Page 102 of Song of Her Siren

“My brother is gravely injured, thanks to your dragons, so it does concern me.” I shot a stream of fire at his feet. “And I’ll return to my queen when you return to your king.”

“Our dragons don’t care for the taste of Fae.” Using his stump, he waved toward the dragons dive-bombing the hapless wyverns like seagulls attacking a ball of fish. “But your brother got in the way of their meals.”

I winced at the wyverns’ keening cries. I felt bad for the creatures, but there was nothing I could do for them.

Still in his wolf-beast form, Finn stumbled to his feet with a roar, towering over both of us like a monster of nightmares, his long, fanged maw dripping saliva and water onto the sand. Claws as big as blades extended from his curled fingers, and the ribs on his wide torso expanded and contracted while he heaved each breath. Though he stood on two feet, his legs were bent like a satyr’s, and he had big wolf paws for feet.

Ivar was wise to take a few steps back while gaping up at Finn.

Finn pounded his chest. “You would allow dragons to eat our wyverns?” His voice was a heavy rumble, like the roll of thunder.

“I don’t allow them to do anything.” The dragon rider gripped his sword with whitened knuckles. “Dragons do what they want. You should know that. This coastline has far fewer fish and game than the northern shores. Our dragons are starving. What would you have them do?”

A pitiful screech rang out, and that’s when I spotted the dragon I’d sliced open struggling to swim toward the shoreline as blood pooled around him. Dragon riders called out, racing toward the water. I was confident nobody saw me slice open the beast, but I would not apologize for saving my brother. Besides, it was a smaller dragon, so they probably assumed another dragon had accidentally mistaken him for a wyvern.

I turned back toward Ivar. “Our mates are white witches. The wyverns are their friends. They will not be happy.”

“I know who your mates are.” He arched a thick brow. “But they aren’t here, are they?”

The predatory look in his eyes caused me to tense. All he had to do was call his dragon, and Finn and I would be turned to ash. “No, but they have powerful magic and can see everything.” The half-truth slipped off my tongue easily enough. Tari and Shiri had known when the girls had been kidnapped. Hopefully, Shiri sensed Nikkos needed their help. “They’ve probably already seen the attack and are hastening here now.” I puffed up my chest. “You’d better pray my brother lives, or you will suffer the wrath of two white witches.”

The color drained from Ivar’s face. “Where is your brother now?”

“None of your concern,” I said on a snarl.

“One of our dragon riders is a green witch and can help your brother.” He motioned toward the shoreline, where the group of dragon riders were now wading into the water to retrieve the dragon I’d sliced open. “As soon as he’s finished healing one of our dragons.”

I shook my head. “So you can finish him off?” Though I was tempted to ask for the dragon rider’s help, I didn’t trust my brother’s life in his hands.

“That wasn’t our intention.” He sheathed his sword, holding up his one hand and his stump in a gesture of surrender. “Like I said, the dragons are starving. They were only looking to eat the wyverns.”

When Finn let out a menacing growl, advancing toward Ivar, the dragon rider retrieved his sword, pointing the tip at the shifter’s chest. “Don’t try anything foolish, Prince Lykaios. I know you want to avenge the Lupine shifters, but your brother Ash and I have formed a truce until the demons are defeated.” His words rattled with fear as Finn continued his advance. Ivar stopped when he reached the shadow of the ridge behind him, bracing his legs when Finn hovered over him. “Then he and I will battle at his chosen time, unless you’d like to fight me now in his stead.”

“Don’t fall for it, Finn,” I called to him. “You’re too tired to fight after the journey. He knows this.” I had no doubt Finn would win. I’d seen him and his brother shred Fachnan to ribbons, but the last thing we needed was Finn killing the rider and pissing off an army of dragons. “Nikkos could be dying,” I added, my voice laced with urgency. “We have to get back to him.”

Finn let out a canine whimper, then took a big step back, his shoulders falling.

Ivar visibly swallowed as he sheathed his sword again with a trembling hand. “My riders and I will be camped on the ridge.” He nodded behind him. “If you can’t find a green witch in town, let us know, and our green witch will be happy to help your brother. I apologize that he got in the way.” He coursed his one hand across his bald head with a groan. “Our dragons can get a bit frenzied when they feed.”

“Those wyverns served us honorably.” Finn flashed his fangs. “They don’t deserve to die like this.”

“If you want to try to stop the dragons, be my guest,” Ivar said with a laugh. “The wyverns are all dead by now.”

My gaze snapped to the horizon, where I no longer heard the wyverns’ cries, just the roars of dragons as they fought over their kills. Shadows eclipsed my heart at the carnage. Shiri and Tari wouldn’t be happy. “Come on, Finn.”

Finn whimpered as we trudged across the dunes. “Wait!” he called at my back, his voice a deeper, darker version of himself. “Ember and Aurora—”

“Are safe and with their mother,” I interrupted.

Falling to his knees, Finn tossed back his head and let out a keening howl while pulling on his fur. I waited for him to finish, then motioned toward the town of clapboard buildings, where a crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the bloodbath in the water. Emotion clogged my throat as I spied the weather-worn shingles on the top of the tavern’s second story. “I need to be with Nikkos.”

Finn wiped his wet eyes with the backs of his furry hands as he stumbled to his big paws. “Let’s go,” he said darkly, following me like my monster shadow. My gut churned as we made our way across the boardwalk toward the inn, in what was the longest walk of my life, as I prayed Nikkos still lived.

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