by Jackie May
Neither me nor my siren likes the sound of that. The dark creature in me stirs, and this time I welcome her. She could free us, save us from Henry once and for all. The more she rises up, the more she starts to take over my mind. Her thoughts and desires become my own. We want Henry. We want to suck his very soul out of him and devour it while he screams. We want to make him pay for every wrong he’s ever committed.
She presses against me, trying to get out, but Parker’s compulsion stops her. I try to let her out, but it’s no good. My entire body starts to shake with how hard I try to break the compulsion. My breathing becomes labored, and a sheen of sweat breaks out on my forehead.
Henry smirks at me. “I can see what you’re trying to do. You had Parker compel you not to use your song, didn’t you?”
I’m lost to my siren now, and the only answer I can give him is a hiss.
He chuckles. “I knew you would. I knew you would never let me touch you, but if I planted the idea in your mind, you’d run straight to Parker. You’re too good, Nora. I am glad to see that it worked, though. That will make all of this a lot easier.”
“You son of a bitch!” I lunge for Henry through the bars but immediately pull back when the bars burn me. The pain brings me back to myself, breaking my siren’s hold on my mind. “Shit! Damn it, that burns!”
Henry sighs. “Do be a good girl, Nora. I hate to see you injured.”
“You could just let me out,” I spit.
“In good time.” He turns to the sorcerer. “Are you ready, James?”
“If you are.”
“Yes. Now that Nora is awake, we can get started.”
James, the sorcerer helping Henry, takes a pack off his back. He pulls out a small cauldron, some clear plastic tubing, and what looks like a needle or a syringe. Behind him, an entire army of vampires slinks out of the dark corners of the church. I’ve never seen so many. “Is this your entire clan?” I ask.
Henry pulls his shoulders back. “Mostly. Only a few stayed behind for security purposes, but they all wanted to be present for the mating ceremony, which will take place after we break your curse.”
Wait. What? I pull my gaze from the vampires—there must be a couple hundred of them—and gape at Henry. “Break my curse? I thought you planned to bind me to you.”
“I do,” Henry says. “But first we must stop you from turning dark.”
At my shock, he gives me a rueful look. “I visited the mermaid after you killed Devon Mitchell, Nora. I know what fate lies ahead of you. I do not want you to lose yourself to darkness any more than you do. But there is a way, an ancient spell that will turn darkness to light. That is what I am doing here. I am saving you, my love. Then I will bind you to me, and we can be together for eternity.”
My stomach churns, and panic claws up my throat when he turns to the sorcerer and says, “Start with the dragon.”
“What?” I shout. “What are you going to do? Don’t hurt him!”
Both men ignore me. The sorcerer moves to Nick’s cage and steps inside. He gives Nick a slap that has me growling. I’m going to kill him right after I kill Henry.
“Wake up,” the man says, lightly kicking Nick.
Nick groans, and the man crouches down. “Mr. Gorgeous,” the sorcerer says, suddenly sounding nice. “Can you hear me? I need some of your blood. I need it to save Nora. You know Nora, right? Your partner? She needs you. Will you give me some of your blood to save her?”
“What’s he doing?” I ask, shocked to hear him sound so caring.
“To use mythic magic—true light magic—the power must be freely given,” Aziel explains. “Dark magic is acquired by taking it, while light magic is the opposite. That’s why he needs us all alive.”
Okay, the light versus dark thing makes sense. But how the hell does Henry expect to get Aziel, Kat, and Sapphire all to agree to help me? Why would they?
“Gorgeous?” The sorcerer tries again. “Will you let me help Nora?”
“Nora,” Nick moans, then coughs. It’s a wet sound, and I fear he’s coughing up blood.
“Nick! Please, Henry, you have to help him.”
“Nora,” Nick moans again.
“I believe that is his answer,” Henry tells the sorcerer. “He wants to help her. Take his blood.”
The sorcerer plunges a needle into Nick’s arm.
“No!” I scream. “He’s too weak! You could kill him!”
“I honestly don’t care if I do,” Henry says. “One less man of yours to worry about. I just need his cooperation first, and then I’ll put him out of his misery.”
