Page 46 of Rise of the Siren Queen
“Fine, but I also have conditions,” I retorted, unwilling to accept her terms without negotiation. “I want truths in exchange.”
For the briefest moment, a flicker of fear crossed her face, her facade cracking for the first time. If I had any doubt that she was hiding something, now I was sure of it.
She remained silent, pondering my bargain before speaking. “Fair enough. I’ll concede the truths you seek, but I don’t take responsibility for them.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but she raised her hand to stop me. “As for my second condition, I need you to take an oath, a binding promise known as the Azure Oath.”
An oath? I knew what an oath was, but to make a promise of any sort to her, a siren, was unthinkable. Yes, she had saved my life twice, and there was that strange pull and attraction towards her, but to make a solemn promise, it felt like a step too far.
“What is this Azure Oath? How does it work?” I asked.
She sighed. “It’s an oath of secrecy. Only powerful sirens can perform the spell. Once complete, a small blue trident will appear on your wrist, and a small siren tail will appear on mine.”
The idea of being marked, of entering a binding deal with her, sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t like the sound of this at all.
“If I am to agree to this,” I said, narrowing my eyes, “when do we start?”
Her lips curved into a faint smile, a mixture of satisfaction and relief. “We can do the spell the day you leave, but the training, I’m afraid, must start soon enough, perhaps tomorrow.”
I clenched my jaw. “Why tomorrow and not now? You’re already here.” My voice was rough, dripping with impatience. “And don’t expect me to make this easy for you.”
“I wouldn’t dare and I don’t know if you noticed, but I wasn’t planning on this meting,” she replied, her smile faltering for the first time, a flicker of uncertainty passing through her eyes.
Oh, I had noticed, though I’d never admit it to her. Keeping my gaze fixed on her face through this whole interaction had been the hardest thing I’d done so far. Every fiber of my being wanted to look her up and down again, to let my eyes wander over that dress that practically invited it, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction ofknowing how much she affected me.
I kept my expression hardened, defiant. She might have me trapped here, but she wouldn’t trap me in other ways.
“How is it you didn’t plan this? You came here on your own.” I pressed fishing for insight.
If she didn’t come to talk, then why did she?
She hesitated, letting the silence stretch between us. When she didn’t speak, my patience snapped.
“We have a bargain. A truth for the training,” I reminded her, my voice hard.
She inhaled deeply, visibly reluctant, but she knew she had no choice. “Fine.” Even though she agreed, it was clear she didn’t want to continue, which only piqued my curiosity further.
“This place is sacred to my people,” she began, her voice more measured. “We often hold ceremonies here, a place where we connect with our goddess.” She glanced around as if seeing the space with fresh eyes, and pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “I came here today to seek her solace.”
The last part came out so quietly, almost in a whisper, that I barely caught it. But it was enough to make everything click into place. Her nightmare… she’d come here because of those memories. The ones she couldn’t escape.
“You weren’t supposed to see me,” she murmured, her voice tight with something I couldn’t quite place. “I cloaked myself in invisibility.”
My brow furrowed, her words setting off warning bells in my mind. “I didn’t see you,” I corrected. “What I saw was a shadow, a blurry figure, but nothing clear.” I was trying to piece it together, to make sense of why I’d noticed her at all.
“You shouldn’t have been able to see anything, not even a blur,” she said, her voice cautious now, the tension thickening between us. “Itmust be one of your hybrid abilities.”
Her eyes studied me, searching for something beneath my surface. But I kept my face blank, giving her nothing to work with.
I saw what she was doing. She was trying to divert the conversation, steering it away from that brief crack in her carefully guarded armor. That faint show of vulnerability.
Clever girl.
But I wasn’t about to let her off that easily. “Nice deflection, Princess,” the words laced with sarcasm, “but we had a deal. Truths for training, remember?”
Her gaze flickered, the slightest sign that she knew she’d been caught. “I haven’t forgotten,” she replied smoothly, but there was an edge to her voice now, a tension she couldn’t fully hide.
“And I already told you two truths, Mr. Nikolai,” she said, her tone clipped, as if trying to regain control.
