Siren Calls (The Rise of Ares Book 1)

by Jade Frances

  “Darryl told me he has given you the history of our pack. So, I won’t bore you with that again.” He paused. “The Veil are evil; they have no limits to what they will do to gain the power they need,” sighing he carried on. “Aresollo is their strongest leader. The son of a god with shape-shifting abilities. He is one of the first supernaturals, or gifted as Darryl calls them, to walk this earth. Hundreds of years old, he is ruthless and dark, there is nothing that will stop him from acquiring more power. Nothing is enough for him. The other elders are strong, but nowhere near as strong as he is, that is why they follow. For many years he has collected the strongest among us for their energy and trained the rest for his army.” Interrupting him, something was bugging me.

  “Did you say son of a god?” I asked.

  “Yes, every one of us gifted descends from one god or another. The lineage of everyone is incredibly diluted, though. Belief in the gods started diminishing when human religion took over.” Darryl explained to me.

  Feeling partly satisfied with the answer, I looked towards Adam to continue. I could get back to that piece of history later.

  “Aresollo believes that it is his destiny to create a way of life in which supernaturals are at the top of the, let’s say pecking order. An order that humans will fear. He believes that supernaturals should rule the world and not be in hiding like we are now. A lot agree with him and are willing to join him for the cause. However, there are also many that are happy to fit into the human world. Many of them remained resilient and just wanted to carry on as they were. This is when Aresollo decided it wasn’t enough to want to just control the human world, he wanted to control all supernaturals as well. But that requires a lot more power, power that he doesn’t have. The only way he could obtain enough would be to make the rise of Ares happen.” Phasing out for a moment, I thought of the name, Aresollo. It generated something deep inside me. Adam was staring at the floor, Darryl was staring at the wall and I was just looking between them trying to figure out what they were thinking. Darryl looked up at me, concern etched in his features.

  “You won’t like the rest Evvy, we could run and hide. Forever.”

  “I haven’t liked a lot of what I have heard D, but I’m still here. Still fighting another day. Adam carry on.” Adam let out a small growl.

  “Ares is the god of destruction and war, and Aresollo’s father. To get enough power to control every being on earth, he plans to raise Ares and kill him to steal his energy. To do this, he needs the energy charge of one powerful individual. That person is you Evangeline,” this time he looked straight at me, sorrow in his eyes as he told me my supposed fate. “Aresollo doesn’t want you to join him Evangeline, he just wants the energy inside you. To drain it out of you and transfer it to rise, Ares.” They flooded my head with this fresh news. Was this why Darryl was so deflated?

  They had all thought they were just protecting me from having to join The Veil’s ranks. This was much, much worse. Death was coming for me.

  “How does he know that it’s Evvy he needs?” Darryl asked.

  “It has been that way since her energy entered this world. Talk is, Aresollo now has a seer by his side, confirming each step in his plan.” Adam replied.

  “But seers only have supernatural insight, they are supposed to be big on morals and the values of right and wrong. They can bend their visions to the outcome they most see fit. Seers never involve themselves in something as big as this. That’s a huge misuse of their gift,” Darryl exclaimed.

  “Brother. I can only tell you what I hear. Word travelled to me that this seer is young in age, easily influenced and manipulated. No one has seen her through the ranks, Aresollo must keep her very close to him.” I sat listening to the turn in conversation.

  “Did you say her? There hasn’t been a female seer in hundreds of years,” again, Darryl probed.

  “Yes, I thought that too, but there’s nothing we can do about it. We need to focus on protecting Evangeline.” With all the information sinking in slowly, I realised there was an entire world out there that I still had no clue about. So many more ‘gifted’ people. A sinking feeling occurred in my stomach; I had been living a sheltered life. Even after coming together with the others. I was still clueless about this world I supposedly belonged in.

  “Evvy!” Darryl was whistling at me to get my attention.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Were you even listening just now? Adam has got little time left.” Confused, I looked towards Adam for an explanation.

