Siren Song (The Fated #1)

16 | Reunion

Iliana was lost.

When running she'd picked the streets and alleys she darted through at random, making her steps impossible to retrace even if she'd wanted to. Which, she didn't. After all, the whole thing was useless if she ended up running into Lykos in a failed attempt to locate the port. So she was left with picking a street at random and attempting to find someone, anyone really, who looked like they might give her free directions. Unfortunately, the majority of the villagers appeared as if they would rather pull a knife on her than help her.

Plus, there were the iron cuffs to be considered. If Lykos was to be believed, anyone who saw them would be able to trace the restraints back to him. Given his mercenary status, and the rather poor appearances of the townspeople, she had a strong feeling that it wouldn't take much for them to pretend they wanted to help, while in reality planning how to sell her off to Lykos. Even if they didn't, the cuffs were rather memorable. It wouldn't be hard for him to find someone to bribe that remembered seeing her.

Then there was the little detail of how vulnerable they left her.

In the end, she tried listening to her instincts over which directions to take. Inna was the goddess of instinct, after all. Even if she had no clue how this applied to sirens, she figured it was at least worth a shot.

But, by the time nightfall approached, she'd made no progress towards the port. Or, at least, she was rather certain she hadn't. The smell of saltwater hung in the air, but so did the scent of mud, food, and alcohol. The district she'd ended up in seemed to contain the majority of the town's inns, and there were more than a few drunken men stumbling about the shadowed streets. Deciding she didn't want to risk a mugging, she did her best to remain out of sight.

Shock struck her when, despite her efforts, she was dragged into an alley. Instinctively, she struck out at her assailant. A quiet curse hit the air when she landed a blow against the stranger's jaw. The voice sounded familiar, but the angle of the attack kept her from putting a face to their voice. That was, until they managed to spin her around. Bodily trapping her against the wall was Callias, a scowl decorating his shadowed face.

"Stop moving!" he hissed.

She stared up at him, all fight draining from her body. Her sudden relief didn't stop her from answering his words with a glare.

"What the fuck?" she demanded. "Why the hell did you grab me like that? Who wouldn't fight?"

Callias snorted, and didn't answer her right away. Instead, he kept her pinned as he glanced towards the street. Something about his behavior kept her from struggling, but it didn't stop the heat that flooded her cheeks. The several minutes of silence that followed gave her plenty of time to realize how strange their current position was. Just when she was about to snap at him again, he looked back to her.

"You were being followed. I didn't want to risk being seen because you moved too slowly," he explained.

That made sense. But, still.

"That still doesn't mean you have to attack me!"

He sighed. "Would you rather get kidnapped again?"

"I thought that's what was happening!" she retorted, shoving a hand into his chest. "This position doesn't help! How about you back off--"

"Quiet."

She froze. Her heartbeat raced as he tensely stared out into the streets again. Despite his instruction, Callias hummed under his breath. After a few heartbeats, he once again relaxed and looked back to her.

"There's too much traffic here. You can yell when we've made it to the docks."

As much as she wanted to argue, he had a point. So, she nodded her agreement and he finally backed off. They'd just stepped out into the street when the silence of the night was broken once again. Only, this time it wasn't by her.