Somehow sensing my hesitation, Grace asks, “Do you mind if I take over?”
I quickly nod and let Dean pull me into his side, his arm wrapping around me.
It’s better this way. Tiberius suppressed the siren powers I was meant to grow into until I lost them completely because of him, so Grace knows more about my kind than I do.
The bookkeeper gets comfortable on Harvey’s lap and pulls out her enchanted book. Her eyes close as the book organizes her thoughts, and I watch in awe as words appear on the pages, glittering like liquid gold across smooth white parchment.
“Merfolk are the predators of the sea. All their gifts are designed to lure prey without any struggle.” Grace glances at me, checking to see if I’m okay before continuing. “Let’s start with Astral projecting or dream walking, since that’s what he’s using to hurt Hazel. It’s a rare gift that takes a toll on the host’s Divine. Hazel told me Tiberius feeds on the Divines of his own people to strengthen his own, so I’m not surprised he was able to breach our realm even through protective barriers.”
“What do you mean he feeds on others’ Divine?” Seiji’s face turns green, and when he gags, I’m glad I’m nowhere near his puking radius.
“Right? The man just got a whole lot creepier.” Nevaeh cringes with her whole body, and I can’t help but laugh.
Grace grabs a few grapes from the bowl Harvey is holding. “Taking over someone’s mind when they have no control is the perfect way to plant false memories or safety markers so the prey comes to them without a chase.”
She turns to me. “I know it might not feel like it when you’re in there, but remember, he can’t kill you in a dream. He can only project half his body at a time. He can hurt just likeyoucan hurt him, but neither of you can kill each other.”
Until recently, I didn’t even know I could hurt him, and the reminder that he can’t kill me in there should feel reassuring. But there are still a hundred ways he can break me. He taught me there are worse things than dying.
Dean holds me closer, and I can tell he’s replaying the night he found me with strangle marks on my neck.
“Then there’s seduction. Their aura and charm pull you into their orbit, and once you’re hooked, it’s game over. Now, luring people with fulfilled love lives through lust isn’t always effective, so that’s where their ability to mimic voices comes into play. They don’t have to know anything about you or your loved ones,but to you, their voice will sound like someone you miss most, dead or alive.”
Harvey turns to me, the usual spark in his eyes when we’re talking about sirens gone. “I’m not that fond of your kind anymore.”
I don’t blame him. I’m not fond of them either.
Dean’s chest shakes with a laugh, the vibrations warming my back.
Neveah grabs my hand. “Good thing you’re one of us now.”
Her words settle somewhere deep, filling my heart… and my eyes.
Silence falls as everyone processes what Grace revealed.
“So… what’s next?” Seiji asks.
Everyone instinctively turns to Anxo.
“I just found out we’re going to war with the most mysterious kingdom not even a minute ago, and you expect me to already have a plan?”And then breaks out into a wide smile. “I’ve got several, actually.”
He pushes off his seat, rushes to his office, and returns with a stack of files. He slams the largest one on the table. “The Gifted Mastermind and His Book of Tricks” is written across the cover in bold capital letters.
I raise my brow at him at the name, and he grins wider.
As Anxo flips through his file, searching for the perfect plan, Harvey opens a link to everyone except Anxo and Nevaeh.
“Let’s make sure Nevaeh is always around him until we’ve dealt with Tiberius.”
Dean’s head tilts in confusion.“Why?”
“The mastermind loses his fucking mind if she’s not around. I love the guy, but he’s useless without her.”
Dean looks to me for confirmation, and I tell him how Anxo did nothing but mope for two weeks straight after Nevaeh left the kingdom with August last year.
I didn’t think someone like him could unravel like that… until I saw it.
It’s been an hour since the “book of destruction” opened, and all we’ve done is argue about timelines and next steps.
