Page 48 of Siren's Gift

She held up her hand, fingers splayed, and I watched as webbing formed between them. They grew into thin purple membranes that would help propel her through the water. Just as quickly, they receded and disappeared back into her skin. No trace left behind.

"I have total control over the entire change, and you wanna know the best part? It doesn’t hurt. At all." She beamed with excitement.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. I was only a mere mortal, after all. But my happiness for her overrode any other emotions. I grinned back. "Oh good. That means I’ll never have to listen to you whine about it ever again."

As I laughed at her annoyed expression, a wave nearly knocked me over. I spat out a mouthful of salt water. I was far less balanced without my tail.

Her annoyance melted into laughter, and she waded back to where she’d left her bag. She came back with a pair of swim bottoms. "Here, put these on before you get out, so no one thinks you mistook this for a nude beach."

I slipped on the swimsuit beneath the water. I still wore the pearl-rimmed bra, which she now eyed with a raised eyebrow.

"I’ll tell you the story on the way to D.C.," I said.

Back where she dropped her bag, I pulled on a dry top, then held up a towel as a curtain for Marissa to change behind since she’d soaked her clothes. Calvin wouldn’t let us use his car again if we didn’t take care of it. Actually, I wasn’t sure how she’d arrived.

"You drove Cal’s car, right?" I asked.

"How else would I have gotten here so fast?"

"Speaking of which, how many laws did you break?" I shot her a look. "It should have taken another hour. At least."

She waved a hand dismissively. "Who’s even counting?"

I held out my hand. "Keys, please. I don’t trust your driving skills. Or lack thereof."

She rolled her eyes. "There’s no way Cal would let me drive this far. He’s waiting for us."

Oh, thank the tides. That was a relief. While I was sure he broke more than a few laws driving here at record speed, at least he knew what he was doing behind the wheel. He probably cast some sort of spell to keep off any police radar.

Back at the parking lot, the wizard leaned against his Honda, staring off into space and lost in his thoughts. A common occurrence for Calvin. When we approached, his face lit up, and he immediately swept me up into a tight hug.

"And here I thought your sister was the dramatic one." After setting me down, he pushed his glasses back up his nose and frowned. “Wait, am I supposed to address you as ‘Your Highness’ and bow?”

"Ugh, no. And Rissa still wins the drama award." I dodged the elbow she aimed at my ribs and laughed. "See?"

"Ha ha, you’re hilarious." She planted her hands on her hips. "I’ll have you know I’ve been an absolute wreck."

I winced. "I know, I’m sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

"For starters, I want the story. Every juicy detail, especially where you got that gorgeous shell top from. Oh my goddess, did you go home? Did Dad see you?"

Calvin opened the car’s back door and gestured us inside. "Your chariot awaits."

While he drove, I told them everything that had happened, including what I’d learned about Ichiro and Calypso. When I told them how I escaped, Marissa pressed her lips into a thin line.

Her knuckles were white as she gripped the door handle tight. "I wish you would’ve killed them. Or that I could."

My eyes widened as I looked at her, proud of her protectiveness. But I also knew she had no idea what she was saying. Taking a life was never easy, no matter how well-deserved.

"It wouldn’t feel as good as you’d think."

Marissa shrugged. "Hashtag worthit."

I snort-laughed but didn’t disagree. Knowing King Ateleíotes could never hurt another female was worth any guilt I might have carried.

Calvin had been unusually quiet throughout my story. I glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror, noting he’d drawn his eyebrows together. "What’s up?"

He tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel. "Just putting some pieces together. We’ve heard about the dragons’ pyrocrystal trade at the GIG."

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