Siren's Fall [Siren's Mark: Book 2]

Chapter 22

ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

Twelve.

In the past month, twelve Sirens have been killed.

When a Siren dies, a new Siren emerges from Mount Thera, an island volcano off the coast of Greece. With every death, there is new life.

Until now.

Twelve.

Twelve is the number of Sirens whose deaths were permanent. The number of Sirens that we may never get back.

Their powers had nowhere to go, so the collective became stronger. These growing powers have come at a high cost.

"Z?" Kami's voice calls from the phone speaker. "You still with me?"

"Er... yeah, sorry. I'm still processing all this."

"Any ideas?"

She's clearly asked me a question and I completely missed it.

"Sorry, love," I say. "What was the question?"

"Why would demons try to hurt you by doing something that would make you stronger?"

"Maybe they want to make me miserable by making it so I can't be in public without being accosted by humans?"

"I doubt that. Besides, how would they even know that would be the effect? It's not like this has happened before."

"That's a good point," I say, scratching my chin. "Maybe they didn't know at all. Killing Sirens might just be the message. They may not have expected it to make us stronger."

"Hmm... yeah. It could have been an unexpected side effect."

"Have you been able to get in touch with our Siren friends?"

"Yeah, everyone I know has responded, so all good there, but they're definitely having the same problems. It turns out Alek's mate David had a similar incident around the exact same time as Ava. My guess is that there was another death or—god forbid—many, and the collective power became strong enough to affect human mates."

What a bloody clusterfuck.

"What do we do?" I ask, raking my fingers through my hair.

"Well, we need to figure out how to counteract it. I'm working on finding a solution."

"Jen's working on that too. She wants samples from all of us, but she was saying we might be able to control it."

"Oh that's right, Jen's some kind of scientist, right?"

"That she is."

"Anyway, once we figure out a way to get around without causing a riot, I think we need to get closer to the action and figure this out. I've called a few Council contacts of mine and they agree they want Sirens involved in figuring this out. But with my rep, they're not too keen on letting me join the team."

"Can't blame them on that one, love," I say with a laugh. "Last time you saw Paul you attacked him with a cheese grater."

"That bastard had it coming—he rolled his eyes at me and called me dramatic," she says with a growl.

"I'm not saying he didn't. I'm just saying that kind of behavior is not going to make you any friends."

"Well, obviously the Iron Siren knows all, because they said they'll let me investigate if you sign on too."

"Me?" I say with a scoff. "The Council wants me to investigate the Siren disappearances? Talk about a conflict of interest. I'm the one who picked a fight with the demons in the first place."

"They don't see it that way. You've always been the Council's golden boy. You can do no wrong."

"And what am I supposed to investigate in Port Charlotte? These things are going on half a world away."

"Well, you wouldn't be investigating from Port Charlotte. We'd be going home."

The Council doesn't just want me on this investigation—they want me back in London.

*****

Ava tucks herself deep under the sheets of our bed until just her eyes peer out from the top.

"What are you doing, love?" I ask, fighting back a laugh.

"Getting cozy," she says with a soft smile. "After the day we've had, I deserve to be warm."

"You deserve everything, baby," I say, slipping beneath the covers to join her. I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her until our bodies are flush against each other.

My stomach turns with unease, but I've come to recognize feelings like this as not being my own.

"Something on your mind?" I ask, stroking her hair as she burrows into my chest.

"Are you kidding? Everything is on my mind. Between Jen's battery of tests and killer demons on the loose and crazy Siren powers going out of control, my mind is in a million places."

"I know it sounds like a lot—hell, it is a lot—but I'll keep you safe, I promise."

"I'm not worried about me," she says with a sigh. "I'm worried about you. They're after you and trying to hurt you, but I'm just a weak little human and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

She's the one made of fragile organs wrapped in paper-thin skin, and she's worried about me?

"You, my love, have never been weak," I say with a smile, pulling her chin up so our eyes meet. "Yes, you are a human, but you are the human who saved my life when you killed Asmodeus."

"I only could because he saw me as weak," she says, pouting.

"Then he learned what I've known all along: underestimating you is a dangerous mistake."

She smiles and her cheeks redden slightly.

"There's just a lot going on," she says. "I just don't want any more surprises."

"Well I'm not sure that's a realistic expectation. Our lives have been anything but predictable lately. It'll only get more complicated if we move to another country."

"Move to another country?" she asks, shooting up into a seated position.

Me and my bloody mouth.

"I'm... I mea-" I stutter, trying to stop myself from making a bigger mess of things. "I'm sorry, I was thinking that I had already brought it up, but clearly I haven't. Kami said that the Council has invited us back to London to investigate this further."

She stares at me blankly, her eyes wide.

"What?"

"We do not have to go," I say. "This is entirely your decision. I won't pull you away from your home and your life."

"And what about your home? Do you want to go back?"

"London is a beautiful city, and I loved living there," I say, reaching to stroke her cheek with my hand, "but my home is wherever you are. As long as I'm beside you, I'm home."

"Oh quit it with the romantic stuff!" she scolds, her cheeks now a deep crimson red. "I can't think straight when you're being all sweet."

"Sorry, baby," I say with a chuckle.

"I don't know about moving to London," Ava says. "But I have always wanted to go, and for the most part, I can work from just about anywhere. I would like to see where you grew up... or... I guess you didn't really grow up, did you. Where you aged? That sounds really weird. Where you... increased in years? Okay, that's even weirder. Where y-"

"Love," I interrupt, smiling.

"Fair enough, not the point," she says. "The point is, if you want to go back to London, we could certainly go—for a while anyway."

I ponder her words. It has been a long time since I've been to London and I have missed it, but everything that comes along with this trip will be complicated to say the least.

"I'd love for you to come to London with me."