by Tara Brown
"Well I once knew a man who was a very powerful Fae Shifter, definitely not a man. Anyway he was so in love with a Siren he lost everything. He swore an oath to serve her and her children for the rest of his life. He gave up everything to be near her.
"She let him do that? What kind of people are Sirens?"
"They're known for being fickle in love. One minute they love you and the next they can't stand the sight of you. They love a new man every week sometimes. No man can take the loss of a Siren."
"Where is the rest of my family?"
"Greece and Italy. You have a grandmother and Aunts who are like you."
"I have family?"
He nodded, "They will want to see you now that you are the way you are."
She frowned, "Maybe we should wait until I get the other me under control."
"Wise choice."
Hanna walked to the table and sat down, "So my father was besotted with a Siren and they had a kid. Half monster from my father's blood and half Siren from my mother's? Oh my god my mom was a slut who made my dad want her. I'm the product of some filthy affair."
"Never speak that way of her Hanna. She was a dear woman. She loved your father dearly."
She ignored him and thought about Marcus. She nearly threw up.
Roland sat across from her, "I am sorry my dear. I wanted to tell you but I was sworn to secrecy. Your father never wanted you to know about this world. He would have died if he thought you believed your mother didn’t love you and him. She did."
"How could he not love her? She forced him. She took his love against his will. I bet everyone loved her. This just gets better and better."
"The worst part is that you feel a natural pull to supernatural beings. Hanna what you feel isn’t real. It's apart of your ability. You fall as hard as they do. Nephilim and Fae and Vampires, Aleks. All of them. What you feel for them isn’t real."
"So I magnetize them as much as they do me? Great. My poor father."
"No Hanna, you don’t understand my love. Marcus made an elixir that stopped any Siren's magic from working on anyone who drank it. He thought he was saving your father from the clutches of a Siren. However when the elixir went into his system he fell more in love with her. The love was real."
Hanna put her face into her hands, "Marcus, again Marcus. Do you think he knows he's under my spell? Maybe he should take the elixir as well."
Roland laughed, "He may not think you possess her charms since you are much like your father and it's all so new."
"I need some of that for them all. I can't have them loving me against their will. Think of poor Andy. He's completely in the dark about it all."
"You could ask Marcus to make you some."
She groaned, "I need a bunch of it. God how pathetic am I, no one loves me for me. They love me because I forced them to." She thought about having sex with Marcus. Her skin crawled imagining what he really thought about her.
Roland put his hand on hers, "Hanna at least you see it for what it is. I have been trying to help you be more cavalier about love. I would hate for you to develop feelings for one of them, only to find out they don’t love you the same way."
"How long have you known I was like this?"
He sighed, "The day Aleksander came to the house and you refused to get out of bed. I sent him up there to lecture you but when you came down the stairs I knew. I could sense something was different. I never would have guessed it was this until you stared to have so many men in your life."
"I'm a menace." She got up from the table and walked out of the kitchen, "I'm going to see a man about a potion."
She walked out the door and climbed into the small car her aunt had convinced her to buy when she had turned sixteen, a shitty old civic.
The drive to the castle made her uneasy, but seeing it as she pulled up made her out right nauseous.
Henry stood at the front door smiling at her. She got out of the car and walked up to the mansion, trying to ignore the clenching in her chest.
Henry opened the door not speaking but smiling like a fool. She wondered if she needed seven batches of the cure.
"Is he inside?" She asked as she walked in.
Henry nodded and pointed.
She walked toward the lab knowing he would most likely be there. Her flats made a slapping noise along the hard floors. She knew he would hear her coming.
She walked up to the lab door and knocked softly. The metal door felt painful against her knuckles.
She waited but heard nothing.
Suddenly the huge metal door slid into the wall revealing the stark white lab. The light from it hurt her eyes.
He stood inside in jeans and a charcoal grey turtleneck. It showed every muscle along his body. She felt her pulse quicken at the sight of him. His dark crystal blue eyes looked pained. "To what do I owe the honor?" His voice sounded wounded.
She took a deep breath, "Why do you love me?"
He laughed bitterly, "Oh Hanna can we play these games later? I am quite busy today."
She watched his expressions.
"In your blood tests did you ever test it against my mothers?"
He looked up sharply, "What?"
"I'm a lot like my father but it seems I've inherited a few of her, charms."
Her heart hurt watching him take it all in.
"A red haired Siren. I'm pretty sure that's never actually happened before."
"Yay I'm special. I was wondering when I would get to be special?"
He laughed, as he walked to the far side of the lab and opened one of the huge white cupboards. As he opened it, steam blew out into the lab. She frowned wondering what kind of cupboard it was.
"I need a six doses, well unless you think Henry could possibly fall under my spell."
With his back to her he spoke softly, "It's better if Henry is smitten with you. You will always be safer with him on your side."
He gripped a silver tube. It looked like a toothbrush holder.
He closed the cupboard she was becoming convinced was a fridge.
He walked to the table and grabbed several vials. He poured a bright pink liquid into the vials, the same amount for each.
"Give them these. It will take it away instantly. For you to prevent it from happening again you need to get Lydia to make you a charm. It will put a wall up around you that stops the manipulation."