  “I can’t stay in human form for much longer,” he looked towards the floor, then carried on. “When you join ranks in the Veil, they form a bond of sorts and place it inside you, tying it to your soul. It is used to communicate and keep tabs on you, but mainly used for tracking those who try to leave. I spend as much time in my wolf's form as I can. As much as it takes for me to still hold on to some part of my humanity. Which, as you saw earlier, is getting harder and harder for me to do. But in wolf form, for some reason the bond is pretty much non-existent.” He directed his next words towards Darryl. “You were wrong brother; we do have a pack. There are still members who remain loyal to me, to us, to our family lineage.” Darryl’s mouth opened as if to speak, but nothing came out. Poor guy had gone even paler than before. I went over to sit on the arm of his chair, rubbing his back as I looked towards Adam. I watched his green eyes dart between us, getting darker.

  Sighing and shaking his head, Adam stood up.

  “Aresollo promised the freedom for me and the remaining members of our pack, if I delivered Evangeline to him. I had to wait for Evangeline to unlock her energy, wait for her to be stronger. Evidently, I failed at that mission. I spent ages following and watching her. I couldn’t hand her over, not when my wolf wouldn’t let me,” he quickly glanced in my direction then back to Darryl. “I haven’t been able to return, they will kill me, but I can feel and communicate with the pack in my wolf form. Most have escaped, only a few remain in the Veil. I will save them all, brother!” Darryl nodded, taking in the information. I saw colour slowly forming back in his cheeks.

  “You need to change Darryl, we need to form our connection again so we can communicate freely.” Darryl got up, shifting me onto the seat in his place. Adam walked over to me, stroking my cheek with a look of sorrow and regret that was confusing to me. He was a stranger, but it just didn’t feel that way. “Bye for now, Evvy,” my name whispered on his lips.

  Energy shimmered in the air. Adam changed so fast I barely saw the movement, not even bothering to take his clothes off. That, I noticed, were now shreds of material on the floor. Darryl had more of a struggle as he got undressed, then called to his wolf, but he wasn’t far behind. Forehead to forehead, the two wolves stood there. Did wolves even have foreheads? I chuckled to myself. It was awkward, watching what looked to be quite an intimate moment between brothers. Turning around, I gave them as much privacy as I could in this situation. A wet nudge of something had me turning back. Adam was nudging my back. Staring into his bright green eyes, I could now see the human behind them. Feeling brave, I ran my hand through his soft brown fur, shimmers of what looked like gold speckled through it. Soft grumbles were coming from him. He was so soft, not what I expected at all. He was massive, a lot bigger than your normal wolf. We sat there just staring at each other with my hands in his fur. It should have felt strange, but it was comforting. Was it Adam that I always thought had been in the alley?

  “No bloody way,” Darryl made me jump out my skin. I hadn’t even felt his energy when he changed back.

  “What? What’s happened?” I stood up quickly.

  “It makes so much sense. That’s why his energy was different. But she’s not a shifter,” Darryl muttered to himself. I coughed to get his attention.

  “Care to share?” I looked at him expectantly.

  “Sorry. When I was in wolf form, after connecting to Adam. I felt it, the bond you share,” he explained.

  “Very nice Darryl, care to elab
orate? I barely know him,” I questioned further. Darryl was shuffling from side to side, uncomfortable with what he was about to say.

  “It’s not for me to tell, but we don’t know when Adam can take human form again,” he said.

  “Just spit it out Darryl, you’re irritating me!” I had been too patient up to this point, and now I want answers.

  “Well, it seems, Adam’s wolf has taken a liking to you.”

  A massive bang from outside had us all jumping. Crap, someone was here. Before I could ask Darryl anymore about the bombshell he had just dropped, the two wolves leapt in front of me. They bared their teeth, hackles raised, and they were growling. Whatever was outside would have a battle on their hands with these two. The door flew off its hinges, flinging towards us. I dropped quickly to avoid it. Wind whipped around us, blowing everything that wasn’t secure off the walls. I looked toward the two wolves slightly in front of me; they were prepared for whatever was coming for us. Unlike me. I wasn’t ready for this, not at all.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The wind whipped around us even more ferociously than before. It was stinging every inch of skin that was bare. Without reason, it went calm, only slightly. Right before Rose floated through the door. Yes, she was floating. Mid-air, the wind was carrying her. Rose looked absolutely terrifying. Her hair was flowing all around her. Her eyes were glowing brightly. This wasn’t the Rosemary I had grown to love. This Rosemary meant business.

