Chapter 40
VIVIAN
Steam curled around me as the water cascaded over my shoulders. I closed my eyes, letting it wash away the tension that seemed to cling to me no matter how far we ran.
But then, it began.
That sound.
The melody slithered into my mind like a venomous snake, deceptively soft, beguiling, and utterly impossible to resist.
“No,” I whispered, gripping the edge of the tiled wall as my knees buckled. “No, not now. Not here.”
The song grew louder, insistent, wrapping itself around my thoughts until they no longer felt like my own. I pressed my hands to my ears, trying to block it out, but it wasn’t coming from outside. It was in my head.
“Raffaele!”
My heart pounded, fear clawing at my throat. He’d said he was stepping outside for a bit. Why wasn’t he back yet?
“Raffaele,” I screamed again, the desperation in my voice sharp enough to make my own ears ring.
Our bond trembled faintly, but there was no response.
Panic set in as I realized our bond was growing weaker because of the siren’s kiss.
I hadn’t noticed it the past few days because we were with each other all the time.
But now that Raffaele was somewhere outside the cabin, he might not even pick up on my desperation.
The siren’s song swelled, drowning out my thoughts and eroding my resolve. I staggered out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself.
I had to warn him. He had to know why I left the safety of the cabin.
The compulsion built, a force far stronger than my will. My feet were no longer my own, tugging me toward the door, toward the source of the melody. I stumbled into the kitchen, my eyes darting around wildly for something that could help me leave a clue.
A pen. There.
I grabbed it with shaking hands, my vision swimming as I barely managed to scrawl the word “siren” on the wooden counter. The ink bled into the grain, the letters jagged and uneven.
“Raffaele, please,” I whispered.
The compulsion tightened its grip, yanking me toward the door. My legs moved without my permission, every step an agonizing betrayal. I couldn’t stop. The song was too strong.
“No,” I screamed hoarsely as I dug my nails into the doorframe, trying to anchor myself. But the force was relentless, dragging me out into the cold.
The cabin door was left ajar as I stumbled into the clearing. The icy mountain air bit into my bare, wet skin, but I barely felt it. I didn’t feel anything except the pull of the siren’s song, the irresistible command to obey.
My feet carried me forward through the trees, away from the safety of the wards. I tried to stop, tried to scream, but the melody had taken hold of my body, silencing my voice and overriding my mind.
I was no longer in control.
As the forest swallowed me whole, the only thought I could cling to was a desperate, silent plea.
Raffaele, please find me.
The cold sliced through my skin like a thousand tiny needles. My bare feet stumbled over rocks and roots as the forest grew darker and denser. The wind tore at the towel clinging to my body, the only barrier between me and the biting chill.
The siren’s song was all-consuming, tugging me forward with an unrelenting force. The farther I went, the more the cold seeped into my bones, making every step feel like a battle against the elements.
But I couldn’t stop.
My bond with Raffaele was faint and distant, like a single, dying ember. I clung to it desperately, hoping he’d feel my fear, my panic, and come for me. But the siren’s song drowned out everything else, pushing me deeper into the forest, toward the mountains and the fae kingdom.
I stumbled into another clearing, and that’s when I saw him.
Izo stood next to the rushing river, his silver hair shimmering in the moonlight. His clothes clung to him, dripping wet, as though he’d just emerged from the icy water. He looked ethereal, otherworldly, but the cruel smile on his lips shattered any illusion of kindness.
“Well, well, well,” he said in that smooth, mocking voice. “I’ve been sending out my siren’s song for days. I’m glad I finally found you.” His piercing blue eyes glinted with amusement as he took a step closer. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to get out of our agreement.”
My body trembled from the cold and the compulsion. “Izo…”
He tilted his head, feigning concern. “You must be freezing. Look at you. Wet, barefoot, barely dressed… You poor thing.”
I gritted my teeth, trying to summon some semblance of resistance. “Stay away from me.”
His eyes gleamed with malice. “Stay away? Why so shy all of a sudden? You were all too eager to join me in my endeavors before.”
“I don’t want to do this anymore. I want out of the bargain.”