He put the vials into a dark purple bag and passed her the bag.
She took it, feeling the soft satin of the bag.
She sighed, "You need to drink one too."
"I drank one years ago my dear. When I met your mother."
She felt ill.
"You loved her?"
He nodded, "For a moment but it wasn’t real. I took the cure and it faded instantly."
"Did she love you?"
He shook his head.
Hanna nodded, "Well thanks for this." She felt a small burst of excitement that his feelings for her had been genuine.
His face was stoic.
She stepped toward him, "Marcus I'm so sorry. I assumed the worst of you at every turn and you didn’t deserve it."
He smiled, "I deserve it in every way Hanna." He took a step toward her, taking her small hand in his, "I am unworthy of you."
She shook her head feeling her eyes mist over, "No you're exactly the man I need. I think I could really love you Marcus."
He pulled her hand, crushing her against his chest. She felt his hard body against her.
He squeezed her, "Hanna I swear I will do everything in my power to protect this, what we have."
"From what?"
"Myself." He whispered.
The smell of him filled her, making her light headed.
His face came down on hers, kissing her intensely.
Her phone started to ring. She pulled it out and answered.
"Roland?"
"Annabelle has had word sent. The house was attacked."
Hanna frowned, "How is that possible? Lydia has the guard
s. Nothing can get through there."
"Something has. I believe they were humans. The guards don’t keep out humans."
"Roland humans can't defeat Aleks and Sam and Lucas and Ari and all those weird little kids. Not to mention the powerful witch that live there."
She looked up at Marcus, his reaction spoke volumes.
"I will go there directly." She closed the phone looking at Marcus. "Oh my god, what have you done?"
He looked stunned, "I, well, I didn’t think he had it done yet. I thought we had more time."
She stepped back, "What did you do?"
He shook his head, "We had more time." His voice changed, he wasn’t the confident vampire she always saw him for.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Her heart was bursting. She needed to know where Sam was.
He grabbed her arm, "We need to go now."
He dragged her down the hall, she could hear the lab door closing.
"Henry, Henry if you please, get the car. Henry the car." He dragged her down the hall.
His long legs taking steps she couldn’t match at a run.
By the time they reached the front door, Henry was sitting in the car waiting for them.
Marcus opened the door, threw her inside and jumped in.
Her head bounced off the other door, "Ouch. Marcus what is going on?" She shouted.
"The chemist I told you about. He must have completed the experiments he was doing with your blood. He has made the humans like the beast." His jaw flexed.
"How could you let that happen?" The word spun as her anger increased.
He turned to her, "You are my number one priority. If everyone else dies but you live then so be it."
She started to feel dizzy, the change gripped her, "How could you? I could never live with that."
"Well I can."
Chapter Thirty-Three: Hanna Hyde
Aleksander
Voices filled the smoky air, he couldn't understand them but they rattled around in his fuzzy thoughts. He recalled the hoards of people over running them. He recalled the children screaming. Everyone panicked.
He lifted his head realizing he was on the ground. His vision cleared, it had been a long time since anything had been able to debilitate him.
He looked down at the blood staining his hands. His eyes glanced at the wounds in his stomach. They seeped blood slowly, matching his heartbeat.
He shivered.
He knew he had been drugged by something. Something he hadn’t known existed.
"What the hell Aleks? What happened?"
He turned pushing himself to a standing position to see Lorri. She looked livid.
"I don’t know. They were humans, the guards couldn’t keep them out. I couldn’t kill them. I wounded them over and over but I couldn’t kill them. It was as if they felt nothing."
She screamed, "FUCK!"
She stormed past him through the kitchen to the sitting room.
He followed, to where Lydia lay unconscious on the ground. Her heartbeat was barely there.
"Is she dying?" Lorri asked savagely.
Aleks nodded, "It feels that way."
"Son of a bitch I am going to rip his limbs off and eat them slowly in front of him." She seethed leaving the sitting room.
She returned with a small glass of red liquid.
He shook his head, "You know Lydia's opinions on such things. She wouldn’t want this."
Lorri sank into the chair, "I don’t have any other choice. The children are all missing, except the chubby one who sees the future. Annabelle is blaming herself, she thinks it's her fault."
Aleks frowned, "How could any of this be her fault?" He pulled Lydia up into his arms, cradling her.
Lorri sighed and put the glass down. She put her pretty face into her hands, "Annabelle controls the guards. She's powerful, more than Lydia. It never was Lydia's guards. How could this happen?"
"I think I know."
Aleks looked up to see Hanna standing in the hall. She looked ill. It hurt him to see her upset.
"Who the hell are you?"
Hanna flinched at Lorri's biting words, "I'm Hanna."
"She's Dr. Jekyll's daughter."
Lorri laughed, "Oh Christ, no. Oh my god. You're like him aren’t you? You smell like your mom though."
Hanna nodded slowly, "I gave my blood to Marcus Dragomir, he was using it to make a cure for what I am. I found out he was also using it to help the Dark Ones."
Aleks closed his eyes devastated. He knew Hanna would be upset.
Lorri shot up from the chair, "Where is he?"
