The Siren's Son (The Siren Legacy Book 1)

by Helen Scott

  As Hecate went to open it, doubt overwhelmed Ellie, and before she could stop her mouth, it blurted, “What do I do if Alec is dead?”

  “He’s not dead, and you can’t let yourself think like that.” Hecate turned and placed both her hands on her shoulders, her sapphire eyes burning into Ellie’s. “I know you have magic, and I know it is very different from what I control, but I hope this helps.” A stabbing pain took over Ellie’s head. She wanted to cry out, but fear of Circe finding them turned the cry into a strangled whimper.

  “You could have asked before giving me a splitting headache!” Ellie angrily whispered.

  “It will help you control your magic,” Hecate said, looking very pleased with herself.

  “Really?” Ellie momentarily forgot her headache.

  “Try it before we go in. I didn’t do it before, because I didn’t want to be presumptuous, but now I want you to be able to defend yourself more than I care about your being offended that I cleared a path for your magic to communicate with you.”

  “Cleared a path?”

  “Normally, I would never interfere with someone getting in touch with their magic, especially if they have only recently come into their powers, such as yourself, but I don’t want you to die just because you fear your own magic. It is your fear that was blocking you from connecting with it the whole time.”

  “Oh, well… Thanks, I think. But how did you know?”

  “My dear girl, I’m a goddess.” She smiled down at Ellie, who now felt like an idiot.

  “Try it.” Hecate nodded at her.

  Ellie listened for the electricity around her like Alec had been telling her to do. At first there was nothing, and Ellie started to think of ways she could break it to Hecate that her little “unblock your magic” trick didn’t work, but then it rushed at her. The noise was almost too much, almost more than she could handle. There was electricity everywhere. She was drowning in it.

  “Breathe, Ellie. Let it all wash over you and only hold on to what you need.”

  The noise lessened. Ellie could feel it ready to press in again though. She turned away from the door and imagined the electricity flowing down her arm into her hand. Sparks flew, and arcing from her fingers was a blue light that almost looked like a flame.

  “You’re kidding me,” Ellie said, looking down at her hands. She imagined the flame curling into a ball, and it did exactly that. Her face was pure amazement. Hecate smiled wider than Ellie had ever seen before. Ellie was tempted to throw the ball of electricity down the tunnel, but she wasn’t sure what it would do. She didn’t want to risk something exploding or collapsing, and she definitely didn’t want to alert Circe to their presence. She allowed the electricity to dissolve and be reabsorbed. She wasn’t sure where her body was storing all this, but she felt better than she had in ages.

  “This is absolutely brilliant!”

  “I hope it helps. Sorry I didn’t do it sooner; gods and goddesses aren’t really supposed to interfere in mortal lives, but I thought since you were aware of us and helping me find my torches, I could bend the rules this once.”

  Ellie went to hug Hecate in thanks for the amazing gift she had given her, but the door opened and an undead creature shambled out. Without even thinking, Ellie let out a bolt of electricity that hit the thing, leaving a dinner-plate-sized hole in its chest. Hecate caught the door as the creature fell toward them.

  They stared at it for a moment, then looked at each other before it started moving again. Ellie readied another blast of lightning in her hand, but it was already making its way down the tunnel, most likely going back to its grave.

  Hecate slipped through the door and held it open for Ellie, who followed after a moment of staring at the back of the undead creature. They found themselves in a wine cellar. The bottles lined the walls in diamond-shaped holes made from wood. The hardwood floor was covered with a plush, woven rug that went all the way to the stairs. To Ellie’s relief, the stairs themselves were carpeted, which made for easier sneaking around. Ellie quietly moved across the rug to the stairs.

  At the top of the steps was an ornate door with an intricate glass pattern on the window—which looked like it went outside—before the stairs continued spiraling. The landing was not carpeted and neither were the stairs continuing up, so Ellie and Hecate crept up them as quietly as possible. The stairs curved around again leading to a second floor, but the area that opened up in front of them was huge. The main part of the house was clearly on this floor. Ellie was willing to bet anything above this was just bedrooms. To the left of the stairs was a playroom for a child, which sent chills down Ellie’s spine. There shouldn’t be any children around this place.

