Page 32 of Song of Her Siren

“Of course, I do.” I crossed over to him, taking his hands in mine while searching his kind eyes, imploring him to understand. “Father Marius, I want nothing more. But war is coming to Thebes.”

“It is.” He squeezed my hands, his smile widening. “And I don’t blame you for needing to prepare.”

At least Marius understood. Hopefully, he’d calm my mother. I released his hands and cut my mother a side-eyed look. “We can’t win this war if we’re too busy fighting amongst ourselves.” Though I didn’t blame her for loathing Malvolia, their constant bickering only increased the tension between everyone. Not to mention, with Malvolia and my mother estranged, it gave my bitch aunt more time to harass Helian.

Anger flashed in my mother’s eyes as she motioned toward her cell walls. “Well, now that we’re stuck in the dungeon, you won’t have to worry about any fights from me.”

I managed a tight smile before kissing Marius’s and then my mother’s cheeks. “Goodnight, Father, Mother.”

“Goodnight, child,” Marius said, his voice loving and tender. “We hope to see you in the morning.”

“Of course.” I motioned toward the bed, wondering if Derrick truly slept, or if the demon forced him to remain still while he plotted his escape. “I will continue to check on Derrick.”

* * *

Tari

AS UNPLEASANT AS MYvisit with my mother had been, I dreaded my next stop even more. I stood with Helian and Ash, peering into the bars of another cell at the other end of the dungeon. When a strong, icy draft blew past us, I shivered, wrapping my cloak tighter around me. This cell appeared far less comfortable, with a pile of hay for a bed and a hearth with only a few smoldering embers. This wouldn’t do. Though I still loathed the bitch, I wouldn’t stand to know the woman who’d saved my children was being treated worse than livestock.

Helian shone his lantern into the cell, illuminating the Fae with the bloated hands and feet curled in the hay like a dragon in a nest.

I struggled to find the nerve to speak. “Hello,” I finally rasped.

Arabella lifted her head, her eyes narrowing when she saw us peering through the bars. “What do you want?”

I motioned to the winged guard to unlock the door.

Once he opened it, I found the courage to put one foot in front of the other, my boots sticking to the unwashed cobblestone floor, until I stood just a few paces from my nemesis. I wrinkled my nose at the rotten stench of burned flesh and something else. Demon. Like cracked eggs that sat out too long in the sun. Helian lifted the lantern, revealing dust particles floating through the air, so thick it looked like snow.

I swallowed back a bitter taste in my mouth while wishing I had something sweet to drink. “To heal your wounds.” I frowned when Helian held the lantern over her bruised body. “Don’t they pain you?”

She snarled, then laid her head back on the straw. “Of course, they do.”

I went to kneel in front of her, but Ash blocked me with a growl. His claws were unsheathed, fur sprouting along his arms. I gasped when I gazed into his glowing eyes and extended maw. He’d shifted into a cross between a Fae and a beast and looked absolutely terrifying. If he wasn’t my mate, I would’ve run, screaming.

I cleared my throat, pointing at Arabella’s swollen and blackened fingers. “Did the demon do that to your hands?”

“Yes.” She didn’t bother lifting her head, her voice faltering. “I’m turning into her.”

“I can heal the burns, but I’m not sure about the swelling.”

She let out a laugh that sounded like a dying bird. “Then you should have Helian run his sword through me.”

“Happy to oblige,” Helian grumbled.

I shot him a dark look.Be nice, I warned through thought, hardly believing that I was defending the bitch. I ran my hands down my arms, doing my best to fight off the chill that seeped into my bones, despite the warm cloak that shielded me from the elements. “We’re working on finding a way to get the demon out of you.”

She lay there as still as a corpse, her voice lacking inflection or any hint of emotion. “What happened to the Windhaven army?”

I wondered if she asked because she was genuinely concerned about her people or because she needed their swords for selfish reasons. “Many scattered to the countryside,” I answered. “Those who didn’t were most likely killed.”

She sat up with a groan, hanging her head while tucking a blanket around her shoulders, the chains binding her wrists rattling with the movement. “I heard whispers that demon spiders destroyed Ventus.”

“They did,” I said, feeling sad for Windhaven’s once beautiful capital city. Shiri had told me all the colorful trees had been stripped of their foliage. The empty cobblestone streets weren’t awash in blood, for the spiders had turned even corpses to dust. I didn’t want to know what ghosts Ember would see if we took her there.

Arabella sniffled, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the hay dust or because she’d suddenly grown a heart. “How are the children?”

What happened to the real Arabella?Helian’s question echoed in my mind, and I knew he’d projected the thought to both Ash and me.

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