The Siren's Son (The Siren Legacy Book 1)

by Helen Scott

  Her other hand clasped the necklace she had borrowed, and she sent a second prayer to Bast, asking the Egyptian warrior goddess for protection in the battle she was about to face. She sat like that for a brief moment, holding a feather and a rock shaped like a cat goddess, and felt the strangest sense of calm. She believed if all this other crazy stuff was real, then they must have been at one point too. Carefully she tucked the feather back into her jeans and hid the necklace behind her T-shirt before she edged out from her hiding space and began to follow him. That is until she lost control.

  “Ah, ah. He’s my plaything. I won’t have you returning another one to the ground. Come here.” Ellie’s body obeyed completely, even as she fought the compulsion.

  Her mind was racing. She had no idea how she could possibly get out of this. The one upside was Circe hadn’t taken full control of her mind yet, just her body. Standing in front of her, Ellie felt short and fat. Circe’s lithe body was a good foot taller than her own, and Ellie had to look up to see in her eyes. From this distance, she could see her eyes were dark green, a deep, mossy, wood kind of green, but they glowed with hatred. Ellie could also see Circe’s crop top was mostly transparent, leaving her feeling inadequate in many, many ways.

  “Get on your hands and knees and kiss my feet. Then tell me you will follow my wishes and let me in your mind.”

  Ellie’s body obeyed, and she was kissing Circe’s stiletto-clad feet before she could even try to resist. She didn’t utter a word though. She wouldn’t let herself.

  “I said, tell me you will let me in your mind.”

  Ellie gritted her teeth. “No.”

  Circe stalked back to the bar and mixed herself another drink with Ellie still perched on the floor on her hands and knees. With her fresh martini and a long, tapered stick in her hand, Circe approached.

  The stick was aimed at Ellie. “Tell me what I want to hear.”

  Ellie felt the magic run over her body, trying to force its way inside, trying to force her mind to obey, but she blocked it at every turn.

  “Stand up. Watch my wand.” Ellie’s eyes were fixed on the wand—she couldn’t tear them away. She couldn’t even blink. Circe walked over to Alec, her wand glowing at the end. The tip touched Alec’s skin, and he let out an almighty howl of pain. She slid the tip along his skin, leaving third-degree burns in its wake. The smell of burning skin made Ellie gag.

  “Do not vomit on this carpet.”

  Ellie threw up a little in her mouth but couldn’t open it to let it out.

  “Fine! Vomit in the trash can.”

  Ellie ran to the trash can in the corner and proceeded to puke her guts out. When she righted herself, she saw blood trailing down Alec’s skin from the wound on his stomach and from his wrists where he had pulled at his restraints.

  “Come here. Touch his wound.”

  Ellie’s body obeyed. Her fingertip grazed the wound, and Alec hissed in pain.

  “Oh go on, touch it, really feel what I did to him. It’s what I will do again if you don’t let me in.”

  Without her control, Ellie felt helpless against Circe. Her finger pressed into the wound, causing blood to flow more freely as Alec grunted. She made eye contact with him and hoped he could tell how sorry she was that her rescue attempt had failed so badly.

  “Don’t let her in,” he whispered.

  “Come now, we don’t keep secrets here.” Circe pointed the wand at Ellie. “What did he say?”

  Ellie clamped her mouth shut. Circe held the wand directly in front of her left eye. “You don’t need two eyes. I could remove one for you.”

  “I told her not to let you in.”

  “Foolish man.” Circe hissed at him.

  “Besides, if you take her eye, I won’t be able to get it up, and then you won’t be able to have any fun.” Alec’s voice was strained as though talking hurt—hell, Ellie was willing to bet breathing hurt for him right now. Circe raised her wand to drag it across his skin again.

  “Leave him alone!”

  Circe turned and slashed Ellie’s face with the wand. Searing-hot pain took over Ellie’s mind. She could feel the blood trickling down her skin. Her vision dimmed in and out for a moment before she reached out with her power. She hung her head as she opened herself up to the electricity around her.