I lose it. I let out a scream and call on my siren again. It’s all I can do. She’s ready and waiting to take control. As soon as I let her, she invades my every thought. I begin pacing in my cage and hissing at all the vampires. They all watch me with curiosity. I’ve never felt more blinded by rage. If I could just get my hands on Henry, I could kill him. I grab the bars again and shake them with a strength I didn’t know I had. The iron burns my flesh, but I don’t let go. I’m too lost in myself to feel the pain.
“Nora!” Henry dashes over to me and grips my face through the bars. “Let go,” he orders.
I let go of the bars, obeying the compulsion. Henry opens the cage door and quickly takes my hands in his. He hisses at the scalded, blistering and bloody mess of my hands. The idiot forgot one thing. Compulsion is only as strong as the command given. He told me to let go of the cage, but he didn’t tell me not to attack him. I snatch my hands out of his and take a swipe at his face with my claws.
I don’t even realize that I have claws until I leave four angry, bloody gashes across the side of Henry’s face. We both freeze, shocked. I look down at my hands. My skin is the shimmery pearlescent of my siren, and tiny teal scales run up my arms to just below my elbows like armored gloves. My fingers are tipped with inch-long nails that are razor sharp. It seems I’ve shifted into some kind of in-between state the way Nick does.
Henry stares at me with awe. “Only the most powerful shifters are able to manage a partial shift.” A familiar greedy hunger fills Henry’s eyes. “Truly you are a marvelous creature, love. I can’t wait to see all that you’re capable of.”
“You can’t use me for my power, you sick bastard! I’m not a toy!”
I lunge again with my claws, but Henry, using his vampire speed and strength, grabs my wrists and holds me in place. His eyes glow red, and his fangs descend. “You will never try to harm me again,” he says. The compulsion weighs down on me. “You will always do as I ask. You are my mate.” He steps closer, until our chests touch and our breaths mingle. “You love me, Nora,” he whispers.
I only get out one horrified gasp before the weight of Henry’s compulsion clouds my thoughts. When the fog clears, I look at Henry and my chest warms. The feeling is confusing. I shouldn’t like him. I know in my mind he is my enemy. Was my enemy? But I can’t deny the love in my heart.
“No!” Kat shouts. “Nora, fight it! Fight the compulsion! You’re strong! Remember your men!”
Henry whirls on Kat, stomping over to her cage. Why is he so mad? What is she talking about? What compulsion? Henry wouldn’t compel me; he loves me.
Henry reaches into the cage. Kat steps back, trying to get out of his reach, but she leans against the back bars of the cage and lets out a cry of pain. Gold! It hurts her. She jumps forward to get away from the gold that’s burning her, and Henry grabs her. He pulls her forward until she’s plastered against the front of the cage. She screams in agony.
“Henry!” I rush over to him. “Stop! Why are you hurting her? Let her go!”
Henry blows a fistful of gold dust in her face. She tries to hold her breath, but the dust burns her skin and she screams in agony. Then she breathes in the dust and starts coughing and choking. Henry lets her go, and she falls to the ground.
“Henry, what the hell are you doing?” I tug on his arm, and he lets her go. “You’ll kill her! Please stop this!”
Henry gazes i
nto my eyes, the red glow now gone, and the only thing I see in those beautiful dark pools is adoration. I like that he adores me, but I don’t understand why I like it. Something is wrong. Off.
Seeing my confusion, he smoothes out my furrowed brow, then brushes the backs of his fingers across my cheek and tucks my hair behind my ear. “Kiss me, Nora.” It’s not a compulsion. It’s a desperate plea. “Please. I long for your touch. I have dreamed of it since first I saw you.”
My mouth dries up at the thought of getting to kiss this beautiful man, but I don’t lean in. Why am I hesitating? I love him. Why don’t I want to kiss him? Still, I will always do as he asks.
He leans forward, softly brushing his mouth over mine. Teasing me. Tempting me to respond. My eyes drift shut. Feelings of desire push away my doubt. I love this man. He is my mate. Finally, I lean into him, and he claims my lips with a hungry kiss that sets my insides on fire. I wrap my arms around his neck and lift up onto my toes as he pulls me tightly against him.
