Page 4 of Fractured Souls
“My seer is never wrong, and that reputation will soon make itself known, no matter what I say,” Hellsen explained. “Surchardson suspects something, and while he’s younger than both of us, it won’t take long for him to piece together what she is.”
“What she is?” I tried to keep my tone relaxed, but it was a failed attempt.
Red’s eyes flickered over to Lorcan. “We know what she is.”
A shifting had me looking to see Lorcan frowning as she woke, seeming confused. Her power ran through the room protectively as I wrapped an arm around her, and she hyper-focused on the other two rulers in the room.
“You know what?” she demanded softly, her gaze a bit dazed. “What do you think I am?”
Hellsen smirked at her in a way that made me want to hurt him just for looking at Lorcan like that. “We know you’re a siren.”
Shit.
CHAPTER2
Lorcan
I laughed.I legitimately chuckled at the words that came out of Red’s mouth. I didn’t think, outside of my mates and brothers, I’d ever heard anyone say it so directly. It was both refreshing and panic-inducing.Sort of.My panic was currently on hold because as my magic seeped throughout the room, I was acutely aware that Hellsen and Red were openly letting me see their desires.
A show of trust and a willingness to work together? Or was it a measure to make me feel more confident in this situation? Either way it was working, because within their desires, despite being twisted with other things, one truth radiated strongly. They desired to help me. Help us.
But why? What…what was there to help with? In fact, why were we even here? What was going on?
Before I could ask any of those questions, Red appeared in front of me, making Cash let out a feral noise from the back of his throat. She tilted her head and leaned forward. “You can read that you can trust us, can’t you? That’s why you’re laughing.”
“Either that or she’s crazy,” Hellsen muttered.
“Shut it,” Adriel barked. I could feel the tension radiating off of my men, but I also couldn’t afford to be distracted by it until I handled the current issue—that two demonic rulers were aware of my identity…and I had no idea what they would do about it.
“What happened? Why are we back in the room?” I looked towards Desmond, who stood near Draven, both of them staring at Hellsen and Red with disdain. My gaze ran over Draven’s wings, my fingers twitching to touch the soft feathers but knowing it was absolutely not the right time.
“After your star—” Rhett immediately went quiet, clearly not wanting to say anything in front of them.
“It’s okay; they obviously know.” I sighed. “So after my star call? The prophetess, she said…”
“She gave you one of the most detailed prophecies I’ve heard yet,” Hellsen said, his eyes darkening. “It also made it clear what you are, especially to those who know what to look for—which possibly includes Surchardson. Although he is younger than most of us. Doylerion isn’t, though—he was around when your kind flourished in elven society.”
“Wonderful,” Dean spat. I had to fight the urge to walk over and comfort him—I could practically feel his lion pushing to break out.
“The Saqat kingdom won’t be a problem,” Draven said confidently.
“They will want answers, though, ones that I’m not sure you can give now,” Red said, her eyes going distant for a moment. Her uncharacteristically serious behavior, at least from my experiences with her so far, made me a bit uneasy. “Hellsen and I are both aware of the darkness surging towards our realms. We also see you have a part to play in it, which is why we’re willing to help you leave. But your window of opportunity is quickly closing.”
“We’re packed,” Zander said, my gaze running over his face and looking for hints of blood. Had the star call affected him as much as it did me? I couldn’t tell. His magic seemed as intense and bold as ever, our sirens interconnected and looping around one another in a dangerous, almost intoxicating pattern.
My gaze moved to Desmond, knowing he was the most acquainted with the realm in its current state and could probably guess how the other rulers would react. His vibrant gaze was filled with shadows as he studied my expression. “We need to get over the border and back into my kingdom, at least.”
“You need to leave the realm,” Hellsen countered, “if you don’t want problems following you into your kingdom. Doylerion may let it go, as may your old kingdom, Draven, but not Surchardson. He’s a bastard.”
The look on his face was not only serious but filled with an air of caution, making me believe that the man was probably far more of a threat than I even recognized.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” I agreed, feeling a sense of surety. I hadn’t wanted to come back into the Kingdom of Pain as it was, and despite beating Black, I was more than eager to go. No amount of curiosity about the realm could remove the bad memories, and no amount of celebration could distract me from the looming threat hanging over all of us—the dark ones.
Hellsen straightened up from where he had been leaning against the wall. “We can transport you immediately, unless you need anything else.”
“Wait.” I shifted my weight and moved from Cash’s supportive hold just slightly. “Why? Why are you helping us? I know you said you understand what’s happening, but wouldn’t that make you want more answers?”
Call me crazy, but Hellsen and Red didn’t seem like the most rational of people, so there had to be more to it than they were letting on.
