Page 18 of The Lost Siren

“Will you escort me back to my chambers? No one won today.”

I made it about me because I knew he would refuse on his account. With merely a grunt he thrust his arm out, though he leaned heavily on me as he limped down the passage. Benedict ducked awkwardly against the small ceiling and narrow walls. I wondered with growing horror if Drakens were claustrophobic, and how horrible it would be to be trapped under a mountain when your species was used to the open air.

Benedict’s arm shot out and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me in tight against him. I didn’t even have time to yelp before the world dissolved in shadows and darkness, and I breathed in the smell of blood and ashes on him. He wasmassive, his muscles hard and unyielding. A moment later the light returned, and I could finally exhale. His grip loosened as my sitting room greeted us, already laid with light sandwiches and tea. Was there ever a time foodwasn’tlaid out? It seemed wasteful. I pushed his arms away, spinning around.

“There. Safely delivered.”He swayed slightly on his feet, and I shot him a look.

“Was that a Draken thing?” I asked, wondering if all Drakens could disappear into the shadows, reappearing at will. Benedict and D’Arcy both had the ability.

“King thing, bloodline thing,” he muttered. I rolled my eyes.

“Sit down before you fall down.” I pushed him towards a chair, and he fell into it. I frowned, as the various cuts and lines in his scales had yet to heal over.

“Is this an example of the...black magic? You took from yourself to defeat the Skolex?”

He nodded, not bothering to open his eyes as he rested. As my eyes ran over his wounds, I wondered why he didn’t just shift back to his Draken form.

“It hurts less as a human.” I jerked, eyes narrowing.

“That doesn’t explain why you won’t heal.”

“What else do you want to know about?” It wasn’t a very subtle change of subject, but he rarely indulged me like this. I sighed and thought more about the different creatures.

“I assume the demons are white magick, based on what you said earlier. Their biggest allies are the Vampyres, which makes sense since their entire existence is dependent on drinking the blood of humans. If that isn’t taking from others, I don’t know what is.”

Benedict gave me the slightest of nods. “And the black species?”

I thought about it. “The Lykos transform...it’s a power that only affects them, and it sounds painful to change. They don’tneedto attack humans to survive as a species. They just choose to. Or at least, some of them do.”

I moved to sit on the armrest of his chair, ignoring the twitch of his body. He stood shakily and moved to the door, the one that connected to his own quarters.

“Will you heal yourself?” I asked.

“Are you volunteering?” Considering I had no idea howIcould help him, it seemed unwise to agree to anything.

“Hardly. I just find it interesting you’re not healing from this wound like you didotherwounds.”

He leveled a glare, then stood. “I didn’t realize youcared, siren.”

He disappeared down the hall that connected our rooms. I headed into the warm oasis that was my bathroom, looking forward to taking my time exploring the bath. I had hauled up water for Crullfed more times than I could count, and even some of the birthers were allowed right before the birth. Everyone said it was calming, so I might as well see what the fuss was about.

I dipped my fingers into the water, which continued to bubble up gently from the center. It was as warm as it was the previous night. I’d have to ask Kieran how they did it; he was likely to tell me without any insults.

I disrobed and slid into the heated water with a sigh. It felt just as amazing as the first time, and I closed my eyes as the water lapped at the edges of the pool. The water went to my waist if I stood in the middle, but the raised benches on the edges were much shallower. I had fun going through all the different ointments, now that I knew they were formeand not for someone else.

I sniffed delicately, the scents as exotic and new as the Drakens that surrounded me. I chose an oil that smelled like fruit and put it on my hair. I scrubbed my body vigorously and then lay still in the water, understanding why the other women loved their baths so much. To just sit in the warm water and donothingwas incredible. My eyes drifted closed, and I fell asleep.

I woke suddenly, and the reason for that was slouched against the doorframe, his face bored but his eyes telling a different story.

“GET OUT!” I screamed, thrashing slightly when I realized there were no more bubbles left to cover my body. My hand found one of the ceramic bottles and hurled it with impressive accuracy at his head. He snatched it out of the air, and with a vicious grin hurled it back. His face flattened when I caught it just as easily as he had. I picked up another, holding one in each hand.

“Care to try your chances with two?”

Benedict gave a long-suffering sigh and turned sideways so he wasn’t staring at me anymore.

“I wastryingto come and say, well, never mind now.”

“Say what?” I challenged, grabbing my dress from earlier and wrapping it around my body. I didn’t care if the water ruined it; I hated most of these dresses anyway. He faced me again, his lips pursed.

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