Page 26 of Song of Her Siren

Just great. Any moment and they’d explode. I certainly didn’t want to risk possession, with their blood getting on me or any of the other mages, though I suspected the blood would have to go into our mouths or through an open wound for demons to possess us.

“Back away, mages!” I commanded to the army as they pressed in closer.

They obeyed, moving as one and widening the gap around us.

“Punish them, Shirina! Make them suffer!” Malvolia looked like a volcano about to burst, her cheeks flaming red as she jutted a finger toward the demon mages.

I stepped back, taking Drae with me. “We can’t get their blood on us, Aunt.”

Malvolia released a roar that sounded like a dying dragon and struck both mages with tendrils of black smoke. The demons gagged, scratching at their necks when the smoke looped around them like nooses.

“Aunt!” I pleaded, thinking of the hapless mages who looked like my mates suffering at her hands. “They have Fae inside them! Please show them mercy!”

The audible snap of their necks filled my brain like a giant’s fist slamming into a wall. Both mages toppled to the ground, their lifeless eyes staring up at the sky before Malvolia turned them both to dust.

Malvolia spun on me with a sneer. “Harden your heart, niece, or you’ll be next.”

Drae pulled me to his side, wrapping a wing around me as I resisted the urge to clutch my throat.

Next to be demon possessed or next to be turned to ash by her?I asked him.

Probably both,he answered.

That’s what I feared.

Hands curled into claws, Malvolia faced her army. “Listen to me, soldiers. Demons can take possession of your body through blood and through sex. Remember to practice abstinence until every last demon has been eradicated.”

Wait a minute—had my horny aunt just ordered her entire army to practice abstinence?

“Trust no one,” she continued. “Not your friends. Not your family. Understood?”

“Yes, my queen,” they answered in unison.

“Good!” She jutted a finger toward them. “Because if I learn that any of you are having sex, I will personally turn you to ash.”

* * *

Tari

IPACED THE FLOOR,chewing my nails to the quick while waiting for my sister to return. We had so many things to do, starting with questioning the girls about their time with the demons. We also had to find that book, so we could learn how to banish demons to hell without killing their hosts.

My mother and Marius had moved out, choosing to reside in the dungeon with Derrick. I wasn’t sure where Ash, Helian, the girls, and I were supposed to sleep tonight. Wherever the servants put us, I’d have to sleep with one eye open, in case my aunt snuck in and turned me to ash, seduced Helian, or both.

Cassandra had joined us again, mostly to spend time with the girls. I was happy to see she and Helian had formed a sort of truce, though my mate still needed to make amends with his mother. Cassandra sat with the children on the balcony, watching with interest while they tried to get Wolfy to play fetch. The hound wanted to curl up in the sun after coming from a steaming bath that had done little to get rid of the stench, a smell that reminded me too much of demon decay. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought our dog was possessed. But no. I would’ve seen a dark aura around him and red in his eyes, and even in the sunlight, his eyes were the same deep brown. And what demon would want to possess a mangy old hound with one foot already in the grave?

I was being paranoid, but I couldn’t help it. This place had me on edge, starting with the bitch queen who ruled here. I couldn’t believe the audacity of my aunt to blatantly flirt with my mate in front of me. Was she truly that much of a whore, or was she just trying to provoke me? And to what end? She’d already made it clear she didn’t like me, though I’d never done anything to her. Then again, Shiri and I hadn’t done anything to provoke Malvolia when we’d been in our mother’s womb, but that hadn’t stopped the bitch queen from issuing a warrant for our deaths. I worried that my sister seemed eager to appease our aunt. I hoped she saw through Malvolia’s deceptive smoke and realized that she was still an evil bitch.

After hours away, my sister and Drae finally returned to us, landing softly on the balcony. Drae carried Shiri as she rested her head against his chest. She looked exhausted, with heavy circles under her eyes. What had Malvolia done to her? Drae tucked his wings behind him and quickly crossed over to the sitting room, laying Shiri on a sofa.

I sat beside my sister, taking her hand as she lay back with a groan.

Drae helped her sit up, placing pillows behind her back, and then handed her a goblet of juice.

She thanked him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. After downing several sips, she handed the goblet back to him and turned to me. “Our mother and fathers?”

“In a dungeon below the castle,” I answered.

She nodded her understanding. “Did Derrick wake?”

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