“Luck. One day, luck will run out. Good or bad, it always runs its course.”
“I wouldn’t have taken you for superstitious, sir.”
“It’s not a matter of believing in superstitions. It’s a matter of principle. Nothing ever lasts forever.”
I shrug. He’s got a point.
“So, who’s the other one?” His eyes widen with shocked horror, and he slaps his hand angrily against his desk. “Do not. Don’t you dare say that name.”
“Amarok.”
“Damn it, Tempest! I forbid you from hunting him down and—”
“Too late. I already made a deal with him.”
He rubs his forehead. His face is so red right now that I’m afraid he’s going to drop down dead from a heart attack.
“I would’ve told you before I went to see him if there was time, but with the bombs and everything… He stayed away from Bethlehem until now.”
“He obviously hasn’t been hiding out far away.”
“Well, no, but he’s willing to help now.”
“He’s going to want something in return. Damn it, Tempest.”
“Let me handle him,” I plea, hoping he won’t get too angry with me. “Trust me. I can do this. He and I can handle the sirens.”
“How are you going to do that?”
I hesitate. “I don’t want to risk any officers, so if I tell you, you have to promise not to send in reinforcements.”
“That is my call, not yours.”
“Sir—”
“If you don’t tell me your plans, I will throw you in a cell and lose the key.”
I exhale, frustrated and exasperated. “This is why I don’t like to tell you things,” I mutter. “You get all judgmental and demanding.”
“That’s my job. Details. Now.”
“South Mountain Park. Midnight. Two nights from now.”
“And just how are you two going to kill them?”
I rub my throat. “First, I have to make sure that Selena isn’t in Kat anymore.”
Disillusioned, he collapses into his seat, both hands covering his face.
“And I have two days to figure out how to kill them.”
“Does Amarok have an idea?”
“Maybe, but he’s kinda indisposed right now.”
“Doing what?”
“You don’t want to know, sir.”
“I’m sure I don’t.” He grumbles curses under his breath. “If this goes south—”
“It’ll all fall on me. I’m not a police officer. I’m not a detective. You’re in the clear.”
“Tell me what you think you might need, and I’ll make sure you have it.”
“Thank you.”
His phone rings.
“Get the Hell out of here,” he yells.
I obey his directive, but I sure don’t feel any happier, any more hopeful, or any less worried. In fact, I’m even more dismayed and disillusioned about it all.
The sirens have something else planned. Killing them better make it null and void because if something goes boom after we’ve won, I’m running away to the circus.
Chapter 34
The rest of that day and night, I do all I can to research ways to kill sirens. One text suggests that they’re prone to suicide, but I think these sirens are way more evolved than that.
The more I think about it, the more I think the jest about going all Queen of Hearts on them might be necessary. Silver bullets as a backup.
But how can I actually cut off her head? And does the blade have to be silver? Maybe they stole the silver and gold to protect themselves.
I leave a message with the lieutenant to ask for a gold-bladed axe. It’s a better bet than a sword. I’m glad he doesn’t answer because I’m sure his reaction to hearing that insane, inane request would be imaginative and ridiculous.
Somehow, I actually sleep easily, and when I wake up, I’m eager to set things up. Tomorrow night’s the night. Which means I need to set up a means to lure the sirens to the park.
I drive around Bethlehem until I reach an area that isn’t densely populated. A few different streets I park on and wait for a few minutes to see if anyone comes by. Once I find one where no one drives by or exits a house, I climb out of my car.
“I have a deal for a siren,” I sing. “Whichever one comes here first.”
Nothing happens.
Huh. I wasn’t sure it would work, but it was definitely worth a shot.
“Sing me a song, you’re the—”
“Piano woman?” Lorelei asks, singing along to the tune.
I grin even though inwardly I’m cringing. I hoped to see her sister.
“I was going to sing sireness.” I shrug and feign interest. “Can you play the piano?”
“Any instrument at all.”
“The harp your favorite?”
“Yes, exactly.” Lorelei smiles regally. “I do believe you mentioned a deal. What does it concern?”
“I’ve been wondering. What do you need for sustenance? I figure it’s better to make friends than enemies, and I was hoping to have you as an ally.”
“Ally against?” she asks indifferently, buffing her nails on her sweater dress.
Does no one else dress for the weather? I’m wearing a shirt, sweater, jeans, two pairs of socks, boots, and my winter coat. For the most part, I’ve gotten over the fact that it had blood on it at one time.
“Against any enemy that comes about.” I shrug, pretending to be worried but hiding it as if it’s a secret.
“Such as?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I rub my throat. “A month ago, I didn’t know vamps were real, let alone wolves and sirens. I’m afraid of what might come next.”
“I can’t fault you for that. But I do believe your initial song you had a deal for a siren. Me or my sister. How do I know you aren’t trying to also make an alliance with her behind my back?”
“I guess it’s a matter of trust.” I can’t help smirking.
She smirks back. “Honesty is important, but how do I know you don’t have a stiletto hiding for me, waiting to slit my throat?”