  She drew the electricity in the room to her, only taking what she needed, bolstering herself on its power. She certainly wasn’t going to lose control because she passed out, at least not if she could help it. She could feel the electricity running over her skin. She commanded it to seal the wound. Panting through the pain, Ellie let her hair hide her face. Circe’s control over her body had lessened as she absorbed the nearby electricity.

  “Stop that racket.” Ellie struggled to quiet her breathing; she didn’t want to let Circe know that her control wasn’t as strong anymore. She reached out with her power again, almost getting overwhelmed by all the electricity in the area. She drew it into herself, feeling it filling an emptiness she didn’t know she had until she felt like she would burst. The electricity flowed over her skin, severing the last of Circe’s control.

  Circe was standing in front of Alec, looking at his face. “I’m not sure how to punish you. If I knock her out, then I will be able to take control and we can play, but you’ll resist me every step of the way. And if I punish you now for your disobedience, then you won’t be very playful. But you need to be punished. Maybe when I take her over, I’ll make you watch as one of my servants befouls her. I know she wouldn’t be amenable to that, and neither would you, judging by your face. But I can always heal you; after all, I do have Hecate’s powers. I just need to figure out how. Her powers are tricky; they never work the way one would expect.”

  Ellie stood up behind her as she spoke. The undead servant facing Ellie began advancing toward her, causing Circe to turn. Ellie let a lightning bolt fly, and the Thing didn’t just get reset, he turned to dust. There was nothing left of him that she could discern. Circe stared at the spot where he had been standing for a few seconds. Ellie glanced at Alec, and her heart soared when she saw his face was full of pride. Ellie winked at him before returning her attention to Circe.

  She whipped her head around to Ellie, her auburn hair streaming out behind her. “You bitch! Thing Two was my favorite! I will make you suffer worse than if you had been condemned to the pits of Tartarus.”

  Circe leveled her wand at Ellie and was saying something Ellie couldn’t understand. The only way she could think of combating whatever Circe was planning was to cocoon herself in electricity. She opened her arms and drew electricity into a bubble around herself. The air crackled with it, sending sparks flying all around her. It almost felt like her feet weren’t touching the floor anymore; her whole body was charged and ready to fight.

  Circe struck out with the wand, and fire surrounded Ellie, but she couldn’t break through the charged air of her electricity bubble. The sudden sound of wings flapping was so loud Ellie covered her ears, but as Ellie looked up, she realized she was the only one who could hear it. Maybe the Morrígan was lending her some aid after all. Circe quickly followed up with some kind of poisoned gas. Alec started coughing and gasping for breath.

  Ellie had been ready to fight Circe, but she hadn’t thought about what Circe might do to Alec since she seemed to want to control him so badly. Ellie reached further, drawing more power toward her. Sparks flew around her eyes. She balled electricity in both hands, the white-hot power making her feel invincible. Dropping her shield, she threw them at Circe, who batted them away like a cat playing with a mouse.

  “Did you think that would hurt me?”

  “It was an experiment.”

  “My dear, I am invincible. Your little light show won’t do anything but piss me off.”

  “Well, then it was worth it.”

  Ellie struck out, and a bolt of lightning arced toward Circe, who moved at the last second. What should have hit her in the chest only grazed her side. Ellie internally did
a happy dance as she proved what Circe claimed about being invincible was wrong. Circe’s crop top was burnt, and her skin was red like something scorched her.

  “What the hell?” She looked down at her side, feeling the edges of the burn. When she looked up, fury distorted Circe’s face. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What the hell are you?”

  “Someone who’s not interested in your bullshit.”

  Circe’s voice became low and thundered through the house. “Come to me, my ghouls, my darlings. Defend your mother.”

  Ellie was immediately grateful they had destroyed all the undead in the house as she felt the magic roll out in waves around her. They would have to come from far and wide to aid their so-called mother. Still, she needed Hecate to sever the connection soon; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to defeat a room full of undead beings and Circe. At least not without getting herself and Alec killed, and that simply wasn’t an option. She just hoped the undead didn’t get here anytime soon.

