Page 100 of Song of Her Siren

“I’m done already.” Shadows fell across Shiri’s face as she glared at our aunt. “Why are you here?”

“She tried to seduce Helian again,” I blurted.

Shiri gasped, clutching her throat. “Why, aunt?”

Malvolia turned up her chin, though she was unable to meet Shiri’s gaze. “It’s none of your concern.”

Shiri gave our aunt a long look. “This is why you don’t mourn Mortimus, isn’t it?” Her voice rose with each word. "You wish to join him, so you’re pushing Tari to kill you.”

Black fog seeped from Malvolia’s pores, shrouding her like a cloak. “She will be ash on the ground before she conjures her magic.”

“No.” Folding her arms, Shiri impatiently tapped her foot like she was scolding a child. “You want her to kill you. You’re too much of a coward to end your life yourself, so you’d rather put my sister through the trauma of doing it.”

A scream died in my throat when Malvolia struck Shiri, wrapping a whip of black, choking magic around my sister’s throat. Shiri fell to her knees, her hands wrapped around that lethal cord.

No! Not my sister!My world stopped spinning as the girls cried out, begging Malvolia to let their auntie go.

I tried to intervene, but my magic was stuck like a well that had been capped. I shook out my fingers with a curse. Damn that tea! When the ring of Helian unsheathing his sword cut through the air, followed by Isa’s angry roar as her long neck hovered above us, I feared our aunt would attack them next.

But then Shiri stood and threw off her bindings, her hands raised high as she tossed that rope back at the sorceress queen, binding Malvolia’s arms.

Malvolia cursed and flailed, to no avail. Shiri’s magic was stronger.

My sister stomped up to Malvolia with a snarl. “If you wish to die so badly, go jump from a tower.” She waved toward the turrets behind us. “Don’t involve my sister and her mate.” She flashed her teeth. “And don’t you ever attack any of us again, or you will die a slow, miserable death.” With a snap of her fingers, the magic binding Malvolia dissipated.

Malvolia clawed at the air, black ink spilling out of her fingertips. “I’m sure you’d all like that.”

Shiri shook her head. “What I’d like is for you to stop being selfish long enough for us to eradicate these demons!” Her voice dropped to a deep siren’s rumble as she jutted a finger toward the doors. “Now, go to your bedchamber, and do not bother any of us again!”

If looks could kill, Malvolia would’ve turned Shiri to ash. She stormed past my sister with jerky movements, as if her arms and legs moved of their own accord, pushed onward by the siren’s spell.

Only when Helian slammed the double doors behind the sorceress queen did I release a pent-up breath. The magic swelling my hands receded, though I feared I’d need it again soon. I resolved to stop drinking the tea. What good did it do to preserve my memories if I couldn’t access my magic? Malvolia was clearly a more imminent threat than the demons.

Shiri grasped my shoulders. “Sister, are you okay?”

What? Why was she asking if I was okay when she’d just been choking moments earlier?

“I’m okay. Are-are you?” I stammered.

She slanted a smile and nodded.

It took all my willpower not to collapse onto the ground as the girls blinked up at me like frightened baby birds. “I hate it here.” I bit down on my knuckles to keep from crying out. “I don’t know how much longer we can stay.”

Shiri squeezed my shoulders. “I know.”

Two pairs of glowing dragon eyes blinked at us from behind the railing.

She’s not going to be happy you’ve gained control, Radnor said, his gaze fixated on Shiri.

And she won’t stop until one of us kills her, Isa added.

Shiri released me, turning toward the dragons with stiff shoulders. “I can handle her.”

They answered her with huffs of smoke streaming from their nostrils.

The girls made spluttering sounds, plugging their noses.

I covered my nose, too, breathing through a wheeze.

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