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The mermaid licked her teeth as she watched him. She then dragged a nail down his bare chest and abs. She lowered her mouth close to his ear and whispered. Araki stiffened and stepped back. The mermaid cast a glance at me before disappearing beneath the waves.
“What did she say?” I asked.
“She wished us luck with the sirens,” Araki replied in a clipped voice. “And she told me that the spell will only last a half hour, so we better be quick or risk dying. She said she won’t hesitate to take me as her prey.”
“That’s very reassuring,” I said sarcastically as Araki stepped out of his breeches. Standing in his underclothes, Araki stared into the lake, not sparing a glance at me as I began to undress. But I stole another look at him, the thin material that clung to his thighs. I swallowed when my eyes drifted between his legs.
“Seen enough?” Araki glanced at me over his shoulder.
I lifted my eyes to his face, my cheeks burning hot. I rolled my eyes at him. “Don’t be so full of yourself.”
“Try not to get jealous when the sirens want me.” His mouth tipped up on one side.
“Jealousy would imply I’m attracted to you enough to care,” I smarted. “And I can assure you that I don’t.”
“Your actions last night would suggest otherwise,” Araki looked at me smugly, and before I could get in one last word, he plugged something in his ears and dived into the lake.
When Araki emerged, his eyes stayed on me while I finished undressing. He wet his lips as I stood in my white chemise and bloomer. His gaze on me felt hot on my skin, almost like a brand. I clenched my fingers around the knife to control my nerves. A rock rolled beneath my feet just as I was about to dive in, and I slipped, falling into the water ungraciously. Araki caught me, his hands on my hips tightening, his forearms flexing. The heat of his body was welcoming. I pressed closer to him, seeking his warmth for a moment.
“I’ve got you,” Araki murmured, holding my gaze with his.
I pushed at his chest, and Araki let me go. I looked away from his beautiful face. “We are losing time. Let’s go.”
Araki dove under the water, and I followed him. I kept him in my sight while maintaining distance. I knew Araki was only using my help to his own advantage, and I gained nothing except the freedom to roam while under watch, but we couldn’t keep dancing around each other. We were going forwards and backwards so many times that I didn’t know if we hated each other or reached a temporary truce.
We swam deeper, the waters turning murkier as we distanced ourselves from the sapphire water on the surface. My lungs burned and tried to reject the water when my mouth opened, however, I found I could breathe just as easily as I did on land, realizing the mermaid’s magic worked. Araki was given a direction from the mermaid, yet other than that, we were practically sightless down there. It wasn’t until when the waterbecame cold and turned thick against my skin that I realized we had crossed territories.
We were in the sirens’ realm. I scanned the eerie waters for them, my muscles bracing with anticipation.
I didn’t see them at first when they swam for us. They were almost translucent beings, ghostly white against the dark water. Where mermaids were all sharp teeth and fins that sliced like blades, sirens were more human-looking, softer-featured, with angelic voices that warped around seamen, able to drown crews in a moment.
I shot a panicked glance at Araki, yet to my dismay he was already hearing them. His arms hung limp as he drifted along with the current, held up by an invisible power of the siren song. I knew they were not drowning him because Araki was the king, and he granted them the freedom to go to sea whenever they pleased. They crowded him, hands outstretched, fingers dancing off his skin and wings, winding through his hair, plaiting, braiding, legs curling around his own. One pulled the wax stubs from Araki’s ears and dropped them into the water. They toyed with him, and Araki just floated there, a lazy smile on his entranced face. It seemed not even a powerful Dhajork could overcome a siren’s call. His eyes were lidded, his chest rising and falling with ragged pants. I probed at our bond and sent a thread of shock of magic, hoping it would wake him out of the enchantment. Nothing. The thread of my magic snapped and withered instantly. Just like in the cell, my magic here was restricted. I gritted my teeth in frustration. There was only one way. Gripping the blade, I swam towards them. The sirens snapped their heads at me and hissed at me to leave, to let them play with the king of Halafarin, but I persisted, batting at their hands. They fought me harder. One of the sirens dug its sharpnails into my hand that held the blade. I squeezed my eyes shut and grimaced as sweltering pain burrowed deep into my flesh. My grip loosened on the knife, and the siren knocked it away, sinking it into the dark waters. My eyes snapped open, and I snarled at the siren. The other sirens’ voices rose in volume. I caught Araki’s glazed eyes as they turned white.
Join us,
Play with us,
Dance with us, King of Halafarin.
Their voices were breathtakingly beautiful, and still held no effect on me. I tried once more to pull Araki from their grasp, however, they only seemed to make him suffer more when I did. I felt his pain through the bond. The sirens didn’t torture him when I pulled back. They only swam around him and messed with his hair, touching his bare skin. One of the sirens pointed her hand ahead.
Through the murky water, I glimpsed the caves. I hesitated and looked at Araki, then began to swim toward the caves. We didn’t have much time underwater before we lost the ability to breathe. I kicked my feet, swimming faster. The sirens pulled Araki along with them, but I got there first.
The caves were dimly lit by the glowing algae growing in them. And sure enough, when my feet brushed the cave’s rocky, uneven ground, I spotted three bodies simply disposed of, yet not eaten. I found a good footing, holding onto the slippery walls. I didn’t need to swim here. Somehow the magic of the place allowed me to use my feet to walk.
I crouched by the first decomposing body and searched for the bite mark on its neck. I frowned when I saw more thanone bite mark of killing or attempting a change. Many bite marks marred the body’s neck as if the vampire entered a frenzy to only take as much blood as they could in as little time. It was as if whoever did it didn’t care whether the person lived or changed as long as they got the blood. Possibly a Strigoi, I pondered. It was the same for the other two corpses when I inspected them. How many have been turned? How many bodies aren’t here because they’re now Strigoi? How many vampires are truly in hiding beyond the ones Araki already knows of? How many more like the Bruxsa from the tavern, killing and biting at least one person each night? The thoughts horrified me.
I stepped back and assessed the bodies for further clues, anything to give me insight. Then, I noticed that one of the corpse’s eyes was half open, the other closed. Once again, I lowered myself, face to face with the body. My stomach protested, and bile rose in my throat as I pushed up the eyelid completely open.
?I staggered back, stunned.
The person’s eyes were purple. They were not the soft violet of Araki’s eyes nor the vibrant magenta of his Dhajork form but a misty sort of amethyst. White and purple mixed, like dusty traces of magic. And there was only one form of magic that I knew that left this sort of mark on the eyes. The coven’s magic.
“No,” I whispered in disbelief.
Have these people been victims of coven assassinations, like I’ve been dispatched to do? I thought in confusion. None showed other trauma wounds besides the neck bites, except for their eyes.
A shuddering gasp behind me stopped my turmoil wondering. I turned.