  Ellie looked around but didn’t see anyone. The whole house was quiet. She padded over to the next door, which swung open to reveal a richly appointed bathroom. Everything in this house dripped with opulent furnishings; it all screamed of too much money and luxury.

  Rounding a corner, Ellie discovered the living room and dining area. The ceilings in this space were not just vaulted but seemed almost nonexistent. The room was open and went all the way up to the roof of the house, and the entire back wall was made up of windows.

  Light streamed through onto the leather couches and ottomans. They had decorated in whites, grays, and blacks. There was no other color present if you didn’t include the wood. The simplicity seemed to speak of even more luxury, like they didn’t need to hide the fabric choices behind bright patterns and colors. Momentarily floored by the wealth the owners of this house must have, Ellie almost forgot why they were there.

  They traveled back along the wall and went into the kitchen. Another undead worker stood at the stove. Ellie impaled him with a bolt of electricity before he even opened his mouth to alert whoever else was there. At least the undead let them know they were in the right place, Ellie thought as the man began a slow shuffle back to his grave.

  After finding nothing in the kitchen, Hecate gestured to go upstairs, which Ellie agreed was a good idea, but there was another set of stairs leading down that intrigued Ellie more. She could almost sense this would be the most productive route or that these stairs would get her to Alec. She didn’t want anyone at their backs though, so they had to be careful whichever way they went. The first bedroom was obviously the child’s room. Toys were strewn across the floor and clothes haphazardly thrown all over the place. Ellie quickly glanced over everything else in the room just to be sure she didn’t miss anything.

  They crept along the hallway, peeking in the open doors. This place must have five or six bedrooms, most of them unused. The one on the far end was clearly the master bedroom. Women’s clothes were scattered across the floor, along with all kinds of jewelry.

  If the brothers weren’t in the next room, which was the only one with a closed door, then that meant they had to be down the other stairs—unless they weren’t here at all. The thought of coming all this way to not find them made Ellie’s stomach turn to ice. Hecate tapped Ellie on the shoulder and motioned for her to listen at the door of the room opposite the child’s bedroom. Ellie gently held her head close to the door and listened. Over the buzz of electricity, she could tell there were a few people sleeping in there, all breathing heavily. As quietly as she could, Ellie eased the handle of the door down and gently opened it a crack, just enough to see inside.

  Chapter 19

  Three giant dogs lay around the room. The one on the bed had a nasty gash on its face, the blond curls that covered it matted with blood. It looked like a poodle mix of some kind, if you didn’t take into account its size. All the dogs looked almost twice the size of a Great Dane. The two dogs on the floor were looking at Ellie.

  She wasn’t sure what to do; they weren’t barking or drawing any attention to her, but she didn’t know what they would do if she left. The one on the right, closest to her, was a chocolate-brown color, with short-cropped fur, and the one on the left was almost black with shaggy fur. She had no clue what breeds they would be w
ith the size they were. The only thing she could think of was some kind of mastiff mixed with Great Dane. Her mind couldn’t accept they were just dogs. Hecate was growing impatient on the other side of the door next to her. Ellie pushed the door open wider to reveal the dogs to her, and Hecate smiled down at the dogs.

  “Hello, boys,” she said, glancing around the room. “You’re missing a brother.”

  “They’re… No… You’re trying to tell me that these dogs are the brothers?”

  “Yes,” Hecate said as she pushed Ellie into the room so she could squeeze in behind her, shutting the door once they were inside. The chocolate-brown dog stood, stretched, and nudged Ellie’s hand with his nose. She looked down at him in disbelief. His chocolate-brown eyes stared back at her. They were definitely not dog eyes. Ellie felt a chill run down her spine at seeing something so human staring out of an animal’s body. They reminded her of Hecate’s dogs, which made her feel uneasy all over again.

