Siren in the Rain (Fortune Favors the Fae #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Shae’s List of Life Goals

1. Escape or die trying. All other goals are impossible until this one is achieved.

Shae

As the last notes of the final encore fade, my legs give out as I stop singing and collapse on the ground in a trembling heap.

Black spots flit across my vision while the massive crowd filling The Forum roars with applause and raucous cheers that ring in my ears. I can’t see the crowd from my hidden position behind the stage curtain, but that doesn’t matter.

I gave them one hell of a show. A once-in-a-lifetime event. I made sure of it, pushed myself to my limits and beyond.

What no one else knows is that it will also be my last performance.

“Master Shae! Master Shae! You okay?” Haku’s anxious voice trills in my ear.

Weakly, I lift a feeble hand to stroke between the ridges on his small scaly head. “I’ll… be all right. Just give me a minute.”

If only I could have a few moments of peace to recover myself.

Of course, as usual, I’m not that lucky.

“Get up, you pathetic loser.”

My evil stepmonster, Margaret, looms over my prone form. As usual, she’s dressed to the nines, this time in an expensive pink Gucci pantsuit paired with black designer heels and a matching purse.

The fact that she no doubt bought all of her ensemble with money I made—but have never seen a dime of—is only one of myriad ways she tries to punish me for simply existing.

She has her own money from her multimillion-dollar beauty empire, aka Divine Beauty, but she hoards all of that for herself. Her brand sells outrageously expensive holistic wellness and lifestyle products aimed at preserving the illusion of eternal youth for as long as possible.

In her midforties, Margaret looks a good ten years younger. I’m not entirely sure how she manages it, although I suspect it’s thanks to work she’s had done and her expertly applied makeup that she never goes anywhere without. In all the years I’ve been under her sadistic control, I’ve never seen her face bare. But I’ve come to realize that she’s used her looks all her life to get what she wants.

In accordance with her current style, her angular face is framed by a sleek, shoulder-length, blonde bob. In her youth, as she’s all too happy to tell anyone who’ll listen, Margaret had been a reigning beauty queen pageant winner and, from what I can gather, used her looks to move from one wealthy man to the next once she started to age out of that circuit. She certainly knows how to manipulate idiotic straight men who fall for her ego-stroking charm and trophy-wife looks, that’s for sure. Her wiles certainly worked on my father.

If I didn’t loathe her with my entire being, I’d almost be impressed by her cunning level of daring.

Disney villainesses haven’t got anything on her.

The general public also falls for her act. She’s built Divine Beauty into an incredibly lucrative business with the endorsements of attractive celebrities, including Margaret’s own daughter. Everyone loves the mother-daughter duo taking the world by storm.

Except for me.

Perhaps it was the fact that I didn’t succumb to Margaret’s phony facade that made her start hating me the moment we met. Whatever she was selling, I wasn’t buying, even at ten years old.

I don’t think she’s ever forgiven me for that.

Although, had I fallen under her spell, she still never would have loved me. As a half-siren, I’m a disgusting freak in her mind—but one she nevertheless is happy to make a fortune from.

Her cold, calculating green eyes narrow at me and the permanent sneer etched on her face whenever I’m around is on full display.

I could ignore her verbal abuse; after all, it’s an all-too-common occurrence.

But I refuse to let her walk all over me.

With what little strength I possess, I hold up my hand and flip her the bird. My accompanying grin turns the look on her face downright poisonous.

Out on stage, I can hear my equally vile stepsister, the top-of-the-charts pop princess Bella Divine, doing her usual show-closing spiel with the audience.

Taking credit for my hard work, as always, and acting the part of America’s sweetheart with the golden voice.

What a crock of shit.

Margaret smiles down at me in a way that portends pain. I knew my little act of rebellion wouldn’t go unpunished, but I won’t grovel for her.

She pulls out the dreaded fob connected to the enchanted iron collar around my neck and presses one of the buttons.

