Page 26 of Fractured Souls
In any other situation that would have been the case, but the mixture of not being able to hear his desiresandrecent events…well, I was just a bit more cautious than before.
“I know what you are.”
Those words sent a chill down my spine. “What do you mean?”
“I know that you’re a siren.”
Motherfucker.
“And why would you think that?” I titled my head in a predatory movement as Cash’s energy flared defensively around me.
The man put his chin up. “I know everything about sirens. I’ve been trying to find one for years, and I finally have.”
“I’m a star elf,” I mused, “but a siren does sound significantly cooler.”
“Liar,” he hissed, his hands now shaking. In that moment, his defenses dipped and I realized that the man was…well, ‘obsessed’ was the only word for it. Not only was he a scholar, but he had an obsessive focus on sirens.
I winced at the intensity of it, and despite the show of calm he was putting on, I could see how worked up he was. His eyes had an almost manic glint to them.
“Why do you want to find sirens?” Cash asked, his voice layered with a hidden lethality that I knew could strike out at any moment. I didn’t want to overreact and reveal too much—Cash seemed to follow the same line of thinking—but I wasn’t positive it mattered. No matter how much I denied being a siren, I don’t think I’d ever convince this man. That was how it worked with my magic—we were exactly what they wanted us to be, and in this case…well, his ‘want’ was the literal truth.
“Why would younotwant a siren? They can bend anyone to their will.”
“So you’re power hungry?” I shook my head. “That’s a horrible reason if I’ve ever heard one. Especially if you’re as obsessed as you seem.”
His eyes flashed with victory. “You can feel how much I want it, then? I knew it! Iknewyou were a siren—”
And I’d fucked up by using my magic.
All at once his voice cut off and the bubble of magic disappeared. A gurgle of blood left his throat, and my brow rose as I took in the sword that was pierced through his chest from behind. Well…shit.
It would’ve almost been laughable if the owner of that sword wasn’t livid. Adriel’s magic expanded out around us, darkening the space with shadows that vibrated the walls and causing panicked murmurs to fill the halls. The light from the once open ceiling was absent, and it bathed everything in the vicious darkness that seemed to be rolling off Adri.
Adriel pulled his sword out of the man and grabbed the back of his neck, the body of his former advisor hanging limply as he stepped forward and met my gaze.
Oh man…he was not happy.
“You killed him,” I said, my breath hitched in surprise. I shouldn’t have been…I think it was the sword that had caught me so off guard.
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ll always protect you, princess.”
I probably shouldn’t have found that as sweet as I did.
* * *
In fact, I should have been more focused on the chaos that Adriel was spreading throughout the room.
“Love, you may not want to encourage him,” Desmond said. Apparently I was openly swooning at Adriel’s declaration. Honestly, it was no wonder we got into so much shit—I had horrible focus when my men were around.
Taking in the looks on his and Cash’s faces, I tuned into the fear that saturated everything. Panicked gasps and surprised screams tightened the air, the crowd experiencing something I couldn’t see, even as I turned to look into the pitch black of the once festive hall.
Icouldfeel the taut line of tension Adriel held on his control, and if that broke open…well, I feared for everyone here. Looking back at Adriel, I made a surprised noise as he appeared right in front of me, the body long forgotten.
Inhaling, I shivered as he backed me up against the wall and captured my face between his hands. His voice was rough as he pressed his forehead against mine. “Don’t look away from me.”
