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“Unfortunately, there have been two more sightings of night walkers,” Reilyn said grimly. “The men at the table told me before the attack.”
“Fuck!” I cursed.
“And that bodies have been found dumped in the lake region, necks bitten. There have been rumours of Strigoi not completing a change, like—her.” Reilyn winced as she glanced at the burned bodies. The two were now husks and ashes, and I extinguished the flames.
“I must visit the sirens. They must know something,” I stated.
Reilyn nodded, then asked, “Were you able to find anything out from the barkeeper before she was bitten?”
“The Bruxsa got to her before I could. Then she took off.”
“You let her get away?” Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“I’m doing what I can!” I snapped. “How dareyouquestion my actions.”
“I wouldn’t have let her get away, Araki!” Reilyn argued. “How many people will she now be able to go after? Why didn’t you get—”
Before I realized what I was doing, I pinned her against the wall with one of my wings, its talon hovering dangerously close to piercing her shoulder. My eyes glowed as my power pulsed in the air. I growled low in my throat as I enclosed my fingers around her slender throat. The air between us crackled with palpable tension. There was fear in her eyes alongside the challenge of knowing we could fight each other, never landing a killing blow. I half wanted her—to fight back, test me, and seewhat our magic could truly do when it warred against each other. Reilyn grinned at me, all teeth and vicious intent. “Do it. See where your kingdom is when you die with me.”
I crowded her, tempted to test just how far the bond would drag me down with her, but I knew the spell I cast. My death would be slower than hers and infinitely more painful, but we would have the same fate if I didn’t undo the spell. What was hers would be mine.
“The thing about you, Araki,” Her intense amber eyes locked onto mine, “Is that I don’t think you can decide what you want to do with me.” Reilyn surged against me, and I let my lifted wing snap back. Her mouth quirked into a smile as I felt the storm of emotions swirling inside me.
“And the thing about you, Reilyn,” I rasped, closing the small space between us. I felt every inch of her body against mine, the rise of her chest with every soft inhale and exhale of breath, our faces only a breath away. My erection stiffened in my pants. Her captivating eyes gazed up at me, and I tried not to get lost in them. “It is that you look at me with such hatred that it ignites my own for you. I don’t know what I did to deserve your wrath, but I can almost forget who you are when you look at me like that.”
I let my eyes flicker from her eyes to her kissable mouth, unsure if I was spinning words to lull her towards my trust or if they were true, but then her lips parted. Her mouth so close. To taste them again. My hands found her waist, pulling her flush against me. She gasped a breath as she felt my erection.
“I hate you,” Reilyn hissed, but the words were missing the familiar sting I had come to enjoy or the conviction inher words. Desire swam in her eyes, and her tangled emotions echoed across the magical bond we shared.
“I hate you too,” I whispered, taking her chin between my thumb and forefinger, and tilting her head.
And then Reilyn kissed me.
Briefly, I indulged myself in how her face softened, her long lashes fluttering on her cheeks as she closed her eyes and brushed her lips softly over mine. I held her face and crashed my lips down on hers. My tongue pried her lips, and Reilyn pliantly opened with a soft moan. I pushed my tongue into her mouth, seeking and tasting. Her tongue glided against mine.
I kissed her harder, my other hand sliding up around her back, bunching her blouse in my fingers as I went until my fingers tangled in her soft tresses. Her hair had me enticed since the very beginning. I wondered if her magic turned her hair into such a color as magic sometimes did over time or she was born with the color. I gripped the silken ringlets, tugging lightly. Reilyn whimpered, arching into me. I swallowed her delicious sounds, feasting on her mouth. Reilyn kissed me with the same passion, stirring the embers of my warped feelings into a raging fire. Sliding a leg between hers, I guided her back to me when she fell back against the wall, taking me with her. Reilyn let out another soft moan, pressing her centre on my leg. My shaft pushed against my trousers achingly.
The kiss turned more demanding. I kissed Reilyn until she was panting, her chest heaving with shortened breath. And I smiled, brushing my tongue against hers until I felt her fingers in my hair and the other caressing the feathers of my wings. The sensation jarred me out of the blissful moment. I stared at her in the darkness, taking in her tussled hair and dilated and wildeyes as she looked back at me. Pulling back her leg from between mine, Reilyn purposefully dragged it against my arousal. I groaned involuntarily, the sensation almost enough to make me kiss her again. But I pulled back, one step between us, then another, my eyes never leaving hers. The last time we kissed, she attacked me, yet all I saw now was a woman who looked like she could kill or devour me.
“We should leave,” I ordered, not allowing her to do any of those. I jerked my head for her to step outside. When I turned to face her again once we were out on the verandah, Reilyn had collected herself, gone was the lust for me. Her eyes were cold as ice as she stepped closer to wrap her hands around my neck. I held her close as before then flew us out of there.
Sirens and Mermaids
Reilyn
I was startled by the rapid knocking on my bedroom door. My first instinct was to grab the knife under the pillow before jumping out of bed. My bare feet landed on the floor. The cool morning air breezed in through the window I forgot to close at night. It was early dawn, the skies still bearing the grey of the night as the new day slowly arrived. Holding the knife tightly in my hand, I approached the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s the King,” came Araki’s reply.
I frowned in confusion but then remembered the plan to visit the sirens.
“Are you not ready?” Araki asked from the other side of the door, sounding impatient.
“I-I am,” I stammered.
Quickly, I took off the nighty and stumbled into a pair of clean undergarments, riding trousers, and boots. I shrugged on the blouse last, pushing off my curls from my face. I tucked a knife inside my boot. Taking in a deep breath, I opened the door wide. My stomach knotted instantly when I looked at Araki.
The torchlight burned in the hallway. His attire was black, from his shirt to his jacket, slacks, and boots. The beautiful plane of his face was stoic as his unfathomable eyes roamed my body briefly. The look in his eyes on me reminded me of his touch and the kiss the day before. I retained composure, not allowing a single emotion to cross my face.
