The Alpha's Siren Song

Chapter 35

I could do nothing but stare at my hands in the back seat of the SUV. Ajax was in the driver's seat ahead of me, his hands trained on the wheel, his attention snapping to me every so often as he drove. Despite the tousle that it had taken to get me in the car and buckled up, we had both calmed down right away. And with his quiet music and even voice, it was like he forced girls into his car everyday. I stayed silent, just staring at the at my hands, bound in my lap with a zip tie pulled tight.

Rational thought was no longer an option. I couldn't even fathom a time when it had been an option. It seemed like my life began in a cell and ended in this car. All I could see was the blood. All I could hear was the screaming. My trembling hands felt slick with blood. Each breath that I sucked in felt damp, like I was in the humid underground room again. 

The king in the front seat said something. His blue eyes met mine in the rear view mirror. I was half conscious of the world moving around me. I should have wanted to flee. I should have wanted to lift my arms above my head and snap them downward, effectively cracking the cheap plastic. I should have considered using my powers. I had water in my body, in my blood, I could use it. I also had a fully functioning body that could bite, kick, scream, thrash, and punch. At the very least I could have listened to what he was saying to me.

But all I did was sit in the back seat of that car, staring without seeing. 

All I could think was that I was so tired. So fucking tired. I didn't want to run anymore. I didn't want to have nightmares and wake up coated in my own sweat. I wanted a little life, with a little family, with my own little job, with my own little house. 

But I could never have that. I could never have what I wanted, never be worthy.

I was a coward. I fled when I should have fought. I should have rallied the forces and returned. And now, I should have tried something, anything, to get myself out of this position. 

I didn't.

The king said something else. 

I gazed down at my shoes covered in horse poop and sawdust. Too filthy for this nice of a car. 

We struck a bump in the road and I was jostled about as I thought of my sisters. They had died, drenched in their own blood with their hands clawing at the ground or the walls, trying to get out, trying to survive. Sometimes, I was able to convince myself that I lived on with their blessing, carrying their memories with me as I took each step and each breath into a better life.

Now, I just thought of how they would scowl at me. I thought of how unworthy I had made myself. I barely felt like the daughter of a god. I was a weak, selfish impostor.

The car stopped. The front door opened. Then the king opened my door. I kept my head down.

"Kaia?" Easton's voice was rough and dangerous, but it still make me lift my head. i hadn't even realized that we were heading back here, but it only made sense. The king wanted answers and if he wasn't getting them from me he would get them from Easton. He was taking long, quick strides to get to me, then pulled up short like there was some invisible barrier around the car. His eyes flashed to Ajax.

"You know her?" Ajax demanded.

"Yes."

"Well, she sped out of here while I was pulling in. I knew that Keiko was here with you so I followed her. I had never seen her car here, never seen her. I thought she might be a lead. Turns out that she might be the problem, but I'm sure you already pieced that together," he grunted.

Horrified didn't even scrape the surface of how Easton looked. He took a step back as if someone had punched him in the chest. I knew I should have felt guilty, but I couldn't even manage it. "Kaia? What did you do?"

I stayed silent. 

Ajax wasn't bothered by my quietness. "She's not talking. She kind of gave up on that after she tried to stab me with a pitchfork," he mused, wrapping a beefy hand around my forearm and pulling me out of the car. "But, if you'd be willing, I'd love to find out what she was doing on your packlands and how you know her. I don't think that she is directly involved with the murders, but I'm not ruling anything out."

"Jesus, Kaia," Easton said, disapproval heavy on his features. Apparently the attempting stabbing of a monarch was not going to be taken lightly. "I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. She's told me that she's not the biggest fan of werewolves. I know that she meant no disrespect, it all came from a fear response."

"I'm aware of her potential past and I understand that it might not be easy for her to be around me, but now I am terribly curious as to why she's here with you if she so obviously hates us."

Easton faltered, glancing at me again. I didn't know what he wanted from me. I stared at him blankly, trembling all over. 

"She's my mate," he finally confessed.

"She's not marked, at least not that I could see. Maybe her species heals over it."

"We were waiting. She has been quite afraid of me and my family for some time. I didn't want to push her. In fact, I just explained what a mark was to her last night."

Ajax blinked once then twice. "Well, I suppose that even the moon goddess is entitled to having a twisted sense of humor."

"Please, Ajax, whatever she did, she just did out of fear."

"I understand that Alpha Easton. Trust me, she isn't the first siren that I have dealt with. Destruction seems to follow them if they aren't the ones inflicting it themselves."

"Siren?" Easton repeated. Despite how unresponsive I was, I could see the gears working in Easton's mind. First it was blank unknowing. It morphed into something that looked thoughtful. Then complete and utter disbelief. "She's not a mermaid, Ajax."

The king snorted like he had just been told a joke. "Of course not. She is much more powerful. Sure, she can't breathe underwater, but she can command bodies of water. And she can command you. Only a few species can resist the charms of a siren and we are not one of them, my friend, at least not while our human is in control."

~~~Question of the Day~~~

How do you think Easton will react to finding out his mate is a siren and has actually controlled him?