Page 5 of Siren in the Rain

I only hope that Haku and I can make this work.

Puffing himself up, my trusted companion begins to blow out a thin stream of fire aimed straight at the door.

Drawing on what little of my sirensong power I can, I sing as if my life depends on it.

I invoke a wordless song my mother taught me to share magical energy with another, and I channel Haku everything I can, strengthening the intensity of his fire as it slowly but surely melts a widening hole in the door.

Just when I’m about to black out, we see light on the other side and I want to weep with relief.

But we don’t have a second to spare.

I pull the swipe card our accomplice was able to get to me out of its hiding place in my pants and pass it to Haku. He manages to squeeze his small body, and the card, through the hole.

My heart pounds in my ears as I wait. Then I hear the familiar click and beep as the door is unlocked from the other side.

What happens next is a blur.

Once in the hallway of the annex, we move as fast as we can because out here there are plenty of security cameras we can’t avoid. As we anticipated, another loud, blaring alarm sounds and we pick up our pace as I hear shouts and sounds of pursuit. Speed is our only option.

I barrel through the back exit door, triggering yet another alarm, and race toward the high cement wall that surrounds the rear side of the property. With Haku’s help and a dose of sheer desperation, I manage to scrabble my way up and over the imposing wall.

The fall down the other side is longer and more painful than I expected.

I land awkwardly and twist my right ankle, which gives out on me. I bite back a whimper and manage not to make a sound.

By now, I’m hearing a lot of angry shouts behind us.

The game is up and we have to get out of here—fast.

Through sheer force of will, I push myself to my feet and limp down the hill toward the street, where I’m praying our getaway ride is waiting as promised.

When I get to the bottom, I’m basically dragging my right leg and am a breath away from puking or passing out. Maybe both.

For a moment, all I see is darkness. The streetlight is dead and it’s eerily silent along this stretch of road.

I’m momentarily blinded when two headlights pointed directly at me turn on.

My heart lurches with sudden fear until the voice of my salvation echoes through the night.

“Get in!” Emma cries.

I stumble over and she gets out to help me into the back seat, quickly tossing a blanket over me, then hops back in the driver’s seat and guns it.

As we speed away, I wait, trying not to have a panic attack. Part of me is still convinced we won’t make it. But soon, we’ve left the Hollywood Hills behind and merged onto the freeway, heading far away.

I’m not entirely sure if I pass out or simply fall asleep, but sometime later the car has stopped moving and Emma is gently shaking me awake. “Shae, honey. Please wake up. You’re freaking me out.”

I moan and struggle to sit up, a woozy sensation washing over me as if my whole body is being tossed about on rough open water. My right ankle throbs and feels about twice its normal size.

“He used too much magic earlier! Help!” Haku cries, his wings flapping with concern.

Vaguely, I realize Haku’s right. When I channeled what limited magic I could to him, I used up the last of my pathetic reserves. That, combined with the collar’s effect, puts my magic vitals in a very dangerous range.

“Son of a bitch,” Emma curses.

Quickly, she roots around in her purse and pulls out a slim vial containing a glittering, swirling liquid.

Thank fuck she has a replenishing potion.

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