Page 31 of A Siren of Beasts

My body shook with anger, shame, and embarrassment for being scolded in such a manner. Part of me wanted to rebel against his order, I’d been the perfect slave for far too long and that was not how I was going to continue my life. Yet when Hisceas gave a warning growl into my ear I flicked my wrist, releasing the magic and calling it back to me. He gave a pleased grunt and released my arms but kept his hold on my throat, a gentle reminder that I needed to behave.

The others got to their feet and seemed uncertain about what to do with themselves, but I wasn’t the one who was going to break the silence. They’d started all this and I wanted an explanation as to what the fuck happened, so I crossed my arms and waited.

“Shiny,” Imp stared, scratching the back of his head. “You’re… okay?”

“Is that a question or stating a fact?” I countered.

Imp stood up straighter and his feathers snapped tightly against him like a shield. “Shiny, you’re upset with us.”

That time I knew it was a statement.

“Why is Shiny mad? The twig hurt you and I’m defending you as a good mate should. There is no reason for you to be mad,” Imp reasoned.

Rhun turned his head and spat blood on the ground before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “She’s pissed because she doesn’t want us to fight.”

Imp’s beak fell open at this statement. “No, that can’t be it.” Then he turned to face me. “That’s not it right, Shiny, tell the mongrel he’s wrong and has to sleep outside.”

“Why do you believe that Moreth hurt me?” I questioned. “Clearly you can see that I’m not hurt, which is more than I can say for the three of you.”

Imp took a slight step back and glanced at Rhun. “There might be a chance, the slightest chance, you might be right.”

“Answer my question, Imp,” I snapped.

His feathers puffed out around him as he slightly lowered his head, regarding me for a moment. “I don’t think I like angry Shiny. It might be worse than crying Shiny, which I also dislike enormously. Also, I don’t want to answer your question, I feel like it will make you more mad. Angry Shiny is not good. I will go find something to make Shiny happy again.” Instantly, he turned into his raven form and flew off with a caw and a dusting of feathers.

“Fucking coward,” Moreth muttered with a huff. “Can’t even face his own soul mate when he’s gotten himself in trouble.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so quick to point out others’ faults when you are equally to blame for this,” I pointed out.

Moreth narrowed his eyes at me. “What exactly do you mean by that? Was I supposed to roll over and let them kill me for something I didn’t do? I was dragged into the memory trap just like you and Milin were. Do you know what it felt like to get split from him so the dead queen could lecture me? She also has the inability to just spit things out and tell you what she wants. Instead, I’ve got a head full of riddles rattling about. Milin understands that shit better than I do so why didn’t she just leave me out of it?”

Water blasted into Moreth’s face, making the grumpy ent splutter unable to defend himself with his arms bound with seaweed.

“I will not let you speak of the queen and Kezia’s mother that way,” Hisceas growled, explaining where the water came from.

The dripping monster shook the water off his face to glare at the guardian. “You’re fucking lucky I’m tied up at the moment and you’re using Song Bird as a shield, you craggy old squid.”

This time Hisceas didn’t bother with just blasting Moreth in the face. Instead, he created a bubble full of water encapsulating the ent and floated him just off the ground. Moreth was screaming something but all I saw were bubbles as he thrashed around trying to get out.

“He won’t drown, will he?” I asked.

“No, he’s a tree so he’ll be able to absorb the water enough to pop the bubble. Until then he should enjoy it, he looked a little brittle, this should help soften him up,” Hisceas said, his tone dry with a hint of irritation.

Rhun snorted and a puff of smoke shot out of his nose adding to the sentiment. “That twisted ball of bark is as gloomy as they come, I don’t think anything will make him happy.”

“Seems to be a theme with you monsters,” I quipped. “Always ready to kill each other over the smallest things.”

“Zia, when it comes to you there is no question of small or big things,” Rhun announced, walking up to me and tracing a claw along my jaw. “Anything that might cause you harm, make you sad, or upset you in any way should be removed from existence.”

Cocking my head, I looked at him wondering if he realized what he’s just said and considered his situation. He matched my head tilt and leaned forward as his grin grew. “Sorry, my lovely mate, but that rule doesn’t apply to me or any of your other soul mates. Those the gods have picked for you are a perfect match to meet your needs.”

“Then leave Moreth and Milin alone,” I shot back with a smirk. Rhun sobered, and Hisceas tensed behind me at that.

“He said he wasn’t, I was there,” Rhun argued as his gaze bounced from me to the bobbing tree that was now upside down and looked even more furious—if that was possible.

“Well, I would have shared with you what happened and what my apparent mother told me during my time trapped in a memory. Trouble is, you and Imp decided to beat the hell out of each other before knowing if there was something to warrant it. How will this ever work with all of you being my soul mates if you keep trying to kill each other?” I questioned.

There was a pop followed by a litany of curses in another language that signaled Moreth freeing himself. “You ever do that again, I don’t care what you’re the guardian of, I’ll kill you,” Moreth seethed.