part0025

Kelia didn’t concern herself with her surroundings. Didn’t care that she was in a small room with a Siren who had just consumed Emma’s heart and now had the ability to walk on two legs. All she cared about was getting what she needed from the Siren. If she didn’t, Emma’s death would be in vain.

“Tell me what you want,” the Siren said. “You asked to speak. Here I am.”

If this Siren would not help her, Kelia planned to kill her and move on to the next one, until someone was willing to offer assistance. There had to be at least one sea witch who was not pleased with the Queen, who wanted nothing more than to break free of her iron grasp and get her revenge.

“I’m proposing a union,” Kelia said, forgoing any small talk.

The Siren quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. She moved from one foot to the other, shifting her weight. It almost seemed as though she was testing out her new body. “A union?”

“Yes.” Kelia took a one step toward the Siren, her eyes locked on the witch. “I know it sounds daft—”

“But it is necessary in order to take down the Queen,” Kelia finished. “What do you say… Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“I didn’t offer it,” the Siren said before rolling her eyes. “Just because we aren’t fighting does not make us friends.”

“I’m aware,” Kelia snapped. “However, the fact that you are talking to me rather than engaging in a battle with me does give me hope.”

“The only reason I do not fight is because I would not know how to with these legs,” the Siren pointed out.

“Then, as a way to thank me for not taking advantage of your weakness, I would appreciate it if you would agree to the union,” Kelia suggested.

“We can start with introductions,” the Siren said. “I like to know who I’m considering doing business with.”

“Fair enough,” Kelia said. “I’m Kelia Starling.”

She held out her hand, but when the Siren did not shake, she lowered it to her side.

The Siren’s face wrinkled into a frown. “The Kelia Starling?” she said more than asked. “You are the one the Queen wants. You and that Shadow.” She looked away and shuddered. “I have never seen her so angry. The very thought of her wanting me or someone I care about the way she wants you is unnerving, to say the least.”

“Is that sympathy I detect?” Kelia asked.

She didn’t want to push the Siren, but she did not want to waste time. She would not be surprised if the Sirens were trying to get Wendy or Drew or Daniella and hurt them in response to what Wendy did to their sisters.

“Well, I introduced myself,” Kelia said. “Your turn.”

“Bethany.” Her voice had gone soft and her eyes seemed far away.

“You know Adelaide,” Kelia said slowly.

A singular nod. “I do.”

The Siren bounced on the balls of her feet, bending her knees and straightening them. Kelia did not think she was aware she was even doing it. It made her look vulnerable, which was surprisingly refreshing.

“Do you want some clothing?” Kelia asked, cutting Bethany off before she even began. “I believe there are some clothes in this trunk.” She dropped to her knees. “As you were saying. About Adelaide, I mean.”

“I developed a relationship with her after…” Bethany clenched her jaw. She looked away and turned her back. Kelia couldn’t see her face anymore. Bethany scoffed. “Has it only been a year?”

“A year since…your relationship with Adelaide?”

“Since the Queen took my sister from me,” Bethany said in a cold voice, glancing over her shoulder so her long hair spilled over her shoulders.

Kelia had not been expecting that. She stood up on her feet and handed Bethany a pair of clothes.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” she murmured. She was not good at finding the right words. Normally, she chose to say nothing because she did not want to offend or to continue the pain even inadvertently. However, Kelia felt she needed to say more. It was necessary to reassure her for some reason. “No one deserves to perish at her hand.”

“No.” The bitter word escaped from Bethany’s mouth. She took the clothes, but it was as though she did not see them. “My sister did deserve to die. She let a human man get in her head, made her forget the mission. We were supposed to acquire our freedom together. She promised me. Her heart melted at the wrong time, and instead of staying with me, she tried to assist a sailor, who wound up being turned by her anyway. Her death was all for naught, and it infuriated me that she would choose a human over her own sister.”

Each word was more fiery than the last. The Siren tensed until her body was as straight as a mast, filled with tight energy that seemed to push against her to get out. Kelia’s own body tensed in response—just in case.

“I don’t know what that feels like,” Kelia admitted. “It’s not something I would want to know.”

“No, you would not,” Bethany agreed. She paced the small cabin. The bed took up a lot of the space, so it was about five paces forward and five paces back. Her hands were behind her back, her movements jerky and awkward, clothes in her hand but otherwise ignored. “My sister taught me to create a shell. Do not let anyone or anything in. Protect yourself at all costs because no one else will.”

“Your sister sounded very wise—”

“She can sound as wise as she chooses.” Bethany abruptly stopped pacing and inhaled deeply. “This oxygen… It’s strange. I can barely remember being a human. I’ve breathed in oxygen before. It used to be what kept me alive. And yet, inhaling it now, I feel like I am suffocating.” She turned around and shook her head. “I thought I was content as a human. When the Queen changed me, I thought I was content as a monster. In reality, I was merely content as long as I had my sister with me.”

Moonlight spilled into the open window. Kelia noted it was nearly full.

“I miss her,” the Siren added mournfully.

Kelia glanced at the wooden floor beneath her feet. The wood was inexpensive, hastily crafted. Being on Drew’s Wraith taught Kelia how to appreciate fine craftsmanship when it came to constructing a vessel like a ship or even a boat. These were not made with care. These boats were made as cheaply as possible so the owner could turn a profit. It made sense.