  “Move away from them, Adam,” her voice boomed and echoed around the small hut. I tried moving forward, I had to stop her. The wind was making it hard. I tried using the air to gain some friction, but that was proving useless.

  “Rose, stop,” I shouted above the howling. Either she couldn’t hear me, or she was choosing to ignore me.

  “One last chance,” she bellowed to Adam. Who wasn’t moving an inch. All she got was a growl in response. “Fine,” she stated. Energy in the air grew more intense, but the strength in the wind was still decreasing. Looking towards Rose, I could see where it was gathering. In her hands. What looked like a mini tornado was forming between them. At the same time, I shouted,

  “No! Stop,” Darryl threw himself in front of her. Taking most of the hit that Rose had thrown. The hit that aimed at Adam. I watched as Darryl went limp in the air and fell to the floor.

  “Darryl,” I screamed. Panic setting in, I rushed over. Kneeling next to him, I ran my hands over his body. Desperate to generate heat like last time and help him turn. Only this time, it didn’t seem to work. Snapping sounds coming from the left of me made me aware that Adam had joined us. He was guarding us from Rose. Who was now standing normally and the glow in her eyes was dimming. Rage overcame me.

  “What did you do?” I charged at her, pushing her back with all the force I could.

  “I… I didn’t mean to, it was meant for…” her eyes darted towards Adam, who was now standing over Darryl. He was whimpering and nudging him with his nose. I could feel the rage burning inside me, getting hotter and hotter.

  “What. Did. You. Do?” I repeated through gritted teeth. This time when I pushed, there was no impact. I used the same air that she had and watched as she stumbled back. She barely caught herself from falling to the floor.

  “Evvy, I need to help him.” Rose started walking toward Darryl. Adam reared back, ready to attack. Logic set in; Darryl was in trouble. I could feel the guilt coming from Rose for what she had done. Softly, I placed my hand on Adam’s head and soothingly stroked him.

  “Let her pass Adam, she loves him as we do,” I told him. Resting his head on my legs, he wouldn’t even look in her direction. I nodded to her, letting her know she could go. Warily, she moved towards Darryl. Adam followed silently, laying by his brothers’ side.

  “I created an air pocket around his heart, restricting the flow of oxygen,” she explained as she placed her palms on his chest. “There is still time to reverse it, but he will have to change back quickly.” I was struggling to believe that Rose was even capable of that. I looked towards Adam, silently pleading. He bowed his head as if to nod his understanding. Adam could use their connection when in wolf form to communicate with Darryl and let him know he needed to change back as soon as he could. Energy hummed in the air. A tingle of magic surrounded us. Rose’s eyes glowed again, and I could physically see the air forming in her palms as she drew it back from Darryl. Suddenly he started shaking. Adam whimpered next to him and Rose fell back. Exhaustion had hit her. Was it enough?

  A few minutes later Darryl was laying in the wolf’s place. Shivering, but not conscious yet. I pulled a blanket from the chair beside me and covered him with it. Running my hands up, down, and around him. I warmed him. Darryl’s eyes fluttered open.

  “Adam,” he managed to croak out. Tears were streaming down my face. I had never felt so relieved.

  “He’s here D, he is right here.” I grabbed him up into my arms, hugging him tight. I didn’t want to let him go, but I could feel Adam nudging my side. Forcing his way in between us. Reluctantly, I moved away, leaving them to their moment. Busying myself, I went to grab Darryl a drink and something to snack on. Doing my best to ignore Rose, who was sobbing in the corner.

  After finishing the refreshments I had gathered for him, Darryl perked up slightly. Mentally, I felt exhausted; I had been so scared of losing him.

  “Where are the others?” Darryl asked Rose.