“Nora,” he moans against my mouth. “Love.” He moves his mouth to my ear and down my neck. I shudder with pleasure. “I need you, but we must wait.”
He kisses my mouth again, plunging his tongue deep inside as if to claim ownership of my body. My heart soars. I love this man so much. When he breaks the kiss, I nearly cry out at the loss. We look at each other, chests heaving as we catch our breaths.” He smiles at me so lovingly that my heart melts. “Soon, you will be mine completely,” he murmurs.
He takes my hand in his, lacing our fingers together, and I blush like a schoolgirl, but I also pull back. Why do I love this man? Why did I agree to be his mate? He’s hurt me so many times.
“What’s wrong?” Henry asks when I pull my hand from his.
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I’m confused.”
“It will all make sense soon, love,” Henry cajoles, and takes my hand again. “As soon as we are bonded, all of your doubts will be erased. Come. We need to break your curse.”
My curse! That makes sense. I need to break my curse. I follow Henry over to several cages and stop short. Nick Gorgeous is lying on the ground, moaning. He’s sweating and writhing in agony. There’s a small pool of blood by his mouth. I fling myself beside his cage and reach my hand through the bars. “Nick! Henry, help him! He’s dying!”
Nick coughs and moans. The sound is so weak.
Now I remember. He’s my partner, and we were attacked. He inhaled gold dust. The vampires betrayed us. Henry betrayed us! I blanch, and when I look up at Henry, tears pool in my eyes. “You betrayed us,” I croak. “Why? Why would you do that? Why would you hurt all the people I love?” I sniffle and swipe at my wet eyes. “I thought you loved me.”
Henry pulls me to my feet away from the cage and wraps me in his arms. “I do love you, Nora. More than anything. Gorgeous was in the way of us.”
I pull back, shaking my head. “No. That’s not right. Nick was protecting me. All of my men were protecting me.” I frown at Henry. “They were protecting me from you. You want my clan dead.”
Henry brushes the hair away from my face. “Forget tonight,” he orders. He’s compelling me, but I don’t understand why. “I never betrayed you. I saved you. Forget all of your men. You don’t love them. They are your enemies. They want to take you from me.”
I groan because my brain feels so heavy it’s starting to hurt. I rub my temples.
“Are you all right, love?”
I look into Henry’s concerned eyes and give him a smile I hope reassures him. “Just a headache. I don’t know why, but I’m so confused right now. I can’t remember where we’ve been. How did we get here?”
He cups my cheek, and I lean into his touch. “There was a battle,” Henry says. “Some men tried to take you from me. My enemies. You passed out. I brought you here to safety, and now I’m going to help you.”
I frown at him. How could I have forgotten a battle? “Help me with what?”
“Your curse, love.”
My curse. I’m a siren. We’ve been trying to find a way to keep me from turning dark. “Okay,” I say slowly. Something still doesn’t make sense.
“Trust me,” Henry whispers. The weight of his words makes my head hurt worse, and I sway on my feet.
He holds me in place, then snaps his fingers. “Someone bring your mistress a chair.”
“Mistress?” I echo. Why is that so familiar? “That’s right. Someone calls me mistress.”
A woman I don’t recognize brings over a folding chair. “Yes, love,” Henry answers as he helps me sit down. “You are my mate. My vampires are your vampires. You are their mistress. They love you.”
I look around, just now noticing the crowd of people in this large room. There must be a couple hundred. As I scan their faces, all are smiling at me as if they adore me. I don’t remember them, but Henry must be right. I trust him.
“Continue on, James,” Henry says, and a man—a sorcerer—moves to a cage that holds a small girl. Again, something rings familiar.
“Henry…that girl. Is she the missing unicorn we’ve been looking for?”
Henry smiles and takes my hand. “Yes, love. We finally have all of the creatures we need to help you.”
“Hello, Sapphire,” James says as he squats down beside her cage.
“Hello,” she responds warily.
