AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“They’re…gone?” I asked, not sure why my heart was breaking.
Luc brought my feet back to the ground.
“Renaldo was cursed first,” he explained. “And then you. Sophie, Liwei, and I tried to find you both for a time, and then I was caught, and I don’t know what happened to anyone after that.”
Before I could catch his facial expression, he leaned his forehead on my shoulder.
“I don’t want to look for you again,” he said softly. “I’ve spent too much time searching for people who can never come back to me.”
I wrapped my arms around his back, the soft feathers of his wings brushing against my hands. His embrace became strong, almost desperate.
“Please come back to us,” he said in my ear. “Please come back home.”
I lost all the words in my throat, pain and confusion taking over my entire body. The pieces of me that were hanging on by a thread were now completely shredded.
What could I do?
Someone cleared their throat.
Luc and I turned to Jacques, his eyes somehow hollow and blazing at the same time. He glanced between us, a bitter smile across his face.
“Forgive me for interrupting a sweet reunion,” Jacques taunted.
I scowled at him. “What do you want?”
He put his hands in his pockets and stepped forward. “I came to tell Luc to be at the courthouse tomorrow afternoon. You can come too if you want, Esmeralda, but you’ll be absolutely useless as an incarnate.”
“She could ask for her wings by then,” Luc replied defensively. “Then she would be able to participate.”
“I’m sorry, but have you really known this woman your entire life?” Jacques returned. “Even I know she won’t agree to her wings until she’s seen her father. How can you be so oblivious?”
“I’ve known her longer than you’ve been alive, so I suggest you take your opinions and—”
“Enough!” I said, annoyed with their childish argument. When had Luc become so argumentative with Jacques anyhow? “Just what on earth is happening tomorrow that we need to come to the courthouse for? Didn’t we already have our trials?”
Jacques’s eyes met with mine. “You did. The humans didn’t.”
My mouth went dry. “You mean tomorrow—”
“Yes,” Jacques said, monotone. “So if you want to say goodbye to your star-crossed crew members, I suggest you do it by tomorrow. They might not exist by sundown.”
CHAPTER 33—DEMONS
I wish I could have seen the stars from the Den of Sirens. I needed something to wish on.
It was the second night that I had short, dreamless sleep. I sat on the edge of my bed, alone, wondering what I should do.
If I rejected my wings, I could go home to Father as an incarnate. From what I had been told, I might forget the den completely once I was out of its parameters, depending on what the Siren King decided. Not all who came to the den remembered it once they left.
Or if I asked for my wings, I would have to abandon my current life completely. I would have to take on the responsibility of judging humanity, sorting the good from the evil. I would have to possibly sentence men to die, ripping them away from their families and futures. And I would have to leave my father. He would age alone, without a soul to help him.
But, additionally, if Ihadmy wings, perhaps I would have had some power to save the crew from their fate.
Shaking, I jumped from my bed and started toward the courthouse. The trial was not for another few hours, but I couldn’t stand the sight of my bedroom walls anymore. Maybe if I went early I could find the king and…
A gentle hand tugged on my arm. In my sleepless daze, I lost my balance but someone caught me before I fell completely.
“Esmeralda?” Luc asked, his eyes full of concern. “What’s wrong?”