A sharp inhale of breath is the only sound I make as my body seizes from the magical current coursing through me, the iron of the collar acting as a conductor that makes everything even more painful. The agonizing sensation is akin to being electrocuted from the inside out, but I’m used to it. Margaret watches me with a gleam of sadistic glee in her cold, dead eyes. However, I no longer give her the satisfaction of my screams and tears as I did when this torture started.

I’m no longer a helpless child.

Once she stops pressing the fob, the worst of the pain recedes and my body stops seizing, only giving the occasional involuntarily twitch, and I glare at Margaret in defiance.

“F-fuck you,” I manage to croak.

Haku, nestled protectively in my hair, hisses at her in solidarity, releasing angry puffs of smoke from his nostrils.

My stepmonster smirks and snaps her perfectly manicured fingers.

Two of my latest guards—big, beefy men who could pummel me into next week with the greatest of ease—appear behind her, silent and stoic figures who hoist me to my feet.

They hold me with about as much care as they probably would a sack of potatoes. So I make them work for their pay and don’t bother to help at all.

Although I’m not sure I could even if I wanted to.

Slumped between them, I manage to lift my head when Bitchface Bella skips backstage, all smiles. “Did you hear them, Mummy? They love me!”

With big green eyes like her mother’s and her long blonde hair done up in pigtails, Bella has cultivated her pop-princess persona around an illusion of eroticized angelic innocence. Tonight her outfit is a short, form-fitting dress that reveals long legs clad in lacy thigh-high stockings, all of it in white. The look is finished with a pair of glittering white organza angel wings attached to her shoulders.

Margaret beams back. “Of course they do, darling. You’re my beautiful, brilliant daughter and the biggest rising star in the music industry. I’m already in talks to line up a world tour when your next album comes out.”

Keep dreaming, gruesome twosome. I’ll be long gone by then. You won’t be getting another album out of me, no matter what.

My breathing finally returns to normal and my body stops twitching, but I can’t move it much just yet. Still, I’ve got to take my wins where I can get them.

Bella glances in my direction, her face twisting with disgust. “What is he still doing here?”

“What? No thanks for my hard work tonight, sister dear?” I grit out between clenched teeth, my body aching and sore now that the worst of the pain has passed. “I doubt your fans would still love you if they knew that you’re a big, fat fake, a conniving little liar who lip-syncs to my voice and claims all the credit.” I may not have power over most of my body still, but as usual, my sarcastic mouth works just fine. Generally, it’s the only weapon I have to fight back with.

The murderous glare she directs at me is far from the innocent image she projects on stage.

Bella steps in front of me and backhands me across the face with enough force that I see stars.

The familiar sensation of my bottom lip splitting barely registers until a warm gush of blood drips into my mouth and down my chin, its coppery flavor sharp on my tongue. The guards holding me don’t budge an inch, nor do they show any sign of being disturbed about my treatment.

Heartless bastards.

Bella grabs a handful of my long hair and yanks my head back with a hiss. “No one’s ever going to know the truth, brother dear .” She taps the cursed collar around my neck, a small action that sends a jolt of white-hot pain radiating through me.

Iron is deadly to a full fae and agonizing to half-fae beings like me. The collar hurts all the time—a never-ending torment that’s been my constant companion since Margaret put the device around my neck seven years ago, right before I came into my full powers.

I shudder and my mind shies away from that traumatic memory.

“We own you, forever and always, you pathetic fool,” Bella snarls. “You’ll do what we want, whenever we want, until you die.” She taps the collar again for good measure.

That isn’t as bad as the fob, but it’s like poking at a raw open wound. Not pleasant, at all. I focus on regulating my breathing as I wait for the worst of it to pass.

Trapped in the arms of Margaret’s goons, I have no way to escape and that’s almost worse than the pain. Haku comes to the rescue though, snarling in outrage and breathing a thin stream of fire from his mouth that makes Bella yelp and retreat several steps.

Good boy .

