She laughed a little at the irony and sniffed. “Yeah.”
“Do you know what I love most about the rain?” He didn’t wait for her to answer, instead he peered deep into her green eyes. The tears turned them a bright jade, outlined in a dark evergreen. He could look into those eyes all day. “When the rain stops, the sun comes back out and the world keeps turning.”
She choked on a sob and collapsed against his chest. Immediately, he held her tight, unwilling to ever let her go. He’d been so scared, so sure she was gone, and now his limbs shook with relief.
“If you want me to leave, I’ll go.” He stroked her hair. “But, I’ve been missing a part of myself for all of these years. I can’t imagine not being in your life.”
“I don’t want you to go.” She buried her head in his chest and grabbed a handful of T-shirt. “Promise me, if we can’t find another way, you’ll go, no matter how much it hurts us.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I promise.”
***
Mykaela leaned against her bedroom door and gazed up at Dylan, feeling silly about her breakdown. She’d turned into one of the sniveling, lovesick girls she used to make fun of. And she couldn’t be happier.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, as if reading her mind. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Everybody has doubts some time.”
“Have you?” she asked, as the tingle from his touch resonated through her cheek. “Doubted, I mean.”
He trailed his finger along her jawbone. “Every day, I fight the thought that I’m not good enough to be here, with you.”
Something in her stomach fluttered, like a butterfly flapping its wings. All she wanted to do was sink against him, bury her head in his chest and stay there forever. “I should probably go inside,” she said, fighting the urge to pull him in with her.
“Yeah.” His lips lingered in front of hers. “You should.”
She made no effort to move, just melted into his kiss. He moved his hands along her shoulders, sending shivers down her arms. He tangled his fingers through her hair, and cupped her hip with the other hand.
She was barely aware of her actions as she gripped the doorknob behind her and twisted it open.
Fused to each other, they stumbled into her room. He broke one hand away from her side just long enough to shove the door shut behind them.
They tumbled onto the bed, a haze of kisses and roaming hands. She pulled his shirt over his head and danced her fingers down his abdomen. She couldn’t believe she’d tried to send him away, and now she wanted to get as close to him as she could.
Suddenly, he stopped, bracing his weight on one arm to peer down at her. The way his gaze drifted over her face stole her breath and rendered her speechless. She just stared up at him, allowing his aqua-colored eyes to carry her away, to a world where Hunters and killers didn’t matter. To a place where they could be together. Her pulse raced at a painful rhythm as she watched his lips open to say something, then shut without speaking a word. He nudged the hem of her shirt up, just enough to slide his hand underneath. She loved how he didn’t try to go all the way up her shirt, just far enough so his thumb could feel the skin above her hip. His touch was soft and cool, a comforting contrast to the heat scorching her body. Closing his eyes he crushed his lips to her throat, scraped his teeth across her jaw, nibbled at her earlobe. She didn’t care that he was dead, that some people would call him a monster and her a freak. All she could bring herself to care about was the electricity that charged through her body when he groaned her name, the shudder when his fingers grazed across her hip, and the way his lips didn’t leave her skin for a second.
She turned her head, digging her fingernails into his back, and opened her eyes. And screamed.
Next to them lay a dainty bracelet with beaded flowers on braided black thread.
She looked at her arm, expecting to see her bracelet missing, but it was still fastened around her wrist, as it had been since the day she and Charity made them.
Shrieking, she pushed Dylan off her and jumped up from the bed. Her gaze soared over the room, looking for any sign of who could have left the bracelet. In the farthest corner of the room, Pearl was hunched, her tiny legs shaking and her white fur standing on end.
Realizing that the jewelry was a message from a killer, Mykaela screamed again. Pearl darted across the room and leapt into Mykaela’s arms.
Dylan stepped over to the bed and picked it up. “Is this…”
Clutching Pearl to her chest, Mykaela nodded. “Charity was wearing it when she died, but not when her body washed up.” For the first time, she noticed the sheet of hotel stationary that was left underneath the jewelry. She pointed to it. “What is that?”
He picked it up, his eyes scanning over the page. Biting down hard on his lip, he curled the sheet of paper in his fist.
“Dylan, what is it?”
“Nothing.” He started for the trashcan, but she grabbed his hand, wrestling the stationary out of it. Still holding the shaking kitten, Mykaela used her fingers to pry the wrinkled paper open.
I’m coming for you next…
The words made a sickening feeling settle in the pit of her stomach. Her fingers trembled as she held the paper out to him. “What does this mean?”
It was a stupid thing to ask. She knew what it meant. She was going to die.
As if once again reading her mind, Dylan grabbed Mykaela and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her against him. He gripped her so tight his arms trembled. She heard his teeth clench as he muttered, “That bitch.”
“Who?” Mykaela pulled back and looked up at him through her watery eyes. “Who did this?”
“Morrigan,” he said. “She’s behind everything that’s been going on around here.”
She stared up at him, half sure she’d heard him wrong. Dylan knew who the killer was, and he hadn’t told her? “Morrigan killed Charity?”
