"We will have to kill one, I suspect," Edwards says, furrowing his brows. "I doubt any of those creatures will just hand over a scale willingly."
"Now, how do you propose we do that?" Ruben asks, tilting his head. Sunlight streamed in through one dusty window of the library, catching in both brothers' eyes. Pools of jade. The forest itself flecked with fire.
"The river outside the walls, of course," I say, shrugging and brushing a curl from my face. "I've wrangled the shadowteeth so many times now. How different could a siren be?"
"Possibly worse," Ruben says, eyes glinting with fear. He glances at me, jaw clenching. "Besides, we still don't know where their lair is."
Ajax opened his book again and sat before the coffee table, placing it on the surface, and leaning forward, thumbing through the pages. "I think the scale and shot of shadowteeth must be a clue. I think their lair is underwater. Theseus might need the shadowteeth blood to return to his family as well. He has a fishtail. But what if he doesn't have gills?"
"All the more reason to get the scales," Edward says, crossing his arms.
My head throbs and I pinch the bridge of my nose. "So, we need to bring our army underwater? That will require a lot more training." I let out a wry laugh.
Ajax skims a page and jabs his finger over a paragraph. "The sirens have habitats both underwater and on land. On land, they live in forests, within handcrafted dwellings, to protect them from the elements. In water, they may seek underwater caves. But because of their half-human form, they cannot stay underwater for over 24 hours at a time."
"The forest." Edward paces to the window, turning his back to us as he peers out. "We should see if we can find them there."
I think of the hundreds of square kilometres of forest and cringe. "It's a lot of ground to cover."
Ruben exchanges a glance with Ajax. "Shall we reconvene tomorrow? Let us think about it. Ajax and I will figure out what to do with the army."
"I'll stay here and find literature on the shadowteeth, like I said I would," I say, flopping next to Ajax, shooting Ruben a pointed look. "But I'll come back to the Convex Sector later tonight."
Aston pulls Edward into a hug, unexpectedly. "Thanks for trusting us with the library."
Stomach acid burns the back of my throat. He still does not know Edward destroyed his memories before letting him leave the palace all those weeks ago. Edward, who clearly thinks the same by the tightness of his jaw, lets out a nervous laugh. "You are welcome anytime, Aston."
As soon as the doors slap shut, the air seems to lose its oxygen and I am painfully aware of Edward still lingering by the window. The gardeners trim the hedges below and beyond the walls. Somewhere in the forest, the sirens live. I wonder if the Untamed tribe has ever stumbled across them? With the seemingly forever stretch of forest, I wouldn't be surprised if they have never crossed one another.
Edward pours us another cup of fresh coffee, bringing a mug to his lips as he stands over me. "I will begin looking for literature on the shadowteeth. The coffee is safe for you, by the way."
He waltzes away, still clutching his mug. My vision blurs from the headache and I gulp the coffee, choosing to believe it's not spiked with the blood, and willing the awakening effects to work fast. I slip through the shelves of the Monsters and Creatures section, pretending to thumb through the titles even though I know precisely where The Lore of the Shadowteeth rests.
Edward crouches, his waistcoat brushing the creaking floorboards. His sharp eyes brighten when he finds it. "This must have something useful." He plucks it out and I hold my breath.
Edward grabs my wrist gently and pulls me back to the coffee table. We sit next to one another as he opens the book and reads. My hands sweat. I want nothing more than to squirm and jump out of the window. But I keep still, resting my hands on my crossed knee.
"Oh," he says, voice cracking. "I see what that man was on about now."
I grab the book, pretending to read it. "This is scary, Edward," I say after a moment, voice sharp. "Who knows how many more side effects there are?"
He fidgets, picking at his nails. "Maybe I can resist it."
I blink at him, heat bursting into my face. "You can't. You are not some god or magical being with healing abilities, like the sirens."
"Maybe it just won't affect me." He shrugs, staring at the book, voice low and helpless. "My ancestor's writings could just be a crock of shit."
"Do you want to take that chance?"
"I don't want to stop taking the shadowteeth blood," he says, shoulders sagging as if uttering the words brings him shame.
"You have to." Anger swirls through my bloodstream.
His gaze darkens. "I don't want to stop, Elle. I can't risk being alone."
I almost wring his neck. "But you aren't alone. You have us. Your brother, who is actually trying. Me and the boys."
"If I live longer, I'll have a better chance of finding a family."
"But we are not taking the blood. We will not live forever. You'll lose who you have right in front of you, while also deteriorating into a madman."
"Do I really have you, though?" he growls, snapping the book shut. "You love Ruben. And even Ruben doesn't really want to be my brother. I can see his resentment in his eyes."
The swallow is painful and slow. "I can care for you both. There is no one over the other."
"Can you love us both?"
"That isn't fair."
"Can you?"
I chew the inside of my cheek, considering. "You have done a lot of awful things, Edward. Love is not something I can just hand out like flour."
"What about in the future?"
"Time," I say. "Give me time."
He scowls, cheeks flushing, as he sinks deeper into the chair like a grumpy child. "You just said you don't have infinite time."
"I do care for you, Edward." My heart aches as I stare at his side profile.
He examines a freckle on his hand and then flicks his gaze at me. "I appreciate you care for me enough to want me to stop taking the blood."
"Will you considerate it?" I snatch the book and point at the text in case he didn't understand it. "Do you really want this to happen to you because you're afraid to be alone? When you have people right in front of you? This isn't the wilderness anymore, Edward. This is your home, and we are your people."
He chews his cracked lips. Then he leans forward, and I flinch as he presses a feather of a kiss to my cheek. "I don't deserve you, Elle. Never have. I only ever forced you to be part of my life, yet here you are, choosing to help me."
"Just consider it," I say, suddenly remembering the Devil's Ivy in my pocket. I resist the urge to reach into my pocket.
"I'll consider it."
"Great." I clap my hands and stand. With a curt glance at him, I spin and march out of the library.
He calls my name but I ignore him. Tears prickle my eyes and blur my vision. I want nothing more than to bury my face in Ruben's chest and so I make my way to the Convex Sector.
The wind blows and roars around me as I step onto the bridge. My hair flies around my face in streaks of fire, set ablaze by the setting sun. The cool spring air bites at my skin. The conversation with Edward swirls around in my head as I reach the middle of the bridge, and I wave at a wagon as it clatters past me.
Can I really love them both?
Or am I just destined to break someone's heart?
Probably the latter. Even the thought of breaking Edward's heart hurts my own. I care for him. But my heart has always been with Ruben.
This is what I get for getting to know complicated brothers.
I cry out. Pain explodes in my arm, and I stumble, losing my footing on the bridge railing. An arrow has lodged in my shoulder, spurting blood like a geyser. My vision blurs as the agony scorches through me and I lose my balance again. I fall. The icy river water envelopes me in a shattering impact that ripples through my limbs. I sink further and further until I finally stop and swish around in the strong current.
A shadowy figure with a fist-tail darts past me in the inky darkness, flecked with only pinpricks of light, followed by an angelic note. Fear jumps down my throat and I bite back the urge to scream as I find the surface above me. I swim, kicking with frantic energy to the surface. I gulp air into my lungs, coughing and spluttering as the waves slap me in the face.
But a clawed hand digs into my wrist and I howl. They tear the arrow from my flesh and then yank me down into the blue-black depths of the river.