She didn’t like the sound of that. “Why not?”
“Because if people find out what you are, you and everyone you love could be in grave danger.”
“Well, it’s a little too late to keep it a secret. According to you, every Calbernan in Konumarr already knows. And so does Lily.”
“Tey,but my men would suffer the torments of Hel before betraying your secret. And I made sure Talin took care of Lily’s memories. She remembers the same story I gave your family—that I killed Lily’s father because he attacked you.”
Summer’s heart missed a beat, then started pounding furiously. She’d known Lily believed the story about Dilys killing her father, but she’d assumed that was because of the blow she’d taken to the head. “Talin‘took care’ of Lily’s memories?” Her voice had started to rise and get louder. He shushed her in alarm, and she lowered her voice back to a harsh whisper. “You mean he can manipulate minds, too? CanallCalbernans do that?”
“Nothing close to your degree, but yes.Susirenais one of our gifts from Numahao.”
A hand crept up to her throat. “All these weeks of courtship... have your men been using magic to win over our women? Haveyoubeen using it onme?”
“No!” The shock on his face seemed too genuine to be faked. “A Calbernan would never usesusirenato win aliana.Calbernan males dedicate their lives to being worthy of a woman’s love. Do you think we—any of us—would settle for some false pretense of it manufactured by magic?” His hands slashed the air. “The mere suggestion is an insult. Only a worthlesskrillolost beyond all shred of honor or redemption would take what must be given freely.”
“Yet you admit Talin used magic to alter Lily’s mind.”
“To erase the memory of a secret she should never have learned. To protect you—and her.” He drew in a deep breath and visibly calmed himself. “Gabriella, you must understand, what you are—what you can do—is a treasure beyond price. Evil men once slaughtered tens of thousands of my people and nearly drove us to extinction because they both feared the gift you possess and wanted its power for themselves. When they couldn’t get it, they stopped at nothing to destroy it. And they succeeded. They wiped Sirens from the face of Mystral for over two thousand years. You are the first born since the Slaughter, Gabriella. The first Siren to Sing in twenty-five hundred years.”
“What does that mean, exactly, to be a Siren?”
“It means that you possess the strongest magic in all Calberna. That, among other things, that you can kill with your Voice, as you killed thatkrillowho attacked you, and bend minds to your will. As you did when you erased my memories of our first kiss.”
His eyes were too intense. His words too disturbing. She looked away and gave a forced laugh. “Well, clearly, I’m no Siren then, since my efforts didn’t work.”
“As it happens, I have a measure of immunity against your power. Both because I am Calbernan, and because—though you insist on lying about wanting me—the Siren in you recognizes me as your mate.”
“It’s not a lie. Idon’twant you.”
He moved so quickly she barely had time to gasp before he lifted her off her feet, fused his mouth to hers, and kissed her until her brain melted. Then he set her back on her wobbly legs and said, “That was for the lie. And for future reference,myerina,wrapping your legs around a man and Commanding him to pleasure you is not an effective way to illustrate your lack of interest.”
Her face flamed. “I think your two minutes are up. Have a good day, Sealord Merimydion, but have it somewhere far away from me.”
“Little coward,” he said, but he held up his hands and stepped out of her way. “Fine. Run away again, if you must. But promise me you will keep everything we discuss aboutsusirenato yourself. There are people who would stop at nothing to get their hands on you.”
“Right now the only man who seems willing to stop at nothing to get his hands on me is you,” she snapped.
“Oh, I want much more than just my hands on you. I thought we’d already established that. The difference is, with me you would be safe, protected, and loved. I would devote my life to your happiness. The men I’m talking about would use you—and use any means necessary to control you—including hurting you and the ones you love. So, please, promise me you will say nothing, at least not until we are wed and back in Calberna where I can ensure your safety.”
“That’s easy enough. I wasn’t planning to say anything anyway, and since we will never wed”—she smiled sweetly—“I can honestly promise to take the secret of this so-called Siren power of mine to the grave.” She stuck her nose in the air, whirled on one heel and marched down the hall to join her sisters for breakfast.
Her haughty exit lost a little of its dramatic effect when his laughter rolled out in her wake.
“Challenge accepted,moa leia,” he called after her retreating back. “This is my solemn vow: before my time here in Wintercraig is up, you and I will be celebrating our forthcoming union. For now, enjoy your day. I will spend mine finding something besides flowers to tempt you with tomorrow.”
Chapter 13
Rebuffing a determined Calbernan intent on courtship was much easier said than done. Especially when that determined, intent Calbernan was Dilys Merimydion.
In addition to the deluge of intoxicatingly fragrant blooms delivered to her balcony each morning, dozens of little notes and romantic gifts found their way into her presence. There was no telling when or where the gift would come, as no place in Konumarr and no time of day seemed off limits to Dilys Merimydion’s campaign to win her over.
She’d go to pick a book from the library, and a card that read “Claim me as thine” would fall from the pages. She went to the garden to trim the roses and found a small, folded, perfumed note inside her gloves. The front of the folded note read, “Claim me as thine,” while the inside of the card had been inscribed with a verse from one of her favorite poems. She went for a walk through Konumarr’s shops, and a trio of charming children gathered on the street corner and began to sing as she drew near, their childish voices pure and crystal clear. Summer and everyone else who’d stopped to hear them sing clapped when they were done, but when Summer stepped forward to give the children a golden coin to thank them for their performance, each of them pressed a small card into her hand in return. Three more small cards, each bearing that now-familiar scrawl, “Claim me as thine.”
And every morning at breakfast, there was a beribboned box waiting for her on the cushion of her chair. One morning, the box held a bracelet of the brightest, most beautiful sapphires she’d ever seen—each surrounded by a ring of oval diamonds shaped like the petals of a daisy. She closed the bracelet back up in the box and handed it to a servant. “Please see that this is returned to Sealord Merimydion.”
The servant bowed and carried the exquisite gift away.
The next morning, another box awaited her when Summer came down to breakfast. This one contained a small golden pin shaped like a trident, symbol of House Merimydion. That, too, she returned. And on it went.