  “One of your brothers is injured?” Hecate motioned to the dog on the bed.

  The dog moved its head up and down in a nod.

  “I have the spell figured out to separate my power from the torches. Would you mind if I stayed here and performed it with your protection? Once I have my power back in full, I can heal your brother and turn you all back into your human form.”

  The dog shook its head. The black dog from the other side came up and bared its teeth at the brown dog.

  “Alec?” Ellie squeaked, completely thrown off by the transformation.

  The brown dog shook its head.

  “Dem?” The black dog’s eyes slid to Ellie. If she was reading his face correctly, he was frowning, but she could be completely wrong since, you know, he was a dog and all.

  “You don’t want Hecate to stay here?”

  The black dog shook its head.

  “She has to perform the spell somewhere.”

  “Are you worried about my presence drawing Circe to you?”

  The black dog’s head nodded.

  “Circe will be distracted by Ellie soon enough.”

  Now the brown dog, who must have been Hal, bared his teeth at Hecate.

  “Hal?” Ellie confirmed as the dog nodded. “Hecate unblocked my power. I can use it to defend myself. I’m just going to find Alec, and then we will go. Easy peasy.”

  Hal sort of coughed and barked at the same time. It sounded almost like he was laughing at her.

  “We don’t have any other choices here. You. Are. Dogs. Do you even have your wings?”

  Hal and Dem shook their coats, and tiny, little wings appeared. Circe was clearly mocking them. Their wings were not only disproportionately small in comparison to their bodies, but there was no way they would be anything but a liability if they left them out. The dogs shook again, and their wings disappeared.

  “Listen, I know you probably don’t agree with our plan, but the only alternative is for you to stay here with Circe and allow whatever she plans to do with you. So Hecate is going to stay here and work on her spell, and I’m going to go find Alec. I’ll be his knight in shining armor or whatever and rescue him from the evil witch.” Dem and Hal both bared their teeth. “No arguments. You can’t articulate your issues right now, so we don’t have any choice. Plus you are wasting time.”

  Ellie was done trying to appease them. Hecate gave her a hushed round of applause.

  “Good luck, darling girl.” She blew Ellie a kiss as she settled on the bed next to what Ellie assumed was an unconscious Thad, unless there was a stranger with blond curls Circe had turned into a dog as well.

  “Thanks.” She patted Hal’s head twice before quietly opening the door.

  Ellie made her way back to the other set of stairs as quietly and quickly as she could. She was thankful for the seemingly new construction of the house since none of the floorboards creaked as she walked along. If they had been in her apartment in Inverness, Circe would have known they were there from their first step. Her little apartment had never looked as minuscule, dingy, or timeworn as when she was looking around this house, which should be more appropriately called a mansion.

  Finally she was at the stairs going down. She hadn’t encountered any other undead servants or whatever they were. She gingerly made her way downstairs, knowing she could come face-to-face with Circe at any point. They had been through the rest of the house, and this was the last place she had to look.

  The stairs ended, and she peeked around the corner. A living area was there, full of bright colors, assaulting the senses in a way the rest of the house didn’t. There were posters on the walls, advertising sports teams and movies. Their harsh colors mixed with the purple leather furniture made her want to close her eyes to avoid looking at it. There was no one in this room, but there was a set of double doors that opened into another area, and beyond that she glimpsed some big glass doors that would get her outside if she needed it.

  Ellie carefully approached the opening to the other area. She looked in, and her stomach turned. There were two undead guards standing on either side of Alec, who was hanging from the ceiling by his wrists with his toes barely touching the floor. The contraption that held him there had obviously only just been installed, as it had fresh sawdust around the bolts that held it in place. He was naked except for his boxers. Elle could swear he didn’t normally wear underwear, so she wasn’t sure where the boxers came from.

  Alec’s head lolled back and rolled to the side. He had a nasty black eye, a split lip, and blood gushing from a cut on his forehead.

  “Darling, I wish you would look at me.”

