by KB Benson
“Jace!” I yell again in a futile attempt to save his life. With the two of us in the water, the clan could easily just take us both—there’s certainly no honor code to stop them. But I cannot let Jace die while I live. I throw myself even harder at the waves, crashing through them like a drunkard.
I’m within arm’s reach when Jace’s eyes finally rest on mine, sad and afraid.
“Jace, get out of here.”
“No, I’ve made a bargain I have to keep.”
“You don’t get to decide that,” I hiss. I grab his upper arm and begin to tow him back toward the shore, anger and fear spreading throughout my body. The excitement of another chase rumbles through the water. The sirens are turning this into their favorite game of cat and mouse. I pull at Jace’s arm harder. He struggles against it and tries to pry my fingers off, but he’s never really seen me act like a siren before. And if I have to, I will.
“Iris, I’m trying to save your life.”
“I don’t want you to. I want you to save yourself.” I glance behind us just as the crown of a head brushes against the ocean’s surface. I’m scared Damion will decide playtime is over and come to collect Jace. He can’t have him; he can’t have the only boy I’ve ever loved. If I can only ever do one good thing in my life, it will be saving Jace.
We are back at the shore again.
“Go!” I shove Jace toward the sand, his feet stumbling through the shallow water and splashing when he falls.
Shock clouds his eyes. Good. If he’s angry with me, then he won’t try to save me. But with the shock, fear envelopes his face. A sadness crushes my chest as I know this is it, this is the last time I will see him.
Jace recovers and takes a few steps into the water toward me, and I can’t help but close the distance between us. I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a quick hug—for the last time. “I love you, Jace. Please don’t ever forget that.”
“I won’t let them take you, Iris,” Jace says, only a small quiver touching his voice.
“That’s not up to you.” Jace isn’t going to give up and right now I need him to get as far away from here as possible, so I say the only thing that I know will cut through to Jace’s core. “You look just like your father, Jace.”
“How do you—”
I push him out of my arms and away from me forever.
Just as Jace’s feet stumble onto the dry sand, Damion bursts through the surface of the water, the spray cascading around the two of us. The water around me bubbles with the heat of Damion’s wrath. He wants Jace, but I won’t let Damion have him.
“Run!” I order him. Jace stands frozen in fear, staring at Damion who is no doubt much more sinister looking now than when Jace met with him. Damion has a way of altering other’s perception of him in order to get what he wants.
I face Damion, his eyes piercing into me as I know what’s coming. Damion will take either Jace or me. The locket still dangles from Jace’s fist, safely on shore. If Damion catches me, he’ll either kill me or imprison me—both fates better than the life I’ve lived these past few years trapped on land.
“Jace, run!” I yell back toward Jace who’s stumbled back into the ocean to where it brushes against his thighs.
“No,” he whispers. The sound carries itself above the chaos erupting at the water’s surface.
“I’m not asking you,” I yell as sirens ride the waves toward me. Without a second thought I open my mouth, a chord of pure notes spreading across the ripples of water toward Jace—my final prey.
Jace’s face falters, hopeless, and he covers his ears with his hands. It does no good.
“Iris, don’t. Don’t do this.” He knows what I’m doing; he must, but I won’t stop. If he won’t run on his own, then I won’t give him a choice. He’ll be under the obedience of my song, but with me gone it’ll be easier for him to resist.
A tear slips down my cheek. “I love you, Jace. Now run from me.”
Asthen wraps her arm around my neck roughly, enjoying her capture and knowing she’ll be rewarded heavily by Damion and envied by the others. As Asthen pulls me farther from the shore, Jace struggles to fight the spell. He resisted once and, for a moment, I think he might be able to do it again. But before I submerge completely, he turns and runs away from the beach. He runs away from me.
The story continues...
Jace and Iris return in The Hunt, Call of the Sirens Book Two!
Abandoned. Hunted. Betrayed.
Jace Jacobsen’s world disintegrated when a ruthless siren clan captured the love of his life. Now he’s giving up everything to find her—a journey he’s destined to fail.
Trapped by the magic of Iris’ siren song, Jace is compelled to follow Iris’ last wish and to let her go.
Even so, Jace fights against her manipulation. And though he’s torn by fading love and unforgettable loss, he may not be prepared for the dark answers he finds lurking in Iris’ past.
Falling out of love proves much harder than Jace ever imagined. Until, against all odds, he hears a siren song once more. A song that draws him to a girl he never imagined falling for. A girl other than Iris.
As the world darkens around him, Jace must overcome his pain not only for himself but to protect humankind from the sirens. The stakes have been raised. The danger has never been greater. The Hunt is on.
Grab your copy of The Hunt here!
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An ancient jar. A mystical map. An unexpected journey.
Living in the heart of the Caribbean, life was good for Oliver. How could it not be when he spent his days diving in the crystal blue waters? But when Oliver discovers an ancient jar on the ocean floor, everything changes.
Containing a mystical map to unknown treasure, or so Oliver believes, the jar consumes his every thought. Soon he finds himself doing things he would never do. Going places he’d never go. And abandoning those he swore he’d never leave behind.
If Oliver follows the trail to the bitter end, he may just find out that some things are better left undiscovered.
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About the Author
KB Benson is the author of the Call of the Sirens trilogy. She has always had an active imagination that first started to appear in writing as a teen. She loves YA Fantasy and Dystopia and could disappear into those stories for hours. Before an author, KB is a busy stay-at-home mom who loves spending time with her husband, daughter, and Golden Retriever. When she’s not writing, she’s usually making a mess with her baby girl or dreaming up the next adventure to write.
Come say hello! KB is online at:
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