The effect of her touch doesn’t last long, but the wild and barely restrained rage that lives inside me claws at my guts. There is no end to the number of ways I’ve envisioned killing these two women.

Don’t let them win , I remind myself.

After all, I’m used to their tactics by now. I’ve been their slave for most of my life.

I can endure a few more hours. Just a few more hours.

More than anything, I can’t lose my focus now. Not when I have my chance at freedom tonight.

Bella laughs, all cruel condescension, then waves an imperious hand at the hired guards holding my limp body upright. “Get this trash out of here.” She skips back over to her mother, all sunshine and smiles again. “Mummy and I have a big after-party to head to after all.”

“Take him back to the house and make sure he’s securely confined in his cell,” Margaret adds before walking off with her hellspawn.

I have a blanket unceremoniously tossed over my head before I’m hustled covertly out of the back entrance of the concert venue and shoved inside an SUV, my hands and feet tied so I can’t attempt something foolish like throwing myself out of the moving vehicle.

If only .

The drive from Inglewood to the Hollywood Hills feels endless while I lie strapped down in the back seat, helpless and aching from the oh-so-loving attentions of my captors. I take what comfort I can from Haku’s soothing presence. He rubs his small head against my cheek and makes the chirruping noise that means he’s worried and wants to make me feel better. I’d convinced him long ago not to bother trying to stop Margaret or Bella when they wanted to inflict pain on me. It just made things worse. Eventually, Haku realized I was right, but I know it’s been hard for him to fight his instincts to retaliate. After all, he’s just as trapped as I am.

I tried to set him free once, to let him escape this horrible life even if I couldn’t. But Haku refused. He loves me too much to leave me behind—and our bond wouldn’t easily allow it even if he wanted to reclaim his freedom. Haku is the one lucky part of my life and I’m so glad he’s stayed with me. I would have lost my mind long ago if not for him.

At long last, I hear the gates to our driveway open, and the SUV pulls behind the main house to the fortified outbuilding hidden there. It’s where I’m confined when my services are not being used.

As I’m being pulled out of the vehicle and untied, I spy my father, clad in an expensive Armani suit, walking toward his waiting black Corvette convertible parked a short distance away. He’s probably heading out to join Margaret and Bella at the party they mentioned.

My father looks nothing like me, although we’re about the same height. Now in his late forties, his short dark hair is starting to go gray. His square-jawed face is somewhat handsome, I suppose, but his pale blue eyes are as cold and dead as his soul.

Noticing me, he pauses midstride, a look of supreme distaste flashing across his face.

I know it’s foolish, but I decide to try one final time.

“Dad, please let me go,” I whisper. “I’ll leave here and never show my face to you again. If you ever cared for me, please, help me.”

My heart sinks when he sneers in response. Even though I knew in my heart of hearts such an appeal was futile, it still hurts.

Haku hisses loudly.

“Take him away,” my father tells the guards, not bothering to respond to me. As if I’m not even worth the effort.

I’m dragged into the building and down a hall to the entrance of my prison—a windowless room with a cage in the center of the mostly bare space and a basic en suite bath. Margaret and my father had this designed to make escape nearly impossible. My prison has an alarm system to rival a nuclear attack warning, so one of the guards carefully uses a key card to open the magnetically sealed door before shoving me inside. Once back in the awful sterile space, I’m allowed to use the bathroom, while one of the guards stays inside and watches me the whole time.

Heaven forbid I try to off myself by choking on a bar of soap.

In the past, I tried seducing guards in the hopes of escaping, but it never worked. Then, once my captors got wise to my tactics, they hired ones that couldn’t succumb to my siren allure. Not that I can even really use my powers much with this damn collar dulling my magic.

Finally able to stand upright on my own, albeit shakily, I take a fast shower and tend to my lip.

Once I’m clean, I dress in a pair of loose sweats and an oversized hoodie. I get cold easily, especially when I’m magically depleted.

I don’t bother to fight it when the guards lead me out of the bathroom and finally force me into my cage.

