“That’s funny.” I gave him an unimpressed look. “Because I’m surprised to know about this realm at all.”
I locked eyes with him.
It washisfault I was here. If he hadn’t sent his men to kidnap me that night, Audrey wouldn’t have had to intervene. I would have never met Liam. I would have never discovered her magical powers. I would not be slowly dipping my feet into this otherworldly culture.
If Ilia was upset that a human was traipsing around Hyvenmere, he needed to look in the mirror, for exposing his realm to me in the first place. Ilia gave me a narrow-eyed look, clearly not liking the confrontation I was giving him.
Perhaps I needed to back off, so I adjusted my uncomfortable seat on this cushion and added, “I’m grateful to learn what I can, though.” The fine lines around his eyes relaxed at that, and he settled back in his seat.
“Do you know why we like to, as you said, keep to ourselves?” Ilia asked, staring at the staff setting up the room for the ritualthat may or may not be an orgy. I could feel Audrey listening intently to our conversation, and even though I didn’t know much about things in this realm, I figured now was my time to get Ilia yapping. In the corner of my eye, I noticed Caelena grasp Liam’s hand and pull him to a standing position, before leading him through a door near the back of the dais.
Leaving Audrey and me with King Ilia.
“I do not,” I replied. Cordial. Pliant.
“Sirens are safer together.” Ilia lifted an ankle to rest on his opposite knee as he spoke, the posture of an underwhelming man about to weaponize a woman’s silence so he had an excuse to hear his own voice. “Our magic is more connected between our people, unlike other creatures, such as the fae, for example. Sirens rely on each other to truly thrive.” He turned his head toward us, rubbing his white beard in thought. “The larger the number of sirens that are together in proximity, the stronger our magic and, therefore, our people, are.”
This was interesting.
I didn’t love the fact that he was offering me this information freely, because why would he feel so comfortable doing so? Unless he wasn’t intending for us to leave with it.
“Strength in numbers, and all that,” I added, not wanting to add my opinion one way or the other.
“Precisely.” Ilia smiled at me, showing off the fine wrinkles in his cheeks and eyes. Though his smile looked more like a threat than anything, “But there is a condition, as the Goddess Tynara demands of all things.”
I nodded, pretending to be fully aware of all things goddess in Hyvenmere.
“The goddess who used to live in the Fjellenheim Mountains,” I added.
“The goddess of nature, balance, justice, and prosperity,” Ilia continued. “This is why the siren’s main settlement is the closestto the Fjellenheim Mountains. To protect Tynara’s home from those who seek to bring imbalance and pain to Hyvenmere. The siren who sits on this very throne…” He tapped his knuckles on the arm of it. “…is also considered the guardian of the Fjellenheim Mountains. The last known spot she resided before she considered Hyvenmerians mature enough to look after this continent ourselves. Before shetrustedus enough to look after the continent. However, the siren on the throne is only as strong as his people allow him to be.”
I nodded in thought, absorbing his words.
As flowery as his story was, all I seemed to take from it was that as long as Ilia’s people stayed close to him in the city of Lydhavn, then he would be considered strong enough to guard his people and the mountains.
Or, if he was simply a bad person like I suspected, strong enough to be a threat to other territories.
Which was probably difficult to do when the women of your territory were being hunted down.
“It sounds like an honor to be in that position,” I said.
Ilia slid his gold, suspicious eyes over to me. Clearly, I hadn’t quite won him over, yet.
“It is.” Ilia nodded once with his agreement. “Do you understand then, why I would be hesitant to allow your kind to roam so freely in our realm?”
“I do,” I agreed. Ilia hadn’t been expecting that answer. He narrowed his eyes at me.
“You understand why I’m cautious of humans likeyou.” Ilia’s words dripped with derision as he gave me a once-over. “Coming into my realm, into my city, making yourself at home during one of our most sacred rituals of the season, whereas the number of missing females and children in my territory only seems to rise.”
My face fell from his words.Where were they? What was happening to them?
“I understand your concern.” I tried to lace as much sympathy in my voice as I could, but Ilia—based on his own expression—wasn’t buying it. “I don’t want to be rude, but I can leave right now if you’d feel safer.”
That, unfortunately, was the wrong thing to say.
I only realized it a moment too late.
“I do not feelunsafeby your presence, human.” Ilia’s lip curled with his words. “Do not be ridiculous.” Right. Insinuating he felt unsafe probably made him feel weak. Pathetic. Because not only was I a human, but I was a humanfemale,as he would refer to me.
