Page 19 of Siren's Gift

Her reasoning made sense, but I still felt uneasy. Like she was hiding or holding something back from me, which was more than likely true. Her pitying expression gave nothing away.

However, my paranoia could have been jumping into high gear, seeing danger where there was none. But it could have been my intuition just as easily. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any other options but forward. I couldn’t afford to get stuck in analysis paralysis right now.

"What would your price be?"

Calypso’s gaze traced my figure from head to tail. "You."

I blinked. That was certainly not what I expected. "Excuse me?"

"The price is you. You will remain here with me."

"Like, as your partner?" I swallowed the knot forming in my throat. "Or as a…a sex slave?"

Her lips curled up into an amused smirk. "Neither, sweet child. I have no need for such things. No, you will simply be mine to do with as I please. You will obey my every command."

Her price was too high. And yet…

…it was a price I could afford. She wasn’t asking for gold or priceless artifacts. She simply wantedme.

Okay, sure, it was an odd request. Beyond odd. She wanted me to be her slave, just not for sex, thankfully. If she was telling the truth, anyway, which was highly questionable. I wouldn’t dwell on that for too long and hope for the best.

But why me?

Was this some sort of weird revenge against my father? Would she use me as a slave to get back at him for exiling her and her kind?

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed too easy.

What was I missing?

"Why me?" I asked. "Surely there’s something out there you want more than just a cleaner fish."

A darkness gathered in her eyes, a swirling tempest of emotions. But it was gone in a blink. She smiled and plucked a bottle off a shelf. "You are my price. Take it or leave it."

She tossed the bottle to me as though I’d already agreed. I stared at the contents swirling within. This was the key to saving Marissa, this small potion in my hands.

How could I not do this for her?

Agony twisted at my heart as the weight of the life I would leave behind pressed against my chest. The quiet mornings, the freedom I’d fought so hard to claim—they’d vanish the moment I agreed.

For my sister, I’d give up everything. I had to. But as the words formed on my tongue, a jagged ache clawed at my ribs and silenced me. I didn’t want to say yes. Not this time. Not when the price was everything I’d fought for—the fragile little life I’d finally called mine.

Not only that, but I’d be giving up a chance to see if maybe, just maybe, I could fix things with Dominic. Dive headfirst into the potential for love. The kind of fairytale I’d only fantasized about.

But that was just it. It was a fairytale. A fantasy. What I’d experienced with Dominic was likely the result of raging hormones after a nearly celibate life. Nothing more…

Right?

I needed to stop analyzing it because this wasn’t about me. It couldn’t be. There was only one way forward, and I was wasting time I didn’t have.

"Okay." I met the witch’s gaze. "You have a deal."

Her grin was almost feral, madness swirling within her eyes. "Wise choice, child. We’ll go over all the formalities later, but for now, simply sign here."

With a snap of her whip-like tail, a piece of parchment appeared before me, floating in the water. The script was tiny and difficult to read but covered just about everything I could think of. A line at the bottom indicated where I needed to sign.

"How do I sign it?" I looked around for something to write with.

Her tail wrapped around my wrist in a deadly grip, pulling my arm toward her. Before I could yank it back, she sliced my thumb with a claw.

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