Nope, I’m not exaggerating.

A monstrosity of iron bars, the cage is tall enough for me to stand up in and big enough for a narrow cot and small dresser but not much else. I’m locked inside and then the guards exit the room, securing the door before taking their positions outside it.

Gingerly, I lie down on the cot and close my eyes, letting out a heavy sigh.

Haku trills with worry and his wings flap in agitation. “Are you sure you’re up for what we have planned tonight?”

I pet his tiny body, trying to reassure him.

Drakes, winged reptiles about the size of a human hand, are distant relatives of dragons. They’re immensely loyal to whoever they bond with. In retrospect, I should have known he’d never leave me even if it meant escaping this nightmare.

Haku and I have been together for as long as I can remember. He was a gift from my birth mother before she died.

Just thinking of her makes my heart ache. Regardless of what we’re all led to believe, time doesn’t heal all wounds. It’s been fifteen years since I lost her.

Although I never really had the chance to overcome that loss because when she died, my life became a living hell.

The one saving grace of the whole situation has always been Haku. My mother placed a spell on him that ties him to me. Anyone who attempts to hurt Haku or separate him from me against his will suffers a terrible magical rebound. Sadly, my mother’s spell doesn’t protect me from harm in the same way. Perhaps she never anticipated me needing it? I’ll never know.

But at least Margaret and Bella can’t take away my one and only companion.

I sigh. “I need to sleep for an hour or two to recharge my magic as much as possible. The sadistic trio won’t be back until dawn.”

If I’m ever going to have a perfect window of opportunity, this is it.

“Sure, Master Shae. Our ride won’t be here until three in the morning anyway. You rest. I’ll watch over you and wake you when it’s time,” Haku whispers.

I try not to fixate on all that could go wrong.

If my plan fails ? —

No, I won’t think about it.

Haku begins to sing softly in an ancient language I don’t understand, a lullaby of sorts that is both soothing and familiar. I’m far too old for such things now, but I don’t protest and fall into an exhausted slumber.

Later, I jolt awake to Haku whispering in my ear. “It’s time, Master Shae.”

Sitting up slowly, I assess my body. I’m still aching and tired, but I am recovered enough to do what needs to be done.

I don’t have another choice anyway. It’s tonight or never.

I pull on some tennis shoes from my dresser, ready to enact our long-prepared plan.

Haku coughs up puffs of smoke before he manages to regurgitate a copy of the key to my cage. It hadn’t been easy to get this, and he’s been hiding it for me for a while.

I pet his head. “Good work.”

He preens.

Carefully, I wind my arm through the bars and maneuver the key to unlock the enclosure. I bite my already injured lip, making it bleed again, as my skin makes unavoidable contact with the iron bars. Gritting my teeth, I fight through the agonizing sensation akin to my skin being burned off in strips.

I nearly sob with relief when I finally hear the familiar click and the cage door swings open.

We hurry out and a glance at the clock on the wall tells me it’s almost time. This is the one shift where there are only two guards on duty watching me and our best shot at enacting our escape plan.

“Wait for the signal,” I remind Haku, who shifts from foot to foot on my shoulder, eager and anxious.

Long, agonizing minutes go by and then a perimeter alarm goes off.

I press my ear against the solid metal door of the room and hear the guards curse and hurry off to investigate.

The moment of truth is upon us.

I only hope that Haku and I can make this work.

Puffing himself up, my trusted companion begins to blow out a thin stream of fire aimed straight at the door.

Drawing on what little of my sirensong power I can, I sing as if my life depends on it.

I invoke a wordless song my mother taught me to share magical energy with another, and I channel Haku everything I can, strengthening the intensity of his fire as it slowly but surely melts a widening hole in the door.

Just when I’m about to black out, we see light on the other side and I want to weep with relief.

But we don’t have a second to spare.

I pull the swipe card our accomplice was able to get to me out of its hiding place in my pants and pass it to Haku. He manages to squeeze his small body, and the card, through the hole.