“Do you see that nice woman over there?” He points my direction, and the girl looks my way. She seems frightened, so I give her a reassuring smile. “She’s sick,” James says. “She’s been cursed with dark magic.”
The girl gasps.
“She’s been fighting it, but it’s trying to take over. You can help her. All I need is a little of your blood, and she can break her curse. Her dark magic will turn to light magic, and she won’t be in danger of hurting people anymore. You’d like to help her, wouldn’t you?”
The girl looks at me again and bites her lip. “She’s good?”
“Very good,” James says. “She uses her powers to help people. She’s saved many lives in the past and stopped killers. But if she loses herself to her curse, she won’t be able to help people anymore.”
“Don’t do it, Sapphire,” a man rasps. He’s in another cage, and he coughs after he speaks. He’s weak and shivering. “Those men are manipulating you. They are evil. They took you from your family. They hurt Kat and Gorgeous.”
What? Why would Henry do something like that? He’s a good man. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He’s trying to help me. I frown up at Henry, and he squeezes my hand. I want to ask him what’s going on, but I trust him. I’m so confused right now. Something happened tonight. Something important. I have to trust that Henry knows what’s going on.
“I’m a mythic, Aziel,” the girl says softly. “I can tell truth from lies. This man is telling me the truth. Nora is a good person. She really has saved many lives and stopped killers. Shouldn’t we help her?”
“Trust me, this won’t help her. She can’t—”
“Do you wish to go home?” Henry interrupts.
The girl, Sapphire, whips her head in Henry’s direction. “Yes, please.”
Henry smiles at her. “If you help Nora, your job here will be done, and my people will take you straight home to your family. You will not be harmed. They will take good care of you.”
“Don’t do it,” Aziel says again, but Sapphire doesn’t listen.
“All right,” she whispers. “I will help her.” She gulps when James opens her cage. “Will it hurt?”
“Nothing but a small pinch,” he assures her. “Give me your arm.”
James pokes her with a needle that’s hooked to a plastic tube, and a line of bright red blood flows into a small cauldron.
“Do not take too much!” Aziel warns. “She is young and weak.”
“I don’t need much,” James promises. “She will be fine.”
Seconds later, he removes the needle and places a Band-Aid on Sapphire’s arm. “That’s it,” he says. “All done.”
The girl’s eyes light up. “I can go home now?”
“Soon,” Henry tells her. “We just need to finish up here, and then someone can take you home.”
James moves on to a woman next. She is a phoenix. She’s lying on the ground in her cage, coughing. “Will you give of your blood freely?” he asks.
“Never,” she spats, her voice scratchy. She coughs some more.
James blinks at the woman as if surprised by her refusal. Henry lets go of my hand to walk over to her cage. “And why not?” he asks. “You know Nora is a good person. She deserves this gift. You can save her from herself.”
The woman’s response confuses me. “But I can’t save her from you.”
I walk over to her cage to stand beside Henry. He takes my hand. “What do you mean?” I ask the woman.
The woman cannot answer me. She’s coughing too hard now. But she manages to glare at Henry with a look so full of hate I stumble back.
“Because he has compelled you,” Aziel answers for her. “He’s manipulating you into a relationship that you don’t want. He’s made you forget your real mates, and he plans to bind you to him so that he’ll have complete control over you and your powers.”
What?
The man is weak, but I can tell he tries to make his next words sound as strong and defiant as possible. “I will not help you steal this woman’s life, and I will not give you access to her power. She is worthy of my help. You are not.”
Henry grinds his teeth, and his eyes begin to glow an eerie red. He hisses once and flashes a mouthful of fang. “Fine. If you refuse to help us, then I will kill the girl.”
I gasp, and so does the phoenix. “Henry!” I cry. “You can’t!”
He shrugs. “I already have what I need from her. She is of no more use to me. James, bleed her dry.”
James hesitates, but Henry glares at him and says, “Do it, or I will, and then I will bleed you next!”
James swallows hard but moves back toward Sapphire. I dash over to the little girl’s cage, push James out of the way, and block the door with my body. “You can’t hurt her, Henry. I won’t let you.”