Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
It was too damn cold for gelato, but only a fool passed up a dessert made by a siren. I tasted no magic in the confection, but sometimes sweet treats held their own innate magic, no fairy dust required.
Moira and I sat on a bench by the food truck area, bundled up in coats, hats, scarfs, our gloved hands clutching our cups.
She’d chosen the rocky road, but I’d gone for the salted caramel walnut.
La Sirena Gelato sat a few feet away, the siren owned truck painted a soothing blue.
Celestial themed doodles were hand painted on top of sea foam swirls, and a constantly changing menu was tacked to the side.
We’d chosen mundane flavors this evening, neither of us willing to risk the sometimes-unexpected effects of some of Sirena’s magic.
“Have you seen Lou?” I asked her.
Moira stabbed her gelato with the colorful spoon she held. “Neither hide nor hair.”
“No news is good news.”
Moira slid me a glance. “Seriously? You of all people can’t believe that.”
I didn’t. I’d found over the years no news meant whatever it was would creep up and bite you hard on the ass when you least expected it.
“We can at least try to keep a positive attitude,” I said glumly.
Moira snickered. “I haven’t heard a thing. Everything seems normal.”
A shiver of unease rolled down my spine. “Good!”
My voice sounded chirpy and upbeat, but Moira knew me well enough to know I was just as nervous as she was.
“Are you ready to chat with her?” I asked after a moment of silence.
We hadn’t come here for just the gelato. Sirena was an ancient being filled to the brim with knowledge about old magic. When we’d gone up to the food truck, one of her new assistants had helped us, but the siren had pinned us to our spot with a look and held her finger up.
“Soon,” she said ominously. “Do not leave.”
We both knew better than to disregard Sirena’s instructions. She might appear to be the benevolent owner of a gelato truck, but she was ancient and could probably kick our asses with one hand tied behind her back if she set her mind to it.
Well…maybe not me anymore, but she could probably give me a run for my money.
Moira set her cup down and rubbed her hands over her jacketed arms. “She’ll come out when she’s ready. I’m half convinced she’s making us sweat on purpose.”
“Who’s sweating?” It was fucking cold out here today.
“On the inside,” Moira grumbled. “Sirena is scary as hell.”
“It keeps all the sailors under control,” a voice said from behind us.
Moira squeaked in fright.
The siren laughed and came around to face us. With a wave of her hand, sparkles appeared, and a small, pink chair covered in what had to be diamond dust surfaced from thin air.
She brushed her flowing skirts away and sat down.
The siren was so beautiful she could cause a traffic jam.
With night-black hair, sea-foam green eyes, and a body filled with dangerous curves, one might dismiss her for a gorgeous nymph at their own peril.
Sirena was stunning, but she was also graced with a deadly intelligence and years of experience with all the power players in the magical space.
And for some odd reason, she liked us both—as much as someone like her could like anyone.
Sirens were a little understood race. Everyone knew their voices were the source of their power, but how it worked was a closely held secret.
If she wanted, she could lure someone to their death with her voice.
But if she ever deigned to sing, Sirena could lure the entire town into walking off a cliff.
People wisely stayed on her good side, us included.
“You’ve been naughty,” Sirena said, her full lips curving as she studied Moira.
“Accidentally,” Moira grumbled.
“Doesn’t matter to me. But you’ve unleashed a power neither of you expected.” Her green eyes flashed. “And for that, you will experience great sorrow.”
I stilled. “Sorrow?” I echoed.
Sirena didn’t look at me, though. All her attention was on Moira. “Tell me, vampire who is not just a vampire, could you feel what you grasped when you held it?”
Moira’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Sirena’s eyes narrowed. “When your hand opened and that power brushed your skin, did you know what you were pulling through?”
Moira slowly shook her head. She swallowed hard. “No. I—I felt something, but I couldn’t stop the power from grabbing it—him.”
Moira’s shoulders slumped. “I can’t seem to control what I touch and…whatever this is just pulls it through.”
Sirena sat back in her soft pink, diamond crusted chair and studied Moira for a long moment before clicking her tongue.
“You’ve been touched by the fae.” She took Moira’s hand in her own and ran her fingers over the vampire’s palm.
“Normally, a human will brush off such exposure through time, but your magic…” Sirena shook her head.
“You already had a touch of the fae in you. Something in your magic craved this power and reached out for it. Whatever happened, it’s permanent now. ”
Sirena let go of her hand, and Moira curled her fingers into a fist. “Can I learn how to control whatever this is?”
“Of course,” Sirena said. “But it will take time and effort and extreme will. This magic is greedy. It craves.”
When they fell silent, I asked the question that had been bothering me since everything had happened. “Who did Moira bring through?”
An unamused laugh came from Sirena’s throat. “Who?” She shook her head. “Who is not the question you should be asking. What is the right question?” Her eyes glowed sea-foam green. “What have you unleashed on Joy Springs?”
My stomach clenched.
Sirena’s lips pulled into a grim smile. “You are here to ask me to help you, no?”
Moira nodded. “Or send me to someone who can.”
“No need for that. I will help. For a price.”
I stifled my sigh. Good neighbors weren’t really a thing in fae culture. No fae did a clean favor. They always involved a price, whether or not one could pay. Sirena’s eyes slid to me, amusement sparkling in their depths.
“One day, I will require your assistance. Moira and you, shapeshifter.”
I froze. How could she know the secrets simmering in my blood?
Her lips quirked. “When that day comes, you will ask no questions and come to aid me.”
Moira’s eyes narrowed. “I won’t do anything illegal.”
“No one asked you to,” Sirena said.
“Yet,” I snapped.
Sirena rolled her eyes. “You forget Joy Springs has much different laws than the human world. I will agree that it will be nothing illegal under our laws.”
“And no killing,” Moira added.
“Now that, I cannot agree too.”
I scoffed. “You can’t honestly expect us to agree to murder.”
“No one said that either, stupid girl.”
I opened my mouth to argue.
Sirena held up a hand. “If you have to kill, be assured it will be someone or something who richly deserves it. Now, will you agree to those terms?”
I could see Moira’s thoughts all over her face. Not like I have a choice.
“I will agree,” I said finally. Moira needed the help.
“Fine,” Moira said, with much less grace than me.
Sirena laughed and clapped her hands. “Good. Come to me in three days’ time. Meet here at seven p.m. I will show you what you are, and I will show you how to control your new gifts.”
With that, the siren stood. “Now, before I take my leave, I have one more question for you.”
Moira and I stared at her expectantly.
Sirena’s irises went full-on cerulean blue. Her voice changed and strange magic swirled around her curvaceous form. “Have you seen your banshee lately?”
Before the thought could penetrate, Sirena disappeared in a splash of cold water, leaving Moira and I gaping at each other on the bench.
“Shit,” Moira breathed. “I haven’t seen Tess in at least twenty-four hours.”
My brain scrambled as I tried to piece a timeline together. “She was at work when Lou fell through the roof, right?”
Moira nodded. “But we didn’t see her at all. Lou came through and Tess was gone.” Her brow furrowed. “Did you see her leave that evening?”
I shook my head.
Moira cursed and pulled her cell out. “I’m texting Ash.”
It took less than a minute for the dryad to respond. Moira closed her eyes. “He hasn’t seen her either. Ash thought you let Tess go early. He texted her earlier today and she never responded.”
“Shit,” I breathed. “Do you think Lou has her?”
“Let’s hope not,” she said ominously.
Both of us rose from the bench at the same time. Tess wasn’t an easy target, but depending on who Lou really was, it might not matter.