"Mara, do you iron your jeans?" It was a rhetorical question.
"You get my point." She waved a hand and averted her eyes from anything having to do with cupcakes or all-you-can-eat seafood. Her insta-hate for Gator was amusing, but I had to focus on my number one task which was saving the not-so-innocent soul the universe had put in my path.
"You don't just take the last hush puppy. What's the matter with y'all?" Gator's distinct tone of voice breezed through the buffet line and all the way around the patio.
Mara rubbed her temples.
I glanced at the time.
"Five more minutes," I muttered.
"Not a minute longer or I'll be making a potion with ground up Gator instead."
"Right." I nodded and took a deep breath. The image of Damon's body lying stiff in the sand haunted me. I waltzed right up to Gator with Mara at my heels.
I snatched his plate, knowing it was the best way to get his full attention.
"Really?" he whined. "This is my first round."
"You've had your fun," Mara interrupted, wrinkling her nose at the sight of grilled shrimp piled high on his plate. "Go get the dragon pepper or say goodbye to your seafood feast."
"Okay." I stepped in front of Mara. "What she means to say is it's urgent that we get that ingredient as soon as possible. A man's life is at stake here."
"I'm happy to deliver once I've had my dinner," he replied.
Mara clenched her jaw, a glimmer of fire in her eyes.
"Do you really have dragon pepper or are you just saying that for the free food?" Mara's glare looked as if it could peel back pieces of Gator's soul. He clasped his hands in front of him, thinking through his reply very carefully.
"I said I have dragon pepper," he responded, "which means I have dragon pepper."
"Liar." Mara rolled her eyes.
"I'll have you know that you're not the first person to ask me for dragon pepper this week." Gator pointed a finger at her---a bold move if he wanted to keep his finger. "You can come and see for yourself. I've got plenty of dragon pepper."
Mara opened her mouth to shout something back, but she stopped herself. She glanced up at the ceiling before pulling out her cell phone and swiping through a few of her notes. Gator watched her with caution, his gaze drifting back to his uneaten plate of royal reds with all the fixings.
"Nova, I thought you said there weren't any witches in Misty Key," Mara finally said.
"Not at the moment." My brain ran around in circles trying to follow her logic. "The last witches and warlocks who lived here moved to Cottonberry."
Mara looked at Gator. "Then who requested the dragon pepper? That's a pretty specific ingredient primarily used by members of Wisteria, Inc."
"Uh. . .I don't know exactly," he admitted. "She said she was a friend of the Davis's."
"The family of sirens?" I added.
"That's them." Gator nodded.
"Sirens?" Mara repeated, her eyes growing wide. "Hold on. Wait a minute." She searched her phone some more. "Oh, for the love of sweet tea. You've got to be kidding me."
"What?" I clutched the cat-shaped charm on my wrist.
"Well, I just looked up dragon pepper in my family's spell book because I've only ever used it in that water phobia spell and my granny's homemade hot sauce recipe. Turns out it's also used in some ceremony to gain control of the tide?"
Gator hit his forehead with his palm.
"I can't believe I didn't see that one coming." He grunted, lowly gritting his teeth. "Freakin' turf wars. I thought those days were over."
"I'm sorry, turf wars?" Mara tapped her foot.
"Yeah, between two siren families that used to live here," Gator explained. "It was horrible. I was just a kid, but I remember my grandma talking about it. To gain full control of the gulf, the sirens needed a human sacrifice."
"The Davis's would never do that," I blurted out, unsure if it was true. My vision had been clear. Had Damon already been marked as a human sacrifice? Was I too late? "They wouldn't, right? These aren't the dark ages."
"No one in their right mind would do a thing like that," Gator commented. "Except for the thing that caused a ruckus last time."
"Who?" My eyes darted to the beach.
"A shadow siren," Gator answered. "They're insane."
Chapter Four
Damon made my job much more difficult than it needed to be.
