by Lysa Daley
“Are you hurt?”
“I made a wee bit of an escape attempt.” He patted his leg. “Alas, the seal men caught me. I had to try to get back to my Maybelle.”
“She’s been worried about you.”
His face fell. “As I feared.”
“Mr. Morty, did you see Stryker?”
“Yes, they brought him in. She has him under her spell,” he explained. “She’s a wicked, wicked woman.”
“If… the sun… has set, then... he’s dead.” The necromancer laughed a cruel, slow-motion laugh. His words were slow and drawn out. “And nothing makes… me happier than a dead, heartless… ssssseeker.”
Heartless? So the necromancer knew that Serena was after Stryker’s heart.
I turned to go. “I have to get up there. I'll send someone for you. Backup is on the way, I promise you.”
“Lacey,” Mr. Morty called to me. “Be careful. She’s getting more and more powerful.”
“I know,” I replied. And even though it broke my heart, I left him behind.
“You’re already too late, little witch,” the necromancer taunted me as I went.
I hurried toward the water, but as I stood on the edge, one lone selkie appeared beneath the surface. I hid, quickly ducking behind a cluster of rocks, before he climbed up from the water.
As I knelt, something soft and smooth brushed my leg. Sitting beside me I saw a pile of what looked like fur coats. I knew the legend. I knew what I was really looking at.
The one who steals a selkie’s original fur coat will be their master.
This was how Serena managed to command them. She had found their skins and kept them hidden here. This hidden underwater cavern was the perfect location. According to legend, if I now stole their seal skin, then they would have to obey me. The skins were more like a talisman. I would be their master until someone else took possession of these original seal skins.
As soon as I touched a coat, a wave of light, like a tiny bolt of lightning, surged through the skin. Then, in a flash, barely a split second later, the selkie who had emerged from the water, returned.
“Oh great lady, how can I serve thee?” The words sounded compliant, but his tone was hostile, resentful. I could see that he was being compelled by magic to serve me.
“Stand there,” I managed to say, and he went exactly where I had told him to go.
I touched another skin and another man appeared from the sea, then another when I touched a different seal skin.
I heard a chorus of “Oh great lady, how can I serve thee?” repeated multiple times.
“Now that is a neat trick,” I said under my breath.
I soon had seven selkies under my control. And they would stay under my control until someone else discovered their skins. They were bound to serve and obey me — whether they wanted to or not. If I told them to attack Serena, they would have to do it. Much like a jinn must grant the wishes of the one who controls his lamp.
When I first saw the selkies here in this cove, there’d been a dozen of them. That meant at least five remained under her control. Would it be seven against five? Or were there more that I didn’t know about? My advantage was probably slim, but if I worked fast, the selkies that I controlled and the element of surprise might’ve been enough to save Stryker.
Seven pairs of dark eyes bore a hole in me, standing still, waiting for me to command them. The trouble was I had no idea what I should order them to do. Finally, one spoke.
“Oh great lady, please, how can we serve thee?” said the selkie closest to me with an annoyed edge to his voice.
“Where is the man you just brought here?” I asked.
“We have taken him to the surface,” a selkie answered.
How had I missed this? He hadn’t been there when I was on land, and he was already gone when I got down here. I must have missed him as I was descending as a turtle.
“The siren cannot kill the were-man you just took out of here.”
“The sun soon sets and the moon rises,” the selkie replied. I guess he was their spokesman. “It may be too late. We cannot undo what is already done.”
“It better not be already done,” I said sharply.
“She is strong already. After this were-heart, she may be unstoppable.”
I didn’t really care for their attitude.
“Then I suggest you get up there and stop her,” I ordered, attempting to sound dominant. “Or die trying.”
Shifting back to animals, the nimble seals obeyed and raced toward the surface.
When the seventh one was gone, I too shifted back to the green sea turtle and followed.
Chapter Twenty-Five
As I broke the surface, I saw Serena on her rock-throne, trying to sing to a numb-looking Stryker. Such a large man, clearly under her spell, lying like a child across her lap looked odd. Luckily, the sun hadn’t quite set.
