Page 15 of Siren Problems
Again.
And thatterrifiesme more than the altar ever could.
“I’m fine, by the way,” she mutters. “Thanks for saving my dumb, magical-assaulted life.”
I sigh. “You shouldn’t have been out there alone.”
“Yeah, well,” she says, picking up her half-broken scanner, “neither should ancient sea altars with anger management issues.”
I don’t laugh.
But something in my chest loosens. Slightly.
We walk back to the cottage in silence.
And for once, the tide doesn’t fight us.
The knock on my door comes less than an hour after I get Luna settled back inside. She insisted she didn’t need help. I insisted I didn’t care. Mira gave us both a weird look and wandered off muttering something about ley harmonics and trauma bonding.
Now I’ve got two council envoys on my porch and a headache blooming behind my eyes.
“Calder Thorne,” says the older one—Rin, a kelp-blooded seer with eyes like polished obsidian. She’s flanked by Juno, the elven tide-lawyer who once tried to sue a selkie for identity theft.
“Something break underwater?” I ask flatly.
“The altar surged,” Rin says. “Three ripples across the coast and a minor rift detected inland. Your ward failed. Again.”
I clench my jaw. “I handled it.”
Juno steps forward. “You handled itaftera human nearly got pulled into the veil. The town's protections are fragile, and this Leypoint isn't just yours anymore.”
They exchange a look. And I know what’s coming before Rin even opens her mouth.
“You’ll be partnering with the human,” she says. “Her readings are clearer than any council data. Until this wave stabilizes, you're both required to investigate ley flux events together.”
“No,” I say immediately.
“It’s not a request,” Juno says.
I scowl. “She’s reckless. She doesn’t understand what she’s poking at.”
“Thenteach her,” Rin says simply.
I want to argue. Gods, I want to slam the door and let the sea swallow everything.
But if I refuse... they’ll pull me from the cove. And if they get curious enough, they’ll unseal the altar themselves.
That can’t happen.
So I nod. Barely. Just enough.
The council disperses.
And I sit on my porch, hands curled into fists, already dreading the next time I have to meet her eyes.
CHAPTER 7
LUNA
