With that, I startled Raine with a kiss that left her breathless and dived into the river.
The moment I was submerged, my body shifted taking on my siren form, and I moved powerfully through the water, my long fishtail making the swim nearly effortless. I smiled, enjoying the way the cool water glided along my scales. Sweet Toros, it had been too long since I’d been in the water. But there hadn’t been time, and now wasn’t the opportune moment either.
Leaving my arms by my sides, I shot through the river until I was beneath the House of Saceris. In the center of the house was a great garden and an opening to the river, and I peered up at where light shone on the surface of the water. The song of the sirens vibrated down to me making my heart yearn, and I took a moment to compose myself. Then with a flick of my tail, I swam toward the female who’d tried to destroy me.
When my head broke the surface, I let instinct take over and began singing. It had been too long since I’d sung the song of the sirens. My first notes were clumsy, the lyrics fuzzy in my memory, but soon my voice was perfectly blending in with the others, lifting the melody and adding a depth to the song that had been missing since I’d left the house. More than one voice weakened and wavered as I appeared in the middle of the House of Saceris, but despite their obvious surprise, none of the sirens dared ruin this. They kept singing, their voices strengthening as they became accustomed again to my sound, my rich tenor now leading the song. Power rippled in the air as the blue water glowed bright around us, and every siren in the house trained their attention on me as they sang, spurred to sing louder by the energy humming in the air. Bymyenergy that compelled them to take notice. It would have been so easy. Too easy to unleash my power and bend them to my will, but I wasn’t there for that.
I eyed the sirens sitting with their tails draped over stones and touching the water around the great garden, the sunlight shining through the glass panels above us making the plants glisten. I’d imagined being back in the garden countless times over the years. Despite all that happened there, deep in my heart I longed for the days when I’d sing surrounded by the members of my house, being fawned over by females and males alike, and leading them in song. My little garden in the mountain had been my own personal paradise, but it was nothing compared to the grand beauty of the garden in the House of Saceris. With the river flowing beneath, and the expanse of greenery throughout the space, it was an oasis in the city. No one else dared to enter the house from the water beneath, so it was not an entrance they defended strongly. And it was supposed to bemyoasis. That is, until Cordelia had taken it from me.
As the song reached the final chorus, I finally allowed myself to set eyes upon the female who had betrayed me all those years ago. Cordelia sat on the grass beneath the shade of a large palm tree, her long golden hair covering her naked breasts and her coral-colored fishtail only just touching the surface of the water. She narrowed her eyes a fraction as she stared at me, the only indication that she was irritated by my unexpected presence. Undoubtedly, she’d spin the situation to make it seem as if she had invited me. The alternative was that she’d try to imprison me like my brothers had suggested, but of all the sirens present, she was the one who truly understood the strength of my power. No, I didn’t think the female would dare.
Three males sang beside her, each of them touching Cordelia in some way, but it was the largest male with the moss-green tail who tightened his possessive grip on her as he openly glared in my direction. I smiled at the male who’d conspired with my lover against me. The male who I had once thought was a close friend.Hersondal.
Cordelia smirked and slid her hand lower on his chest, all while watching me as if she’d decided my presence could be advantageous to her, and she was excited to see how I’d react. I’d thought it would hurt more to see them together like this in the position I had once dreamed of for myself. The brief times when I’d seen Cordelia over the years had usually resulted in me drinking myself to oblivion and finding a monster to fuck while Asher kept me sane.
But this time I felt nothing but contempt as I stared at Cordelia and her mate. Instead, my heart thought only of my lovely little dragon who waited for me beyond these walls, and my brothers who had seen me through my darker times. No, the longer I stared at the sirens, the more I realized I wasn’t the same Darian who had walked the halls of this house, laughing and enjoying the pleasures that it withheld.
As the song came to an end, I curled my lips into a smile, showing no concern as Cordelia gestured to the sirens around the pool, and a group of them formed a half circle behind me, claws extending from their fingers. I believe their intent was to intimidate me, but I simply waited patiently as if I were part of an audience content to see the performance finish.
“Darian,” Cordelia said, her hypnotic voice filling the silence, “what a pleasant surprise it is to have you join us. Especially during these times of,” she waved her hand in the air before finishing with, “uncertainty.”
“I’m glad you welcome my presence,” I replied, giving the crowd my most charming smile.
“Of course,” Cordelia crooned. “We sirens pride ourselves on our hospitality.”
She was baiting me, I knew, but my smile didn’t waver. “That’s good to hear because I come bearing a message. One which you would do well not to ignore.”
Her eyes tightened. “And what message would that be?”
The sirens all watched me, enraptured by the conversation.
I took a deep breath. “I ask you to join the Katakin rebels. To lend your power to those who are fighting against Warrick and his tyranny.”
“What?” Cordelia looked aghast. “You can’t be serious?”
“I wouldn’t be here, otherwise,” I replied, finally letting my smile fall.
Cordelia stared at me for a long moment, and then she let out peals of laughter. Many of the sirens laughed with her, but others remained silent as they watched intently.
“Oh, my dear Darian,” Cordelia said when her laughter tapered off, “you of all monsters should know better than to come here with such a ridiculous request. You can’t honestly expect us to leave the comforts of our house to join the monsters who are currently being hunted by Warrick’s beasts.”
“You know of the attacks?” I asked, my composure evaporating as I clenched my jaw.
Cordelia’s eyes flashed like she was enjoying herself. “Of course, I do. It’s not exactly a secret that Losak and his shifters were driven from their house.”
“Then you know the threat Warrick poses to us all,” I replied. “There’s no life for the sirens, or for any of the monsters while Warrick controls this city.”
“So far, the only ones without a life are the monsters who have chosen the losing side,” Cordelia countered.
I shook my head in disbelief at her ignorance. “We need to unite and rid ourselves of Warrick and his outliers, so we can have balance again between us.”
“Balance?” Cordelia laughed bitterly. “Says the male who left our house in the face of defeat and found a way to ignore the council’s rules and remain free from ties.”
I saw it then. The hurt in her coral eyes, but I couldn’t feel sympathy for the female who took everything from me, including her own love.
“Defeat?” I chuckled darkly. “You may have these sirens fooled into believing you wield the power to lead them, but what happens when you can no longer serve Warrick and he sends the outliers your way? You are no alpha.”
“You dare show such blatant disrespect,” Hersondal spat, starting to slide further into the water as if he was intent on fighting for his mate’s honor, but Cordelia tightened her grip on his muscled arm. Hersondal stilled, his surprised gaze going to her, but Cordelia didn’t take her attention off me.