Unfortunately for Serena, my selkies, back to being seals, had begun to attack her selkies. Confused, Serena called to them, thinking she was still their master, demanding that they stop fighting with each other. And while she tried to calm things down, she had to keep singing to Stryker to keep him mesmerized.
All the confusion gave me time to get to shore. Finally, she realized that some of the seals would no longer obey her, and she stopped yelling orders to any of them, instead letting them fight.
The sun was now seconds away from setting. She couldn’t take his heart until darkness replaced light, the moment the moon’s power replaced the sun’s.
I got to shore and quickly returned to my human form. As soon as my feet were steady under me, I yanked my messenger bag around, reaching in for the gun with silver bullet.
When Serena saw me, her face filled with fury. “You’re too late, witchy poo. I already stole your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I yelled back, aiming the gun. I glanced at the sliver of sun that still hung over the watery horizon. “And I’m not too late yet.”
When she saw me raise the gun, she yelled, “Stop her!” Then pulled Stryker up in front of her, using his body as a shield. He, too, was a were. The silver bullet would kill him just as fast as it would kill her.
A pair of aggressive selkies moved in my direction, but my selkies intervened, stopping them.
“Damn it!” I lowered the gun when I couldn’t get a clear shot. I had to hurry. Time was running out for Stryker. I moved to see if I could get better aim.
But I was too late. As the sun sank into the western sea, Serena raised her hand and plunged it down to Stryker’s chest.
“No!” I screamed.
Stryker’s eyes popped open, wide with terror.
Boom! A gun shot rang out from behind me.
I whirled around to see Sam standing up on the hill, pointing his service revolver. The bullet winged Serena’s left shoulder. From that distance, Sam was an amazing shot. The bullet didn’t, and couldn’t, kill her, but Serena still reeled back in pain.
In the chaos, Stryker had begun to transform. His body convulsed, his clothes ripped, and dark fur sprouted everywhere.
Serena, now injured and weak, pushed the shaking man from her lap. He rolled down, several feet, landing hard on the rocks below. The moon, the pain, and his fury had triggered Stryker’s transformation into the massive were-bear.
The full moon, along with her anger, had also triggered Serena’s change. Before my eyes, I watched her turn into a were-creature unlike any beast I’d ever seen. Part werewolf/part siren, like a hairy female version of the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
In their full were-forms, Stryker and Serena circled each other, growling and snarling. She attacked, and he fought back. Were-creatures were ferocious warriors. Even though a werewolf was smaller than a full-sized were-bear, Serena’s strength was unreal. Her dark magic had given her an advantage in their battle. The dark magic from the hearts she’d eaten had made her nearly indestructible. If she killed him, her transformation would be complete with this tenth hea
rt.
Stryker stood eight feet tall on his back legs. His bear claws were like deadly knives that could rip you apart. He fought bravely, but he was getting his ass kicked. She’d backed him against the rocks and was pounding him with punches.
I tried to aim the gun again, but they moved so quickly, I was afraid I’d hit Stryker. Still I had to draw her away from Stryker or she was going to kill him. I needed to get closer. All around me, the selkies continued to fight with each other. Sam was too far away. I needed to steer clear of the selkies still loyal to Serena.
If I could maneuver around, I had a clear shot from the back. But that meant getting in the water in order to get behind her on a cluster of flat rocks poking out of the water. If I transformed into a turtle I wouldn’t have my gun. I had to swim as myself. It wasn’t far, but it was against the beating surf.
I tucked the gun firmly into the waist of my jeans, swallowed my fear, and waded into the water. I got lucky because I only ended up fully swimming a few yards over to the cluster of rocks. I had six silver bullets in the chamber. More than enough to kill one were-creature.
Pulling myself to a standing position on the slippery rocks, I took aim just as Serena punched Stryker so hard that she knocked him off his feet. He flew backward onto the rocky ground, giving me a clear shot of her back. Before she could do more damage, I aimed and fired.
