I lead her through some basic exercises—ones that, when done frequently enough, will work to build up her strength. When we finish with the first round, the siren looks underwhelmed. “This isn’t what I had in mind when I asked you to teach me how to fight.” Her chest heaves, her words taking ona desperate edge. “I think you’re trying to get out of teaching me anything useful.”
Folding my arms over my chest, I glare at her as I grind my teeth. “Foundations are essential if we are to be successful with this training. If you can’t balance, you won’t have proper leverage when it comes time to learn how to punch. How to wield a weapon or deliver a powerful kick. You won’t be able to dodge an attack coming towards you without falling on your ass.” I stretch my neck as I move my head from side to side, eager to mark this lesson as done. “Now, run through the exercises again. And when you’re finished, do them once more.” She presses her lips together, fingers curling in towards her palms but her tantrum lasts for all of a few seconds before she obeys.
The sounds of her breaths fill the space, and I use the opportunity to map out my next visit to Khargis, excitement brewing at the new target I’ve acquired.
A shadow blocks the sunlight temporarily from above, and I tense at the sound of wingbeats, crouching low enough to look out through the arched opening in the rock below us. From this vantage point, I can only see the dark blue feet and legs of the dragon, its tail swinging behind it as sand goes flying from its rough landing.
“Sister, I’ve come to save you from your plight!” Navin’s voice carries into the cavern, and I contemplate the merits of punching him briefly when the soft laugh of the siren behind me draws my gaze her way.
“Who is he?” she asks, sitting on her knees as she leans forward to take in Navin and Lan. My skin prickles as I look at her, the notion that I amsoclose to a creature like her and can do nothing but bend to the will of the life debt only stokes my ire further. Sirens are greedy and malicious. They care for nothing and no one save themselves, andthis oneis no different. Despite how she might pretend to be.
Her eyes glow a bright hazel when they meet mine, and I snarl at them. Ather. “You should bring clothes to change into during our meetings. Training a naked siren is not something I want to subject myself to. Life debt or not.” Standing, I tug my hood back over my head and then climb down to the sand below, heading towards the opening where I can now see Navin atop his dragon.
“I don’t own any clothing,” she shouts back, drawing a curious look from Navin that I ignore. Lan lowers the front of his body and extends his left leg, allowing me to climb up until I’m balancing between the ridges on the back of his neck and taking a seat behind Navin.
“So,” he drawls once we’re past the Spell and the outskirts of Khargis come into view, “how did it go?”
“Fine.” His answering chuckle has me contemplating testing out how quickly he would heal from a stab wound. “I’m so glad you find the fact that my life is tied to asirenso amusing.”
“You’re being dramatic, Myla,” he says over his shoulder, our bodies tilting to the right as Lan adjusts to the air current. “This could be a good opportunity for you, you know? Maybe a chance to befriend someone without holding a knife to their throat.”
I grip the strap holding me to the dragon more tightly, looking down over Khargis as we soar above it. “This isn’t a fucking play date, Navin.”
“I know, I’m justsaying, it wouldn’t be the worst thing for you to have someone to talk to who can’t use that information against you. She’ll never be able to tell another fae.”
“Do you not remember what she is?” I growl, squeezing my thighs around Lan more tightly. “Do the details of our own history escape your memory, or are you simplychoosingto be ignorant?” When Navin doesn’t answer beyond a simple shake of his head, I bite down on the side of my cheek until I taste blood.
My hatred of the sirens goes beyond the fact that their actions led to the deaths of Shah and Navin’s parents. The continental war they started set off a chain of events that led to my father believing that my very existence was proof that the gods were angry with him. For a century, I have been forced to live cognizant of the fact that my own father believes me to be a fucking punishment from the gods. As dragon bonds begin to fail, that only solidifies that belief to be true. It’s made the king and brethren that work closely with him desperate.
Desperate males have only ever cared about two things: power and doing whatever it takes to maintain it.
“You need someone to talk to,” Navin says finally as Lan begins to slow his speed down. “And since you refuse to talk to me, then I just thought—”
“I appreciate the concern, but this kingdom will freeze over before Ieverconfide in a siren.”
Chapter Eighteen: Nox
Screamsechoaroundmeas the sensation of falling tugs on my stomach harshly. Despite a phantom wind tousling my hair, I feel weightless—like I’m floating on water. My chest aches with a hollowness I can’t define, and I don’t think I’m breathing, unsure my heart is even beating, as the space that houses my normally writhing power sits empty. Unused. Desolate in a way I haven’t felt in a long time.
A sharp awareness drags over my spine, stiffening it vertebrae by vertebrae as my consciousness tries to narrow in on where I am. Minutes or hours, perhaps even days, pass, and I still continue on in the same manner. My mind wanders to something that might ground me, might pull me out of this terrible existence, and I inevitably land on the image of Rhea. I picture her honey-blonde hair and the way it rests down her back. I feel the warmth of her body against mine, how we fit together so seamlessly. Our connection is one that was formed the day I walked into her tower for the first time, and since then, there has been a constant tether between us.
Except for now.
Threads, golden and blazing brightly as they flutter in the space around me, draw my attention. I know where they lead—where theyshouldlead—yet when I try to tug on them, they don’t bring her to me.
A voice sounds in the distance, light and silvery, comparable to the soft chiming of bells. I pull again on those threads, watching with growing horror as their light begins to flicker. Shadows move in from all sides, smothering them until they go out completely, and I’m left alone, once more plunging through darkness.
Nothing but an empty vessel without the presence of her.
Stillness. There is a heavy stillness around me, one made more obvious by the way it pushes on my chest. My heart beats rhythmically behind my ribs, the sound of blood rushing in my ears intensifying the pain throbbing between them.
“How is hehere?” The question is asked by a soft voice.
“It should be fairly obvious,” someone else answers, his words melodic and deep—laden with power that somehow rattles my bones. The woman growls, and he laughs. “Where she is filled with the sun and moon, he carries the stars. But it is all made of the same energy. All of the same cosmic origin.”
“What the fuck.”
It isn’t until an uncomfortable silence lingers, feeling as if the eyes of thousands are upon me, that I realize I spoke the words aloud. The male chuckles, and I pry my eyes open. The sky above me is filled with a smattering of bright stars, their silver light flaring. It isn’t just stars but swirls of otherthingsthat dot the sky in colors of purple, green, blue, and red.
