Page 81 of Ensnaring the Siren

The line was quiet on the other end.

Several long seconds ticked by, and he was just about to say ‘hello?’ when his sister responded, voice steeped in teary emotion, “You know?”

He exhaled, tears stinging his eyes. “Yeah, my—I mean—our mom told me yesterday. So, it’s true?”

“Yeah,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Apparently. Wild, right?”

“Wild, yeah.” He rubbed his hand behind his neck. “You know, you kind of sound like her. Grandma Greta, I mean.”

“Grandma Greta,” she repeated softly. “I used to think of her as my mom.”

“I mean she raised you, right? Did you know?”

“No, never. I thought she’d adopted me from the child welfare system.”

“Damn.” So, this had been a closely guarded secret from them both.

“Did Annaliese—I mean, Mom—tell you everything?”

Fuck. What a loaded question. That she was a child born out of sexual assault? A flesh-craving mermaid? Or was there even more to this story that hadn’t been divulged to him yet? “I know about the ‘how.’ And that you and Nireed have more in common than meets the eye. Anything else I’m missing?”

“Nope.” Lorelei chuckled darkly. “That about sums it up.”

“Well, thank Jesus. I don’t think I could take more earth-shattering news.”

“No triple whammies here. Just hitting doubles.”

A long pause fell between them.

“Do you, uh, maybe want to meet?” he ventured.

“Oh, fuck yes.” She exhaled, sounding relieved. “You’re more than welcome to come over, I promise I don’t bite.” Knowing what he did about her, it wasn’t just a flippant joke, but his heart twinged at the thought that maybe his sister had gotten unkind responses to her oceanic heritage in the past. “Or we can meet somewhere public if you feel more comfortable with that.”

He didn’t know her. Really, there was no reason to trust her, but he did, implicitly. His mom did, after all, and they were family. That had to count for something. “We can meet at your place.”

“I still have your number from when Nireed called. I’ll text you my address.”

Nireed.

Bitter regret weighed heavy in his chest. He’d really botched that up. When he demanded the truth from her, she gave it, and while it was a hard pill to swallow, he never should’ve run from her like he was fleeing a bloodthirsty monster. It would serve him right if she swam off into the proverbial sunset and never looked back, just as he realized how much she really meant to him.

“Reid?”

“Yeah, sorry. Text me your address. I’m off duty for the next two days.”

Reid drove to Lorelei’s house for brunch the next day after having an early breakfast with their mom.

He zipped down a long country road, stretching through a dense, forested corridor. It was slightly overcast, a light layer of fog spilling out from between the trees and onto the road. A touch spooky but at least it didn’t impair visibility. He slowed down to make the turnoff, easing his bike up an access road and to a tall iron gate. The property’s perimeter was walled off with high-stacked stone, cutting through the forest as far as his eye could see.

Noting a security camera and speaker system, he took off his helmet and punched the intercom with his finger. A few seconds ticked by before the speaker crackled, followed by a deep male-sounding voice on the other end. “Quinn-Roth residence.”

A boyfriend? A partner? It struck him especially hard in that moment that he barely knew anything about his older sister.

Clearing his throat, he replied, “Hi. I’m Reid. Lorelei’s long-lost half brother?”

A pause, then, “She told me you were coming. Come on up.”

Gears and other mechanisms whirred to life as the gate slid back, clearing the way forward, and his heart climbed to his throat. It was now or nothing. After sliding the helmet back onto his head, Reid lightly eased the throttle forward, puttering up toward the house.

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