It seemed that the only way to keep him away from the beach and the inquisitive eyes of our mystery shadow siren was to let him hit on me. Over and over again. I exhaled loudly, refraining from snacking on anything else that might give me more nerve-racking visions.
"Did it hurt?"
I have no appetite. Best diet ever.
"Okay, I've heard enough," I said. I scanned every inch of the patio looking for Mara's nod of approval. She'd been on the phone with her granny working on a spell to stop the shadow siren from claiming her first victim.
"You didn't even hear the rest of the line," Damon replied. "Come on, Nova. Loosen up a bit. We're supposed to be having fun."
"Yes, but we still have to see each other at work on Monday." I smoothed the creases on my blouse, pulling my neckline up a little higher.
"What happens at the Crystal Grande stays at the Crystal Grande." Damon winked and took another sip of his beverage to which he'd added two umbrellas.
"Not at a work party," I added. "I can't see Travis, but I'm sure here's listening in on our conversation somehow."
"You leave good ole Travis to me," Damon insisted.
"I think you've had enough special umbrella drinks for one night." I snatched his glass, wishing I could shove him into the closet until sunrise and be done with it.
You're a Seer. You took an oath.
"Killjoy," he murmured.
"More like life-saver," I corrected him.
Mara smiled as she approached us. My stomach jumped for joy. I didn't want to spend the entire afternoon and evening chasing after a co-worker. I wanted my quiet time on my own little patch of sand. I spent most of my days in a cube farm.
"I'm all set," Mara stated, her smile staying on her face despite Damon's attempts to steal her attention. "All I need is the subject."
"I haven't thought that far ahead," I responded.
"How hard can it be? Just look for someone wistful and water-like with a look that makes you want to plunge to your death." Mara shrugged. "Or we could dangle around the bait?"
"Bait?" I repeated. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Then your vision will come true," Mara commented. "And I will just have spent twenty minutes arguing with my gran about the differences between sorghum and molasses for nothing."
"A fond family memory," I added. A warm breeze brushed across my cheeks. The sun was going down, and the lights strung across the patio were on. "Fine. As long as you don't expect me to go walking around picking at people's food like some kind of orphan kid."
"Sounds like it has happened before." Mara tucked her cell phone back in her pocket. "A story for another time? That's too bad. I could use a good laugh right about now."
"Where's Gator when you need him, huh?" I patted the front pocket of my jean shorts. Gator had promised to call the moment he was done paying the Davis's a little visit. There was a chance our hunt for the shadow siren would be over before it even started.
"I'm not that desperate for a laugh," she added.
I glanced over my shoulder, my stomach starting to tie itself in knots.
"Good because I don't see Damon anywhere."
"What?" Mara immediately sprang into action. "He was right here."
"He must have wandered off," I replied. "Shoot."
The two of us headed for the beach. As soon as my feet touched the sand, I took off my sandals and dug my toes into the soft, sugary mounds. It was still hot enough that beads of sweat formed underneath my top but dusk was steadily approaching, and the sea water cooled my feet.
I looked up and down the shoreline
.
Damon was nowhere to be found.
The evening filled with applause as Terdface Travis stood where everyone could see him holding a microphone. He welcomed everyone to the company festivities and began a long list of thank yous. I rolled my eyes. He barely spoke to half the people he bragged about.
"And that was the last time I joked about my salary in front of Human Resources," Travis added into his speech. The air filled with bursts of laughter that seemed forced.
"How are we supposed to find Damon with all of this going on?" I whispered.
"Well, you could always lick the ground."
Chapter Five
Night had arrived and stars glittered against the dark sky. A full and slightly rose-tinted moon was on full display as a band played subtle guitar music and couples strolled along the shore carrying flashlights. A crowd of Shellington Industries employees gathered around a large fire pit roasting marshmallows. It was the perfect end to another yearly barbecue.
Except for the fact that Damon was still missing.
"How about this?" Mara dangled a square of chocolate in front of me. "Does this taste like revenge or betrayal?"
