*Merikh*
“How is she looking?” Melody asks me. My heart is in my throat watching her swim, afraid she will love this world better than the one she lives in with me.
Could I handle it if she told me she longs for the sea? Would I regret everything if I let her do what she needs, even if it means leaving me behind? I shake my head at these thoughts, clearing my throat. “Like she feels at home,” I say with a sigh, lifting my hands from the sand and wiping them together to clean the particles off.
“Ah,” Melody says in a sort of musical tone, like she understands something I haven’t even said. I look at her, arching a brow in question, and she chuckles, shaking her head back and forth.
“What?”
“I know that look, the thoughts in your head.” She gives me a knowing half smile.
“I am sure you do,” I mutter, realizing she had it worse than I do.
She had a fully fledged siren king. One who couldn’t choose her even if he wanted to. Without the water, he would die. Colette, however, only needs to be near water, in it occasionally and she is healthy. But that doesn’t mean she feels her best with her situation at home.
“Every single day was agony, every week another week my heart felt both full with Colette yet my life still somehow felt empty without him there. She was so young, and for a while she kept me busy. When Caspian would come back-” She pauses, her voice cracking. “It was heaven on earth. Nothing could touch us, ruin us.”
“Until reality came for you.” I say with a knowing frown.
She shakes her head and wipes a rogue tear from her cheek.
“It came for my daughter. My heart outside of my body and they took her and Caspian failed me. He promised…” She stops, her eyes closing as she sniffles and laughs to cover her sadness. The shudder in her body as she tries to inhale deeply doesn’t escape me. It is obvious she is in pain, and not just physically.
“The problem with a promise is that no one tells circumstances they have to bend to our will to make them happen.” I say, looking back out at my perfect mate as she dives beneath the water, disappearing from my view, my lycan growing uneasy every time she is gone from sight.
“Life has a way of doing what it wants, regardless of our own desires, that’s for sure.” she gives me a gentle smile, her eyes meeting the Siren who remains above the surface, his eyes trained toward the shore and I feel her shiver as she drags her arms over her chest, hugging herself close and looking away.
“You two haven’t spoken yet?” I ask, and she lays her head on her arms, looking at me.
“Colette is not meant for the sea.” She whispers, her voice full of sadness as she ignores my question, which is the answer in itself.
“How can you know that?” I ask her and she sighs.
“Because she GETS a choice. If Caspian could have chosen me, he would have. His love is pure, and so gentle. She gets that from him. The ability to love beyond the mistakes that would make someone else run.”
I feel a pang in my chest and my hand flies to my chest and I am flooded with excitement and the thrill Colette is feeling flowing in through the mate bond as she shares it all. I smile to myself, closing my eyes as I accept every last moment of her happiness. Perhaps Melody is right.
“I don’t know how to protect her heart.” I whisper, the moment passing as Colette’s surfaces with Zale at her side.
“Let’s start with protecting her in general first. The other bits you will learn along the way.” She says.
“And what do you suggest to do that?” I ask her.
“I would start with speaking with Calvin,” she says, standing and dusting her legs of the sand that clings to her. “He is ready to speak about anything you wish.”
“He is a dragon,” I frown at her. “How can I trust him?”
“Calvin is the reason she is alive.” She says and I blink at her, annoyed that she has mentioned this before and yet, I still have no details or proof that he has done such a thing.
“Where is he?” I ask, finally giving in, realizing if I want answers, I need to go directly to the source.
“In the cabin.” She says, “Walk with me?”
I look out at the water once more and Melody reaches out, touching my shoulder. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ FɪndNøvel.ηᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
“If she is safe anywhere from the dragons, it’s with Caspian and in that water.”
I know she is right, but it doesn’t make me feel all that much better about it. In my head, she is only safe when I have eyes on her. It’s not a very logical thought, and definitely more of an egotistical one.
The lycan in me is convinced we are the only protection she needs. But maybe that is part of the problem. I haven’t had the chance to think clearly since she has been back. Now is the time for me to do just that.
“Fine,” I grumble, standing.
“On the way, maybe you can explain to me why you bartered for my daughter instead of my niece?” She says, but I know she is joking with me based on the smile in her eyes.
“Your niece is a terrible person.” I tell her and she shrugs.
“Probably. I’m learning that maybe my brother wasn’t so great either.”
“To his credit, he tried to refuse me when I demanded Colette. Not very adamantly, mind you, but I think for a moment he thought of protecting her for you.” I tell her and she looks away mournfully. “Knowing him, he was probably worried she would try to claim his title.” She sighs heavily.
We walk and talk for a few minute walk to the cabin; me regaling her with why I chose her daughter and when I realized she was mine. It’s not a story that makes me look like a good guy. But Melody has seen where my heart and loyalty lie in person.
“And she forgave you?” she asks as we push the door open.
“Yes. To my surprise, she was so willing to work through everything. Colette doesn’t run from problems. She has the tendency to face them head on.”
Melody grins widely. “She gets that from me.”
“You should be resting.” Calvin says from inside the cabin, his voice firm.
“I went for a three-minute walk and sat on the beach.” She says, frowning. “It has been ten years since I have felt the sun on my face. I needed it.”
He frowns as he hobbles to the stove, pulling off a kettle and mumbling to himself as he drags herbs around and adds them to mugs like he is following a recipe from memory.
“Sit. Drink this tea,” he says, pushing a mug to her. “And you drink this one.”
I give him a curious glance and he freezes, leveling me with his eyes.
“You have questions and I intend to answer them, but only if you drink your tea.”
“Fine.” I grumble. Walking over and taking the mug. I make my way to the kitchen table, frowning at the high back oak chair I know will only make my back sear in pain. Then I spin and look at the soft cushion of the armchair. I move there instead, easing myself down with a groan.
Calvin hobbles in, taking a seat on the couch as he clears his throat, looking at me expectantly.
“Why do you feel familiar?” I ask him and he clears his throat, moving uncomfortably as his eyes flick over to Melody, who watches curiously from her own perch at the kitchen table.
“I have seen you a few times before,” he says. “When I met Giselle, I could sense she was different. She was, well is, a fraud. One that came blazing into our kingdom screaming for the death of a child.” “So what? You went and told everyone you could?”
“No. I went to the only king that could protect her. Species don’t matter to a healer. I am bound by the healing powers to heal anyone who needs it. To protect the sanctity of life. She was a werewolf child, therefore, she was under werewolf protection. I thought I’d made a mistake at first.” Content belongs to en.swnovels.net
“What do you mean?” I ask, trying to follow his words.
“Your father was there at the hunting party for Colette. He went to ensure she was safe, and that she was hidden. Giselle promised your father she would help him get on the council if he lure the child to him. He chose Colette, and I covered his
el.
tracks so she wouldn’t kill him. I was labeled a traitor to my kind.” Content belongs to en.swnovels.net
I shake my head, scoffing as I sit back roughly and instantly regret it. This is more information than I know how to handle. I had always respected and loved my father, He was wonderful and knowledgeable and to know it from another species… it feels like validation and I feel a tear try to break free. Content belongs to en.swnovels.net
“So, how do we kill the bitch?” I ask him, sniffling, and he frowns, his face going pale.
“I can not be a part of killing her,” he says, “But she fears Colette. Water quells fire.”
“So we need to drown her?” Melody asks, sitting up straight.
“It won’t be that simple,” I murmur in thought.
But perhaps Melody is on to something. Phoenix’s burn hot. Their fire is pure white as it eventually will burn her from within, allowing her to reincarnate through her ashes, eventually. But for a spark to happen, there must be heat. What if that spark never gets the chance to strike again?
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