Page 60 of Siren in the Rain

Griffin’s ears immediately droop along with his shoulders. “But…”

But the Bearkin stands firm. “I get how you feel, Griff, but you know this is what Shae and his family members need right now.”

I’m glad Dallas said something. Even though I’m a bit nervous to be on my own with them, I need to do this.

Griff turns his puppy-dog eyes on Dallas, but the big man remains unmoved, and my respect for him skyrockets. I know I couldn’t resist those eyes.

Biting his bottom lip, Griff turns to me and grasps both of my hands. He holds them up to his chest where I can feel his heart beating rapidly. “Don’t leave,” he whispers.

I blink at him. “What?”

“If they ask you to go with them, please don’t leave. Not yet.”

Fear and anxiety are written all over his face, and I don’t know what to do with this.

Before I can respond, he lets go and gets up to follow Dallas, his head bowed and his ears and tail drooping sadly as he exits the living room.

Coral chuckles softly. “Your mate is most amusing.”

I startle. “Wha… I mean, how could you tell?”

She arches a white eyebrow at me. “I can see the magical bond that ties you together.” She narrows her eyes. “I can also tell that you haven’t accepted the bond yet.”

“Oh, uh, well, we’ve only just met. And I don’t exactly have a positive opinion of the whole concept.”

She sighs. “Your mother’s situation was a terrible tragedy.”

“So you can see where my reluctance stems from.”

“I’m sorry that’s the only example you’ve witnessed, my child. In our sept, there are many loving fated-mate couples.” She shakes her head. “I’m sure finding your mate the moment you escaped from purgatory was the last thing you expected. But you’ll need to make a choice, and sooner rather than later.”

I swallow, my throat dry all of a sudden. “What do you mean?”

“It isn’t healthy for fated mates if either one does not accept their bond.” She turns her gaze out the window and toward the sea. “A fated mate is a rare and special gift, one that the magic of this world chooses for us. To accept and embrace that bond is to welcome that divine gift and all the good things that come with it.” Her countenance hardens. “But to reject the bond and spurn the sacred gift comes with consequences.”

I gulp. “What kind of consequences?”

Anemone breaks her silence. “The one who rejects a mate bond is often tainted and warped by that decision. It is like denying a fundamental part of oneself. Your father, for instance, was not always the horrible man that he is now. He was weak, yes, but he had the potential to become a better person. If he’d accepted the bond with my sister, things would have been very different for all of you.”

“A rejected bond attracts darker forces, ones that are drawn to whoever forsook the connection,” Coral explains. “Bryce’s mind and soul have been corrupted over time because of his actions, and he has become nothing short of monstrous.” She shakes her head. “There is no turning back for him now. Eventually, the darkness will consume him.”

“Wh-what about my mother?” I hold my breath, dreading her response.

Her smile is sad but understanding. “To my knowledge, she never rejected the bond between them, so the darkness will not gravitate toward her. Not having the bond fulfilled will mean a part of her and what she could have been will always be missing, but she can live a good and happy life among the sept even without Bryce.” She frowns. “No doubt your father’s betrayal started her on a process of letting go long ago, and once she learns of your treatment, she’ll never be able to forgive him.” Coral glances away, her countenance troubled. “I can only hope she hasn’t been broken by whatever hellish nightmare she’s been enduring all this time.”

Anemone tucks a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “What Tempest truly needs is to be among her people. We can help heal her wounded heart and mind, but we must find her first.”

I swallow back a wave of nausea because I can’t imagine her circumstances for the last fifteen years have been any better than mine were.

Coral moves to take a seat beside me, then slowly reaches out to cup my cheek with one hand. I’m surprised to find that her soothing touch is one that I accept without hesitation.

Haku trills on my shoulder and starts to vocalize a wordless song in the back of his throat.

“Ah,” Coral says, “your drake remembers the Song of Homecoming.”

Anemone nods. “No doubt he misses singing the songs of his people back on the island.”

I tense at her words. While he’s rarely spoken about them, Haku still remembers and loves his kin back there. He’s been separated from them for far too long.

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