Page 40 of Lured By the Siren

I wrap my mind around all of the new pieces of my past I just learned. A plan begins to form, and it’s never been more obvious that I have to get off this rock. We don’t belong here. We were never meant to stay this long. This place is an evil leech, corrupting the minds of the Elders and slowly draining the life force of everyone here. Some things are better left to sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Standing on shaky legs, I take Florence's hand and look deep into her deep blue eyes. The eyes I’ve been looking up to my entire life hold a sea of pain and love in them all at the same time. As much as the anger inside me is bubbling to the surface, demanding release, it’s not for Florence. She did everything she could to protect me after realizing her mistakes.

The real evil here is Yvette.

“I can’t forgive you for keeping all of this from me, but I know you had my best intentions at heart. Florence, I can’t stay here. Kai can’t stay here. None of us can stay trapped here forever. Youunderstand that, right?” I look at her, pleading for the truth of how to escape.

A sultry voice sounds from behind me, and the scales on my neck instantly raise. Slowly, I turn around, gripping Florence’s hand in mine.

“I was just looking for you two.” Yvette smiles with a feline grin. “The celebration is about to begin, and your delicious man has been searching for you all night. You better go find him before someone else does, Evelyn.”

Florence looks between us and says, “Go, we’ll be fine.”

Not wanting to leave her alone, I pull Florence towards the party with me. “I want you to meet with him first, Mom.” I bite out, feeling like I’ve been caught in a game where I don’t even know the rules.

As we stride towards the safety of the party, I turn around and meet her gaze. Yvette is staring right back at me with a wicked grin on her face, toying with the seahorse necklace around her neck.

18

Kai

Ican’t bear to go back into that place. I don’t want to see Dru caught up in the Elixir’s hold. I just want to be away from this place. Distance and time to clear my head was what I needed.

A familiar voice draws my attention, and I spot Evelyn and Florence standing just outside of the Elder's hut. Evie is so beautiful, silhouetted by the moonlight. She pulls Florence into a tight embrace and whispers something in her ear. The two women share one final moment before Florence squeezes her hand and walks back inside to join the celebration.

“Kai?” She calls out, noticing me just a few paces away, and I go to her, drawn to her warmth and energy like a moth to flame.In such a short time, she has become so important to me, the person I seek for comfort, and I want nothing more than to wrap my arms around her and never let go.

“There you are,” she says. Her eyes are wild, and she quickly looks behind her into the haze of lust before pushing me back the way I came toward the beach. “Quick, we don't have much time.”

“F–for what?” I stutter, wiping away the remnants of my tears. She stops, and I can just barely make out the look of concern that washes over her face as she looks at me.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“It’s Dru. He’s gone,” I choke out. She grabs me and pulls me into a crushing hug. We hold each other for a long moment, and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude comes over me. Evie is the brightest thing in this dark place. She's the only person who seems to understand me and knows exactly what I need at all moments. I need to leave this place with Dru, whether his mind is with him or not, but I can’t leave her. I won’t.

“I’m so sorry, Kai.” She finally says, releasing our embrace and looking me in the eye. “Don’t worry, we will get him back. I have a plan.”

I raise a brow, “What kind of plan?”

“We have to destroy the Elixir—all of it.”

My eyes grow wide with interest, “You know where it is? All of it?”

She smiles, nodding, but then her grin wanes, “There is something else we have to do, too.”

I don’t like the look on her face, and I know I won’t like her next words. “We have to make sure they can never make the Elixir again.”

I frown, “And how exactly do you suggest we do that?”

“Burn the field of Elder flowers. Make sure it can never grow again.”

That is the last thing I expected Eve to say. She loves those flowers. I love those flowers. They are absolutely extraordinary. My botanist mind is warring with my logical one. She is right. The Elder flower needs to be destroyed to break the cycle and bring the men back to reality.

“A long time ago,” Evie begins. “I used to help some of the men try to get off the island. We built rafts and sailed out into the storms, but then one day it all just stopped. None of them had any yearning to leave anymore.” She looks away from me, and I take her hand in mine.

“It’s not your fault, Eve. You couldn’t have known what they were doing to the men.”

“But I should have. I should have realized it. I was so wrapped up in my own head and my desire to be rid of this place that I didn’t even see what was happening in front of my eyes.”

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