I whirl around to face the Siren asshole, my eyes blazing with a fury that could burn a forest. "What the hell did you do to him, you overgrown fish stick?" I snarl, my hands curling into fists at my sides.
But the Siren only smirks, his tail flicking lazily behind him like a cat toying with a mouse. "Thank you, Triton," Calypso purrs, her voice honeyed like the sweetest nectar. "Your services have been most appreciated, indeed."
Appreciated? Appreciated?!
She's acting like he just brought her a fucking fruit basket, not the lifeless body of my friend. I want to scream, to lash out, to tear this whole fucking palace apart with my bare hands.
But I can't. Because right now, the only thing that matters is Lucian. I turn back to him, "Lucian, you asshole," I whisper, my voice cracking like glass. "Don't you dare fucking die on me."
I start compressions, my hands shaking as I try to force life back into his lungs.
One, two, three, four, five.Breathe, you stubborn son of a bitch.
One, two, three, four, five.Come on, Lucian.
"Come on, you jerk," I mutter, my voice thick with unshed tears. "Don't die on me. Not like this. Not here."
But he remains still, his skin growing colder by the second. Tears blur my vision, hot and stinging as they roll down my cheeks. This can't be happening. This can't be real.
I feel a hand on my shoulder, cold and clammy like the touch of a corpse. I look up to see Calypso looming over me, her dark eyes glittering with a hunger that makes my skin crawl.
"Don't fret, my dear," her voice smooth like honey laced with poison. "He isn't dead. Notyet, anyway."
Just then, Lucian sputters and coughs, spewing out a veritable tsunami of seawater. I quickly roll him onto his side as he continues to hurl up what seems like the entire freakin ocean, rubbing his back in soothing circles and making shushing noises that probably do nothing at all to help.
"Oh, thank God," I mutter, relief washing over me like a tidal wave. I mean, I know it takes a lot to kill a vampire, but I'm still learning the ropes here. For all I know, these Sirens could have some secret vampire kryptonite up their scaly sleeves.
"Ughhh—" Lucian groans, his voice rough and raspy like he's been gargling with sandpaper. "What in the ever-lovingfuckjust happened?" He pushes himself up onto his hands and knees, retching up another gallon of seawater that splashes onto the floor in a truly disgusting display.
"Thanks for drowning me, you asshole." Lucian sputters and coughs.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what went down. Lucian, being the noble fucking idiot that he is, must've dived in after me when I took my little unplanned swim. And like the poor, unsuspecting bastard he is, got snatched up by one of Calypso's goons, just like yours truly.
I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves and keep my breakfast from making a surprise reappearance. I push myself to my feet, my legs shaking.
My hands flame on as I meet Calypso's gaze, my eyes blazing with a defiance that borders on suicidal. "Alright, you overgrown tuna," I snarl. "What's your angle here? Why the hell did you drag us down here?"
Before I can blink, Calypso waves her hand, and a smoky cloud envelops my hands, snuffing out the flames like a candle in the wind. I stand there, stunned, my mouth hanging open.
"Not needed, little goddess."
My stomach plunges, my heart hammering like a jackhammer in my chest. Then I see it—a seashell necklace with a black stone embedded in it.
The Soul Stone.I knew it, I freakin' knew it!
Calypso's smile widens, her teeth glinting like pearls in the dim light. "Oh, my sweet little pawn, do you have no idea what storm you've stumbled into? But fret not. You'll learn soon enough."
She pauses momentarily, letting her words sink like a stone in my gut. "For now, let’s just say that you two will be my honored guests for a spell. And if you cooperate, do as I ask, and fetch what I need, you'll be on your merry way."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lucian says, holding his hands like he's trying to stop traffic. "Let me get this straight. You yank us out of our regularly scheduled lives, drag us down to your little underwater Barbie Dream House, and then expect us to run errands for you like a couple of well-trained poodles? Yeah, that's gonna be a hard pass from me."
I shoot him a look, silently begging him to shut his damn mouth before he gets us both turned into fish food. But Lucian, being the lovable dumbass that he is, grins at me like he's having the time of his life.
"What?" he asks, with enough mock innocence to choke a nun. "I'm just saying what we're all thinking. I mean, come on. Look at this place. It's like a cross between Aquaman's secret lair and a Bond villain's wet dream. I keep waiting for the sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads to show up."
"Lucian," I warn, my voice low and deadly, like the calm before the shitstorm. "I swear to every god in every realm, if you don't shut your damn mouth, I will personally feed you to the nearest Kraken, piece by piece."
"Promises, promises," he smirks. "Keep talking dirty to me."