  As she thought about Alec, Ellie wondered if her magic cocoon could encompass him, keep him somewhat safer while she figured out how to defeat Circe and her minions. Ellie let lightning bolt after lightning bolt fly at Circe, forcing her to sidestep if she wanted to avoid them, slowly edging her away from Alec as Ellie edged closer.

  “I’ll pull his heart out through his chest if you reach him.” Ellie had a moment of indecision before she lunged at Alec, embracing him and covering them both with a bubble of electricity just as Circe shot another spell at them. This time it was a liquid of some kind. Ellie could feel her shield weakening as she pushed more and more electricity into it. She opened herself up and mentally reached out to the power lines around her, pulling in as much as she could. She turned to Alec as she felt the shield return to its former strength. The liquid that had attempted to break through sat bubbling on the floor. She so didn’t want to know what that was. Alec looked down at her with awe.

  “I’m going to try to heal you and then get you down. It might hurt,” Ellie whispered.

  Alec moved his head in a way that was a nod but wasn’t obvious to Circe.

  Ellie brought her hands up and thought about how she made the pain on her face go away when Circe had struck her. She had focused on the electricity binding the wound, knitting it together. She could almost feel it happening under her hands. In fact, as she concentrated, she became more and more aware of Alec’s body, not in the sexy way—okay a little in the sexy way—but also in the molecular way. She could almost sense the electricity in his body, the magnetism of his cells.

  It was mind-blowing. She shouldn’t have this much power. If Granddad had known it would be like this, he never would have waited to tell her. She removed her hand from the burn, and it was a faint red line, no longer a gaping wound. She moved on to his face, doing the same thing.

  “You’re healing him?” Circe’s voice was filled with outrage as she began casting spell after spell against them. It all washed off Ellie’s shield though, and if she felt the shield was getting weak, then she added more juice to it. She kept going until Alec’s face was restored to full health. He smiled down at her with wonder.

  “Anywhere else?”

  “I’m fine for now. Just get me down if you can.”

  “On it.”

  “Get away from him, you succubus!” Circe shouted from across the room, her spells continually being deflected by the wall of electricity that buzzed around them.

  Ellie looked up at the handcuffs binding him to the contraption in the ceiling. They weren’t very complicated. Ellie tried to reach them with her hands to see if she could melt the chain, but she was too short.

  “How can electricity break metal?”

  “I don’t know.” Alec looked exhausted. “Try shooting it with a bolt of electricity. Maybe that will melt it or fracture it or something?”

  “What if I electrocute you?” Alec shrugged, seemingly unconcerned with her question. “Fine, I’ll try. Lift your feet off the ground.”

  Ellie reached as close as she could to the handcuffs without her body touching Alec’s. The hook was in the same spot as a light fixture, a little ways over, and she was willing to bet Circe had just installed it where the light fixture used to be so she didn’t have to find a joist that would support Alec’s weight. Ellie let off a lightning bolt, and it struck the chain on the handcuffs. She could feel the electricity run up the hook and into the old wiring.

  “You can put your feet down now.” Alec let his toes touch the floor and looked at her. “Give it a tug.” Alec heaved on the handcuffs, and the metal cracked, the chain breaking around the hook. As he came free, he started to fall. Without thinking, Ellie created a magnetic field around him that helped keep him upright as she put his arm around her shoulders. She backed him up to a chair and sat him down, standing in front of him like a guard dog.

  Chapter 20

  “You are going to die, you meddling little bitch.” Circe was snarling at her, when there was an almighty crack and the house shook.

  Circe screamed and folded in on herself, collapsing on the floor. While she was down, Ellie pulled all the electricity she could feel in the area toward herself. The lights that had been on went out, and the fan in the other room stopped turning.

