Page 108 of Liar Witch
And when my siren learns that some of the scales in the cargo they’re hauling belong to his sister…
It’s not like I can hide Cassie’s involvement either, considering it’s her mates who are responsible for destroying the rest of the fleet.
I don’t need to be a Seer to know this isn’t going to go well. And that knowledge is a knot in my gut as I draw closer and closer to the ship.
I slip back in through my window and head straight for the bathroom, stripping away my clothes as I go.
The leather is covered in a combination of blood, sea water and sweat. I desperately want to be clean. I need to erase each mark of the horror that those humans called a ‘facility’ from my skin.
But the water can only do so much. It can’t erase the memories of all the dead sirens we pulled from those cells. Or the sight of the guards butchering the survivors when they realised they wouldn’t win.
Now that I’m out of the action, the full horror of what I’ve seen catches up with me.
I’m not aware that I’m shaking until a steadier pair of hands closes over my shoulders from behind.
“You did it.”
I turn to face Klaus. “But not fast enough.”
My siren takes one look at me and climbs into the bath as well, pulling me back against his chest. He’s still wearing clothes, but he doesn’t care as he holds me.
“You did what you could, which was more than anyone else ever managed to do.” His voice is soft, lulling. It doesn’t take a genius to realise he’s using his siren’s voice to comfort me.
I can’t really bring myself to care.
“When the volcano started to erupt…” he trails off. “I thought the mage had beaten you.”
I shake my head. “Rinaldi never really had control over the volcano,” I mumble. “He had four salamander shifters collared with his magic. They were the ones he forced to use their powers to drive back your mother’s armies. I freed them. They’re no longer a threat.”
“Rinaldi was the mage?”
I nod. “He’s dead.”
“I didn’t see a head…”
I take a deep breath and steel myself for the rest of the conversation to come. “That’s because Cassie is delivering it to your mother for me.”
The air goes still. The whole room silent in anticipation as Klaus digests what I just said.
“Cassie.”
That one word is full ofsomething. An emotion so caught between fear, anger and protectiveness that it doesn’t have a name.
His hand reaches up to tip my chin up, leaving my eyes nowhere to look but his.
“Why was myblindsister on that island, Nilsa?”
I take a deep breath. “In her own words… seeking her destiny.”
The tightness in his jaw doesn’t abate. “Was she hurt?” He must see the answer in my eyes, because he doesn’t wait for me to reply. “Goddess, Nilsa. What the fuck happened?”
The water in the tub starts to swirl dangerously. The bubbles disappear, replaced with tiny tidal waves which smash against the rim of the tub, sloshing water everywhere.
“Calm down and I’ll tell you.” I’m suddenly very uncomfortable having this conversation in a bath and naked. I don’t think Klaus would ever hurt me intentionally, but water isn’t my element, and it’s setting me on edge.
Klaus grinds his teeth together, but the waves in the bath calm slightly. Only when I’m certain he’s back in control, do I finally begin to tell the tale.
“When I arrived, she was already a prisoner. I have no idea how she reached Fior before us, but I saw her being locked away.” I don’t mention the horror of the cells. “They’d already… I was too late to stop them…”
