To Seduce A Siren

16. Don't Bring A Gun To A Knife Fight

Selene woke, her eyes shut tight, to the sound of humming.

A warm sound, deep and heavy, where she heard it as much as she felt it vibrating in her chest. It invited one to sleep, to relax and lie still. It reminded her of a simple time, of naps in the sun and cozy nights by a fire.

So naturally, Selene bolted off of her seat, her hands drawn in front of her to protect her against some unseen danger.

Instead, she was greeted by a windshield and behind it, a long road, surrounded by lush greenery, the ground glistening with morning dew.

"What are you doing?" Raz asked, his lips quirked. He had one hand on the steering while he felt for something at the side of his door. They had swapped places sometime during the afternoon yesterday after a cop had stopped them. Selene had averted that crisis by charming him. Without the use of her call too! Raz had complained about it anyway but Selene hadn't missed the smile when he shook his head at her.

"What?" Selene said defensively, her throat raspy. The at-home feeling Raz's low humming gave her... It made her uneasy. The feeling sat like a greasy ointment that pricked at her skin. "Were you singing just then?"

He passed her a slightly cold iced coffee bottle. "I got this at a gas station half an hour ago."

"Thanks," she said before chugging the bottle down.

"Woah." Raz eyed her. "Someone's hungry."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Selene glared at him. She realised she had slept for almost sixteen hours straight. She hadn't done that for many years. Selene always took catnaps at various times, whenever she could fit them, no matter how tired she was. She did not like the fact she was dead to the world for so long, at the mercy of a man she couldn't trust. Not that there was a man or woman that she did trust. Selene added, "You could have woke me up for dinner."

He shrugged at that. "I forgot about dinner. I don't have regular meals."

Selene huffed, staring at the marshy landscape going by in a blur. It came to her that moment, that they were driving through a green road. When she had slept, it had been arid earth as far as she could see.

"Where are we?"

"Two hours from New Orleans."

New Orleans? So, he had been telling the truth last night. They had travelled far, Raziel must have driven the entire night.

Selene snuck a look at him. He certainly didn't look tired, only a little worn out with his messy curls and a frown set deep into his face. He made a good sight to wake up to with the sun glinting off his black aviators and his blonde hair like a halo.

This was too intimate. She had never slept with him yet she knew exactly how he looked in the mornings and after a sleepless night and so did he.

It didn't matter. She would never wake up to him again. She planned to be far off by tomorrow night, given the chance. Damn him and her promise. He should know better than to have faith in her word.

"Are we going to see a witch then?" Selene said, toying with a loose strand in her cheap jeans. "To get the anti-trackers."

He grunted in response. He wasn't very talkative today.

She would take that as a yes. She bid her time as they drove on, imagining all the scenarios in which she could take off.

It was late in the morning by the time they reached the French Quarter. Raziel had found a monolith of a building by the river, with parking inside. A parking lot building. The wonders of humanity never ceased.