Page 43 of Of Night and Blood: Special Edition

I let go of her mind, gasping for air as if I had been holding my breath.

“The Mist,” I rasped. “You showed me The Mist.”

Calista nodded, her face grim.

“What are you?” I inquired, knowing that the depth she had to have been at and the clarity of her vision labeled her as other in the same way her beauty did. She sighed, grabbing for my hand and leading me towards a door. When she tugged my arm, pulling me into the room, fear crept in as well. Not mine, hers, I realized.

There was no light in the cramped space, but I could feel shelves and an assortment of items littering them.

“We can speak freely here, though how much time we will have I am unsure.” Calista’s voice sounded muffled despite being next to me, as if the lack of light was a ruse to hide some sort of barrier. “I am a siren.”

She could not see me, but I still tilted my head in question. I had never heard of a siren before, though I was also unaware that there were other creatures besides demons and fae that existed within the realm of supernatural before today. “What is a siren?” I asked.

Her gasp told me that I was serving my ignorance on a silver platter.

“Those imbeciles will get you killed if they continue to keep you in the dark,” she hissed. “Sirens are water folk. I have the ability to change my physical body at will, which allows me to have feet on land, but a large fin and gills in the sea. We are a deadly species, Asher. Our beauty, our aura, and our song will draw you in, then we will eat you alive.”

I stepped back, my head smacking into a shelf. Sweat began to bead on my brow as I realized that I was in a dark room with a creature that had a taste for blood. I wanted to vomit, or run, or do something other than stand here next to her as she scented me. I heard Calista chuckle, a devious sound that did nothing to soothe me.

“Eating you is not my intention. I am merely hoping to shed some light on why your current escape plan is likely not the best,” she said, her voice lowering to a whisper.

Relaxing a little, I thought over what she was saying. I would not admit that I was planning to flee, unsure if she used deductive reasoning based on my desire for extra food, my jumpiness, and my overall demeanor or if she also had the ability to know what I was thinking.

Calista stayed quiet as I attempted to formulate a response, but before I could, the door was ripped open, light filling what I realized then was a room for storing food. I blinked, trying to fight back the tears threatening to spill from the sudden light. Bellamy stood in the doorway, looking as if he might rip out our hearts. I forced myself not to cower, to remind myself how much stronger I was than all of them.

“Asher, let’s go,” he ordered.

I saw Henry glimpse into the room from behind him, his face betraying his discomfort. I chose to stay put. Bellamy let out a deep growl, causing Calista to flinch.

“Go. Now,” he told her. Calista did a swift curtsy and hurried out of the small space.

I still did not move.

Bellamy scoffed, then he turned, pushed Henry back softly, and promptly slammed the door shut. As if having been in the storage area alone with a siren had not been enough, I had to be subjected to being stuck with The Elemental as well. Joy.

“You should really stop telling me what to do,” I spit, hoping he heard the venom in my voice.

The air became charged, making the blackness seem alive. In fact, it felt as though small whisps of it tickled at my arms, my legs, my cheeks. My body stilled, waiting for Bellamy to speak. Move. Anything.

The silence stretched for what felt like minutes, hours, days.

Did he hope I would confess my plans? Could he be angry enough to attempt to kill me?

He could do it too, kill me. With his strange ability to block out my power and his superior combat skills, there was no competition. I would not go down without a fight though.

“If you try to kill me, I will shatter as many of your subjects’ minds as I can before you take me down.”

“Is that a threat, Princess?”

“It is a promise, Prince.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Bellamy went quiet again. I nearly offered another threat, but then he spoke.

“I would love to see you try, beautiful.”

He grabbed onto my hand, interlacing our fingers as he led us out of the storage room. His free hand snatched the basket on the countertop, and I did not fail to miss the glare he shot towards a bickering Henry and Calista. The two silenced themselves as we passed by.

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