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Isat alone in the room. Fynn had gone to make the arrangements as promised. I told him about my last kill, the man who had stabbed me, and how his victims had been buried and forgotten. Fynn passed the information on to Eason, assuring me it would be taken care of, and that a team would arrive to see that each girl was found. I would be able to leave the area knowing the girls would receive the dignified burials they deserved.
Kye had brought me a small box he called a television, claiming that it would help me to sound more natural when I spoke. I doubted he would be able to articulate naturally if he had to share his body.
I was still struggling to balance the different aspects of my nature. The Siren was animalistic, enjoying our lethal talents, and pushing me to just take what I wanted. She saw little need in speaking unless it was to tempt someone. Less talking, more action.
The soldier in me also preferred to speak less, instead preferring to watch and listen. As a Promised, I had focused on my mission and little else mattered. When I spoke, it was concise and direct.
Just since meeting the men and hearing their thoughts, I was beginning to hear the flow in the language and sentences. That didn’t mean it always came out of my mouth sounding the way I thought in my mind, but I would get the hang of it eventually. The words he called ‘slang’ made no sense at all to me. But Kye seemed to take pleasure in showing me his world, so I would try to have an open mind.
I had been alone in the room for several hours when I began to cough. My throat and mouth were dry, reminding me of the sensation of choking on dust during a dust storm. The water bottles Kye had pulled from the cold metal box lay empty around me. Maybe there were more, the alternative was drinking from the odd smelling tub. I shuddered.
I eased myself off the cot and onto the cold tile. Turning so that I faced away from the small box that held the water, I used my arms and fluke to push myself backwards toward my goal. Reaching it, I pulled open the door only to be disappointed when I couldn’t find any more water bottles like Kye had given me.
All that remained in the box was ten tall, thin cans. I thought about the sweet soda I had enjoyed by the docks. The letters were not the same, but any drink had to be better than the water from rusty pipes, right?
It took several tries, but I finally managed to open the can. I sniffed it first, relieved when my nose didn’t burn from the scent. In fact, this drink smelled amazing, like roasted fires and toasted cream. I started with a tiny sip, moaning as the cool sweet taste slid down my throat. This had to be sweet nectar from the Ancients! I finished the first in a few gulps, and quickly opened a second. I was draining the sixth can when the lock on the outside of the door jangled.
His thoughts began to batter the walls of my mind, forcing their way in. This was not Fynn. He was thinking about Fynn, but not in a pleasant way. Not sure what was going on and wanting a chance to assess the situation before this man spotted me, I looked around the room for a place to hide. The only place large enough to hide my tail was the wretched tub.
Grumbling under my breath, I scooted toward the tub and lifted myself up into the basin. I may be lean, but I had built muscle from fighting the ocean’s currents every day. I arranged my fluke and contorted my upper body until I was confident he would not see me unless he walked over to stand by the tub.
The metal door opened slowly, and the man walked in. He shut the door softly behind him and next came the sound of a lock clicking into place. I didn’t mind Fynn locking me inside four walls, but it was completely different knowing the man was locking Fynn out.
His thoughts continued to pour into my mind. I stiffened. He blamed my mate for his lack of success as a researcher. I stifled a snort. Well, duh. He was in here trying to steal research because he wasn’t smart enough to do the work himself.
Duh? I didn’t recall ever hearing the word. It must have sunk into my subconscious from the incessant chattering on the television.
I maintained my control as the man began to trash the room. Papers were ripped as he went through the files, clearly looking for something. I just couldn’t figure out what. I nearly jumped out of my tail when the sound of things hitting walls and clattering to the floor echoed around me. This went on for nearly ten minutes, and then the room became still. Only the sound of his ragged breathing could be heard.
“You think you are so smart,” he said to himself. “I know you are hiding something in here, otherwise you would have flown back to your mansion to do research. There is something in here that is valuable enough for you to padlock the door. Since I can’t find it, I’ll just wait for you to come back and tell me where it is.”
This insane man was talking to himself. He wasn’t touched by the Lure; he was just evil. Drawers were opened and slammed shut as he searched for something else.
“Ah yes. This will do. I’m sure Fynn will talk when I threaten to slice up his pretty boy face. Once he talks, I’ll slice him up and toss him in the bay for the sharks.”
The wall that had held back my emotions cracked under the intense pressure of my anger. It was like an aqueduct with a hole in it; I didn’t have all my emotions at once, but they were coming back a lot faster than before. It was only a matter of time before they all rushed in with full force. But in that moment, the only emotion that I felt was searing rage.
It was decided. He must die.
Mentally, my Siren clapped in glee, while my warrior giggled behind her hands.
That was when I realized I had a far more serious problem than being locked in the room with an insane man holding a knife and planning a murder.
My body tingled, feeling like it was made of pure energy. Electricity sizzled through my body, and my mind felt like it could move at the speed of light. My heartbeat sped up and magik touched every cell. The humans had found a way to bottle magik from the Ancients.
This had to be what the man was looking for, an elixir that enhanced your body and made you more powerful. He couldn’t be allowed to have it, a secret like this must be protected. It was time to do what I was trained to do.
I sat up, bracing my arms on the side of the tub, preparing to flip out of it.
The man spun around shouting, “Who’s there?”
I answered in a shout of my own, “¡Hola! Soy Zosime.”
Internally, I facepalmed myself while cursing Kye for the stupid television. Externally, I vibrated in excitement.
Confusion and fear crossed his face as he took me in. “What are you?” he gasped.
“That’s right, you should fear me. I have drunk the nectar of the Ancients and its power courses through my veins.” I propelled myself over the side of the tub and onto the floor.
