Page 7 of Song For His Siren
"That is a good question," Bridget answered distractedly.
"I mean that's weird, right? Who leaves dead animals on people's doorsteps?"
"I don't know, lass," she answered, her eyes still taking in the woods next to the campsite. "But I don't get the sense it is anything to worry about."
"Seriously?" Calli asked with wide eyes. She was definitely more than a little worried about it. This was one step away from a boiled bunny, right?
"Do ye trust me?" Bridget asked her with a serious tone. This was the first time she had seen Bridget without that playful glint in her eyes.
"Of course, I trust you," she said with absolute certainty. She didn't know why, but she did.
"Come see me tomorrow. I may have some answers for ye, but please don't be frightened by this. I am certain there is nothing to be scared of."
She nodded, "Okay, I’ll stop by tomorrow."
Bridget squeezed her hand, and it felt like a warm blanket had been thrown over her. "I think I'm actually going to go to bed early," said Calli. “I’ll stop by tomorrow and see you.”
"I look forward to it, lass."
And with that, Calli got up and went into her camper.
3
KHULDRUK
Khuldruk watched from the forest’s edge. He had traveled all this way for this beautiful creature, his true mate. He was trying to woo her, but after the conversation he just witnessed and the way she had screamed and thrown his offering this morning, he wasn't wooing her, but rather scaring her. That thought set a stone in his stomach.
In his own realm, he could woo any woman he saw fit. He was a ruler and a warrior. He wasn't used to feeling off balance. He would figure this out for his kingdom and his people. Having seen her, he was certain. She was his mate. How could she not be? The pull he felt to her was pure magic. Their connection would be too.
He sank down the trunk of the tree he had been leaning against until he was sitting on the ground. His hair snagged on the bark of the tree. His glamor had come with this obnoxious long blond hair. Other than that, he supposed his glamor was good enough. He still felt strong and had some of his tattoos, so it was enough to make him feel like himself, even if he looked human.
"Hmmmm. What have we here?" asked a voice behind him.
He immediately jumped to his feet, baring his teeth, only to find a small older woman looking up at him with an interested smile.
They sized each other up. She was like no human he had ever seen. Well, that wasn't true—shelookedvery human, but there was something more than human about her.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
He watched, perplexed, as she just raised her eyebrow at him. "I was going to ask ye the same question."
Again, there was a long pause. He could sense her magic, but it was not magic that belonged in the human realm.
"Why are you bothering the lass?" she asked with eyes that bore right into him.
"Bothering her? I'm not bothering her. I'm trying to woo her," he sputtered out.
"Woo her by leaving dead animals on her doorstep?"
He just nodded. "It is an offering. I’m showing I can take care of her, that I’ll provide for her."
The little woman crossed her arms over her chest. "Woo her, ye say? Just where are ye from?"
"Not around here."
"Clearly, but I mean, where are ye really from?"
He examined her a bit longer. He had been told humans didn't know magic. They had many different names for it, but their knowledge of it was primitive, and their knowledge or realms was nonexistent. Be that as it may, he would swear this woman knew more than any human should.