  “They shouldn’t be far behind, I called on the air to carry me here faster as soon as I felt a surge of energy,” she whispered, almost shamefully. “I’m so sorry D, I thought you were in danger,” she looked at her hands, that were visibly shaking. “I’ve never lost control like that. The thought of losing the two of you was scary.” I looked up towards her tear-stricken face and felt momentarily sorry for her. I could hear the sincerity in her words. I offered her a reassuring smile. That was all I could muster at the moment. I was still angry and hurt. I was glad that Darryl was ok, but that didn’t change the fact it had happened. A bang drew our attention towards the door, yet again.

  Taylor staggered in, looking very panicked and breathless. Stopping to take in the scene, he had a good look around. A puzzled look crossed his face as he took us all in.

  “What in the hell happened here?” he asked. I was about to speak, but Rose beat me to it.

  “There’s no danger Tay, we got it wrong,” she nodded towards where Darryl and Adam were huddling close together. Adam was looking at Taylor. Low growls were coming from his snout.

  “Ok, someone explain right now,” Sandra shouted as she stepped through the doorway next to Taylor.

  “I think everyone needs a moment first,” Rose whispered. Seeing her sister’s red blotchy face, Sandra rushed over to her.

  “What happened? We tried to keep up, but you left so fast. We all felt the surge of energy,” Sandra rushed to speak.

  “She said everyone needs a moment,” I growled at Sandra. Looking towards me, I saw a flash of shock cross her face. She soon replaced it with a stubborn glare, a look I was very much used to with Sandra.

  “We don’t have a moment,” she repeated my own words back to me with as much sarcasm as she could put in them.

  “I’ll give you a moment when you’re knocked out!” I mimicked her back. I was not in the mood for her crap that was for sure.

  “Enough girls,” Darryl said from the corner. “We need no more fighting.” Darryl stood slowly, moving into the middle of the room with Adam by his side with every step he took.

  Taylor moved towards him but was cut short by Adam who snapped at his legs as a warning. Darryl put his hand on Adam.

  “It’s fine, brother,” he reassured him. Adam sat down on his hind legs but didn’t move an inch from Darryl’s side. It was lovely to see such loyalty and protection between them, considering what they had been through. Securing their connection must have made an improvement to their relationship. Adam might be Darryl’s alpha, but they seemed to have a mutual respect going on. Especiall
y when it came to danger.

  “No harm from me,” Taylor said as he held his hands up. “Can we please talk about what is going on here?” he asked no one in particular, just to the room itself.

  “Let’s go outside, I will fill you in. Evvy, are you coming?” Rose turned towards me. I was still angry with her, but I knew, deep down, she hadn’t meant what she had done. We all had to be up to speed at some point. With a shrug of my shoulders, I followed. Darryl moved behind me, and I quickly turned to face him. Putting my hands on his chest, I stopped him from going any further.

  “Take half an hour D, you just nearly died. Rest a bit. I’ll explain what I can until you’re ready.” Running his hand over his face, I could see he wasn’t right yet.

  “Thanks, Evvy. I’ll be out soon.” Turning, he went to lie on the sofa. “Oh, and Evvy, go easy on Sandra.” I grunted in his direction and walked out to where the others had already taken a seat around the fire. Sandra was not my favorite person. I had no time for her attitude. Maybe it was her that needed to go easy on me sometimes, I thought to myself as I sat down.

  Rose began catching the others up on what had happened when she first arrived. I tuned out a bit, not wanting to hear it. Living through it was enough. I watched as Taylor and Sandra hung onto her every word, neither showing any emotion for the events that had taken place. Sandra took her sister’s hand in hers and squeezed lightly.

  “You were protecting them Rose. No one asked Darryl to jump in front of him,” she said.

  “I know, but I should have more control than that.” Rose replied while throwing twigs into the fire.

  Watching her, I could see how down she was. It had really taken its toll on her. I won’t reassure her though. As much as everyone was safe at the moment, there were a few minutes when we didn’t know if Darryl could pull through. I would not forget that anytime soon. Taylor, who had sat very silent, suddenly spoke up.