Page 8 of Siren's Gift

"Copy," he said into his radio before clipping it back to his belt. "I have to get back to my post before they grow suspicious."

"Wait, you had something else to tell me?"

Scott shook his head as he started up the stairs. "I’ll be in touch. No time right now."

As if to prove his point, his radio crackled again and someone asked his location. He disappeared up the steps, muttering something about their impatience under his breath.

My jaw cracked as I clenched it tight. A loud metal clanking sounded from the opposite end of the warehouse as a tall garage door began rolling up.

Keiko appeared at my side. "Time to go."

Whatever the man had been about to say, it was important. He was far too jumpy for anything else. It might even be the key to unraveling this mystery once and for all.

With a low growl of frustration, I followed Keiko and Aaron from the warehouse.

CHAPTER 5

Bree

The next morning, the smell of freshly brewed coffee drifted into the living room, where I had finally fallen asleep. Ah, such a glorious smell to wake up to.

For some unknown but absolutely evil reason, Frankie had never kept a coffee pot back at her place or the gym. Enjoying the delicious drink had always required a special trip to a nearby coffee shop rather than a push of a button at home in my pajamas. Not to mention it was far less expensive to brew at home.

Calvin was the true angel.

I winced as I sat up, my body sore from head to foot. Not just from the fights or the lumpy couch, though. Not completely.

No, this pain was as much from my never-ending exhaustion as it was from physical tasks. No amount of sleep or rest seemed to help, and I often wondered if this was how new mothers felt. I could understand why sleep deprivation was used as a method of torture.

I stretched my arms above my head, groaning as everything popped and cracked, then padded into the kitchen, still rubbing sleep from my eyes.

Calvin leaned against the laminate counter, holding a steaming mug in one hand and an old hardcover book in the other. He was a book lover just like me, but his books were almost always for work, including this one:Rare Cryptids in the 21st Century.

I hoped he got his big break soon. The GIG was proving their ineptitude by not recognizing his innate talent for wizardry. I was so thankful I didn’t have to deal with office politics on top of everything else in my life, even if that sort of job came with benefits.

Calvin’s thick, wavy blond hair was as unruly as ever, which is why he kept it short despite us begging him to grow it out. His hair was the envy of women everywhere, but he always claimed it would get in the way when he was in the field.

According to him, ponytails were too difficult to learn, and man buns weren’t his "thing."

He tilted his head to the side, and I noticed he’d tucked his wand behind his ear like a pencil. "Coffee’s still hot."

"Thanks." I grabbed a clean mug from a hook under the upper cabinet and added two sugar cubes before filling it from the carafe. I didn’t need much, but straight black was still too much for my tastes. "Hey, can I get your help with something?"

"Sure. What kind of something?" Behind glasses he wore everywhere except the gym, his dark hazel eyes never left his book. He flipped to the book’s next page with his thumb, still scanning the text.

"Siren stuff."

Immediately, he slammed the text shut and met my gaze. Eagerness lit up his youthful face. "Always."

Calvin was a literal lifesaver. After leaving Subliminal in an unexpected rush, Marissa and I realized we had nowhere to go. A spur-of-the-moment decision had me message the wizard,asking if he knew of anyone with a couch or even a floor we could crash on for a night or two.

Without hesitation, he’d offered us his home. He’d tried to give me his bed, but I’d adamantly refused. The guy was being nice enough just letting us stay here for free. I didn’t need to take his bed too.

We were so lucky to have him on our side. He’d also cast a not-quite-legal spell that protected us from being discovered by anyone trying to find us, by Gifted or non-Gifted means.

Even when Marissa was at school, we were virtually untraceable. If anyone not enrolled or employed by the school asked about her there, the spell would activate, temporarily removing their memories of her.

Magic could be pretty awesome sometimes.

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