And, somehow, I completely missed.
“Damn it!” I cried.
The bullet struck the rocks, sending a shower of stone in every direction.
Serena whipped around and snarled at me.
“Oh shit,” I said instinctively. I was trapped on the rocks as the ocean surf pounded all around me. I tried to aim, ready to fire again, but I fumbled with the gun.
Serena didn’t let this opportunity pass.
With incredible speed, she lunged for me. I sucked in a breath and squeezed the trigger just as a freezing cold wave slapped me from behind. I stumbled forward, missing the mark again.
Salt water blurred my eyes, and I tried to get solid footing under me. Unfortunately, my eyes didn’t adjust fast enough to see the fist sailing toward my face. She slugged me hard, knocking me clear off my feet. I sailed backwards, the gun flying out of my hand. It plunged into the cold ocean a split second before I did.
This was my worst nightmare coming true.
Enveloped in black, freezing water and losing consciousness, I slowly sank into the dark Pacific. Lightheaded, I continued descending.
So this was how it would end?
I didn’t have the energy or the clear-headed mental concentration to shift into a turtle or a fish. The remaining surface light faded out and blackness filled my vision. I closed my eyes as the life drifted out of me.
Then a hand grabbed me, yanking me up. Another hand grabbed the other side. My eyes popped open to see two of my selkies pulling me toward the surface. A third appeared and helped get me onto the rocky beach.
“Oh great lady, please, how can we serve thee?” one of the selkies asked. It wasn’t the selkie who had spoken earlier for the group. His voice was less hostile.
“Help me to my feet,” I said, feeling like a half drowned cat.
“She is a cruel mistress and we want to serve thee,” he said, helping me up. So not all of them wanted to be under Serena’s control?
“Find my gun in the water,” I commanded and two of them dove back in.
Not far from me, Stryker, still a were-bear, struggled to get to his four feet. He was weak, injured. Serena marched toward him. She still wanted his heart.
Up on the hilltop, Sam pointed toward us while talking to a figure in a dark grey suit. It was Mr. Stroud, flanked by a handful of agents. Sam had succeeded in calling in backup. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t end well for Sam.
But it might all have been for nothing.
To the east, the moon had now fully risen in the sky. Serena raised her hand, ready again to plunge it into Stryker’s chest.
I no longer had the gun, but in my pocket I felt a cold sleek piece of metal. It was lone silver bullet I had picked up off the library floor. A lot of good this would do me. I had a bullet without the gun.
But I did have my wand.
With a simple spell, I levitated the bullet. If I used the wand correctly, and had a clear shot, I might be able to propel it forward. I focused on the bullet floating in the air and swung the wand like a tiny baseball bat. The delicate wand never physically struck the bullet, but its luminous energy rocketed the bullet forward as I said, “Volantus!”
Serena cried out and fell to the side, grasping her leg. The bullet had missed her heart, striking her instead in the thigh. Still, the deadly silver had already begun to take effect. Slowly, she morphed out of her were-form, losing her power, back to a simple siren lying shot in the leg on the beach.
As Mr. Stroud and his agents now hurried down toward us, Serena struggled to her feet and limped to the water. She staggered from the rocks, slipping into the water.
In the dark ocean, she swam south. I turned to Mr. Stroud, who didn’t move. He just watched from a distance with his agents lingering behind him.
Why wasn’t he arresting her? Why weren’t they trying to drag her out of the sea?
A moment later, I got my answer.
Nerida, the beautiful and powerful mermaid queen, rose up out of the sea, hovering above the waves. The remaining selkies all bowed to her. She held up their skins. “Selkies, you are free. Return to the sea where your people shall judge you.”
Injured, maybe even mortally wounded, I saw terror on Serena’s face. She turned back to shore, hoping she’d be safe on land. Desperate, she staggered onto the beach and tried to flee.
