Where to now, my friend?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. I’ve been thinking about hanging around. Here, I mean. I wonder if this island could use another charter boat.”
I punched his arm and smiled at him. “I’d like having you close.”
“Really?” I smelled his excitement. He produced delicious pheromones when he was excited. I jumped up to my feet and wiped the sand off my clothing. Time to change the subject. I had Cruise to think about, and the honest truth was that Ramara wasn’t over what happened with Nemesis. Not to mention that if he even kissed me, he’d lose his wings and become mortal. He was too proud for that. He might find me attractive, but he’d never love me like that.
But Cruise would. I wasn’t sure that I loved him yet. Maybe I didn’t, but I did want to see what happened. “Oh, by the way. This is yours.” I handed him his necklace. “One last gift from Meri.”
Escape to Sirens Gate: Sirens Gate Books 1-3 Page 11