“You may be right. Keeping the faith is important too.”
“How funny that you mention faith,” she says wryly.
Okay, now I’m confused.
“My life has been bound and controlled by the nature of there always being sirens,” she says, dropping our charade. “Never only one. We lost a lot of power because of our ignorance.”
I frown. “I’m sorry. I feel like I’m missing something.”
“We had a sister. Selena killed her. Not within Bethlehem soil though.”
“So, you could have already been more powerful,” I reason. “You, ah, have any other sisters? Killed any others?”
“No. Not living. We had two sisters. Both were killed. Now there are only the two of us.”
“Why did Selena kill her? And who killed the other?”
“I don’t know who killed the first.”
Anger flashes in her eyes, and I take a step back.
Lorelei recovers her sense of arrogance and haughtiness. “Selena killed Marilee because they fought over a man.” She wrinkles her nose.
“A human?”
“He does not matter.” The siren waves her hand about airily. “I still have yet to forgive Selena for doing such a thing. To kill her own sister. For a man of all reasons!”
“You wish me to believe that you want to kill her because of revenge for your sister’s murder?” I ask dryly.
“Of course not. I was the one to explain to you about being able to gain power. I wish to be forthright with you.” She appraises me. “Can you be forthright with me?”
“Sure. Fine. I’ll be honest. I was going to make this deal with whichever of you came to see me first. I’m glad it’s you.” I shudder, and it’s not for show. “My parents were murdered. I can’t abide the idea of a sister killing a sister. That’s terrible. You must be infuriated with her. How long ago did it happen?”
“That does not matter either. You must shed your detective coil if you wish for us to be allies. Too many questions will only anger me. Considering I am aligning myself with you against her should make you realize how serious of a matter this it to me.”
Is that a slight? I think it is.
But it doesn’t matter. This suits my needs perfectly.
“I know just the place we can tag team against her,” I say, doing my best to hide my eagerness, my excitement.
“As long as it is within the city limits, it should suffice. You can choose the locale. After all, you do know the city more than I do. I was only here for a fortnight after I was born. Then my sisters and I left to grow and learn and, above all, sing.”
“A century ago?” I guess, too curious for my own good.
“Nearly,” she allows.
Wow. She looks younger than me! Both siren sisters can pass for twenty-five-year-olds.
“So, how exactly are we going to kill her?” I ask.
“Oh, you leave the actual killing to me. I need you to bring her to the spot.”
“Fine. Tomorrow, midnight, at South Mountain Park. Ah, is there anything I should bring to defend myself, just in case the worst happens?”
“If the worst happens, you will be dead.”
With that, Lorelei disappears before my eyes.
Well, now, isn’t that just so reassuring?
I don’t know how sirens’ hearing works. If they can only hear songs from wherever they are. If they hear everything. If saying her name or the word siren captures their attention. I can’t risk trying to lure out Selena because it might not go unnoticed by Lorelei. I’m stuck, and I don’t have a lead.
Outside of Kat.
Damn it.
I just know she’s going to stick around in Kat’s body for as long as she can to keep herself safe. It’s cunning, really. Ruthless. A guarantee that she’ll be fine.
As near as I can figure it, the silver-eyed vamps are on Selena’s side. Her body must be somewhere when she’s astrally projected into Kat. If that’s even the right term for it. Maybe she just flies her consciousness into Kat. Whatever it is that she does, her body has to be somewhere.
It would be nicer for me if the wolves were her allies. I could try to free one and then get him or her to sniff her out. I guess I could try to get ahold of Calliope and see if she’ll do it. Hell, by now, she might be sirened herself.
But the alpha female doesn’t answer her phone, leaving me no choice but to try and make an ally out of a vamp.
Without hesitating, I drive to the spot where I first met Jace. There’s no fog. He’s not here.
I park and climb out of my car. Whistling, I wait.
Still no fog or vamp.
I grab my Swiss army knife and prick the end of my index finger. Gotta figure vamps are like sharks, right?
Sure enough, before the blood has clotted, a fog rolls in. A whoosh of air and a vamp stands before me.
Jace.
His eyes don’t look silver.
Yet.
“Are you you?” I ask.
He blinks a few times, clearly surprised by my question. “I am as me as I have ever been since my thirst has begun,” he offers.
I’m confused myself now. “Ah, okay then. How many vamps have silver eyes?”
“More and more by the nightfall.”
“What are they doing? Not killing wolves? I haven’t noticed any slayings going on by either side.”
“I think they’re waiting.”
“For what?”
“A final showdown.”
I swallow hard. “Like an epic clash between the two camps?”
“Yes.”
“Great. Just great.” I rub my forehead. “Do the silver-eyed vamps leave together, go somewhere? Talk about their… master?”
“No.” Jace smiles apologetically. “To be honest, I avoid them as much as possible. I don’t care too much for my own ilk.”
“So why hang around?”
“There’s something about this city,” he murmurs.
“Don’t tell me that it draws supernatural creatures here.”
