Page 94 of Song of Her Siren

Goddess, where are you going?Isa’s voice rang in my head as she circled above me.

To check the refugees for demons, I answered.

Do you need me to carry you?

My father volunteered. I’d rather you kept watch over Tari and the children, I said as my father jumped into the air, his powerful wings blowing back my hair.

As you wish, she answered flatly.

Thank you, Isa, I said, while clinging to my father, hoping I hadn’t insulted her. I still had a lot to learn about her, especially how to not offend her.I appreciate you.

I smiled when the sound of a dragon’s purr echoed in my mind.

“Princess Shirina,” one of the firemages called over his shoulder as we rose higher into the air, just underneath the dragons’ bellies, “we are to accompany you to the Eastern wall where the refugees are being held.”

I nodded my understanding. “Good. Let’s go.”

We flew swiftly past Malvolia’s castle with pointy turrets and over the city with tall brick buildings that gave way to homes with thatched roofs and lantern lights lining winding cobblestone streets.

When Marius adjusted me in his arms, I rested my head against his shoulder, and I was reminded of the times Father Derrick would take me flying from treetop to treetop. Though he hadn’t taken me often, I’d relished each experience, not just to feel the wind in my hair, but because I was rarely held by my parents.

“How many years I’ve longed to hold you in my arms like this,” Marius said, frowning. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you were growing up.”

I tightened my hold on him, looking into his brown eyes swirling with flecks of gold. “It wasn’t your fault.”

He flashed a sad smile. “I would’ve held you in my arms every night.” He swallowed, looking down at me as if he carried a chest of treasure. “I never gave a damn about the prophecies.”

“Thank you.” Tears stung the backs of my eyes as my throat constricted. “You have no idea what that means to me.”

“When this war is over, I want to spend time with you. If you don’t want to come to Elisi, I will come to you wherever you are...” He paused, his voice thick with emotion. “If you’ll have me.”

“Of course, I’ll have you.” How I’d love to spend time getting to know Father Marius. Hopefully, he’d come alone, though I doubted my mother would let him off her leash long enough.

“When Malvolia took my sight,” he continued, his voice taking on a wistful edge, “I would dream of your faces. I pictured you looking very much like Ember and Aurora.”

“We did look a lot like them,” I said with a smile. “Though we didn’t have their sharp canines.” That, they’d inherited from their shifter fathers. I thought their pointy little teeth made their smiles even cuter, though I knew those fangs would become deadly as they grew older.

Marius loudly cleared his throat as we passed over a copse of trees, rapidly approaching the other side of the tall wall that circled the city. “Those dreams, and the love I felt for the little girls I longed to hold, kept me alive.”

“Oh, Father.” I felt as if a giant had seized my chest in its meaty fist when tears spilled over Marius’s eyes.

“I love you, darling child,” he continued, the flapping of his wings slowing while we descended, “more than words can express.”

I sighed when we hovered over a building that looked like a big meeting house. I wasn’t ready for this flight to end. There was still so much I had to say to my father. “I love you,” I rasped, too choked up to say more as tears slipped down my cheeks.

We landed, and he set me on my feet before wiping my tears with his thumbs. He grasped my shoulders, searching my eyes. “No more tears, darling. After you check these Fae for demons, we’ll return to the castle and try to get those demons out of our family.”

When I made to protest, he held out a silencing hand. “I have faith you can do it, Shiri. You’ve already overcome so much.” He grabbed my hand, entwining his fingers through mine, his smile warm and loving. “There’s nothing you can’t do if you trust in your heart.”

Squeezing his hand, I released a slow breath and let his words sink in. He was right. I could do this. Ihadto do this. Failure wasn’t an option when Drae’s soul was depending on me.

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