part0022

Drew was not afraid of anything when it came to battles, weapons, and fighting for his afterlife. However, when asked to slice down his forearm in an effort to draw out blood, he was not particularly eager to do so.

He knew, of course, that this would only help their mission. Whether he liked it or not, they needed the Sirens. Jennifer might be dead, but it was highly unlikely that he was going to be able to defeat the Queen without their assistance. He just needed to find one who wanted to get rid of the Queen as much as he did.

The sky was still clear and dark. The sun had just perished behind the horizon, leaving a streak of color in its wake. The stars were not out just yet, but the moon continued to glow.

Emma was closer to the shore, drawing diagrams in the sand with a thick stick. She was murmuring in a low voice to Daniella, probably teaching her what was happening. Wendy was just behind the two, arms crossed over her chest, hair blowing in the gentle breeze, a frown on her lips. Drew knew she was still upset about their aunt’s abrupt dismissal, but it was something Wendy needed to hear.

Kelia was sitting on the docks, legs swinging back and forth. She leaned back, her weight on her hands, staring at the witches.

What she was thinking? Did she mean what she said the other night?

It still was not fixed—this thing between them. It might never be fixed. Even if he killed the Queen, Kelia might still resent him for what had happened. He might resent her for feeling so strongly for her, for being so goddamn in love with her, that he did not even hesitate in changing her. And resenting her even more for the fact that he was now forced to train her even though that was the last thing he wanted to do.

He shook his head, glancing down as the water from the ocean calmly came to the shore and licked his boots. It was a beautiful evening. He might not have the ability to touch land during the day, but he was still alive—as alive as Shadows technically were—and he got to experience a side of this earth not many people did.

Drew’s eyes snapped up to find Emma staring at him, an annoyed frown on her face. Daniella had one hip jutted out and her arms crossed over her chest. Wendy was not even looking in his direction. Kelia glanced over her shoulder, lips pursed but quiet.

Drew cleared his throat and stepped back from the water, leaving a trail of boot prints in the sand.

Emma rolled her eyes. “Are you afraid?”

“How dare you—”

“He’s afraid,” Daniella said. “I don’t understand. You’ve battled the Queen of Shadows and yet, you can’t draw a line down your arm with your own knife?”

“I’m not afraid of doing what must be done,” Drew snapped.

“He doesn’t want to lure the Sirens,” Kelia put in, locking eyes on him.

How was she able to figure that out? Was he so transparent? Or was her natural ability to read him enhanced when he made her a Shadow?

“Why would you not want to do that?” Emma asked, clicking her tongue and tapping her foot. “Drew, this is not the time to hesitate. You heard your aunt. We must find Bethany. It’s the only way. You know this. Why avoid it?”

Drew cleared his throat. He did not wish to tell her that he was not sure how Kelia was going to react around a swarm of Sirens. He did not want the others here, especially Emma, to know he did not yet trust Kelia around such great temptation. The tension that had seeped away during training would vanish if he vocalized his fears, and that was the last thing he wished for. Kelia was everything to him. He would not risk her again.

As such, the only thing he could do in order to shut them up was to actually sink the blade in his forearm, and that was what he did.

“What is this supposed to do, exactly?” Daniella asked, her lip curling up as she watched the blood trickle down his arm.

“Afraid of a little blood, are you?” Drew asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance with her from his tone.

Daniella shot him a look, then rolled her eyes and stared out toward the sea.

“The scent of a Shadow can be easily detected by other supernatural beings,” Emma murmured as Drew stuck out his arm so the blood would fall into the ocean. “Even witches. If we concentrate on trying to pick up the exact location of a Shadow, we would be able to do it.”

“Why not do that then?” Daniella asked. “The Queen, I mean. The wards on that island of hers must have been put in place by a powerful witch. Why not have her track Drew or Kelia rather than send a bunch of Shadows after us?”

Emma stiffened at the question. She released a breath and lifted her head. He still did not understand why Emma would assist the Queen. Emma never got a chance to explain it to him when she confessed it in the first place, and with everything going on, he had not pressed for an answer.

Drew cut in before Emma felt compelled to answer a question he knew she was not yet ready to answer.

“Why must you ask so many questions?” he asked as he pressed the skin around his cut to force more blood out of his system. “What matters now is attracting the Sirens, and I intend to do just that.” He winced. A sudden dizzy spell hit him, and he had to shift his weight in order to catch himself. He glanced over at Emma, a wry twist to her mouth as she stared at the surface of the water. “How much blood do you think they need?”

“Only a drop,” she said, but Drew detected a hint of uncertainty. Besides, he’d already spilled more than that. “At least, that is what Adelaide has always said. It should only be a matter of time.”

Drew nodded and pulled his arm back. Already the cut was healing. With age and practice, his body allowed him to heal faster than other Shadows.

“Are you all right?” Kelia asked in a soft voice behind him.

Drew turned and caught her eyes. He could tell her concern was genuine. He nodded once and looked down. His arm tingled. He closed his hand before opening it, hoping to get the tingles to go away.

Kelia took a tentative step closer, placing herself directly in his path. He was unable to move around her. He did not want to, either. Any chance he had at being close to her, he would take advantage of.

She brushed the back of her fingers against his wound—or rather, where his wound had been before his body took over and the healing process began. The cut had completely vanished. And yet, as Kelia caressed him with the softest of touches, he was suddenly struck with that same lightheaded dizziness, as though she had as much control over him as his body did.