I shudder at the terrible thought. The werewolves have been here all along. Vamps only more recently. Sirens eons ago and now.
As ever, what next?
“You don’t want to talk to another one again, do you?” he asks.
I worry my bottom lip. “I might have to,” I murmur.
A low grumble sounds behind me. I whirl around to see Rolf there. My hand to my throat, I startle. His eyes are normal, then silver, and normal again. He’s clearly fighting the influence.
And it’s a real fight. His upper lip is curled back, and his teeth are that of his wolf’s.
I gulp and hold out my hand to keep Jace back.
Then I hesitate, freezing. Instinctively, I’m protecting a vamp against a wolf.
When, earlier, I killed a vamp for trying to kill that same wolf.
My, how things have changed.
And for the worse. So much for the worse.
Rolf’s body shudders violently. His eyes flash back and forth so many times that I can’t tell what color they are.
Finally, he stills.
His eyes are decidedly not silver.
I don’t relax though. Not even a little.
“The silence is worse than the singing,” he mutters, his voice low, almost a growl.
“The one you follow,” I ask, carefully picking my words, “her hair. What color is it? Have you seen her?”
“Blacker than sin.”
Eager, I clap my hands. “Do you know where she is?”
His eyes flash silver. His gaze shifts to Jace.
“Focus on me,” I demand critically, urgently. “Listen to me. Can you take me to her?”
“You seek to destroy her. To devastate her.”
“No. I swear that’s not true.” I shake my head.
It’s the truth too.
“I just want to make sure she’s all right. That’s all,” I add.
Rolf darts forward. Jace stands behind me one second. The next, the two of them are fighting each other.
And I’m caught in the middle.
Chapter 35
Let’s just say that trying to keep a terrifying wolf and a powerful vamp apart is nearly my undoing. Half of their blows end up hurting me instead. In seconds, I’m ready to drop.
A gun goes off.
In two blinks, Jace is gone, and Rolf has vanished.
Damn it!
I’m bruised and bleeding from a few scratches. My neck hurts as I twist around to see who fired the weapon.
“Lo and behold, the accursed vamp hunter returns.” I glower at Blake Damon who stands across the street.
He mockingly gives me a formal bow before sauntering across the street.
“You look a little worse for wear,” he comments.
“You have no idea how pissed I am at you. Both of them were my leads to finding—”
“I know,” he says.
“You know about…” I’m not sure if I should say the word siren out loud. “The singers?” I opt for instead, as lame as it sounds.
“I do. Their silence is worse than their singing. I’ve dealt with one before. How many are left?”
I hold up two fingers.
He nods. “Not bad.”
“Can’t take the credit. How best to handle one?”
“Flee.”
“You don’t have a special gadget like your UV gun?”
“Nope, he says cheerfully.
“Why in the world did you come here? Why did you shoot them?”
“For one thing, they were hurting you.”
He brushes the hair from my forehead and brushes against a knot. I manage not to wince, but I do suck in a breath.
“I can handle myself,” I say hotly.
“For another, you didn’t seem like you were holding up well. You looked ready to drop.”
“Still am,” I admit.
I walk over and sit on the hood of my car. Ever since I corrected the sirens about it flurrying and not snowing, it’s continued to flurry. Several inches cover the ground now, and it shows no signs of stopping despite its leisurely pace.
“And you missed them both because you’re not that good of a shot?” I ask.
“I didn’t want to risk shooting you.”
“Thanks,” I mutter dryly. “Being shot would have been even less than ideal.”
“You keep strange company. How were they supposed to help you?”
“I wanted the vamp to help,” I start to explain.
His lips twist with disgust and disapproval. “You’re befriending them now?”
“Of course not. A means to an end. The… other is more of a concern right now.”
“Here’s a tip. Follow the silence. You’ll find them. Just be wary. Their silence is worse than their song.”
Blake nods and turns to leave.
“Why did you come?” I blurt out.
“To check on you,” he says without facing me.
“I don’t need to be babysat.”
“If I hadn’t scared them away, what would you have done?”
“Brought out my gun. Gotten them to stop.”
“And if the sight of your gun didn’t deter them?” He continues to talk over his shoulder.
“I would’ve shot…”
“One of them? Into the air?”
“I don’t know,” I mumble. “Doesn’t matter. Now, I have to find them without one of them by my side. I didn’t even want the wolf around in the first place. He came out of nowhere.”
“Probably a spy.”
“Then he would be going straight to her,” I point out irritably.
“There’s just no pleasing you, is there?”
“Why did you really come back?”
Now he faces me. He looks so conflicted.
“I don’t usually leave a city until all the vampires are dead. Leaving them all to you was eating me alive. How many have you killed since I left?”
I say nothing.
“You’re a miserable, lousy vampire hunter, you know that?” He frowns. “Where’s your badge?”
During the fight, my coat zipper broke, and he can clearly see I’m not wearing my badge at my hip.
My silence speaks for me.
When Sirens Screech: A Mayhem of Magic World Story (Bedlam in Bethlehem Book 3) Page 17
