Page 57 of A Siren of Beasts

“You better answer anything she asks or I’m going to see just how far I can get turning you into ground beef,” he threatened, then spun on his heel to collect Kezia and put her to bed.

Fuck, if they hated me this much just wait until they hear the whole story. My only hope was that Kezia wouldn’t reject me after she had all the answers she needed. It would destroy me worse than any curse if my own mate tossed me aside… again.

twenty-six

The feeling of burning up woke me, even though I still felt so tired. Imp was curled around my back as Rhun’s wolf body lay across my legs, his large head resting on my thigh. Hisceas lay on his back next to me, his hand and tentacles held mine tightly to his chest. Being surrounded by them, and Rhun’s high body temperature, explained why I felt like I was sweltering. I wiggled around trying to find a way out of this pile of mates but they had me securely nestled between them.

Catching movement at the end of the bed I spotted my newest addition watching me. He cocked a brow with a slight smirk on his lips. “Need some help?” he asked in a low whisper.

“Can you get me out and not wake them?” I questioned. “I’m not ready to deal with the smothering and scolding that’s going to happen just yet.”

He gave me a wink and lifted his finger to his lips warning me to be quiet. Golden ropes of magic wound around my mates, securing them before more swirled around me lifting me up and out of their hold. None of them even so much as twitched at my removal, which I found rather impressive. Set on my feet the magic shifted from ropes to silk that shimmered like sunlight as it wrapped around my body, creating a beautiful dress. Once it was finished the gold bled out to be replaced by inky black that still seemed to shine.

He held out his hand which I accepted and allowed him to escort me down to the main floor into the cooking room where he firmly pointed to a seat. “You’re still recovering so rest while I make you something to eat.”

“How do you know I need to eat?” I questioned. It had been one of the most uncommon things about me that the others had to adjust to.

“I promise I will answer any and all of your questions, Cor Meum. First, let me take care of you since you’re in this state from saving me,” he requested, holding my gaze until I nodded my agreement. “Thank you.”

“Can you answer me one thing?” I pressed.

He cocked his head as if weighing that question. “Depends on what it is, I make no promises.”

“I feel that this one should be fairly easy for you to answer,” I teased as I rested my arms on the table. “Unless telling me your name would be too much for you to handle right now?”

He opened his mouth to give some retort then closed it and sighed, shaking his head with a huff of laughter. “Gods, I suck at dealing with social interaction. Giving you my name should have been one of the first things I did when you woke up. I’m Zyrmus, one of the original creations of this land like Hisceas. I’m the guardian, or god if you will, over the land from which we were all born.”

My jaw dropped hearing this, not at all expecting such a response. Truthfully, none of the males who'd turned out to be my soul mates had been your average monster. “A god?”

He pressed a finger to my lips and made a scolding sound. “Wait, think of all the questions you have and we will tackle them one at a time. After I’ve made you food.”

Everything in me wanted to argue with him, but like Hisceas, he just had this way about him that told me I wouldn’t win this argument. Instead, I let my tongue slip out and lick up his finger, which made him shiver and groan, pulling his hand away. “You’re trouble, aren’t you, Cor Meum?”

“Depends on what you’re grading against, I’m far less trouble than Imp,” I pointed out.

“Imp?”

“Oh sorry, I’m the only one who can call him that, Grieth, the raven,” I corrected.

Zyrmus grunted as he turned to the counter and waved his hand over the empty surface. The next moment a golden light shimmered and various ingredients appeared. Grabbing a knife he set to work, and to my amazement, he didn’t use magic like the others did. He knew how to cook. My mind filled with so many questions that I wasn’t even sure where to start once I could ask them. Did I want to know about his life? How he’d ended up as that creature? Were he and Hisceas friends? How was he a god?

Lost so deep in thought I didn’t even notice how much time had passed until a plate full of food was set before me. My stomach rumbled with excitement and I smiled down at the meal. Everything smelled amazing and so many things I’d never tried before but I dug in anyway. The first bite had me moaning at the taste, so full of flavor it had me diving back in for more.

Once I was finished, I pushed the plate away and slumped in my seat. “That might have been the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, Cor Meum,” Zyrmus said with a smile. “Now that you’ve eaten, feel free to ask anything of me that you like.”

I contemplated him and even though I had a million questions, at the root of it all I had one that seemed far more important than the rest. Sitting up I leaned forward resting my arms on the table as I held his gaze. “What do you need forgiveness for?”

Shock seemed to emanate from him at my question, it wasn’t at all what he thought I was going to start with. “I see you are like your mother in that you can see through everything to the heart of the matter. That question comes with an extremely long and detailed answer, are you sure you want to start there?”

“Sounds like it will answer a few other questions I might have,” I countered, not willing to let him avoid this topic.

“True, that is true,” he agreed, rubbing a hand along his jaw as if he needed to prepare himself for this story.

“I told you I was a guardian of our land, well I wasn’t the only one. I had a twin, Navak, who shared the responsibility with me. It was our calling and duty to keep the land pure, to ensure the magic it held was protected from any who might choose to steal it and misuse it. If magic fades from our land then we will fade with it, so it’s vitally important to keep it safe. Like Hisceas, I had a hard time when the humans came and settled here. Your mother didn’t see anything wrong with it, they couldn’t use magic so what was the danger? Only, there are some humans who can use magic, wizards are what they call them,” he explained.

“My twin and I were inseparable, everything we did needed the give and take of the magic we both held. He was the darkness and I was the light, or if you will the moon and sun. We kept watch over the lands and kept it nourished as we cycled magic from monsters to the land and vice versa. Navak and I were the perfect team, fully attuned to each other, until Navak and I fell in love.” He paused, dropping his gaze as he folded his hands together.