Sirens (Theo Raeken) [1]

Gore

I hear my voice as if from a distance, a shrill scream that seems to fill the whole place. "Theo!"

His eyes are shut and his chest barely rises and falls. I run and kneel beside him. This can't be happening. He can't die. My voice catches in my throat as I repeat his name.

I hold his face in my hands. "Come on, Theo, don't die on me." I wipe my nose with the back of my hand. Tears run down my cheeks in rivulets.

"Arden." I look up at Liam. Him and Hayden are in a stone-like room behind the electric fence.

"Liam," I say, tilting my head to the side. I didn't even notice him. "I - I'm sorry. It's just-" I take a deep breath. "He can't die. Theo can't die."

"Arden," Liam repeats slowly. "It's alright." He pushes himself up with a groan. "Pain," he says. "He needs pain to heal. Your talons."

"Okay, okay," I say. I wipe my eyes with the heels of my hands. "Okay," I say again. I shake my arms. I close my eyes and will my talons to come out. I clench my teeth and hear my talons shoot out with a click. I tap into that siren part of me, a dark untouchable corner of my mind.

I snap my eyes open. I look over at him, his eyes closed and his expression peaceful. I brush my fingers over his biceps. Don't think about it hurting, I recite in my head. Don't think about anything.

And I squeeze. His flesh is resistant under my talons but I dig them in all the same. His blood is warm and sticky on my fingers. I clench my teeth and grunt as I gouge my talons in harder.

Theo's eyes fly open suddenly. Amber rings glow around his pupils. I wrench my talons free of his arm with a sickening gurgle of blood and gore.

His chest rises and falls heavily. I put a hand under his arm and help him up. "You almost died," I tell him softly.

"Mm," he hums, blinking slowly.

I envelope him in my arms. "I thought you were going to die," I whisper. I brush my thumb over his cheekbone.

He presses his lips against my hair and I know it's wrong, but I enjoy how close we are. Brett, I think weakly. I pull myself away from him. He attempts to push himself up. He lets out a grunt. "Theo-"

"I'm alright," he says. He shakes his head and when he turns back, there are fangs where teeth were a moment ago and his eyes glow golden. He grips the chain link fence and wrenches it apart. Bolts of electricity lace Theo's body as he lets out a growl. I can only watch in awe as the gate separates into two in a show of sparks and chains breaking.

Miraculously, he's unscathed. I rush forward. "Oh god, are you okay?" I ask, laying eyes on a putrid looking wound on Hayden's hip.

"I'll be okay," she says. Liam helps lift her and carries her to the car.

I lead the way since I want to get out of this eerie place as soon as possible. I use the flashlight on my phone to navigate the basement.

We get out of there alive and, to the best of my knowledge, undetected. On the way home, I have a nagging feeling that it was just too easy. Like it was planned all along to get us to break them out.

I take a glance in the mirror at Liam and Hayden. I feel a pang of jealousy hit me at their closeness. I pull out my phone to check if Brett's reached out since I last checked. Nothing.

The next time I check up on Liam and Hayden in the mirror, they're kissing. I feel the corners of my mouth turn up slightly. Theo looks up at the mirror and then shifts his eyes to meet mine. I feel his hand grapple for mine. He squeezes my hand.