Izo chuckled and shook his head as though I’d said something amusing. “Out? Vivian, my dear, that’s not an option. You know that.”
“There has to be a way,” I pleaded.
He took another step toward me, his smile turning sharper, crueler. “Why, Vivian, we’ve shared a kiss. More than once. Surely you’re not becoming timid now.”
His words sent a fresh wave of disgust through me. “That was a mistake,” I spat. “I want nothing to do with you.”
He sighed dramatically, as though I were a petulant child. “I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way.”
Izo moved so quickly I barely had time to react. His wet, icy fingers closed around my wrist, sending a chill through my body that made me gasp.
“Let me go,” I yelled, trying to wrench free, but his grip was like iron.
He pulled me toward the river with unnerving ease, his strength far surpassing mine. “Enough games, Vivian.”
The freezing water rose around my ankles, and my towel dropped to the ground as he dragged me into the river. But instead of the bone-numbing cold I expected, the water was warm, almost soothing.
I stared at him in shock. “What…?”
“I’m using my magic to heat the water,” he explained condescendingly. “You should thank me. It’s much more comfortable this way, don’t you think?”
I glared at him. “I don’t want your fucking comfort.”
“But you’ll take it. You always do.”
I tried to pull away again, but the warmth of the water combined with the lingering compulsion of the siren’s song made my limbs heavy and uncooperative.
“You can’t fight this, Vivian,” Izo said. “You made a deal. And now, it’s time to fulfill your end of the bargain.”
His words wrapped around me like chains, and true despair gripped me. I didn’t know how to fight him. I didn’t know if I even could.
But somewhere in the back of my mind, the bond with Raffaele pulsed weakly with hope.
The water surged around us as Izo propelled through the river. My body was rigid with fear, every nerve screaming for escape, but it was no use. His arm was like an iron band around my waist, holding me just above the surface. My legs kicked uselessly, but his grip didn’t falter.
The water was still warm around me, but the air was so frigid it was painful against my skin. My damp hair had frozen in the icy wind that whipped around us. The siren’s song still hummed in my mind, keeping me pliant, keeping me from fighting harder than I already had.
“You’re going to drown me,” I managed to choke out between gasps for air.
Izo tilted his head toward me, giving me a cold smile. “Oh, Vivian, I wouldn’t let you drown. That would ruin all my plans.”
He adjusted his grip, lifting me slightly so my head remained firmly above the water. “See? You’re breathing just fine.”
My heart hammered wildly as the river widened, feeding into the ocean ahead. The air shifted, the tang of salt filling my lungs. I didn’t know where he was taking me, but every instinct told me I wasn’t going to like it.
We hit open water, and Izo picked up speed. The skin on my face was raw from the freezing wind. I could only watch helplessly as the waves blurred past, the vast expanse of the ocean stretching endlessly before us.
Unbidden, memories surfaced of watching Izo from the cliffs near Raffaele’s estate, the way he’d moved through the water with the same terrifying grace he displayed now. Back then, I hadn’t realized what he was capable of. Now, I was living it.
Izo glanced down at me. “Don’t look so terrified. I’m taking you somewhere special.”
“Where?” I croaked.
He didn’t answer.
As the horizon shifted, a jagged coastline came into view. Dark cliffs jutted out of the sea, slick with moss and sea spray. Thick mist swirled in ghostly tendrils that clung to the rocks. The sight sent a chill down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold.
Izo’s grip tightened as he slowed his pace, maneuvering closer to the cliffs. “Welcome to the beautiful Ashen territory. Breathtaking, isn’t it?”
The mist seemed alive, twisting and curling as though it were watching us. Jagged stones jutted out of the water, their surfaces etched with glowing runes that pulsed faintly. The eerie light reflected off the waves, giving everything an otherworldly glow.
“Is that where we’re going?” I asked, dread pooling in my stomach as I stared at the cliffs.
Izo chuckled, his voice dark and melodic. “Not yet. First, we need to make a little pit stop.” He leaned closer, his breath cold against my ear. “Hold your breath.”
“What—”
Before I could finish the question, he plunged us beneath the surface.