“Wait,” I called out. Something about her explanation caught me off guard. “Before we get into all that, you said you needed your scent to be covered.” I understood that as well because it was fucking delectable, filling up this room faster by the second, clogging up my airways. “Why did you need that?”
She looked at Duce and Bricks expectedly, Bricks barely lifting his fingers to sign when she said. “Oh. I just assumed you or Duce told them already. No. I can explain it.”
Dino gave me another wary look after that exchange, and I had to agree with him this time. How could they have a conversation without him signing?
“Through a series of unfortunate events, a creepy vampire was able to taste a drop of my blood and freaked out. Instantly going into a bloodlust. I think the only reason I got away without being found was that Brick's wolf scent was so powerful it threw off my own scent.” She took a breath, looking like she didn't want to say the next part. “Sirens don't typically have a strong scent to anyone unless they have tasted their blood or are their mate.”
"So, you're trying to tell us you're a siren assassin?" Dino puffed out a laugh of disbelief. Not seconds later, there was a water-shaped dagger at his neck.
"I'm nottryingto tell you, I am telling you." Her voice went an octave lower, like a switch flipped, and she went into assassin mode. Dino kept still, flicking his eyes down at the dagger and then back up to her.
"Well, I believe her. How bout you all?" Duce lifted his hands towards everyone, grinning like a fool, but looked right at me. Everyone else swiveled their attention my way. I sat back, folded my hands, and looked at her, trying with all my might to figure her out.
She let go of the water dagger and faced me. “I know sirens are rare on the mainland, and it's hard to believe me. If you want definitive proof, I ask that you call someone that you don't mind being controlled, and I will show you.”
“Why not one of-” Gears asked, but she quickly cut him off.
“I'm not doing it to anyone in leadership. That just spells bad news for me in the end.” It was a smart rule.
“Duce, grab Billy.” He sluggishly got up, a little tired of all the hoops she was having to go through, though I felt it was necessary for all parties involved.
As soon as he was out the door, Dino took the opportunity of having one of her supporters gone. “While we determine if you are a siren,” she rolled her eyes, and a piece of me envisioned her flat on her back, rolling her eyes in a different direction as I was fucking her good and dirty, “I have a hard time believing that you are The Songbird. This is a skilled assassin, not some pretty girl that doesn't look like she could throw a punch.”
“Awe, you think I'm pretty? What a sweet little pup you are.” Her sass came back in full form as she faced him down.
“Stop, you two. It doesn't serve us any good to have you both down each other's throats.” Dino sat back, still glaring at her as she sharply turned away from him. I needed to get a handle on all of this. “On a different subject, I could tell that you are able to talk to Bricks without reading his hand signals. Why?”
She looked at Bricks, smiled and winked at him. His cheeks grew red, but he kept his composure. “It's a particular skill. Only powerful sirens can do it, but I can hear the notes and vibrations of his words around him, especially if it's pointed to me."
I looked at Bricks, and he nodded, signing to me that what she said was true. When I signed back to him, asking if he felt she was using magic on him, he said no, a few times. Then he signed something I didn't expect.
I trust her. I can't explain it, but I do. I feel it here.He pointed to his heart and then looked back at the table in thought. I wish I could make decisions based on feelings, but it wasn't that easy.
Duce finally brought in a scrawny, doe-eyed, fifteen-year-old, Billy. He looked around nervously. "Don't worry, Billy. We won't let anything bad happen. Please do what Miss Celine says." I motioned towards her, and the boy went to stand in front, looking like he was about to go into battle with her.
She turned on the charm as she giggled at him. “Oh, Billy. It's not anything like that. Relax. No one is going to harm you. Promise." She crossed her heart, and the kid cracked a small smile.
"My little sister does that."
Celine smiled even brighter as she told him. "Then you know that it's a serious oath that the crosser doesn't go back on or else my heart would burst!" The boy relaxed, even giggled, before she put her hand on his chin and tilted it up so his eyes met hers.
We all tensed up when we felt the difference in the air. Like it was sucked out for a second and then put back in. Her voice took on the sound of a melody as she spoke her words. "Look at me, Billy. Focus on me. I need you to shake your head when you hear me." Her eyes turned iridescent for a second, captivating me even from here.
He shook his head slowly, looking up at her with so much focus that I knew he didn’t know or think anyone else was in the room with him. It was like the whole world slipped away, and there was no one else but her.
"Now, I need you to take this knife." That had me on alert, and I immediately looked at her hand, trying to figure out where she hid a knife in that damn outfit, but all I saw was an open hand.
The boy wrapped his hand around an invisible object, lifting it up to look at it, but we knew nothing was there. She spoke her lyrical words again, drawing the boy's attention right back to her.
"I want you to go stab Rabid." She moved behind him, whispering in his ear as they both focused on me. "You won't remember a thing. You won't dream about this; you can't envision it again. As soon as you stab him, you will let go of the knife and back up three steps and act like you just woke up. Go."
The boy didn't even hesitate. He walked forward with an invisible knife in hand. A few of the guys got up, about to prevent him, but she barked out angrily, "Don't hurt him. This is what you wanted."
That made them pause, and I put up my hand, telling them it was okay. I wanted to see how this played out.
As soon as the boy was within reaching distance, he raised up his hand, and Swisher arced it downward for my chest. I watched his glazed-over eyes and blank face, not a blink of recognition as he stabbed me with his invisible knife.
As soon as his fist hit my chest with a hard thud, he let go of it, backed up three spaces, and yawned. His eyes opened, and he was stunned to see himself in the spot he was. He stuttered as he saw me staring at him, "Um…s-s-sorry Rabid. D-d-did you n-n-need s-s-something?"
