Chapter 6
Elva
It was like I was lying in a cloud. I wanted to snuggle in and never leave, but the sound of a closing door brought me back to reality.
We couldn’t afford such finery. I pushed myself up and rolled over.
The room was even more charming in the early morning light.
The walls were paneled with black pine, and instead of the scent of stale ale that inns usually had, the air was rich with that intoxicating leather aroma.
It was strange that I could still smell it after I’d taken care of things.
I spotted my shirt and an unfamiliar pair of pants nearby.
When I reached for them, my cheeks heated at the memory of last night.
I never stay in a man’s room after I'm done with him.
Then again, I never came that hard in my life.
Not only had I spent the night here, but he'd given me new clothes to replace the pants we'd damaged. That a man who wasn’t my brother could be kind was unnerving.
Is this what affection feels like? Genuine affection that leads to love?
Sirens weren't supposed to feel love—lust, yes, but not love.
It was against our nature. Yet Sindri and Leifur had shattered that belief.
Not only did they love each other dearly, but they loved me just as fiercely.
Trying to be quiet, I slipped out of bed, and my feet sank into a thick rug.
How does this room keep getting better? Stretching, I glanced around.
He was gone. The coin purse and knife were gone from the table.
Just to be sure, I sprang across the room and flung open the wardrobe doors.
Only clothes remained. Nothing under the bed, either.
“Okay, he’s gone,” I muttered. Confused by what was going on inside my head, I felt a desperate need to get out before he came back.
I pulled my shirt over my head and the pants up my legs, yanking the drawstring as tight as it would go.
Digging through his wardrobe, I found several expensive-looking garments that would fit Sindri perfectly. I threw them over my arm and left.
The stairs led down to my brother’s room. “Sindri, open this door!”
It took my brother frustratingly long to open the door. When he did, he looked hungover. “There you are.” He grinned when he saw my oversized pants. “I wondered if you’d run off with him.”
“Haha.” I pushed past him into their room, which was far more modest than the one I'd just left—two worn beds that they’d shoved together, old, stained bedding, no wardrobe, a single chair against a rickety table.
Leifur greeted me with a hug. “We were worried. You usually end up in our bed after a few hours.”
“His room was better,” I admitted, and held up my arm with the clothes.
“Mine!” Sindri's eyes lit up as he grabbed the top four pieces and tossed them onto the bed to decide what to try on first. I handed the simple tunic and pants to Leifur.
“Everything go alright?” he asked, brushing my hair aside to look at what was likely a nasty bite mark on my neck.
“He didn’t die, if that’s what you mean.”
“Elva—”
“We’re good for another month.”
“Thank Poseidon. The last thing we need is your scales showing up today. We have a hard enough time hiding your hair.”
My hands instinctively flew to my thigh. Scales were always the last warning before she took over.
“Speaking of,” Leifur said, gathering my hair in his hands. “We need to touch up the brown. Some blue is showing through.”
“Already? It should have lasted until tonight.”
He shrugged. “We either missed a spot or didn’t use enough. Relax, Elva. That’s why you made a large batch. Sit.” He gestured to the chair and headed for my travel bag on the floor.
Sindri now sported the sapphire blue shirt and twirled to face me. I picked that one because it would bring out his eyes and was as soft as a newborn chick. “So, you slept there? He must have been very good.”
I was ready to tell him off, but Leifur stepped in before I could say anything.
“Leave her alone, Sindri.” My brother crossed his arms, looking like a sulky child, while a sly grin spread across Leifur’s face.
“Judging by all those bruises and scratches on her arms and neck, she'll be pretty sore today.”
“Fine, he knew what he was doing,” I said. “Happy now?”
“More details, please,” Sindri said, as Leifur opened the jar and used a leather glove to spread the dye mixture in my hair.
I raised an eyebrow at my brother. I’d noticed mortals were usually private about their conquests, but sirens could be downright competitive when it came to sex.
Sindri always needed to know where his husband ranked on my list, to make sure his choice to marry didn’t cause him to miss out on anything exciting. “He’s in my top,” I said finally.
“Top what?” Leifur asked. “Ten? Five?”
“Three?” Sindri’s eyes grew wide, and his mouth dropped open.
“I passed out afterwards, and when I woke up, he was gone.”
“So you robbed him?” Sindri teased. “I’m rubbing off on you, dear sister. I’ll fetch the water for your hair so you don’t stink all day.” He slipped out the door, leaving Leifur and me alone.
Leifur leaned closer, his voice softening. “Are you alright?”
“Just a little tender,” I said, rubbing the bite mark on my neck. “He was as aggressive as I am.”
“Hopefully, one of us can win something at the tournament and convince them to let us stay. That way, I don’t have to keep bedding you every time we end up in the middle of nowhere for some time.”
“You bedded me first.”
“It was my job,” he said. “If we stay long enough, maybe you can try to have an actual relationship.”
“Always the romantic,” I teased, but Leifur grabbed my hand and tugged until I met his gaze.
“I understand,” he said gently. “Most sirens don’t believe we can feel things for another, but your brother is all I need. I love him.”
I squeezed his hand. “I know, but you fell in love with every siren you were with before. All those siren females that left you once you'd gotten them pregnant—every one of them broke your heart. Until me, and then you met my brother, and he charmed you off your feet.”
“He did. The queen was furious when I refused to take another lover.”
I smiled. “At least you know my brother won’t leave you because of a pregnancy.”
Leifur leaned down and hugged me. “I’m the luckiest siren ever. I not only have my husband, whom I adore, but his gorgeous sister too.”
I kissed him on the cheek, and he smiled. “Don’t be afraid of wanting more, Elva. You deserve it.”
“Deserving it doesn’t mean it’ll happen.”
The door slammed shut, and we both turned to see Sindri standing there with a mischievous grin. “It does if we’re talking about sex, and I would know,” he said.
Leifur shot me a look, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I swear my brother-in-law is the most patient siren in Torian to put up with Sindri.
My brother was a sultry siren from birth and could talk any female creature into anything, but Leifur and I had to work for our skills.
If he hadn’t been half-selkie, my brother would have risen to the highest rank possible for males—king of the sirens.
But our father was unworthy, so we were too.
We were mutts who should never have been.
A loud snap drew my attention to the fingers before my nose. “Where did you go, Elva?” Leifur asked.
“Dreaming about your friend’s cock?” Sindri snickered as he moved behind me to rinse the dye from my hair with a small bowl of water.
“No,” I said, pulling my favorite dagger from its sheath and pointing it at him. “I’m trying to decide how many daggers to take when we sign up for the tournament.”