  A woman’s voice floated across the room. Ellie couldn’t see her, but she recognized the voice as the one she had heard in her head multiple times. A clinking sound came as though someone was mixing a drink. Ellie could hear the drink being poured as the ice cubes hit the strainer right before she smelled freshly squeezed lemon. The woman came into view a moment or two later.

  Circe was tall and slender, thick waves of auburn hair cascading down her back as she walked toward Alec. She was in a tight bustier-style crop top that highlighted her tiny waist and made her breasts look huge—and altogether too perky in Ellie’s opinion.

  A long skirt with high slits flowed around her, showing off her long, lean legs as she walked. Ellie could understand how any man would be attracted to a woman with her figure. She had thin necklaces of all different lengths around her neck, some of which disappeared into her cleavage. She was playing with one of them as though thinking, that is, when she wasn’t touching Alec.

  “I’ve sent one of my babies off to retrieve that girl you seem so taken with. I know she’s on the mainland. I could feel when she became available to me again. When he gets back with her, I’m going to have some fun. You performed deliciously well last time, and I wasn’t ready to leave when she pushed me out so rudely. I need to save up some energy though since she’s such a feisty one. I don’t want to have to force myself into her mind, but I will if I have to.” Circe’s voice was ice-cold before turning into something else entirely.

  What had started out as a threat was now a coaxing warmth as though she couldn’t quite decide how she wanted to push Alec. “You could tell her to let me in though, make it easier on your love.” Circe held her martini in one hand while the other stroked Alec’s cheek before running down his body. “Your brothers are sleeping upstairs, and it’s just you and me here, so why not let me have my fun? You’ll enjoy yourself too. I know how much that little girl turns you on. Not that she can really be called little with a figure like that.”

  Alec jerked his head away from her touch, and she backhanded him so hard his body swung from his wrists.

  “Get away from me. I would never tell Ellie to allow you to control her. I would tell her to fight you tooth and nail.”

  “Such a waste.” Circe tut-tutted him.

  Ellie peered around the corner a little farther, exposing herself more than she would like, but she had to see if there were any other undead
people around. Alec tracked Circe’s movements as far as he could as she circled around him. When he saw Ellie peeking around the corner, his eyes went wide and panic filled his face. He began to struggle against his bindings.

  “Struggling again? Really?” Circe sighed. “I thought we had been over this. You can’t escape me. I control magic now. I’m more powerful than Hecate ever was, yet no one respects me. Least of all you.”

  “My whole life, you half-breeds and descendants have been rejecting me, brushing me off as a minor goddess, if that. They all used me, took whatever spell or potion they needed, because they were too scared to ask Hecate, or she was too stuck up to answer, and what tributes do I get? Nothing. Do I have a bunch of worshippers? No. No one cared; they took everything I had to give and rejected me, cast me out. Well, now it’s time to pay the price.

  “You never know who will end up becoming powerful, and you screwed up. I’m keeping you and your brothers here for my pleasure and my pleasure only. If you displease me, then I will take it out on your brothers. My babies are out destroying your cousins and other half-breeds and those blessed by the gods as we speak. My vengeance will be felt across the world. The gods will mourn for their lost children.”

  The vehemence with which Circe spoke was terrifying. Alec tried to mouth something to Ellie, but she couldn’t understand. He probably wanted her to leave.

  “I know your girl is close. I can feel her.” Ellie withdrew and flattened her back against the wall. “Now, where exactly are they?” Circe hummed to herself before letting out a curse dripping with venom. “She’s returned him to the grave! That little bitch. I’m going to crucify her in front of you.” Ellie couldn’t see Circe anymore, but she could feel the magic pulsing out of the room. “You, go and get her. Thing Three failed. Succeed or I will return you to the ground myself.”

  The undead creature lurched out of the room and past Ellie. Now she was left deciding whether to follow him and try to use her magic on him before he could alert Circe or stay here and try to figure out how to free Alec. She pulled the feather of the Morrígan out from her jeans and held it up, saying a quick prayer to the Celtic war goddess, asking for her help in what would inevitably be a battle of wills.