  “You will leave us alone now, or I will fry you and serve you up to the gods for punishment. I imagine that they won’t be very happy with the woman who tried to kill all their descendants.”

  “To hell with you.” Circe waved her wand, and nothing happened.

  Ellie advanced, ignoring Alec’s pleas for her to be careful.

  “Give us the torches, and maybe we will let you live.” She let sparks fly from her fingers and felt wind whipping around the room. The wind was new, and she wasn’t sure if she was doing it or not. Either way, she was showing off and she knew it, but she wanted to scare the pants off Circe.

  “Screw you.” Circe spat at her.

  “Where are they?” Ellie said, letting two lightning bolts fly, one on each side of Circe.

  “Like I would tell a little girl like you. Now maybe if Alec asked me nicely, I might tell him, but I will never tell you.”

  “So tell me.” Alec had hauled himself up from the chair. He clutched his ribs and limped over to them. Circe was cowering on the floor in front of them as Ellie held out an arm to keep Alec from going around her. There was only so far she could protect him, and if he left her shield, then she wasn’t sure what Circe would be able to do.

  Alec clutched his side even harder as he stared down at Circe, who just stared back at him, daring him to come out from behind Ellie’s protection.

  “Trust me,” Alec whispered in Ellie’s ear. “She tortured me, threatened my brothers and the woman I… care for. She has failed in her goal. I pity her for the punishment she is about to receive from the gods. Not only is she guilty of trying to exterminate their descendants and those they blessed, but she’s guilty of almost outing the supernatural element to the populace by sending her undead minions out into the world to do her bidding. She has no power over me.”

  “Alec don’t,” Ellie pleaded, not only with her voice but with the pained expression in her eyes.

  “I have to do this.” Alec stepped forward, and Ellie let the electric shield she had been holding in place dissipate. When he was directly in front of Circe, he squatted down, hissing in pain. “Tell me where they are, and I will ask the gods’ favor for leniency in your punishment.”

  “The gods will never be lenient on me, and they certainly wouldn’t do it as a favor for you.” It was hard to tell what Circe was more disgusted with, the offer or the situation she found herself in.

  “Just tell me where they are.”

  Circe reached forward, and Ellie reacted. She couldn’t stop herself; two minibolts shot from her hands and hit Circe’s arms. They reacted with the electrical impulses her brain was sending and paralyzed her arms by contracting the muscles. Circe’s arms were essentially forced to fold up on themselves, like s
he got stuck while doing arm curls.

  “What the hell did you do?” Circe turned on Ellie.

  “You don’t get to touch him again,” Ellie snarled at her. One thing she was certain about was the fact that Circe had done enough to Alec, and she wasn’t about to risk her causing him more harm.

  “What do you think I could do? I’m cut off from all my power. I don’t know what that bitch Hecate did, but she took my own magic as well as her own. She’ll be your enemy now, not me.”

  “That doesn’t mean I have to trust you.”

  “Where are the torches, Circe?” Alec asked, his voice tight with pain and what had to be exhaustion.

  “They are on a necklace.”

  Alec reached a hand out to pick up a necklace, and Circe snapped at him like a rabid dog. He pulled his hand back. Ellie stepped forward and spun Circe around, unhooked all five necklaces she was wearing, pulled them to the side where Circe wouldn’t be able to reach, and handed them to Alec.

  “Thanks, love,” he murmured, looking at her with new eyes.

  “You two are going to make me retch all over this beautiful home.”

  Alec looked down at the necklaces, holding each of them up individually until he saw the pendent that looked like a coin with two torches etched into it.

  “Thank you for your assistance, Circe.” Alec nodded.

  “What do we do with her now?” The rush of the fight was starting to wear off, and the power Ellie had absorbed from nearby was probably the only thing keeping her going right now.

  “Well, my dears, I will take my torches and transport her to Olympus, where Zeus will have the final say.” Hecate’s voice came from the doorway. Alec tried to stand and couldn’t, growling in pain from the effort. Ellie offered her hand and helped pull him to his feet.