Page 87 of Siren in the Rain

His expression is uncharacteristically somber.

My aunt gets shown to one of the house’s many available guest rooms and we hurry to drop off our bags. Then we all reconvene in the living room.

The entire team is there and I instantly go on alert.

“You have news?”

“We do,” Harper says in his lilting, musical voice. “While you’ve been gone, we’ve used this time to the best advantage. I must warn you, what we found is quite disturbing, to say the least.”

Griffin moves closer to me on the love seat, his warm thigh pressing against mine. He takes hold of my hand and twines our fingers together. His touch is grounding and comforting.

“Tell me,” I say, my voice strong and unwavering. Haku nuzzles into my neck from where he’s perched on my shoulder. It’s nice to have him at my side again.

Harper casts a quick glance at my aunt. She’s sitting in an armchair with her back rigid and her face determined. Her drake, Lucy, rests in Anemone’s lap and watches us with intense yellow eyes.

“My investigation has uncovered a black-market arm of

your stepmother’s beauty empire.”

Haku hisses in displeasure.

Harper’s eyes flash red for a second and he emits an honest-to-goodness growl. “Apparently, for a high price, Divine Beauty offers specialized rejuvenating products.”

“So it’s some kind of scam?”

He shakes his head, his mouth pursed in a grim line. “From what we’ve been able to glean so far, it appears that Divine Beauty is gaining access to Otherkind biological materials that they then use in products for humans with the money to afford to buy them.”

I gape at him. “Biological… materials?”

What on earth?

I have a sinking feeling in my gut.

“I’m not entirely sure. Right now, I’m negotiating to acquire one of these black-market products for testing. However, I suspect that Divine Beauty may be harvesting blood, hair, scales, and such from various Otherkind species that possess greater longevity and youthful appearances than their human counterparts.”

“Fucking hell,” I whisper in horror.

“She’s a monster,” Anemone whispers, her hands balled into shaking fists.

Griffin wraps his free arm around my shoulder and a faint whine sounds in the back of his throat that only I can hear.

My Wolf Boy gets distressed at just the thought of others suffering and being in pain. He’s too sweet and kind for his own good sometimes.

I stroke his thigh, giving him a questioning look.

“I’m okay,” he says. “I’m more worried about you. This is a lot.”

My heart swells from his concern. “You’re right. My family’s so much worse than we thought. But we’re not going to let them keep getting away with it. We’re going to save my mom and whoever else they’ve been using as lab rats.”

Haku and Lucy make trilling noises of agreement.

“We’re not sure how your stepmother is acquiring these materials, but we believe she’s likely connected to a bigger trafficking ring that we’ve been trying to uncover for some time,” Dallas explains.

“If we find out who’s supplying her, we might be able to help a whole lot of other folks in need too,” Cal adds, cracking his knuckles.

“And you think my sister might be among those being used for such nefarious purposes?” Aunt Anemone’s voice is soft, but I can see the barely controlled rage vibrating through her body.

“Probably,” Cal admits with a scowl, his face going dark. “Your sister is a full siren. As such, she undoubtedly possesses a high quantity of the types of biological material that the wrong people would aim to profit from.”

---