Page 10 of Siren's Gift

If the witch was the only one who could help us, then it was becoming more likely she had tricked us. Maybe the talismans were never meant to last forever, despite her promise. Thethought of her deceiving and taking advantage of us when we were just naïve pups made me sick to my stomach.

But then again, what if it was all just an honest mistake? What if she could fix them after all? And hopefully do so without charging us a fortune, although that scenario seemed highly unlikely. She wasn’t exactly the charitable type, and my good luck only extended so far.

I let out a heavy sigh. The familiar weight of defeat settled into my bones as I set my empty mug in the sink. "Thanks for trying."

Calvin rubbed a kitchen towel up his coffee-covered arm. "I wish I could be of more help," he said sincerely. "I’ll do what I can at work, asking around discreetly, of course. But deep down, I’m almost positive I’m right."

"I appreciate it." I glanced at the microwave clock and groaned. "Gotta go soon. I picked up a cleaning shift."

As I reached for another towel to clean up the coffee that dripped down the walls and from the ceiling, he shooed me away. "I got this. You go."

I managed a small smile. "Thanks, Cal."

Silently, I vowed to repay the favor someday. All of them.

Leaving the wizard to clean up the mess, I trudged to the bathroom to change into something with long sleeves. My heart felt heavy, and I nearly rubbed my chest as if that would ease the ache. If the only way to fix these talismans was to visit the sea witch, then that’s what I would have to do.

I wouldn’t let Marissa lose everything just because I was scared. Okay, more liketerrifiedof returning to the ocean, but losing Marissa was even scarier. And that’s exactly what would happen if our talismans completely failed and we had to return home to the Naftes kingdom.

Demetrius—the captain of my father’s guard who’d stopped me on the street a month ago—had warned me to stay away fromthe ocean, so I couldn’t help feeling like I was going to get caught if I returned. Almost like his appearance was a ruse, designed to make me worry that something was truly wrong, and then capture me when I didn’t heed his warning.

I wouldn’t put it past my father to do something like that, but Demetrius?

No. He had told the truth.

Something was happening back home, and I hoped it would be enough of a distraction that I could slip into Calypso’s lair unnoticed.

Our talismans had worked for over ten years now. Why were they suddenly failing? And how long would it take until they failed completely?

So many questions, but not nearly enough answers.

For today, I’d focus on work and hope that Calvin turned something up at the GIG, even if that chance was merely a fantasy.

Long after thesun had set, I collapsed onto the couch and groaned. The janitorial shift I’d picked up had been for a local university, and after spending the day scrubbing three floors of classrooms, windows, and bathrooms, exhausted didn’t even come close to describing how I felt.

You would think adults—even young ones—would clean up after themselves better. But nope. No such luck.

The front door opened and Marissa stomped in. Tears glistened in her eyes as she slammed the door shut behind her.

Adrenaline surged through my body, all but erasing my exhaustion in a heartbeat. Quickly, I sat up and assessed herfrom head to foot but didn’t see any injuries. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"No, I amnotokay." She tugged the sleeve of her jacket up to her elbow. Light purple scales glittered up her forearm. "It’s almost summer. People were giving me weird looks for wearing a jacket. I can’t go out like this!"

I could all but guarantee no one gave a second thought to her wearing a jacket. People wore all kinds of strange things these days. So while her dramatic flair was laughable, the situation was not. Far from it. The talismans’ magic was fading faster than I hoped it would.

Calvin had messaged me earlier that afternoon, saying he hadn’t found any answers yet. He also said he would get home late because he was going out for drinks with some coworkers. He would do a little digging amongst his peers in a more casual setting.

I sighed and sank back into the couch cushions. "Cal is trying to find someone who may know how to help us. We can’t give up yet."

I didn’t bother telling her what he’d said about the talismans likely having to be fixed by the creator. Not yet. She’d go straight to catastrophizing and claim we were doomed.

Only one of us needed to feel that way right now. As the older sister, I would shoulder the burden for both of us.

Her eyes lit up as she removed her jacket and tossed it on the coat rack beside the door. "Do you think he’ll find someone?"

"If anyone can, Cal can," I said with much more confidence than I felt.

"So true. Let’s just hope he does before my party tomorrow night. I have the cutest dress to wear."

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