Page 146 of Rise of the Siren Queen
I watched him break—slowly, painfully—as every breath he drew became another reminder that he had failed. That she was gone. That he was next.
Each fracture in his composure fed something dark and euphoric inside me. Every heartbeat was a dirge, every second an eternity as his torment unfolded before my eyes.
But then he moved.
Draven thrashed with renewed ferocity, shadows writhing around him like starving beasts. He must’ve spent years fortifying his mental shields, preparing to fight me. I felt the strain of holding him slip, my grip faltering like blood through water.
And he felt it too.
His lips twisted into a triumphant, a feral grin.
In a blink of an eye, he snatched the dagger from his mother’s limp hand. The blade caught the faint golden light, thirsty for more blood. His gaze locked on mine, cold and focused, vengeance bleeding from every pore.
“Kieran! Shields, now!” I shouted, my voice cracking the air like a whip.
Sparks burst to life in Kieran’s hands, fusing into a crackling dome of lightning that snapped into place around him, Ronan, Elora, and Sienna. The water vibrated with the charge, alive with power.
But Adrian and I stood outside the barrier.
Too close.
Too exposed.
Draven’s grin widened as his shadows pulsed, writhing like a living nightmare. The hall shrank, the world collapsing until only three figures remained. He, Adrian, and I.
“Stay behind me,” Adrian murmured, steppingin front of me.
“No,” I said, my voice a blade drawn from its sheath. “This ends now. For my family. My people. And for me.”
Draven laughed, a low, chilling sound as his shadows lunged.
I called my father’s trident into my hand. The weight was grounding, the glow of its golden tips a steady pulse in the storm. In tandem, thick rings of water twisted into chains, coiling around Draven’s arms and yanking them back.
He hissed as the restraints locked tight.
I turned. With Adrian’s hands raised, his focus sharp, his power radiated through the water like a current.
My chest swelled.
He had done this.
He had forged weapons from the very element that defined my people and used them to protect us.
“Nice touch,” I muttered, eyes still on Draven. The chains tightened. His shadow snapped violently but couldn’t break free.
Adrian said nothing, but his stance was avow.
“You think that’ll stop me?” Draven snarled, writhing against the binds.
“It’s not about stopping you,” Adrian said, coldness lacing his voice. “It’s about showing you how powerless you really are.”
“What’s the plan, Princess?” he added, low and tight, fury just under the surface.
“The longer he lives, the greater the threat,” I answered, stepping forward, each word laced with finality. “It’s time I finished this.”
Draven’s eyes widened. Just a breath.
Then I struck.