He nodded, his eyes searching hers, as if asking for forgiveness.
“But…how?” Mykaela asked, still doubtful for some reason. “I’ve seen her shadow. I’ve seen her breathe.”
“That’s because she’s not like me. She’s not a Soul of the Sea,” he said. “She’s a Siren.”
Chapter Eighteen
Cruel and Unusual
A chill crept over her skin, like a million little spider legs crawling up her body. “A Siren? As in the myth? About the song that drives sailors to their death?”
“It doesn’t exactly happen like that,” he said. “That’s more of a metaphor. They prey on men; enchant them so they fall obsessively in love. Then they feed on their souls. That’s what she’s doing to Jared.”
Fear mushroomed inside her as she remembered Jared’s dizzy spells, and how tired he’d been looking. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this? How long have you known?”
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. I can handle Morrigan.”
“Then why haven’t you?” She took a step back, unsure of what to make of all of this. “Why haven’t you killed her?”
“She’s stronger than me,” he said reluctantly. “She’s been killing people, I haven’t. I’m losing my powers. But,” he added before she could unleash more questions. “I’m working on it, okay? I’m trying. I’ll stop her; I just have to catch her off guard.”
“And if you can’t? What’s going to happen to Jared?”
“Nothing.” He squeezed her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes to convince her. “Because I’m going to stop her.”
“If you don’t? What’s going to happen to him?”
He aimed his gaze at the floor.
“Dylan, tell me.”
He turned away from her. “It depends on what she plans to do with him. If she only plans to use him for sustenance, he’ll die. It could take another couple of weeks, maybe a month. But if she sees qualities she’s looking for in him, like leadership, she’ll convince him to take his own life by jumping into the sea.”
> She felt as if she was going to faint. She clutched on to Dylan’s shoulder for balance. “We have to tell him.”
“We will,” he said.
***
“Jared’s not in his room,” Mykaela told Dylan. “He must have left already.”
“Do you think he’s at the police station?”
“I don’t know.” She used her phone to dial his number as she and Dylan headed downstairs. Jared’s phone went straight to voicemail, and Mykaela rolled her eyes. “I’ll bet you anything he’s with Morrigan.”
“We need to find him, then,” he said.
She stopped in the hallway as they were about to descend the stairs. Turning to him, she pulled out the knife that she took everywhere now. “Will this work on Sirens, too?”
His face flinched in surprise as she brandished the knife. “Where did you get that?”
“Brad gave it to me,” she said. “He said it’s the only thing that will kill a mon—" She opened her mouth to say monster and saw him flinch. “A Soul of the Sea. Will it work for Sirens?”
He nodded, his eyes traveling from the knife to her face. “When did Brad give it to you?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “A couple of days ago. After he arrested me.”
“He arrested you?” Dylan switched his weight to his left foot as he clenched his fists. “When? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because, on the list of things that’ve been happening, that’s the least important. Can we talk about this later?” She sighed, tapping her foot against the carpet. “You remember my brother, under the Siren’s spell?”
“You’re right.” He turned reluctantly. “Let’s go.”
They jogged down the steps, and Dylan strained to keep up with her.
“You’re not planning on confronting her, are you?” he asked as they slipped into her mother’s car.
“Damn right I am.” She revved the engine to a start and shoved the gearshift into reverse. “She’s been picking my friends off, one by one. I’m not letting her take my brother, too.”
“Let me do it,” he said. “I don’t want you anywhere near her.”
She ignored him, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead, as she sped down the road. “Keep an eye out for Jared’s car, will you?”
“Give me the knife.” He held out his hand, palm up.
“What? No.”
He stared at her, shocked, looking a little wounded. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course I do.” She hit the gas pedal harder, wishing she could just find Jared already. “But this isn’t about trust. She killed my best friend, and she tried to kill me. Not to mention she just threatened my life.”
“Is this about revenge?”
She gripped the steering wheel tighter, remembering Charity’s dead expression in the water, the navy blue suit she’d been buried in. The plastic marker that labeled her grave. “Maybe.”
“Take it from someone who knows, revenge will get you nowhere.”
“What’s that mean?” She turned to look at him, and he bit his lip, hanging his arm out the open window. How did he expect her to believe in him, when he wouldn’t confide in her? Defeated, she focused her attention on the road as the car swerved. “See? There are so many things you won’t tell me. Why didn’t you tell me Morrigan is the killer?”
“Because I didn’t want you to charge off half-cocked and get yourself killed.”
“You should have told me. You knew she was messing with my head, bringing up all of that stuff about my dad…”
“Mykaela, none of this matters right now. Just listen to me. ” Dylan dropped his hand onto her leg to catch her attention. “ Morrigan’s dangerous. She’s more powerful than I am. I can’t let you get hurt. So just give me the damn knife!”
“No!” She yelled it at him, her voice resounding in the small car. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she wasn’t really angry with him. She was just mad at everything, and everyone. Her father, for not preparing her for this supernatural world she’d stumbled on. Charity, for hitting her head on the cliff when she fell. Jared, for being under Morrigan’s spell. Morrigan, for thinking she could kill anybody she wanted. “Now, please, keep an eye out for Jared…”
She trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, as she saw a section of the beach roped in yellow tape.