When she lifted her gaze to meet his, the unspoken words died on his lips. Her eyes had always been so unique. The coloring would haunt him at times. They reminded him of the ocean, a turbulent blue mixed in with a dash of serene green. It was such a strange contrast that made her expressions emphasized and plain. Even now, he remembered lecturing her on how obvious her emotions were. She was no better at hiding her emotions from others, but especially him. Now that he knew her, he could read her more easily than he had before.

“There is much between us,” she surmised. She kept her voice down. The witches were off to the side, whispering amongst themselves, but Drew understood the need for privacy. “Sometimes, I feel as though I can’t reach you.”

“I am always here,” he told her quickly. He took her hand in his and lifted it up so his lips brushed her knuckles. “I am always here.”

Before he could respond, Emma cleared her throat. She wasn’t interrupting them, exactly, but she wanted Drew’s attention.

“We have company,” she said.

Drew pulled his gaze away from Kelia and looked out to where Emma’s outstretched arm was gesturing. He took one breath, and then another, trying to calm his heart. He did not know how the Sirens would react to his blood, or if they would be willing to listen to what he had to say.

“What’s your word, Captain?” Daniella murmured.

Drew was surprised by the respect in her voice, though she, too, was watching as the water parted to make way for the Sirens.

“We wait,” he said. “We try to talk to them.”

“And if they don’t give us the chance?” Wendy asked.

“All Auntie said was to find Bethany,” Drew said after a moment. “We find Bethany. We do not kill Bethany even if she attacks us. Perhaps we can try to get her alone. Anyone else, however, is fair game.”

He stepped up on the boat and gave Kelia a hand up to the deck. She didn’t need his help, but he hoped she took the gesture as chivalrous rather than patronizing.

Despite the low-hanging moon that was nearly full, the water receded quickly due to the pull of the Sirens. As it got more and more shallow, Drew held his breath.

It was too quiet. The water, while still shallow, smoothed out the surface.

Then a loud, piercing cry broke through the silence. The crunch of wood slipping into nothing more than splinters pulled his attention from the water to the cluster of boats, bobbing up and down in the water. One of the boats in the middle was completely destroyed by a Siren who now shot into the sky and was coming straight at them.

“I must correct myself,” Drew said, tilting his head in Kelia’s direction. “Do not leap like a dolphin. Leap like that Siren.”

Kelia’s lip twitched, but she did not respond.

As the Siren dropped, she headed straight for the fire witch.

“Daniella, hurry!” Emma snapped.

Daniella blinked, as though she was waking up from a dream. She flicked out her wrists, and each finger lit with tiny flames. She brought her hands together, merging each flame until it created a large ball. She had just enough time to throw it at the Siren before the Siren landed on her. The Siren screeched in pain.

Drew did not see what happened next. One, two, three Sirens all pitched themselves into the sky and fell like hail—pointedly and directly, hard and fast. One landed on him, but he ground his feet to the deck so he would not be knocked down. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kelia use the dodging technique they had worked on when they were training.

Drew flared his nostrils, needing to direct his attention to his own attacker. He needed to trust that Kelia could handle herself, that he taught her all he could. Certainly, there was a lot more she needed to learn. For now, though, it was enough.

It had to be enough.

Drew glanced around the boat. There was a bannister to his left. He pushed off with one foot, took two quick steps, then jumped onto the bannister so he could push off on the vertical wall. He took one step and then came around and kicked the Siren in the face. Her jaw snapped together, her teeth clattering to the deck like dice being thrown on a table. She had lost some of her teeth. She was bleeding. But she was still alive.

Drew landed on both feet. He bent his knees and propelled himself up.

He didn’t need to go that high. Instead, he jumped his body length higher than the small cabin and tackled the Siren. She fell back, and her head knocked against the deck. He got up and quickly placed his boot on her neck. He pushed down until he felt something splatter underneath him.

He took a moment to catch his breath and gauge his surroundings. Sirens bodies floated lifelessly in the ocean. The salt water ran red with blood. There was still more coming, still more who needed to be put down. He did not even know who he was looking for.

Which one was Bethany?

Would she even be in the swarm that came? Would she even be here in the first place? Was this all for naught? Was he a fool for listening to his aunt?

What if she was among the Sirens already dead?

What was done was done, and there was nothing else left for them to do about it.

Kelia seemed to be handling her Siren well. Blood ran down her shoulder, but it did not seem to slow her down. Her movements were clunky and awkward, but there was a creative flair that she used that made her unpredictable. Being unpredictable in a fight was akin to being deadly, and that was what they needed right now.

A streak of red lit up the black night. Drew tilted his head up to take it in. The flames fell down until they landed on a Siren. Her howl of pain seemed to cause the very ocean to vibrate. Immediately, she ducked underwater. Drew was not familiar enough with Sirens to know if that would make a difference. He waited for her to reemerge, but so far, she had yet to do so.

Someone familiar let out a startled grunt, and he turned to look. Wendy’s arms were up, holding a protective shield around Daniella, who was currently throwing fireballs over the boat and hitting her intended targets.

Wendy was focused on Daniella. She didn’t see the Siren in front of her.

His sister was going to die if he didn’t do anything. Just as he tensed his body, ready to dash over there with as much speed as he could muster, a Siren tackled him to the floor.