A Siren's Choice (Book One in A Siren's Series)

Chapter Twenty-Four: Because You See...

Lia

"Poor, poor Callia".

The next sob instantly halts in its path in my raw throat. The seemingly continuous stream of tears continue to trail down my cheeks even as my whole body tenses.

What is she doing here?

Amongst the sounds of my shallow breathing, I hear her soft, almost silent footsteps crunch the sand as she makes her way around me until her jean clad legs are in my line of sight. Slowly, I lift my head up until my likely bloodshot eyes meet her navy blue ones that are full of amusement. She looks down at me with her hands on her hips, her lips stretched into a bright smile, and for some reason she looks utterly proud of herself.

And that's when it clicks.

"You", I rasp out as I clench a fistful of sand in my shaking fists.

Nerissa's smile widens when she realises I had figured it out, looking absolutely delighted.

"Why?"

"I think you need to be a tad bit more specific there Callia", Nerissa acts confused for a moment before she continues, "Oh, do you mean why did I tell that cute human what we are? Why did I trigger his memory? Or why did I add my own little delightful twist to the story?"

I stay silent from my spot in the sand, glaring up at Nerissa, not even bothering to answer her, to be a player in her little game as I struggle to continuously draw air into my lungs, to keep my battered heart beating.

"It was all too easy really", she brags, brags, as she pushes back a stray strand of her blonde hair that had escaped during her flight here, her speckled wings nowhere in sight.

"But you must be dying to know how I had found your little boy toy, huh Callia", she taunts me, trying to egg me on, but when I don't reply, she cheerfully continues on pretending like I had anyway, "Well, the other day, when you had come looking for Proteus you had been acting weirder than usual, and you had made me quite suspicious", she explains as a mischievous glint enters her eyes, "And this morning I finally saw why".

"See, I had followed you to that island that was supposed to be deserted, you were just far too distracted to notice", her devious smile twists, "And as I hid in the woods, I saw everything".

'Everything', the word echoes through my mind causing my eyes to widen, and my heart to stutter in my chest.

She. Saw. Everything.

She saw Nathaniel, a human. She saw us together, while my wings were out.

She saw us talking. Embracing. Kissing.

And I had been far to entranced by him to even notice that she had been there. Watching it all.

I had stupidly dropped my guard for just a moment and that was all it had took. And I know that since Nerissa is standing in front of me right now with that chilling smile on her face that I will pay greatly for that mistake. Even more then I already have, because I know that there is obviously more to this twisted plan of hers, for why else would she be here.

"What? You're not even going to try to deny it", she pushes, wanting me to deny it, to argue with her, to make things even more interesting.

So I don't say anything, she already knows the truth anyway, she had seen it with her own eyes. I won't give her what she wants by denying it. So instead I avert my gaze and that's when I notice something at the edge of my vision.