Blood Tie

Chapter 45

Rowan's POV

The water enveloped me and I felt the bliss of returning to my home though that bliss was quickly interrupted as I felt a body crash on top of mine. Yoongi's face was panicked as he looked at me and began thrashing about. Irritated at the disturbance of the waters around me, I grabbed his arms tightly to stop his thrashing and willed the water to carry us to the surface. We rushed upwards very quickly and I immediately let go as our heads broke the surface. Yoongi began sputtering and coughing, trying to expel the water from his lungs. I reached out to pat his back only to see him shrink away from me in a panic. I felt an ache echo inside me at his instantaneous reaction only to realize how I must look right now.

I then understood, right now he was seeing me in my true hybrid form, something no one else has seen before. I must look very unnatural and being that I was in water, as was he, I was in my element, I was a threat.

Yoongi's POV

I stared at her in awe and panic, how had I gotten myself into this mess, standing in a lake with a siren. I'm guessing she sensed my apprehension as she did not move a muscle, but merely stayed were she was. She was allowing me to collect myself and as I did, I took in what I saw before me. Her clothes were wet and clung to her body, showing off her thin frame with smooth curves. Her dark green hair was dripping and plastered against her pale skin and almost seemed to shine. Her nails were elongated and tipped black, looking like claws. I could see her delicate fangs poking out just slightly from under her lip and her eyes glowed a bright greenish blue. Something new though, that didn't show when she had been in that fight in our dorm platform, there was a faint iridescent glow coming from just under her skin. The water glowed a bright blue around her and the glow traveled throughout the lake.

She was ethereal and breathtaking, I felt myself being drawn in even as she did nothing and knew that though she was suppressing it, her siren's call was activating. I knew that if it wasn't stopped, I would be fully under her spell.

"I can feel it Rowan, I can feel the pull, you need to draw your siren half back before I succumb." She blinked slowly at me, her thick, dark eyelashes casting water down her cheeks.

"You need to get out of the water Yoongi, it's too strong, I can't draw her in until you do, use your hybrid." I could hear the melodic echo in her voice as she spoke through gritted teeth. Her voice bounced off the water and the lake appeared to amplify it, playing a faint song across the surface of the water. I thought of blood, I thought of sinking my fangs into someone's throat, I needed to think of anything but her. I felt my fangs emerge and was able to pull back from thinking of her. The song wasn't completely gone, but my vampire half gave me just enough oomph to be able to climb out of the water and not to cast myself into her embrace. As I left the water I watched her tense body begin to relax and the glowing water slowly faded back to it's natural color. Her skin stopped glowing and her fangs and claws retracted. Her eyes went back to their dark navy blue and she slowly cast her gaze up to me.

I offered her my hand to help her out of the water and hesitantly she took it, her soft hand fitting into mine well, almost too well. I shook the thought off, realizing she must still be affecting me. Her hand was shaking in mine and only then did I notice she must be cold. I immediately began to take off my jacket to offer her, only to realize that it was sopping wet as well. She must have noticed too as we both made eye contact and began laughing loudly. I noticed then that she had one dimple in her left cheek and realized this is the first time I had ever seen her smile or heard her laugh.

"I think I can count on one hand how many times I've actually heard you speak." She froze and looked at me with wide eyes.

"I uh, I don't always have something to say." Her cheeks looked red and I remembered we were both still wet and standing in the wind.

"Why don't we start walking back, we can talk on the way." Without waiting for an answer I began walking. She followed behind me after a moment and I broke the silence with my original question.

"Why was the water glowing like that?"

"Well, this is just a guess being that I have no one to ask, but it seems like the water amplifies my power if my blood is mixed with it. Makes sense I guess considering sirens were said to be able to sing across seas to lure in men. I'm guessing their voices were carried with the waves and because I'm only half, I have to mix my blood in." Her voice even when speaking appeared to have a soft song to it but this one didn't compel me, instead it calmed me and comforted me.

"I like it when you talk, you should do it more often." My statement surprised me, almost as if drawn from my lips without my consent. Her face got redder still and I grabbed her wrist to hurry us along as her face was a sure sign of her getting colder. Her slender wrist was cold in my hand, skin as pale as mine.

"Why did you come to the lake?" Her voice distracted me from feeling her pulse against my fingertips.

"Hm? Oh it's my spot I go to think." She went completely silent after this and spoke no more. Neither of us said anything the rest of the way back though the silence wasn't awkward or needing to be filled. It was a comfortable silence and before I knew it we were at the doors to the academy. Only then did I notice I had held her wrist the entire time and quickly let it go.

"Well, goodnight Rowan, it was nice talking to you, we should talk again sometime." Her eyes widened slightly and she nodded briskly. After whispering a quick goodnight, she rushed off to her room. I chuckled to myself as I made my way to my room to go to bed. After entering my room, I changed into warm, dry clothes and crawled into bed, all the while thinking about the side of Rowan I saw tonight. I guessed that she didn't let many people see past her bored exterior and was warmed that she let me. I felt myself falling asleep and for once it wasn't with thoughts of Rox, but thoughts of dark green hair.