In front of us, near the feet of the dais, a siren woman pulled a small golden scarf out of her pants pocket. She decided to wear a corset too, with skintight leggings that fell to her ankles. A skirt with dramatic slits cut up the sides of her legs, creating two panels of fabric in front and behind her.
With her black hair secured out of her way in a braid down her back, she tied the gold scarf around her eyes. It complemented her dark brown skin beautifully.
I tilted my head at her.
She glanced around, and I never would have been able to guess that she couldn’t see with the blindfold on, because she started to navigate herself through the crowd with ease. Avoiding bumping into people by anticipating their location ahead. Resting her hand on their shoulder as she searched for…something.
“Her mate,” Drustan murmured to my side.
“Hmm?” I glanced at Ilia, wondering if he was going to scold his son for talking, but then I heard a low hum throughout the crowd. The sirens were starting to speak in low, whispered conversations.
“She’s looking for her mate. They all are,” the siren prince elaborated. I scanned the room, seeing a handful of other men and women starting to secure golden blindfolds over their eyes as well.
“How?” Audrey asked from my other side.
Part of me was low-key happy that she was talking to Drustan without any animosity, but it was also confusing. He was the enemy, as far as I could tell. But the fact that Audrey was being amicable toward him made me confirm that my “play nice” approach was probably the best one.
“By dulling one sense.” Drustan sighed, keeping his hands secured behind his lower back. “We can better search for the sounds of our mate.” I raised my eyebrows at that.
Interesting.
Fae could feel their mates’ heartbeats.
Nereids could feel their mates’ waves in the water.
Sirens couldheartheir mate.
It was all so…poetic.
“Your bonds are discovered through sound?” I asked.
“But…” I glanced to the side to see Audrey biting her lip in hesitation before continuing with her question, “What does that mean for deaf sirens?”
Drustan gave my friend an unimpressed look. “What do you mean?”
“If sirens find their mates through sound, what happens if you can’t hear?” Audrey clarified. Her eyes were wide with curiosity as she studied the crowd in front of us. Drustan rolled his eyes and faced forward, apparently done conversing with my friend.
Dick, I scolded him in my head—just in case he was lingering in there. Based on the way his hands flexed behind his back, I assumed he was.
“Sound isn’t just noise,” I murmured to Audrey. “Sound has waves. Vibrations.” I drummed my finger on the side of my ottoman, demonstrating for her. Drustan glanced down at my hand as I theorized with her, but I ignored him. “I’m assuming thathearingisn’t exactly all of it. Just like how Fergus’s people can intimatelyfeelthe waves their mate makes in the water, andhow the fae canfeeltheir mate’s heartbeat, I’m assuming sirens can alsofeelthe vibrations their mate makes through their surroundings.”
“Oh.” Audrey nodded but looked a little bewildered at the idea. “That makes more sense.”
Drustan continued to stare down at us, so I looked up at him to ask, “Does that mean the sound doesn’t necessarily have to come from a siren’s body or voice?” I nodded toward the musicians in the small orchestra. “Theoretically, anyone playing an instrument over there would be creating sound. That would mean that any step they take, any noise they produce.” I drummed my fingertips on my ottoman again, and his golden eyes tracked the movement. “Any of that can produce vibrations sensitive enough for their mate to locate, right?”
Drustan’s lips parted, and a divot formed in his brow as he studied me.
“The human is sharp, I’ll give her that,” Ilia spoke, leaning back in his throne as he gave me a dismissive side glance, before focusing back on the ritual. His son didn’t utter another word; he pressed his lips together and faced forward again.
You’re no fun, I taunted him in my thoughts.
A dark-haired siren woman dressed in a simple shirt and linen pants approached the dais, holding a tray of drinks. Behind her, the blond siren guard who attacked me on my boat held another.
I couldn’t stop the frown that pulled at my lips, so I just let it happen.
I didn’t need to put on a show forthisguy. I could make my disdain for him clear. What was he going to do to me here, with his king sitting amicably nearby?
“Your majesty,” the man said.
