Page 67 of Song of Lorelei

Even knowing what she was, a creature the ocean could not drown, Lorelei huddled next to Marci and Lila, trembling. A monstrous wave rose before her, the ocean’s gaping maw widening before slamming down and devouring all in its path. The screams of crewmen pounded in her ears, and the stench of fear and blood and death burned her nose.

It was only memory, mixed with present fear, but it squeezed her throat shut and dried out her mouth. She blinked to clear her blurring vision. Why was the room spinning? She discarded the string in her hands. While she could tie knots with her eyes shut, nausea crept in, heavy and cloying.

Oh God, she needed to get up and go find a trash can.

With tingling, shaking hands she wiped sweat from her eyes. Her leg muscles twitched, brain and body in disagreement about what to do. It wasn’t even significant enough to qualify as a half-assed effort to stand.

Please leave the Dawn Chaser be. You took my friends. Don’t you dare take my family.

“Honey, listen to me.” Marci’s rich, soothing voice cut through the surging storm. Lorelei latched onto it like a lifeline. “Put your head between your knees.”

Lorelei complied.

“Good. Now breathe in. Then out.” The short, simple sentences were easy to follow, mercifully distracting. “That’s it, just concentrate on my voice. Breathe in. Deep breath. Now out. Good, good. Stay in the present. Keep focusing on your breath. Breathe in. Breathe out.”

Memory and fear receded to repetition until there was nothing but Marci’s voice and the steady rise and fall her chest.

“Thank you,” Lorelei exhaled.

Marci didn’t say anything, just threaded their fingers together and her daughter’s. She held all three of their hands in her lap, eyes closed, and head tipped forward. Her lips moved, but no words came.

Prayer.

They sat together like that for a long time.

There was nothing worse than waiting for bad news. Greta Roth had taught her that in the most heartbreaking way possible.

Thunder boomed, and all three of them shot up five inches at the deafening crash that reverberated to the bone. A sharp series of knocks on the front door followed, and they all jolted again. It was almost more startling than the thunder.

Who the hell would be out and about in this weather?

“Shorewalker!”

Lorelei shot to her feet. Nireed?

It was hard to distinguish the voice in all the surrounding noise, but it was definitely one of her siren sisters. No one else called her Shorewalker. But what could have driven her here in this wicked storm? Not exactly an easy swim on even on a fair-weather day.

Couldn’t be anything good, but she didn’t dare make assumptions. Contemplating any of the grim possibilities might break her.

When she opened the door, blustering wind and rain rushed in, soaking her front in seconds. Down on the stoop, Nireed crouched low to the ground, protecting her head with her arms. Small, bleeding cuts from wind-blown debris marred her skin. Taking the siren by the elbow, Lorelei pulled her inside and slammed the door shut.

They both dripped puddles onto the floor.

Marci hustled into the kitchen, possibly for towels.

The siren panted heavily, bent forward with her hands propped against her knees. “I swam here as fast as I could. When we learned…” She sucked in rasping lungfuls of breath.

Dread sapped the warmth from her limbs. “Learned what, Nireed?”

She straightened, raising her arms above her head. “Was out on a hunt with Aersila, Melusina, and many others, but stopped for a bit of storm play. Pods of the Still Sick came. Twenty strong. They attacked your mate’s boat.”

Somewhere off in the corner of her eye, Marci dropped the stack of towels she was holding, and a wailing cry rose, soul-deep in anguish. Lorelei braced herself against the wall to keep herself upright. No. No. No. No. No.

“They are alive,” Nireed added quickly, placing a hand on Lorelei’s shoulder. “We fought off the Still Sick, but the boat is sinking, and the Two-Leggers will not let us bring them to safety, no matter what your mate says to try to convince them. They do not trust us, and told us to get out, that they would patch the boat enough to stay afloat and summon the Coast Warriors. Your mate disagreed, it’s not enough, but he will not leave them behind. Cure Creator’s mate and sire won’t leave any one behind either. The other Two-Leggers will drown before they let us help. You need to come Lorelei. They know and trust you. If you speak, they will listen.”

Lorelei gave one firm nod and dashed upstairs for her shark armor and harpoon.

When she returned wearing her custom wet suit, and other gear, Lila waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. She grabbed Lorelei’s hands, squeezing them hard. A wild desperate look blazed in her eyes, dark-brown cheeks streaked with tears. “I can’t lose them, Lorelei. That’s half my family.”

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