Sirens Say, What? #2
Branches and dead leaves crunched with every step as I carried on like we hadn’t been attacked by a beast of an enemy. The fight felt like hours, but it was likely only minutes in human time, so we hadn’t lost much daylight.
At least taking on a coven of vampires would feel like a vacation after that little dance with the Devil.
Sloan easily matched my pace and stole a glance at me. “You seem upset.”
“Upset ain’t it, Sloan. We just survived an attack with an opponent that even Phil struggles to defeat. I’m counting my blessings right now.”
“Yet, you don’t seem all that chuffed that you did,” Sloan countered, lush lips lifted some. “Even I’m at a loss for what to say. It’s not often I fight Sirens. If anything, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen one come out of nowhere like this. But you made fighting one look effortless, love.”
Sighing, I picked up the pace. “Was it me, though?”
“What do you mean?”
“This power…it’s not something I was trained to use.
It’s not me. It’s luck, honestly. Today, I only survived because whatever thing lives inside my blood decided to help.
” I stole a look at Sloan, and his eyes met mine with intensity.
“But it feels dangerous to rely on it. I can’t explain it, but I don’t trust whatever this magic is.
Whatever the Organization fiddled with, it’s definitely something they shouldn’t have. ”
Nodding his understanding, Sloan turned his gaze ahead. Beams of renegade light hit his body as we walked, and he seemed to take a moment to carefully choose his next words. Wind whispered in my ears and the nearby wildlife went back to their day as if nothing happened.
As if we hadn’t just fought for our lives.
“You’re not wrong to question it, and we’ll train your other skills so you won’t have to rely on it.” The Brit’s glistening gem-like eyes slid back over to me. “But I fear I must argue with you.”
Mouth thinning, I looked at the path ahead. “Oh? Going to lecture me about how I should just be grateful for the outcome?”
His laughter rang out and caught my attention right away.
“Not at all. You fought better than most seasoned Hunters today. Every movement was completely in sync with mine. Other than Kris and Phillip, no one has been that in tune with me, and Kris took nearly a decade to do what you did today.” The side of his lip tilted into an impish smirk.
“So, again, I hate to disagree with a beauty like you, but what you did today was not luck or chance. It was talent and training. It was the mark of every top-level Hunter.”
I might miss Phillip to the point of physical pain, but I was seriously glad I had Sloan. He made each passing day bearable. His words calmed a storm in my head. He knew just what to say to ease my insecurities.
“Thanks, you gorgeous British bastard.”
The happiness that ignited his face was as if I’d given him the best compliment of his life, and it destroyed me. I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t insanely attracted to him when he smiled like that.
“Anytime, love.”
Silence fell over us, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was necessary. As a Hunter, no matter what we faced, it was business as usual and onto the next when we fought.
It may be unique circumstances, but that didn’t change the fact that innocent people were at risk the longer this vampire coven was left unchecked.
Our first priority would always be to the innocent lives threatened by the creatures hunting them.
Getting my head back in the game, I refocused on the task at hand. We could debrief later when we finished the job. Until then, I’d thank my luck I didn’t die at the hands of a Siren and move the fuck on.
We weren’t far from the location, and there was no telling what other beasties waited in the wings for me.
So, I kept my eyes peeled for anything nearby.
I relied on all my senses to detect anything amiss, and when I picked up the sound of footsteps, I stopped in my tracks.
Something felt familiar about the sound, but I prepared myself for another attack.
Sloan didn’t seem worried though, as he came to a stop beside me.
His hands were free of weapons, and he simply stared ahead.
A second later, two figures loomed about two hundred feet from us in the path ahead. They’d come over a hill and stopped just as it crested. My heart ceased its beat before I realized who they were.
“Did you guys take the scenic route, or just get outright lost?” Kris asked, laughing. But one look at Sloan and my expressions when she finally closed in on us and her smile disappeared. “What happened?”
I opened my mouth, but Sloan cut in ahead of me. “Just a little trouble. It’s all settled now, though. Not to worry.”
As if picking up on something left unsaid, Kris nodded and offered the two of us another one of her sly smiles. “Danger magnets, these two.”
Sungho, whose eyes didn’t leave mine the entire back and forth between the other two, finally looked over at Sloan. “The other location turned up nothing.”
Kris rolled her eyes and giggled. “Right to business. Next time I’m pairing up with V. You boys are no fun.”
Collecting myself and brushing off how uncomfortable Sungho’s stare made me, I smiled at the sassy vixen. “I’m game. I think Sloan attracts more danger than I do.”
“He really does!” Kris yelped with enthusiasm, making the man beside me snicker. And surprisingly, Sungho’s lips tilted up, just shy of a smile.
“So you can smile? I mean, really smile. None of that courteous greet-and-grin bullshit?” I teased the silent man.
His smile departed the second I pointed it out. “You’re seeing things.”
“No…it was definitely there. You smiled. A real, god-honest grin of delight.”
Kris dropped an arm around my shoulders and laughed loudly. “He’s a tough nut to crack, but he’ll eventually give into our charms, V.”
Sungho silently stalked ahead, ignoring us. But it’d thankfully broken the tension, and I was super grateful for Kris swooping in to save the day.