Chapter 20
Elva
After I finished with the guard, Coral and I took our ale to the room to exchange stories of our travels with these prudish humans while my brothers continued to enjoy drinks in the bar.
It seemed Oudette liked Sindri enough to pay for their drinks, so they stayed out late to indulge.
Coral applied the siren's tonic to my hair.
Because of my mixed heritage, I will still have two shades, but now my blue and green locks have changed to dark crimson and brown.
I'll be able to keep my hair down and slip into Huestur territory without being spotted so quickly or maybe at all if all their guards are as oblivious as the ones we had come across in the forest.
The next morning, we set off again, much later than I would have liked.
Even after riding for hours, I can’t get Coral’s warning out of my head.
I am terrified because the siren queen might come after us to take my brothers back.
They are all I have left in this world. Worse, I know if she tried to take them, they'd refuse.
What if they got hurt because of me? How would I live with myself?
As usual, Leifur noticed something was off. He let Sindri ride ahead, singing to himself, and slowed down to match my pace at the rear.
“So what did you and Starfish talk about?”
I rolled my eyes at his disdain for my friend. “Coral and I talked about many things before she helped me hide my hair, and …” I groaned. “She relayed a warning.”
“What sort of warning?” he whispered.
“The queen is unhappy you left.”
“We expected as much. We knew two male sirens leaving with a barren female siren was never going to sit well.”
I flinched at his use of barren. He didn’t mean it to hurt me, but I knew it was my failure that caused all of this. “Expecting and knowing are different. We know they might come after us to get you and Sindri back.”
“They can try, but we won’t be separated. They take us all or none of us.”
“Leifur–”
“No.” My brother-in-law was rarely forceful, preferring to live his life as happily as possible while remaining realistic.
But now, his eyes darkened to black, and his fangs sprouted of their own volition, and I could see his marvelous sea foam scales peeking through his hairline.
The idea that I’d let them leave me behind was not one that he would consider.
“Sirens don’t have family because we are all supposed to be one family,” he said in a throaty whisper as he reined his siren in.
“But I never felt like anyone cared about me until you and Sindri came into my life. He showed me what I'd been missing.”
I reached over and squeezed his hand. Leifur had been an exceptional male siren in that he impregnated every female siren he’d ever been with, except me.
The problem he had was that he’d fallen in love with every one of them, and no sooner than they'd become pregnant, they'd leave, and he'd be heartbroken.
Not that they were cruel; it was in a female's nature to take what they needed from any male and then leave. But when he was assigned to me, I could tell he was different. He was kind, and I saw in him the love and devotion I’d experienced when I came back broken and needed to be put back together by someone who cared more than my so-called sisters.
I understood that day why wounded and assaulted sirens were sent to the males to be healed.
They showed the compassion and kindness very few of the females possessed.
“You are and always will be my family,” I said. “Just as much as Sindri is. You are my brother until the end.”
Leifur’s shoulders dropped as he let out a heavy breath. “I’m glad to hear that. I was worried you’d consider sending us back for our good or some such nonsense.”
“I’m far too selfish to do that. Besides, I know you wouldn’t listen even if I tried.”
Leifur just grinned like that day he’d first met my brother. “We should come up with some sort of plan for what we’ll do if our sisters decide to come for us.”
“I already have,” I said, urging my horse forward. “And it’s not going to be a pretty reunion.”