Then he was gone again, fleeing before I could steal away any more.
‘Farren?’Hearing Zehra’s voice had me falling to my knees. I’d been denied such a powerful part of me, and even though her presence was faint, it was there. My chest felt like it was being ripped open as I finally experienced the pain I’d pushed away until now.
‘Zehra, my friend. Do I have you back?’I asked, daring to hope despite expecting the worst.
‘I don’t know,’she admitted.‘I feel torn apart. Confused.’
Then I didn’t have her, not fully. As if sensing my disappointment, her presence wrapped around me, giving what comfort and reassurance it could. The sensation was strong for only a second before it faded into the night, leaving me alone again.
With nothing left for me here, I tried to wake myself up, but something about this felt different, not like the other dreams I’d had.How had Clarence found me here?His presence in my dream was a stark reminder as to how little I knew about witches and magic in general. What the fuck was I supposed to do?
“Guys? Anyone?”
* * *
Kane
Farren had beenout for almost a week. Thanks to Levi’s magic, she was stable and alive, but it was still lights out. We’d tried everything to wake her, but nothing was working. We kept the eggs near her as often as possible unless one of us wanted a turn to hold them. It was crazy how you could feel them moving inside, their power buzzing along the egg’s thick shell. They were fascinating, and I couldn’t bring myself to be far from them for long.
We also noticed that she would toss and turn if she was away from them for too long. It was impossible to tell if it was a reaction to their magic being away from her or just mother’s instinct.
The professor had tried his best, but after his latest concoction had bubbled back out her throat, he’d been banned. The healer was on standby, waiting at the hotel in case we needed him.
The door burst open, then West rushed in. His eyes were full of excitement as he waved around a vial. “I’ve done it, boys. She’s going to be fine!”
We all stood up and came over to him. He seemed so unhinged that we weren’t sure how to approach him. We knew he’d never hurt Farren, though, which was the only saving grace we had in this unexpected situation.
“What have you got?” Niko asked slowly.
West took a breath before launching into his explanation. “It was a random memory that hit me. Way too many years ago to count, I did research with a group of sirens.” He paused and waved off our confusion. “It was a great time. A lot of magical alcohol was consumed. But during it, I found this old tale about a scale from a sacred-born siren. They said it could cure anything, swore it had saved lives and cured illnesses. Think prophetic fairytale bullshit. They even had an ancient song that went along with the story.” He waved his hand like he was digressing. “In any case, I tracked them down because despite all of the other legends they disputed, they confidently backed this one. So I visited some old friends and asked for their help. It cost me two new rooms at Mountainview and an artifact I’ve coveted for years, but I’ve fucking got it, boys!”
“When did you even leave?” I asked. The last update I’d heard, he was working with Maxon to make the place secure. No one had breathed a word of him leaving the property, let alone the town itself.
“Oh, I snuck out a few days ago,” he said with a flippant wave of his hand. “Does that really matter right now?”
“What do we do with it? She’s puked up the last two potions that fucking psycho gave her,” Levi argued. “So I hope you don’t intend on her needing to eat it.” He was sullen and short, something West didn't call him on, thank god. We didn’t need to be fighting amongst ourselves. Farren would kick our asses for that bullshit.
“This isn’t to ingest,” he promised as he came over to our mate. He was the one man we allowed to get close to her or touch her now. Even the dragons were iffy in my book. We’d let her have independence, and she’d barely made it out alive, so our protective sides were in overdrive. And considering my babies were in there with her? My alpha wasn’t having any of it.
West leaned over Farren and uncorked the vial. He dipped one finger inside and pulled the scale free, showing us a glittery golden substance before he brought his hand to Farren’s forehead. He drew a rune there, then moved on to her collarbone. The gold lines glowed before they slowly absorbed into her skin, leaving it as pristine as it was moments before.
“So what now?” Avi frowned. I mean, it was a fair question. The whole thingwasa bit anticlimactic. I'd almost expected her to flood with magic and jump up, fully recovered... Or at least that was what I’d hoped for. It was a stupid wish, honestly, just setting myself up to be disappointed.
“We wait.” He rolled his eyes. “You know, when Farren joked about you guys being dramatic, I didn’t believe her. Until now. Shit like this takes time to work. Magic isn’t always instantaneous, you know.”
He scooped up the eggs, both Niko and I growling fiercely when he pulled them away from their mama. Every one of us followed him out into the living room, unsure what this crazy old man was going to do next.
“Oh hush,” he chastised as he sat by the fire, tucking a blanket around them. Then he shocked the fuck out of us all by beginning to sing a soft lullaby. It wasn’t English, that much I knew, and I couldn’t place the language. Each word was full of magic. They seemed to swirl around the room in an almost tangible way. His notes were raspy but melodic, creating a strange, haunting melody that I felt in my soul. We were enraptured, frozen where we stood, gaping at the man before us.
A sweet, honeyed voice joined his, and we all gasped when Farren walked in. My mind whirled, trying to make sense of his story of sirens, scales, magic, and songs, but my heart and body didn’t give a fuck. I rushed toward my mate and scooped her up.
She laughed, the sound strong and reassuring. “Aww, are you being sappy, Kane? I thought you only did that when we were alone. Though there was that one time with the washing machine…” she teased. I nearly dropped her then, but I managed to calmly set her down, pulling back to stare at her. “What did you say?”
“You remember?” Niko asked with more than a little hope in his tone. Her eyes widened, and I could practically see the thoughts swirling through her mind. Finally, she gave us a bright grin.
“I do.”
ChapterFifteen