We just need five creatures, and we’re free. She can go to Nightmare while we deal with Deux, and then we can retrieve her. It will work out. I’ve thought it over again and again. It has to work.
“What is this creature you want taken care of?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been up there to have a look. To be honest, I’ve been chasing up leads of possible omegas introuble.” He grunts, and for the first time, looks really tired. “There are so many out there needing help, Canto. So many.”
“What do you do with them when you find them?”
“If they are capable and useful, I see if there’s a good fit of alpha that can work with them. If there’s not, I help them get a new life or safety, and we educate them on their omega nature.”
“What’s a good fit?”
“Well, I recently found an omega whose profession is as a contract lawyer. I also had three alphas who recently came across who are deep into contracts, it was what they lived for. I have paired them up, and they are now blissfully happy, making leak-proof contracts people and other worlders can’t escape from.”
The bitterness in his voice has me holding tight to the laugh that wants to escape.
“Did she get you?”
“Oh, yeah. Mercenary little omega,” he growls. “There’s another omega who is a firefighter. Turns out a nymph and a dryad are here, and they like putting out fires. It’s a dream team.”
“What makes us such a good match?” I ask without meaning to.
“Sometimes it’s not about what you do; sometimes it’s about who you are.”
He looks out at the ocean and smiles gently. I’ve never smiled like that, as if I were truly content with my lot. I envy him.
“When I met Hartley, he needed something to believe in, to give his heart to. He was tired, and I needed someone who was loyal and good, someone who believed. I think of our souls as jigsaw pieces, and we just fit together.”
Diablos’ black hair whips around his face.
“I think Mei is the same as you. She’s lived a hard life, with no fault of her own, but she’s a survivor; she’s strong. You areall protectors. When I look at you together, I see a whole jigsaw puzzle.”
I shake my head, denying it, but I can’t speak the words I know are false.
“It’s impossible,” I whisper. “It can’t be.”
“Yeah, it always seems that way, and then you remember that it’s not. And suddenly, five asshole Sirens are there, saving the world because this strange girl who should have died has just become something that is a myth. And sometimes, the impossible is not just possible but probable. Mei can be your impossible. It’s okay for dreams and plans to change.”
“I’ll think about it,” I murmur.
“Good. Now, there’s a forest, deep in the middle of this mountain area. It's not got a lot of people or visitors, but something has gone wrong.”
Diablos pulls out a map and pinpoints the area.
“The humans are saying something monstrous has moved in, and the gossip is spreading.”
“Okay, we’ll go now.”
“Thank you, Canto.”
He pauses, glancing at me, his hair whipping up in the wind.
“What was your name before?”
I stare at him.
“Before is dead, Canto is who I choose to be. The name I was born with will never be uttered again.”
Diablos notes the distinction and dips his chin in understanding. “Happy and safe hunting, Siren.”
