“I need your siren powers…”
“The most powerful and only existing sea-dragon… askingmefor help? Truly, this is a day for the history books.” Sparrow smirked, pressing a hand over his heart in a theatrical kind of way.
I didn’t respond to his provocation. I just stared at him until his smile sharpened.
“It’s not because I want to,” I bit out. “I have no choice. You canget secrets from others. For me, I’d need to reveal myself in the dragon form to do that, and you know I can’t.”
His amusement faded as he pushed himself off the wall. His posture shifted, and suddenly he became more serious. He must have sensed the urgency.
“And whose secrets are we trying to find out?” he asked, his tone lower now, seriousness rising from beneath all the teasing.
“Seth,” I said. “Your sister’s mate. The commander of Vad.”
Sparrow stilled completely, all traces of his previous humor vanishing from his face completely.
“He regularly visits Marabour. I need to know if there is a place… somewhere where even my own magic can’t sense people and emotions. Somewhere hidden.”
Sparrow narrowed his eyes, the weight of his power swirling just beneath his skin.
“And who exactly are we trying to find, Damien?” His voice was dangerously soft, almost deadly. It must have been the connection to my sea-dragon making him act on his siren-powers, but I hated how he tried to play with me.
“Malakai, my brother.”
There was a beat of silence between us.
“Shit,” he said, raking a hand through his long hair. “You’re asking me to betray my sister’s mate?”
“I’m asking you to help mesavemy brother,” I corrected, my voice harsh. There was no way I’d allow him to saynoto this. But I still wanted to ask him, to make him believe I was giving him a choice.
Sparrow chuckled darkly, but there was no real humor there.
“Fuck Damien,” he said, shaking his head. “You don’t make things easy, right?” He paced a slow circle around me, his siren magic humming faintly in the air.
“You know,” Sparrow said, grinning again, but this time it was sharper, more dangerous, “I always thought it would be mybrother who’d have you begging me for something… And now here you are,” he whispered with a teasing tone. “On your knees, without even realizing it.”
He was trying to provoke me; it was pure enjoyment for him that I was asking for help.
“For family, yes. I know you’d do the same… we’d crawl for the onesbondedto us.”
My eyes wandered over to Nathaniel standing there, and I knew as much as Sparrow tried to use his siren powers to intimidate me, he’d do anything for Nathaniel and his siblings, just as I would.
“You’re right,” he muttered. “I guess I can talk to him.”
Relief washed over me, too heavy to show on my face. I nodded once and turned, ready to leave the room.
“Hey, Damien,” Sparrow called after me, his voice more serious.
I paused, not glancing back over my shoulder.
“Yes?”
“There are things… secrets… evenyoudon’t want to know. Once you unravel them, there is no going back.” He was warning me of the truth, of the things that might come out.
But it didn’t matter what would come… I’d risk it all for the ones I love. Especially if it meant our bond is whole, and so is Gwendolyn.
Chapter 21
The entire day, Xavier treated me like I was the most precious thing he had ever touched. He pampered me with his kisses, his laughter. Sometimes it felt too good to be true. Was this man the reason I suffered so much childhood trauma? Was he the gift to make up for what I’d been through? Because feeling his skin against mine felt like agift. I didn’t grow up pretty religious—despite my mother visiting the church with me regularly—but being surrounded by his presence was tempting, the kind of temptation gods would betray heaven for. He ruined the concept of beauty everywhere he went. He was not only the most breathtaking creature I’ve ever seen, nothing felt ever more like worship than being near him.