“I am always angry now,” Bethany admitted. She tucked her chin underneath her neck and continued pacing, this time slowly. Her footsteps were soft and discreet, and judging by the strain in her legs, Kelia could tell she was implementing more control in her movement. “I am angry with everyone. With my sister, for making her stupid choice. With myself, for doing nothing about it. With my Siren sisters, for not mourning her at all. But I am angriest with the Queen. My sister did everything for her, everything she asked. One mistake. One poor choice. That was all it took.”

The Siren laughed, but it was a hollow sound. “I suppose I should understand it. The Queen has always threatened us should we betray her. My Jessa was well aware of what she was doing by ignoring direct orders from the Queen and attempting to let that human go. I think, perhaps, that is what angers me the most. She knew what she was doing. And she still did not care.”

“Yes, but it was her act of freedom,” Kelia offered, trying to keep judgment out of her voice. “Perhaps, as obedient as your sister was, she found someone who opened her eyes and made her see the life she was truly living. Not the one she would live or the one she lived in the past…but the one she chose to live in the present. Betraying the Queen was her last act of defiance. She did it because it symbolized the freedom she lost, the freedom she would probably never gain again. It was her truly living in the moment and making a choice she wanted to.”

Bethany turned from the window, tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth, ready to respond, but the words did not come. Instead, she looked down at her hands and then slowly turned them over.

“You help Adelaide,” Kelia said slowly, trying to continue to keep her voice neutral. If it sounded as though Kelia was trying to influence Bethany to do anything Bethany did not want, everything would be ruined. “You must have agreed with some part of what your sister did.”

“I just…” Bethany let her hands hit her thighs. The clothes fell to the floor. “I just miss my sister and I want her back and there’s no way for me to get her back. I am alone and I hate it. The Queen refuses to give me any attention, and if I act out, my sisters punish me. I hate what I am, but cannot kill myself.”

“You are burdened with the punishment of life,” Kelia said, her brow rising in surprise. “The Queen knew you would try to kill yourself?”

“I do not know,” she admitted with a shrug. She inspected her fingernails. “The Queen is as wise as she is brutal. Her only weakness is that Shadow.”

“Your lover,” Bethany said. “She hates you more than she’s hated anyone or anything. I have never seen her so angry. At least when Drew left on his own, she could write it off as him being insipid, perhaps rebellious. But because he has found you, because it is clear his heart belongs to another, she burns with rage. The Queen never possessed Drew’s heart. Perhaps, for a time, his body, but never his heart. It is why I chose to help Adelaide Knight. It is why I freely give her my blood to assist with Siren poisoning. Because I find the whole thing so amusing—the all-powerful Queen brought to her knees by a man.” She scoffed. “What does that say about our sex?”

“It says we love powerfully,” Kelia said.

“It says we are weak when it comes to matters of the heart,” she snarled. “I promised myself after my sister died I would never be beholden to anyone. Not my sisters, not my heart. If I was going to survive this—because I was forced to—I would need to keep my wits about me.”

“How is that working so far?” Kelia asked.

“I have no complaints,” she said. “I should ask you the same question. You love the Shadow yourself, do you not?”

Kelia took a deep breath and let the question sink in. Of course she loved Drew. That was never a question. But telling someone she was not sure she could trust about something that made her vulnerable was not something Kelia preferred to do. She kept her feelings to herself. It gave her more protection.

But she needed to gain Bethany’s trust, and she couldn’t do that if she didn’t show some trust herself.

“I do," she said finally. If this was the only way, to offer herself as vulnerable, she would do it. She had to do this.

“And he loves you,” Bethany continued. “That much is plain. And look at what the Queen’s love is doing to her. What a wretched way to spend your time—consumed by this feeling you cannot master. Being a slave to something you cannot control. I promise myself I will never let that happen to me.”

“And yet you are.” Kelia wanted to rip the sheets from the bed due to how frustrating this conversation was getting. “You are going through the motions. You are doing exactly as the Queen tells you to do based on her feelings for Drew. In that way, you are just like her. Except the feeling that controls you is fear, not love. You are afraid of her wrath. You are afraid of the torture she will most certainly bring on you. You are afraid to care about anyone because you might lose them. Your sister was, too, until she met a human who made death seem worth conquering.”

“One does not conquer death,” Bethany said. “One succumbs to it.”

“It’s all a matter of perspective, I suppose,” Kelia said. “What you need to figure out is if this is the sort of life you want to live. Tell me, Bethany. Do you want to follow orders from a woman who can barely get over her own feelings long enough to command them? Who is using an entire army of Shadows and Sirens to find one Shadow so she can bring him back to her and force him to love her. Is that really the person you wish to bow to?”

Bethany clenched her jaw and looked away. Kelia held her breath, hoping her words sank in, if only slightly.

“This deal,” Bethany said slowly, “is temporary.”

“Just until we kill the Queen,” Kelia replied.

“Well, I would hope if the Queen is dead, you are set free,” she replied. “I do not know if that means you get to be human again or if it means that you remain a Siren. But whatever it is, you’ll get to do whatever you want to do when you want to do it.” She stuck out her hand. “What say you?”

Bethany paused, her eyes lingering on Kelia’s outstretched hand. “Aye,” she finally said, placing her hand in Kelia’s. “We have an accord. Now leave me. Apparently, I cannot walk around naked and must put clothing on my new body.”