"You can't keep waving food in my face expecting something to happen," I said, searching my side of the beach. Mara and I had been looking for Damon for the past hour, and it had been tiring, not to mention Gator had called to say that the Davis's had been no help. They'd claimed they hadn't been hosting a house guest.
Mara dropped her arms to her sides. "Maybe the shadow siren changed her mind?"
"On the night of a strawberry moon? I don't think so." I grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the sweets. She'd already had enough chocolate for the both of us. "Let's go for another walk."
"Yeah, okay." Mara pursed her lips. She was skeptical. Most people were when I told them my visions. Until those visions came true.
The two of us walked briskly along the shoreline, studying every person we came into contact with. A giggling gaggle of receptionists. Terdface Travis and his latest secretary. Two women from Human Resources smoking next to an abandoned beach umbrella.
No Damon.
Mara aimed her flashlight at the sand and jumped when a tiny crab emerged from its hole and scurried off toward the ocean.
"They love to freak people out." A familiar voice calmed the panicked voices in my head. It was Thad, a local shifter whose rugged appearance reflected the wolf underneath. He worked at the hotel fixing squeaky doors and changing out light bulbs.
"They seem awfully good at it." Mara placed a hand on her chest.
"Thad, this is Mara," I said. "She's new around here."
"Just moved from Atlanta," Mara replied. "I haven't decided where exactly I'm going to apartment hunt yet. Misty Key would be quite the commute from work.
"We serve plenty of weekenders," Thad responded.
"I'll keep that in mind." Mara did a once-over of his entire body and made no attempts to hide it.
"Thad, maybe you can help us." I cleared my throat. Thad was, technically, spoken for. "We're looking for a co-worker. He might be in trouble."
Thad pointed to his nose. "You've come to the right person."
"You can smell sleaze?" Mara joked.
"My nose is just as sensitive as any canine," he added. "Does this guy wear a certain type of cologne? Does he eat lots of fish?"
"He's most likely drunk," I pointed out. "Does that help?"
"It might." Thad sniffed the air, flaring his nostrils. He began walking along the beach. Mara and I followed right behind him.
"Is he single?" Mara whispered.
"Yes and no," I replied, knowing that one Greene sister in particular would give me a piece of her mind if I let a witch flirt with her sister's sort-of boyfriend. "It's complicated. My advice is to forget about it. You'll get yourself into a pickle of drama you don't want."
"You psychics are so emotional sometimes."
"We prefer the word intuitive," I quietly commented.
The chatter from the hotel grew more and more distant as did the glow from guest room windows. The stars lit up the water, highlighting each gentle wave as it hit the sand. The strawberry moon hung in the sky like a rose gold pendant. It was mesmerizing. The perfect setting for a siren to conjure her magic of allure.
Although, I wasn't familiar with shadows sirens and how they operated.
Mara nudged my shoulder.
Thad had stopped walking. He peered into the ocean with a blank expression. At first, I saw nothing. Dark waves that filled my ears with the sound of crashing water. And then I noticed the man sitting in the sand finishing off his last cocktail. With two umbrellas.
"Is that?" Mara studied the man.
"Yep," I answered. "There's our missing co-worker. Primed and ready to be sacrificed."
"Thank goodness." Mara breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's get him inside and try to enjoy the rest of our night, huh?"
And then it happened.
A soft melody breezed through my ears. My arms and legs felt light. The night seemed more enchanting than I remembered, and something emerged from the ocean. It called to me. Or rather, she called to me. Her eyes were like blazing stars, and her smile felt like home. Before I knew it, I was ankle deep in water though I hadn't remembered walking toward the tide. Maybe I'd floated.
Sharp pains on my arm pulled me out of my trance.
"Ouch!" I grabbed the patch of hot skin just below my elbow. It was tender to the touch like I'd grazed it on some sort of hot pad. "Are you trying to burn my skin off?"
Mara cracked her knuckles. "It was just a little zing. Like making toast."
