Page 51 of Rise of the Siren Queen
Just like that, the air between us changed.
Her entire demeanor darkened, shoulders stiffening, gaze turning hollow, like I’d yanked her back into something she’d buried deep. And Ifeltit. That shift, the weight pressing between us, thick with something unspoken.Something painful.
Interesting.
I watched her, waiting. Letting the silence stretch, because I could tell this wasn’t just any memory. Thishauntedher. And though I didn’t understand how, Ifeltit. That ache. That raw, festering wound she tried so hard to keep hidden.
For a moment, I almost regretted asking.
Almost.
She inhaled slowly, then exhaled, shaky and uneven. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. “When you almost… died,” she began, as if the words themselves pained her, “I had to use my powers to save you. And by doing so, it intensified the bond between us…”
A bond.
The word slotted into place with every inexplicable feeling I’d had since waking in this place. How I sensed her sometimes. The way she lingered in my mind, even when she wasn’t around.
It was all makingterriblesense now.
“What do you mean by a bond?” I asked, my voice steady, controlled, despite the way my mind raced to piece this together. “We’re connected?”
“Yes.” Her answer came swiftly, but then. “But that doesn’t matter now. Or ever.”
It was a dismissal. Cold. Firm.
I wasn’t having it.
I stepped in, closing the space between us in a slow, deliberate movement. She didn’t move back fast enough, and I kept going, pressing her against the wall.Corneringher.
“You keep saying it doesn’t matter,” I murmured, my voice dropping lower, smoother. “So tell me, what does?”
Her breath hitched, her eyes snapping at mine.
And then, for a second, her gaze flickered downward. To my mouth.
Interesting.
We weren’t as close as yesterday, but the tension was there, humming between us like a live wire. Her cheeks warmed, just barely, but I saw it.
She cleared her throat, an obvious attempt to regain control before she spoke again. “You won’t like the answer,” she said, the hesitation coiling around her words like a shield.
Still guarding herself. Still choosing every word like a calculated move in a game I wasn’t even fully aware we were playing.
Andthat,that distance, that refusal, bothered me more than I cared to admit.
A slow, sharp smile curled at my lips. “Try me.”
She sighed heavily, surrendering to my persistence. “Fine. What matters is getting your powers under control and set you free. Anything more than that is a distraction.” Her words were precise, like an arrow piercing my racing heart. She was right. I don’t like the answer, but I will prove her wrong.
Oh Princess, when will you stop lying to yourself? Of course, this between us matter, is what matter the most.
“I don’t know why all of this happened, but I know how.” She continued.
“That’s good enough for me,” I said, stepping back just enough to let her breath.
“There’s a barrier, placed by powerful sirens to keep us hidden from humans. It’s nearly impenetrable. However, the Astralis’ power had weakened it the day you arrived,” she began, her voice filled with reverence. “The Astralis is a sacred celebration that marks the solstice and honors Amphitrite, the mother of all sea life. During this time, the celestial forces align, creating a deep connection between the ocean and the heavens.”
A barrier. That’s how they’ve remained hidden all this time. Forgotten and lowered to mere legendary beings.
