Page 9 of The Scent of Salt & Sand

Fueled with determination, she stomped toward him. “Sam! One more thing before you go.” A knot of uncertainty tightened within her throat, and she swallowed hard. “Whatever else you have planned today doesn’t matter. You want to go on this tour, and you want to go now.”

He chuckled. “Wait, are you serious?” His glance ping-ponged between the two women.

“Very.” Melody balled her hands and tried again. “You want to do this more than you’ve wanted anything.”

“I can’t believe this technique really works for you.” He stuffed the brochure back into the rack. “You people are crazy, and I’ll be sure to make note of that when I leave a review on Trip Advisor.”

Harmony darted next to Melody. Hot spikes of energy shot off of her. “You were never here. Cross the street, go on with your day, and have a lovely afternoon.”

Sam’s eyes glazed over, and his shoulders sagged in relaxation. “I was never here. I’m going to cross the street and go on with my day,” he repeated, a grin lifting his cheeks as he stared at Melody. No, through Melody. “The afternoon is lovely, isn’t it?” He nodded to himself, checked the street for traffic, and jogged toward the park.

Melody shielded her eyes against the sun and watched Sam head to the pier, a slight bounce in his step. “You’re really good at that.”

“Do it enough and it’s as easy as breathing. You’ll get the hang of it.”

Melody dropped her hand and faced Harmony. “It didn’t look like he even saw me anymore. It was like I’d disappeared.”

“You had. To him, anyway. What human men see, the decisions they think they’re making on their own, it’s all too easy to mess with. But you shouldn’t do it often, and definitely not over and over again to the same person.”

“So I don’t hurt someone?” She shifted nervously. She shouldn’t care about hurting a human. Especially not a man.

Harmony shrugged. “I guess. It’s really so you don’t arouse suspicion.”

The breeze picked up as it rolled in off the ocean. Melody breathed in the crisp, salty air. “So it’s not true, then? That there’s something wrong with me.”

“Don’t worry. You’re fine. It takes some Sirens longer, that’s all. But you will have to practice. The ability to control what men do, think, and say is extremely important and plays a major role in our purpose here.”

Melody folded her arms in front of her chest and stiffened against the dread hardening within her. “To find someone to have sex with, then kill.”

“Keep your voice down!” Harmony hissed. “But evidence cleanup is something I always look forward to.” Her eyebrow arched and a sly grin curled her lips. “Men taste so good.”

Melody’s stomach roiled even though she knew she should feel that same excited, murderous hunger. She let out a slow breath. “Yeah, yummy.” A bottle cap rested near her foot, and she kicked it with the toe of her shoe. Lazily, it tripped off the curb and vanished down the storm drain. She wished she could squeeze between the teeth of the drain and disappear under the city. She wasn’t ready to be a killer. A part of her hoped she never would be.

“So you have to practice, focus, and know you can do it,” Harmony continued. “An important thing to ask yourself is whether or not you believe you’ll be able to uncover your ability. So, the question really is, do you think you’ll be fine?”

Up the street, tourists disappeared inside the Franklin Bowles art gallery, and Melody’s attention shifted to a new specimen. As he stretched his arms overhead, his T-shirt lifted, revealing a sliver of his toned stomach. He looked familiar, kind of like the man she’d just mentioned to Harmony. What was his name? Doug? Dan? No, Dean. Dean had been cute in the water, drenched and wide-eyed like an otter, but this guy was handsome. Chiseled and handsome. She let her gaze wander over him. His hair was unusual. Silver flecks sparkled through the charcoal strands around his temples, but he didn’t look old. Not at all. And even from down the street she appreciated the firm line of his jaw and his wide, strong shoulders. Intrigue tickled her chest. He wasn’t just handsome. He was—what was it Harmony called it—hott with two t’s? Supposedly that meant handsome times ten. He stretched again, showing a little more of his flat abs, and Melody sighed happily.

Like he’d heard her silent praise, he turned toward her, shattering the hott daydream she was creating in her mind.

His shockingly blue eyes met hers. They widened in happy surprise.

Dean?

She looked away hastily.

“No. Oh, no.” Melody retreated into the store, pulled the door closed, and pressed herself against the brick wall.

Harmony opened the door with a huff. “There’s no reason to be so dramatic. We all go through it.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s him.” She slid down the wall and dropped her forehead against her knees. “I thought the Mortal Realm was too big for this.”

“Sam? That’s not possible. I just got rid of him.” Harmony propped open the door and poked her head outside.

“It’s not Sam, it’s Dean. The guy from yesterday.” She groaned.

“Ooooh.” Harmony stepped inside and busied herself straightening T-shirts that didn’t need straightening.

“Ooooh?” Melody lifted her head. “What do you mean, ooooh? I need your help. Stand in front of me so I can hide behind you.”