Page 37 of Siren’s Secret

Wayla let out a shuddering breath. “Thank you.”

Sinister turned his burning black eyes to Jarred. “I hope I’m right about you.” And with that, he pulled out his phone and started shooting out instructions while he scribbled a note for Wayla. She took it and quickly pulled out her backpack and started to throw clothes into it.

Confused, Jarred looked on but didn’t interrupt. Something was up and it was serious. He could almost sense it under the bruise she had left on his neck. A nervous buzzing.

It didn’t take long for Wayla to get packed and for Sinister to sort things out. He then drove them to the closest private airport. The tarmac was littered with private jets, way more than usual, since most had come to follow the trials and hadn’t left, even though Wayla’s case was closed and the others didn’t have a court date yet.

Wayla gave a serious look to Sinister before leaving the car and boarding the plane. Jarred followed, even though he didn’t have anything with him and had no idea where they were going.

After speaking with the captain quickly, Wayla came back and sat down opposite him. Jarred opened his mouth, but Wayla quickly interrupted.

“I’m sorry, but… can it wait until we land?”

“Um… sure,” Jarred replied, and Wayla nodded, looking thankful. They sat in silence for hours until a cerulean sea glimmered below them and the plane started to bank down.

“Where are we?” Jarred finally asked, not able to hold back any longer.

“Somewhere… safe-ish,” Wayla hedged.

Jarred frowned. “Safe? Are you in danger, Wayla? What can I do?”

“I—” Wayla fell silent and shook her head. “Just listen, okay? That’s all I ask. Just listen to what I have to say before you make your decision.”

Cold shivers ran down his back at that. She sounded so serious and wary. Like she expected him to be angry. Or him to be the danger. To her. He would never. Jarred opened his mouth to reassure her that he would never hurt her, but Wayla shook her head sharply as the captain announced that they were about to land.

Once they exited the plane, he could smell sea, salt, and sunshine in the air. It was a heady scent and assailed his senses, and there was something else mixed in it. Something he recognized as purely Wayla, part of her essence.

She led him straight off the runway. There was no airport in sight, or any other beings, for that matter. Even the runway was just a single, narrow strip of tarmac. It didn’t take long for them to walk to the beach, where a small pier had several small fishing boats tied to it.

Wayla looked around and then longingly at the sea, but she sat down at the end of the pier after kicking her shoes off and plunged her feet into the water. A long sigh broke free and some of the tension drained from her shoulders.

Slowly, Jarred took off his own shoes and sat down next to her. The water was warm; the sun caressed his skin. This place felt welcoming and bright, like he could just kick back and relax. The woman next him was tense, though. The air around her felt electric, almost sizzling. Thankfully, he didn’t need to wait long until she spoke.

“What I’m about to tell you will put you in danger. I hope you can forgive me for that.”

“I don’t care about that, precious. What’s going on? What danger?”

Wayla took another deep breath, held it, and blurted out, “I’m a siren. Well, half-siren, but that doesn’t really matter in these circumstances. I—”

“You’re what?” Jarred roared. His first instinct was to flinch back, and he barely held in place. Still, the look in Wayla’s eyes when she glanced at him told him she knew.

“Siren,” she repeated. Her face shuttered and her breathing calmed. “You knowing that little tidbit puts you in danger. I’m sorry.”

“Wayla—”

“It’s Wave, actually. Only my parents know that, though. And now you.”

“Why are you doing this?” Jarred demanded. He could barely contain the shudders trying to rack through him. A siren. Was she already manipulating his mind—

“Because Sinister was right. There’s no hope for anything real if I keep this secret. Was any hope.” Her voice wavered just a bit when she corrected herself. The crack was there and gone so quickly that he almost missed it, but he couldn’t process what was happening.

“Sinister knows?” That came out as a shout, too. Jarred glared and Wayla—no, Wave, nodded.

“He figured it out by himself.”

“And he…” Jarred trailed off, when his brain finally kicked on and started working again. Sinister knew. He had somehow figured it out and told Wayla that he knew. That information, if it got out, could get her killed. “He gave you the jet to get out,” he said quietly.

“It was one of the options,” she said, equally sedated. “Another, way more ludicrous one, was to tell the truth and hope that you’d keep your mouth shut.”