Just inside the yellow tape, Jared stood with Morrigan.
Mykaela felt her heart swell with dread. Who was it this time? Who’d fallen prey to Morrigan’s vicious game? She pulled the car over and slammed it into park. She jumped out and ran up to the scene, with Dylan right on her heels.
“What’s going on?” she asked Jared, looking past them and down at the water. Brad and a couple other officers were walking around down at the shore, but the body was already covered.
“It’s Gabby,” Brad said.
Gabby? The vain, selfish girl Mykaela could hardly stand? The sadness of it punched her in the gut. Even if Gabby was shallow, even if Mykaela never really liked her, it was despicable to see her life ended so soon. Before she ever was able to grow as a person.
Mykaela raised her gaze to meet Morrigan’s, infuriated to see her grin. “You bitch!” She lunged at her, whipping out the knife.
“Hey, whoa!” Jared dashed in between them and grabbed Mykaela’s wrist. Morrigan cowered behind Jared’s shoulder, her mouth open in a horrified expression that didn’t fool Mykaela for a second. Jared wrestled the knife out of Mykaela’s grasp. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“It’s her.” She pointed at Morrigan. “She’s the one doing this. She killed Charity and Susan, and she tried to kill me.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Brad eyed Morrigan, then turned to Mykaela. “What are you talking about?”
Dylan stepped up and pulled Mykaela back, away from Jared and Morrigan. “She’s a Siren.”
Jared laughed. “What?”
“It’s true,” Mykaela insisted. “Jared, she has you under a spell. She’s feeding on your soul; that’s why you’ve been so tired. She’s killing you.”
Jared stared at her, his eyes cold, hard and unbelieving. She waited for him to answer, her heart pounding at every precious second that passed. He turned his head and focused his attention on Dylan. “Get her out of here.”
“What?” Mykaela fell back a step as if she’d been smacked.
“I’m not going to listen to this,” he said. “Get out of my sight. Now.”
Mykaela clenched her teeth, refusing to back down. “Or what?”
Jared’s hand sprang out and slapped her across the face before anybody could see it coming. Dylan grabbed Jared’s arm, and Brad shouted something Mykaela couldn’t make out because of the ringing in her ears.
She brought a hand to her face, staring at him in shock. And that’s when she saw it.
The seashell necklace, fastened around his throat like a collar, was glowing.
She lunged forward and gripped her fingers around the necklace. She yanked on it and felt the clasp break. The necklace fell into her hand, and a flash of light flickered in Jared’s eyes. He brought a hand to his head and shook it, then looked around at them. His eyes fell on Mykaela’s cheek, and his expression pitched into horror, then shame, then rage.
He spun around to face Morrigan. “What did you do to me?”
“I could have given you everything, Jared.”Morrigan stepped back, looking furious. “I would have given you everything. Now, I have to go to Plan B.”
Morrigan threw her head back, tilting her face toward the sky. Dark storm clouds rolled in out of nowhere, making the sky an endless abyss of darkness. She parted her lips and sang.
A song Mykaela recognized, the one she’d heard right before she and Charity were pulled into the water. The townspeople walked toward them, as if in a trance.
“It’s them.” Morrigan pointed her finger at Dylan, Mykaela, Jared and Brad. “Dylan’s killing the girls, and they’ve all been covering
it up! They’re the ones you’ve been looking for.”
Mykaela shrank back as a rumble of whispers and accusations passed through the crowd. The town lined up in front of them, an army against the quartet. Their faces ranged from curious to ravenous as they stepped forward in unison.
“She’s lying!” Dylan shouted.
The only response he received was a slew of curses and threats. They shouted things like killer, traitor, freak!
Dylan grabbed Mykaela’s hand and held it tight as he stepped back, watching as the army stepped forward. “Run!”
Chapter Nineteen
Common Ground
They dashed into the nearby woods, the angry mob shouting behind them. Jared ran somewhere next to her.She couldn’t see him, but she knew he was there. Dylan was a few feet in front; his hand slipped from hers and she couldn’t keep up. The branches tore at her bare legs and arms.
She stretched to meet his fingers but she couldn’t reach. “What the hell is wrong with them?”
“They’re under her spell,” Dylan called back to her, finally grabbing on to Mykaela’s hand. “It can’t last long; we just have to outrun them.”
She tripped over a rock and tumbled down a hill. She screamed, covering her face with her arms. She landed in a heap at the bottom, with a throbbing pain pulsating through her leg.
She felt someone pull her to her feet, but when she tried to put weight on her foot, her ankle gave out on her. She cried out, collapsing against the person next to her.
The townspeople were closing in. They separated, half of them running down the hill, shouting as she imagined the residents of Salem did when they burned witches, long ago.
At the top of the hill, Dylan struggled against the crowd to get down to her. Behind Dylan, Jared tried to pull him back, without much success.
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