Hanna shrugged whispering, "I don’t know." Her eyes filled with fear and sadness.
Lorri was gone, with a flash.
Hanna slumped onto the floor on her knees sobbing, "It's all my fault."
Aleks picked Lydia up and placed her on the couch. He walked to Hanna and picked her up. He cradled her in his arms, holding her tight to his chest.
She sobbed in heaves, "I-I-I didn't know he made humans like me. I-I-I swear."
He hugged her, "I know. I know you didn’t."
She wrapped her arms around him. He forgot about everything in the world, as the warmth of her body pressed into his.
"Aleks?"
He looked up to see Aimee's horrified look.
"Help Lydia." He spoke softly.
"What happened?"
He shook his head, he didn’t know where to start. He knew Aimee would lose control and kill Hanna, even if it wasn’t her fault.
Aimee rushed to the couch feeling Lydia's weak pulse.
"Giselle. Come quick."
"No Aimee, you know her wishes."
She started to cry, "Aleks, we have to save her. Giselle's blood can save her."
"You can't save her like that. She wouldn’t like it."
Ari ran into the room covered in sweat with a huge brown wolf beside her.
"What the eff?"
Aleks put Hanna on the couch and sat beside her. He could feel her fighting her shift.
"Everyone stay calm. If she changes she could kill you all." He continued softly still holding Hanna's small hand, "Her blood has things in it that can make a weapon." His eyes instantly darted to Aimee, "She wasn’t aware of this. Marcus Dragomir tricked her and took her blood and gave it to the Dark Ones. They used it on humans and came for the kids. Aimee discovered it the other day. We've been trying to find out more. We thought the formula was in the works not being used already. "
Aimee frowned, "The guards should have kept everyone here safe."
Aleks shook his head, "They don’t keep humans out. We never thought he would be using it on humans."
Ari looked savage, "I can push her and send her back. It'll undo all of this."
Aleks thought for the smallest of seconds, "No. No she could die or change and kill people."
Lucas crept along to the couch and sniffed her. He walked away after a moment, leaving the room.
"What are we going to do?"
Aleks looked at Aimee, "Come up with a plan."
Hanna sat up looking as if she had control, "We need to kill the chemist. He's in Boston. Some new young chemist. Marcus said he was smarter than anyone. He is almost done making the cure for me."
Aleks wrapped an arm around her, "No, we have to wait for him to finish your cure. You will die if you fight without immortality."
Hanna smiled looking broken, "You aren’t thinking for yourself Aleks." She lifted the small purple bag she clutched. With trembling hands she reached in, puling out a small vial filled with bright pink liquid.
She placed it in his hand.
"You need to drink this."
Aleks looked confused, "What?"
She nodded as more tears fell from her eyes.
"She's a Siren." Lucas walked into the room fully dressed.
Gasps filled the room.
Aleks felt ill, he looked at her shaking his head, "No."
Hanna touched his face softly, "Drink it. Trust me."
&nb
sp; He shook his head, "I don’t need to."
"You have to if she's a Siren Aleks. Don’t be foolish."
Hanna nodded, "It will take away the effects."
Aleks took the vial and opened it. He drank the liquid feeling it burn its way down his throat. As it burned he noticed Hanna grew less appealing to him. His heart didn’t ache when he looked into her eyes. Her lips were the last things he thought about as the fog lifted from his brain.
"Hanna." He spoke as if seeing her for the first time.
Tears poured from her face, "I didn’t know. I found out today." Her lips trembled. He felt angry but he knew she was a victim of it all as much as he was. She should have had a charm bracelet from birth.
Hanna looked at Lucas, "You knew? How can you stand it? How is it not getting to you?"
He shrugged, "My wolf has a mate. There isn’t anything as strong as that."
Ari looked at Lucas and smirked, "Nice. Brownie points for later."
He chuckled, "I've smelled one before. In Italy. She was like dessert, a rich chocolaty dessert I wanted to bite into. You smell the same."
Ari frowned.
Hanna nodded, "I have a few people I need to give the cure to." She looked at Lydia, "I need her to make me a charm. She has to live."
Aimee stroked the old woman's face, "She will. It's Lydia. Nothing can kill her."
Suddenly and with a small amount of flame Lorri reappeared in the room, "Well they're all in Boston. They have a witch too. The building is completely fortified. We need our own human army."
She sat down next to Lydia and Aimee.
"Her heartbeat is getting stronger, she will live."
Aimee smiled.
Aleks noticed her smile instantly, it made his own heartbeat quicken. As Hanna's fog left his brain Aimee had invaded. He sighed.
Aimee's smile stopped after a moment. She looked at Aleks horrified, "It's Blake."
He stopped for a moment, thinking, "Yes, you're probably right. New chemist who is smarter than anyone. He took Giselle to a vamp bar. It's him."
Aimee looked sickened, "He took my sister there. Oh my god what if he's using her to test the different experiments he's doing. I bet you he is. It's probably more than just the blood drugging. I've been trying to find them but I haven’t been able to."
Ari looked confused, "That nerd who worships your sister, that guy who didn’t believe any of what was happening to you was real? He's the chemist?"