Nerida calmly stretched her hand forward, pointing at Serena. It was as if an invisible force grabbed ahold of the siren, stopping her in her tracks. This was the mer-queen’s strong magic. A moment later, an invisible power pulled Serena backwards, her heels making a long trail in the sand. At the water’s edge, she continued to be pulled backwards, thrashing frothy water around her, until she was dragged far enough out that her head was no longer visible.
Serena was gone, returned to her people. And the surface of the water was calm again.
Sam was nowhere to be seen when I got to the top of the hill.
Either he’d been taken into custody or he’d gotten away before Mr. Stroud and his agents nabbed him.
Still in his werebear state, Stryker, injured and angry, was being transferred in what looked like a reinforced railroad shipping container. I could hear him roaring and pounding the metal sides.
“He’ll be okay,” a female voice said from behind me. I turned to find Agatha handing me a blanket.
Mr. Morty had already been rescued and sent to the hospital to be checked out. The necromancer was on his way to Blackthorn Prison.
“Thanks.” Shivering, I quickly wrapped it around my soaking wet body. “Where are they taking Stryker?”
“Back to H.Q. He’ll return to his human form as soon as he calms down. Knowing Stryker, that might be a while. Until then, we obviously have to keep him on lockdown.”
“Great.” I nodded and grinned. But I was distracted looking around for Sam.
“Trying to find your cop boyfriend?”
“No,” I said too quickly. “He’s not my boyfriend.” She was obviously on to me. I lowered my voice and asked. “Is he okay?”
“How should I know?”
“Am I in trouble?”
“For sneaking a human cop into the Society’s library, not reporting that Stryker was in danger, then conspiring with the human to apprehend the siren?”
“I did report that Stryker was in danger!” I argued. “Not that anyone listened to me, except for Sam. Without him, Stryker might very well be dead and Serena would be the most powerful evil siren to ever live.”
After a moment, a grin spread across her face. Agatha was intentionally trolling me. And I’d fallen for it. She turned to walk away. “By the way,
Mr. Stroud wants to talk to you back at headquarters. ASAP.”
So I was in trouble then. Again.
I got a ride back to the city with several agents that I didn’t know and had never seen before. No one said much on the ride. They just kept exchanging silent glances. Probably not a good sign.
When we got to the Ironwood Building, the receptionist instructed me to go directly down to the lower level. My heart sank. The lower level housed a row of the jail cells.
Davos from the security team met me as the elevator door opened in the basement.
“Follow me,” he said without looking at me. We passed the shooting range and approached the jail cell area. He pointed at a chair pushed against the concrete wall. “Sit. Mr. Stroud will be out in a moment.”
Sitting on the cold metal chair, I tried to form a game plan before I spoke to Mr. Stroud. I needed to somehow convince him not to wipe Sam’s memory again.
“Ah, Miss McCray,” Mr. Stroud said, strolling casually over to me. No matter what the circumstance, Mr. Stroud always looked relaxed.
Before he could say more, I leapt to my feet. “I know it’s against the rules, but you can’t wipe Sam’s memory. It’ll ruin his life. And he’s so smart. Smarter than any of the other non-mags.”
Stroud raised a hand. “Lacey, please.”
“No! Listen to me. There must be a reason his memory is coming back. A reason he remembers the vampires and gargoyles.” I went on and on, working myself up, until I couldn’t think of anything else to say. By the time I ran out of words, tears had welled up in my eyes.
“Are you done?” Mr. Stroud handed me his monogrammed cloth handkerchief.
I sighed and wiped my eyes. He obviously hadn’t been persuaded by anything I’d said. “Yes.”
“Lacey, I can no longer keep you up in the library.”
“I understand.” I nodded. And I did completely understand why he needed to fire me.
“Whether you realize it or not, you belong out in the field. I’ve said this before, but you’re a natural seeker. One of the most promising young agents I’ve ever seen.” Then he frowned. “But I can’t have you running around Southern California by yourself trying to capture dangerous supernaturals. You don’t have enough experience yet.”