"You better hope the hotel has burn cream," I added.
"Hey, I saved your life," Mara argued. "Lucky for us, fire clashes with water."
Mara pointed to the ocean where the shadow siren had marked her newest victim.
It wasn't Damon.
We'd brought along something better, a hunky shifter named Thad.
"No. Not Thad." I walked farther into the sea.
Mara grabbed my hand.
"You can't just waltz right into a trap. That thing will drown you too, and then I'll have no one to proofread my Powerpoints." Mara looked over her shoulder. Damon appeared to be wandering back to toward the hotel after receiving one of Mara's little zings himself.
"Oh, we can't have that." I shook my head, running through possible scenarios in my mind. "Go out there then and give Thad a nice little shock."
"I can't swim," Mara muttered, her eyes slinking down to the sand.
"Not even doggy paddle?"
"I'm serious, Nova. The shallow end at the swimming pool is as far as I go."
I focused on Thad. He was now waist deep in water, and there seemed to be no end to the pull of the siren who was hiding somewhere nearby. I tried hard to pull my focus away from the waves as the soft melody entered my head again and threatened to hypnotize me.
Mara gave me another zing.
"Geez," I blurted out. "How about a warning next time?"
"How about a thank you next time?" Mara placed a hand on her hip.
"Okay, I'm going to grab Thad before he goes under," I said. "You'll just have to follow me as far as you can. He needs a good shock to the system."
"And what do you plan on doing if the shadow siren goes postal?"
"I'll wrestle her to the ground like the crocodile hunter." I shrugged. "I don't know, Mara. But I can't just stand here and watch Thad drown in the name of a turf war that nobody even knows about."
"Fine." Mara took a deep breath and followed me into the waves.
The current grew stronger as I moved closer to Thad. I did what I could to ignore the enchanting melodies, thinking of the tenderness on my arm. Mara's red-hot zingers were on autoplay in my brain.
I stuck out my arm, inching closer to Thad. I heard the subtle splashes of Mara right behind me. I was feet away and then inches away. My eyes went wide as I reached out and grabbed the back of his wet t-shirt. He was chest
deep in sea water, and I was already up to my neck.
The melodies stopped.
An eerie silence filled the night.
Thad turned and looked at me, his eyes blank like he couldn't remember how he'd gotten to the beach in the first place. I yanked him closer to me. He followed without resisting. I searched for Mara. She'd stopped as soon as the water had crept up to her waist. I yanked Thad back again. I had to get him close enough for Mara to work her magic.
"What do you think you're doing?" A voice boomed from the sea and a stream of water shot up toward the stars. A woman in rose from the rolling waves.
At least, part of her looked like a woman.
The other part of her was made of black and silver scales that matched her midnight eyes and silver hair. I doubted she'd ever smiled before, expect maybe before she was about to kill. I felt drawn to her even though she was terrifying---a real monster of the deep.
"You can't have him," I stammered.
"I'll have who I like," she stated. "And after tonight, the entire gulf will be under my control."
I gulped. "You do know that's a violation of Treaty SMA-401 between the sirens and the rest of the magical nation, right?"
"Does it look like I care?" the shadow siren shouted back.
This is going well.
"Your actions will have consequences," I added, my voice a bit shaky. "You can't just go around drowning people to get what you want. The Clairs won't stand for it."
Her scaly fingers reached for Thad.
"You psychics are so emotional," she responded.
"They prefer the word intuitive," Mara yelled from the shore. She raised her hand and began reciting a spell. Blue and purple orbs filled the sky like bees in a meadow of wildflowers. The light swirled, creating a funnel cloud aimed right at the shadow siren.
The woman's screams filled the night as the funnel of light lifted her out of the water and propelled her forward. Her body flew through the air and landed with a thud on the sugary sand. I yanked Thad some more, forcing him to follow me to safety. As soon as he was within Mara's reach, she gave him a little zap that jump-started his brain. He shook his head, looking around in awe.
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