Page 9 of Bound By Roses

Before either of us can press her, the sound of a chair screeching against the glass floor breaks through the tension in the room. My eyes snap to the source, where Petra has leapt upwards with a gasp. “She’s back!”

Just on the other side of the glass wall, is Teagan. Floating behind her is a gorgeous tail with what must be at least eight long, flowing fins of pinks and purples. I’m not used to seeing her as anything other than human, but there’s no denying she was made for this form. Even the gills along the sides of her neck look as if they were always meant to be there, as do the near-translucent bits of skin connecting each of her fingers as she presses a hand against the glass.

Petra does the same, and although they’re separated by glass that has to be at least three inches thick, I’m certain the energy between mates is passing through them.

Excitement bubbles in my stomach at the sight of my best friend this way. She’s finally found her way home. And she’s very much alive.

“You need to leave. Now.” Aurelia’s hushed but forceful voice draws my attention back to her. She was annoyed before, but now? Either I’m crazy, or that’s genuine fear in her eyes.

“Leave?” I ask, stunned that she would banish us from Marein now of all times.

“To your chambers. Go!” That was definitely fear adding a quaver to her tone.

I take Quinn’s hand in mine and pull him toward the nearest exit. If something has Aurelia spooked, I’m not sticking around to find out what it is. I’ve already lost Quinn once. I’m not going to lose him again.

We only get a few steps before there’s a shift in the air. A towering man strides into the room, dripping wet and spear in hand. A sizeable fish dangles from the three prongs at the spear’s tip, and although it’s not large, the cheers that break out among the sirens have me thinking this is the largest fish they’ve seen in some time. If that’s the case, they might very well be struggling as much as Lunae to feed their own. The only difference I’ve seenis that the people here all seem to divide what little food they have equally.

“Go,” Aurelia says again, this time in a whisper that’s almost pleading.

The man doesn’t notice us as he moves to the center of the room and tears the fish off his spear—which is most definitely harder than he makes it look—and flops it down on the cooking table in front of Brin. The two men shake hands before Brin sets about preparing what is sure to be our next meal.

Various people move to greet the stranger. They clasp his hand or pat him on the back until one woman has to stand on the very tips of her toes to whisper something in his ear.

The joy on his face melts into something that can only be described as a look of pure hatred as his eyes scan the room, only stopping once they find Quinn. Before he can even finish taking a single step in our direction, the two other sirens seated at the table with Aurelia abandon their plates and scramble away. Only Aurelia remains in her chair.

“You look so much like Evander,” the man says to Quinn, his voice as cold as his eyes. “Tell me. What did my whore wife call you?”

Wife?

Quinn lets go of my hand and takes a step forward. “My name is Quinn. And you must be the man who forced my mother into marriage.”

He laughs loudly, but there’s no humour in it. “Is that what she told you?”

Before Quinn can respond, Aurelia rises from her chair and moves between them. “Enough, Erwyn. It is not the boy’s fault.”

Erwyn spits. “Because he is your nephew, you defend him blindly. Familial ties have no place here. Not anymore.”

Nephew?!So Aurelia is Sierra’s sister. Quinn’s aunt.

By the flowers.

“He has passed a trial. He fought by our side against Imelda and earned a place among us.”

Erwyn’s face pales as he glances around the room. When he speaks, his voice has lowered. “How many did we lose?”

“Twenty-nine.”

Oh, shit.I knew there were loses, but almost thirty sirens died last night and who knows how many Guardians. And it would have been much, much worse had Jade not done what he did.

“Have they been returned to the sea?”

Aurelia stands with her back to us so I can’t see her face, but the muscles in her back tense. “They have not.”

“Why not?” Erwyn says each word slowly and forcefully. There’s a measure of control to his tone, but I can tell he’s close to snapping.

We shouldn’t be here. Whatever argument this is about to turn in to doesn’t involve us.

I reach for Quinn’s hand and give it a subtle tug, but the only movement he makes is the soft stroking of his thumb over the back of my hand.

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