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Once he put his on and faded away, I reached out and found his arm. “The siren is mine. I want to get the answers out of her.”
Aidan’s voice was low and serious. “Got it. She’s about four hundred yards northwest through the trees. I’ll be right there with you.”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded and began running in the right direction, picking up speed as my heart pounded in my chest. Sweat poured down my back as I ran. Despite never having killed anyone or been in an actual fight that wasn’t training, an undeniable sense of determination filled me as I approached the siren’s location.
Through the trees, I could see her—long, caramel-colored hair flowed down her back. She was clad in mortal clothes—jeans and a form-fitting gray T-shirt—but exuded an aura of power and strength.
As she got closer, I could see her features in more detail. She looked young, probably midtwenties, but that didn’t mean anything in our realm. Someone could be eight hundred years old and only appear to be thirty-five. The woman’s eyes were a piercing blue like the sea and were slightly bigger than an ordinary mortal’s. Her face was perfect and flawless as if it had been carved from rock. Her lips were full and pink, and her skin had an unearthly glow. Even if I couldn’t feel her magic, I would’ve known for sure that she was some sort of otherworldly creature. They were known for their ability to make men fall helplessly in love with them and do whatever they wanted. From what I heard, they could turn into mermaid-like creatures in the water and could only stay on land for a short time. This siren, however, didn’t seem too worried about that as she walked steadily through the woods.
I stepped back, my heart racing, every muscle shaking with anticipation. I held my dagger tight, its metal hilt cool in my hand as I waited for her to come closer. She stepped past me, and I made my move, springing forward and wrapping an arm around her neck. She gasped, her breath hot against my skin. I brought the blade closer, the edge pressing against the softness of her neck.
“Who the hell are you?” I demanded. But she was unfazed.
“Seriously? You have to be pretty pathetic to attack someone when they can’t see you coming,” she sneered.
The battle began, her writhing against me, trying to break free until we tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs and fabric. I ended up on top of her with the sharp edge of my dagger directly beneath her chin.
Quickly, I yanked the necklace from around my neck and revealed myself. Her eyes widened in shock as I ceased holding her and snarled my warning. “There, now you can see me. But I can guarantee you won’t move from this spot if you try to fight me again.”
The siren glared at me with her piercing blue eyes like a thunderstorm about to burst, and I felt the subtle prickling of her magic against my skin. She seemed desperate to have her power penetrate me, but it wasn’t strong enough to consume a royal fae like me.
Instead of me falling under her power, I gave her a small smile. Rage and fear swirled in the air around us like an electrical current, so I let her go and she jumped to her feet, challenging me with a single brow raise.
“Who are you?” she growled.
“I asked you that question first,” I said coolly.
She huffed and her posture tensed. “Lerissa.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you a siren?”
Almost immediately, fear flashed in her gaze before she lifted her chin high in defiance. “No.”
I heard Aidan laugh from somewhere behind us. “Now, that was an outright lie.”
He appeared out of the shadows in full view with the necklace dangling in his hand. Lerissa gasped, her mouth agape as she raked her gaze over him.
“I know you,” she said. “You’re Aidan, King of the Court of Fire and Water. I can sense the flames beneath your skin.” That was something else I’d heard about sirens . . . they had a pathological hatred of fire.
Aidan’s smile faltered and he stepped forward, brows furrowed. “How do you know who I am?”
Lerissa snorted. “Everyone knows who you are. If you were susceptible to a siren’s charms, you would’ve been taken by now.”
Aidan’s eyes widened and he laughed in disbelief. “By who? You?”
Lerissa shrugged nonchalantly, but I got the feeling their exchanges were a little flirtatious. “You’re not my type. Besides, you have Little Miss Fiery Cunt here who seems like she has a jealous streak.”
I snapped, my temper flaring. “First off, watch your mouth. My name is Lia, Queen of the Blossom Court. And second,” I continued, looking pointedly at my cousin, “Aidan’s my cousin. I’d say that makes him not my type either.”
Lerissa tipped up a shoulder in a careless gesture. “Some humans screw around with their cousins, brothers, sisters, fathers, uncles . . . nothing shocks me anymore.”
“Well,” I said firmly, “that’s not how it works here.” When it was clear she wasn’t going to be able to run away from us, I sheathed my dagger. “Now that we know you’re a siren, what are you doing here?”
She flung her arms out wide. “Taking a stroll.”
My patience was running thin. Of course, that wasn’t the truth, so I didn’t even look at Aidan for confirmation. I stepped forward, ready to grab my dagger again if I needed to.
“I’m going to ask again, what are you doing here?”
