Page 59 of Song of Her Siren

She motioned to six big firemages, whose gazes drifted from their frozen queen to us. “You there.” She pointed to Drae and then me. “Put Drae and Ash in the dungeon and chain them for our safety.” Then she nodded toward Wolfy. “The dog too.” Pausing, she sucked in a breath while curling her hands into claws. “But do not harm them!” She fixed Drae and me with a stony expression. “Do not bite or attack anyone.”

The demon inside me cried out in a fit of rage, but the beast couldn’t defy the siren’s call.

I tensed when the firemages latched on to my arms, binding me in chains before hauling me away. Tears blurred my eyes as I got one last look at my family. My daughters threw back their heads, howling to the ceiling, and Tari sobbed while Helian rubbed her back.

I’d failed them. I didn’t deserve to be alpha.

* * *

Tari

“ASH!” I SHIFTED AURORAon one hip and reached for my mate as the guards dragged him away in chains. I felt as if that demon had reached his claws into my chest and ripped out my heart as I turned to Helian with a plea. “I need to go with him.”

“No.” He grimaced as Ember clung to him. “We shouldn’t separate. I am the only protector left, and the dungeon is no place for children.”

“But what if they mistreat him? Look at what they did to Arabella!” How could I trust my mate in Queen Malvolia’s dungeon? I glared at the evil bitch, who was still frozen by Shiri’s spell. There was no mistaking the venom in her eyes as she glared back at me. I could only imagine her ordering her guards to mistreat my mate.

“I’ll go after them,” Shiri said.

She seemed so calm and collected, even after she’d lost Drae to demon possession, leaving her with no mates until her other two returned—if they returned. Resolve hardened my spine. If she could get through this, I would have no choice but to manage, too, especially when the children were depending on me. My mind and body felt numb as I slowly exhaled. “Sister, we need to find that book.”

“We’ll go at first light.” She grasped my hand, her siren infused into her voice. “Remain calm and take deep breaths.”

I nodded my understanding while swallowing back my emotions. “Shiri, are you going to be okay?”

She swiped tears from her eyes. “I guess I’ll have to be.” Then she turned to Malvolia. “I release you from my spell. Leave us, and know that if you ever use your black magic on our family again, I will make you walk off the tallest turret.”

Holy fuck!Helian’s curse echoed in my mind.

I swallowed back bile when Malvolia marched out of the room, back stiff and black magic leaching down her face. I had a feeling our aunt wouldn’t rest until we were all turned to dust.

Shiri left without a backward glance, her limbs even stiffer than Malvolia’s.

Cassandra ran into the room, chest heaving. “Why did I see the guards dragging away Ash and Drae?” She gaped at us. “I heard Ash cry out in my dream.”

“A demon infected them.” Helian set Ember down on the sofa as he faced his mother. “The guards are placing them in the dungeon for our safety.”

Cassandra fell onto the sofa beside Ember, clutching her throat. “How did this happen?”

I handed Aurora to Cassandra when she squirmed in my arms. “Wolfy was possessed.”

She looked at me as if I’d sprouted wings. “The dog?”

I grimaced. “Yes.”

The dragons roared outside again.

Goddesses, are you okay?Isa’s question rang in my mind.

Both dragons let out angry roars when Helian explained what happened.

Helian took my hand and led me to a chair opposite his mother and the girls. He fell into it, pulling me into his lap. “The smell,” he murmured while kissing my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I should’ve known.”

“We all should’ve known.” I hadn’t recognized his demon foul scent, probably because he’d also rolled in something dead, a common occurrence for Wolfy. But why hadn’t I seen a demon aura? Was it because his scraggly black fur concealed it? I also hadn’t seen red in his eyes, even in the sunlight. Did the demon figure out how to conceal it? I supposed it didn’t matter now, though I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. I rested my head on Helian’s chest, grateful I still had him. But for how long?

“Helian.” Cassandra’s voice rose and cracked. “Do you realize you’re all that stands between two white witches and the demon army?”

I sat up as a jolt of panic shot through me. He couldn’t keep us safe by himself. Besides, I didn’t want a demon to bite him too. Shiri and I would have to protect the children and all Faedom by ourselves.

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