“I love your smile,” he murmurs, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip before he turns me back to face the room.
Six pairs of eyes stare at me like they’re waiting for blood to spill.
“Did he just kiss her?” Grace whispers.
“That’s not possible. She would’ve killed him for that.” Nevaeh shakes her head, eyes nearly popping out of her head.
“She… she spared his life.” Harvey sounds genuinely shaken.
“For kissing her?” Nevaeh stares at me, lips pressed tight. “Don’t worry, Sharky, I’ve already linked the healer. Whatever’s wrong with your head—other than the usual—we’ll fix it.”
I roll my eyes, which is basically my default setting around these people.
This is all happening because Dean couldn’t control himself.
I link him, a glare fixed on him.“You’re going to pay for this.”
“Can’t wait, hellfire.”
21. I may have killed a guy
Hazel
Nevaeh leans forward, her fingers playing with the rings she stole from Anxo when he wasn’t paying attention. “So, Hazel…. I was thinking it would be good to know what we’re up against. You know, for safety reasons.” She sneaks a glance at me, pretending to be nonchalant, but she’s not fooling anyone.
“That’s a very good idea, Nevaeh. Very smart.” Harvey nods like a bobblehead.
Lucifer, they’re so transparent.
These two have been after me like bloodhounds since they found out I was a siren. They never miss a chance to pry information out of me, but so far, I’ve refused to entertain their curiosity.
If they had asked me two days ago, I would’ve refused. But things have changed in the last twenty-four hours. Before, all I could think about was protecting my secrets, because once they knew everything about my kind, they’d figure out exactly how broken I am.
But I can’t protect myself if it means putting them in danger. If cutting myself open one last time lets me heal better than I did before, then I have to fight through the hesitance and take that chance.
“You’re right. I think it’s time you knew more about sirens.”
Nevaeh squeals, but Harvey quickly covers her mouth with his paw and hisses, “What the fuck are you doing? Be cool.”
Anxo looks at me with a sheepish smile, his eyes apologizing for his nosy mate.
Before I can gather the courage to say anything, Seiji straightens and forms a massive cloud over our heads, the air cooling instantly.
When I turn to him, confused, he just shrugs.
“What? I’m creating an Aesthetic.”
The dark clouds above me thunder, the rumble vibrating through me.
I have to say this is quite fitting for the conversation we’re about to have.
“Let’s start with something simple.” Anxo nods at me, trying to ease the tension. “What’s Tiberius’ last name?”
“He doesn’t have one.” Nevaeh sniffs, already disgusted since I’ve told her this before. “He thinks he’s a god and gods don’t have surnames. I’m sure there’s a record somewhere… unless he destroyed it.”
An uncomfortable silence follows, and I watch as they slowly realize just how unhinged the King of Eldoris truly is. And this is just the surface.
Words refuse to form. When I try to swallow, my throat burns.
