Page 53 of A Siren of Beasts

Out the window, I could see a multitude of various monsters twisted by the madness that clearly lurked in their eyes. How had they found us? There’s no way it could have been just damn luck they stumbled upon us. Not only because both Grieth and Hisceas made sure to keep an eye on all the wards that covered the castle, but because monsters of differing species didn’t gather like that. Could the wizard have something to do with this?

“What are we going to do?” she whispered, her hands gripping my fur so tightly it almost stung. “There’s no way we can fight against that many monsters, we’ll be killed for sure.”

“Zia, none of us are weaklings when it comes to the power department. We’re at the top of the packing order and can more than easily handle these mindless beings,” I reminded her. “What we need to do is keep you safe and out of their hands.”

Hisceas looked at me and it was as if he knew exactly what I was thinking regarding the wizard.

“I felt this power coming towards us the day I met the wizard. At that time, I wasn’t concerned because I knew the signature, it was someone I’d known long ago. It would seem that it was a mistake not to treat it with more concern. I’d honestly thought it was one of your soul mates answering your call,” Hisceas admitted, concern written all over his face. “Now he’s brought an army of monsters with him to overwhelm us as he tries to get to you.”

Zia released her hold on me and stepped to the side to see the guardian better. “Wait, you knew something was coming for me and you didn’t say anything? Why would you do that?”

“Little Siren, I’m aware of the mistakes I made and the consequences are now far worse than I could have imagined. That being said, placing the blame on me isn’t going to help us deal with the problem we have now,” Hisceas stated, not at all shying away from his mistake but also pointing out we’d have to deal with that part later.

Zia scowled at him but gave a curt nod. “Fine, we’ll talk about this later. What master plan do we have to deal with all this?” she asked, waving her hand out towards the growing number of monsters.

“We fight,” Moreth answered as he appeared in the sitting room. “Those monsters are lost to madness, there’s no saving them. They were never strong enough to fight off the pull when it first arrived in our lands. Now they are just mindless animals searching for their next prey.”

She turned to look at us with a stricken expression as if she hoped we would give her a different answer.

“I’m sorry, my sweet mate, but he’s right. Those monsters have hardly any magic to protect them and now it’s been sapped from them, leaving behind a rabid husk of a monster,” I agreed, reaching out to cup her cheek. “Putting them out of their misery will be a blessing for them.”

I felt her jaw clench in determination as she came to a conclusion about something. Spinning on her heel she marched out of the room and I let her go, assuming she was going to get clothes since I shredded the dress she was wearing. Instead to my horror, the front doors were yanked open and she exited the castle and the wards keeping her safe. My heart skipped a beat as panic had me leaping out the window of the sitting room and into the forest teaming with monsters. This mate of mine was going to be in so much trouble when I got my hands on her.

twenty-four

Rage, determination, and pity swirled in me as I came to the decision I wasn’t going to let my mates kill all these monsters. The whole purpose of me existing in this time and place was to expel the madness from the lands. What good would that do if there were no monsters left in the forest to rescue? There had to be hundreds of them surrounding the castle, the most I’d ever seen at one time.

Once I’d exited the castle, not giving a fuck that I wasn’t wearing anything as the moon’s light caressed my skin, I soaked in all that I could, knowing the moon gave me power and charged my magic to a whole new level. I called out to my magic, begging it to help me save these monsters that my mother had given her life to protect. It rushed to my plea, flooding my body with simmering power that was just waiting for my orders. If nothing else, I knew I had its support in this mission as I planted my feet in the middle of the clearing.

Another roar so deep that it echoed in my chest tore through the air. None of the other monsters moved, almost as if they were waiting for this other creature to arrive. The trees rustled and many fell as whatever hulking monster made his way into the clearing. The gleam of a silver blade was the first thing I saw as it sliced through the massive ancient trees with one powerful swing. With the trees falling to the ground, shaking the earth at their death, I came face to face with a truly terrifying monster.

He was shrouded in mist, eyes glowing a bright green that pierced the shroud that wafted around him. Massive curved horns that reminded me of ones you’d see on a bull, curved out from his skull. The only other feature I could see was the rows of razor sharp jagged teeth when he leaned forward and roared right in my face. The deafening sound and the power behind it would have easily knocked me on my ass if I was human. The only reason it didn’t was because I was a more powerful monster than he was. My magic had created a shield around me and the monster’s attack just swept right past me like it wasn’t even happening.

“ZIA,” Rhun snarled as he crouched low, claws in the dirt, ready to attack if needed.

I spared him a glance and I could see the possessive rage on his face. He didn’t like that I was out here putting myself in danger—well tough. If his solution was going to be killing all these monsters in the belief there was no hope, then he didn’t need to be a part of this. Thunderous steps told me Hisceas had joined us and at his full height. His feet landed near me as if he was going to cage me in, but he didn’t. It was comforting to know he was here with me trusting I knew what I was doing.

“What’s the plan, Song Bird?” Moreth asked as he approached with a swagger that told me he was thrilled with the violence that was about to go down. Or so he thought.

The mist-covered monster snarled at the arrival of my mates, then swung his axe. He took out anything in front of him, including the monsters that had followed him here. There was screaming, hissing, growling, and another roar of pure malice that erupted around me. Hisceas reached out and grabbed the axe, stopping it before it could come hurtling down on me. The smaller monsters started to attack as if they’d been waiting for the signal. Moreth didn’t hesitate as he whipped out twisted vines snatching monsters away when they got too close and tossing them back in the forest. Those who were strong enough to fight back he tore apart with the thorns that appeared on his weapons. Rhun fought back as well, but he wasn’t wasting his time being nice. His fur flickered with flames as he battled, keeping anything and everything away from me.

“Little Siren, if you have some plan in mind I suggest doing it before something worse happens and we’re forced to kill them all,” Hisceas thundered, strain in his voice as he fought against the other massive monster trying to wrestle the axe out of his hands.

Closing my eyes, I recalled everything my mates had said about interacting with me. How I’d managed to bring them out of the madness, wake them from slumber, and clear their minds, recharging the powers that had been drained away by the madness. There was no way I could touch all of these monsters, nor did I want to. Yet there was something I knew would influence them and why I hadn’t realized it sooner I’ll never know.

Taking a deep breath, I called on my magic weaving my intention and started to sing.

Feral beast, lay aside your weapons and might,

No longer may you glory in your pride;

Take leave of all your carnal delight,

I’ve come to summon you away this night!

Do you not know me? Well! I tell thee, then,

It’s I that conquers all the monsters and beasts!