My heart pounds in my ears as I wait. Then I hear the familiar click and beep as the door is unlocked from the other side.

What happens next is a blur.

Once in the hallway of the annex, we move as fast as we can because out here there are plenty of security cameras we can’t avoid. As we anticipated, another loud, blaring alarm sounds and we pick up our pace as I hear shouts and sounds of pursuit. Speed is our only option.

I barrel through the back exit door, triggering yet another alarm, and race toward the high cement wall that surrounds the rear side of the property. With Haku’s help and a dose of sheer desperation, I manage to scrabble my way up and over the imposing wall.

The fall down the other side is longer and more painful than I expected.

I land awkwardly and twist my right ankle, which gives out on me. I bite back a whimper and manage not to make a sound.

By now, I’m hearing a lot of angry shouts behind us.

The game is up and we have to get out of here—fast.

Through sheer force of will, I push myself to my feet and limp down the hill toward the street, where I’m praying our getaway ride is waiting as promised.

When I get to the bottom, I’m basically dragging my right leg and am a breath away from puking or passing out. Maybe both.

For a moment, all I see is darkness. The streetlight is dead and it’s eerily silent along this stretch of road.

I’m momentarily blinded when two headlights pointed directly at me turn on.

My heart lurches with sudden fear until the voice of my salvation echoes through the night.

“Get in!” Emma cries.

I stumble over and she gets out to help me into the back seat, quickly tossing a blanket over me, then hops back in the driver’s seat and guns it.

As we speed away, I wait, trying not to have a panic attack. Part of me is still convinced we won’t make it. But soon, we’ve left the Hollywood Hills behind and merged onto the freeway, heading far away.

I’m not entirely sure if I pass out or simply fall asleep, but sometime later the car has stopped moving and Emma is gently shaking me awake. “Shae, honey. Please wake up. You’re freaking me out.”

I moan and struggle to sit up, a woozy sensation washing over me as if my whole body is being tossed about on rough open water. My right ankle throbs and feels about twice its normal size.

“He used too much magic earlier! Help!” Haku cries, his wings flapping with concern.

Vaguely, I realize Haku’s right. When I channeled what limited magic I could to him, I used up the last of my pathetic reserves. That, combined with the collar’s effect, puts my magic vitals in a very dangerous range.

“Son of a bitch,” Emma curses.

Quickly, she roots around in her purse and pulls out a slim vial containing a glittering, swirling liquid.

Thank fuck she has a replenishing potion.

My hands are shaking too much so she has to help me drink the lifesaving draught, but I stabilize within seconds. I’m steady enough to help as she wraps one of my arms around her shoulders and pulls me out of the car.

When the movement inadvertently jostles my injured ankle, I focus on not vomiting up the potion I just drank. Once the nausea fades and the threat of passing out again is over, Emma supports me as I slowly and painfully limp toward a nondescript brick building.

A side door opens and I freeze.

“It’s okay! They’re here to help,” Emma reassures me.

Two more people help carry me inside, where they lay me down on a soft couch and gingerly prop my leg up on some pillows.

I bite my lip but don’t make a sound. I’m used to far worse than this trifling injury.

“You’re safe now,” a gentle voice says. “This is a shelter for endangered Otherkind. The place is warded from magical attacks.”

All of a sudden, my bravado is shattered when a wave of exhaustion slams into me from out of nowhere.

“Collar,” I mutter feebly. I try to open my eyes but it’s too hard. The potion pulled me back from the edge of danger, but my body is shutting down to conserve my limited energy. “They’ll… find…”

“Fucking bastards,” another voice whispers.

“I can place an obfuscation spell over it for now, but that’ll only be a temporary measure. We need someone to deactivate it safely,” the first voice says. “That’ll be tricky.”

“We should call those guys you mentioned,” Emma suggests. “I’m sure they can help us.”

I want to say something, but I’m falling down a deep, dark well where everything has disappeared—even me.

I can only hope against hope that I’m finally free.