Page 42 of The Lost Siren

“To not be massacred like pigs!” He roared back. I stumbled backwards, spreading my body to further cover the sword. His fear didn’t make sense, unless...unless—

“You told the Overlord where the Drakens are, didn’t you? Severn didn’tknowuntil youcrawled to him like a dog, offering whatever information you could to save your own sorry ass! Benedict wouldn’t be that stupid; if he met someone here it was to throw them off thescent!”

Bair advanced on me, his fangs flashing. I held my ground; I couldn’t let him see the sword.

“That’s not true!” He roared. “Severn already knew! He HAD to have known, otherwise...otherwise…”

I growled, vibrating with rage.

“Otherwise,youwere the one to betray your entire species. And you saidIwas stupid!” My voice was nasty, my body shaking. Bair momentarily looked lost, like someone who had memorized the wrong map, and suddenly found themselves surrounded by the enemy. If only he knew! My hand found the sword’s hilt, gripping it securely.

“But D’Arcy said—"

“What did D’Arcy say?”

Bair froze. “You won’t be joining me. You didn’t mean any of it, did you?”

I rolled my eyes.

“No, I won’t be joining you, because you’re acoward, and a bastard to ever think of betraying your people!”

“You won’t live long enough totellanyone,” he sneered, lunging for me. I grabbed the sword and lunged blindly, but it was too heavy for me to wield effectively, and Bair easily dodged my blows. He had a strong hand around my throat before I could raise it again, his claws tapping lightly on my skin.

“D’Arcy’s right; youmustbe a spy. Don’t eventhinkof calling for help; not until I’m ready for Benedict to find your ravagedbody. I’ll tell everyone you betrayed, and that when I found out you tossed yourself over the side of the cliff in shame! I’m sure Kieran will at least mourn you.”

I tried to hold onto the sword, but he squeezed harder, and black dots appeared at the edges of my vision. The sword clattered to the ground, and I realized with a pang no one was coming to save me; hell, no one even knew where Iwas. Kieran and Ronan probably still thought I was in thebedroom.

“Just go to sleep, it will all be better when you wake up.” Bair’s voice was patronizing, and the anger that surged through my veins filled me with renewed strength. If there wasanythingI hated, it was a cocky asshole. My foot came up and kicked him hard in his crotch, and he went down screaming. I grabbed the sword and screamed as loud as I could, my own eardrums throbbing with pain as it reverberated in the small space of the cave.

“You fucking BITCH!”

He lunged again but I was ready, taking the few tips Kieran and Ronan had taught me and using them the best that I could. He went for my throat again, but I aimed a kick at his head, slashing out with the sword in a short, controlled blow when he moved to deflect my leg. I caught him on the undersides of his arms, and he shrieked in pain. We both turned as a thundering sound was heard coming from the tunnels, and he grabbed my head and bashed it into the ground.

“BENEDICT! SHE’S TRYING TO KILL ME!” Panic and anger flooded my system, but it was hard to move as I was seeing double of everything. If Bair got to the Drakens first, would they believe him over me? I didn’t want to find out. I threw the sword with all the strength I told muster, even knowing it wouldn’t fly like a knife. By some miracle it hit home, embedding itself in Bair’s back. He dropped like a stone, and I stumbled over to him. I yanked the blade out from his back and that’s when he struck, catching the side of my face with his claws and raking them down my neck. I screamed; my voice laced with pain. His elbow came up and slammed on the top of my head, and I struggled to stay conscious. As he shakily stood over me, I pressed my hand down on my face, trying to stem the blood flow.Hiswound had already stopped bleeding. I watched his eyes unconsciously follow the flow of my blood down my chest, and I nearly laughed at the sense of power that I discovered there.I still had him.

“Wouldn’t you like to try it before he gets here?” I panted, holding my blood-soaked fingers out to him. “The others say that it tastes exquisite…”

Bair went rigid, and I made my eyes wide and innocent.

“You me, and I’ll let you drink as much as you want. Then we can run away, together.” I gave him a sultry look, one hand on my bleeding face, the other reaching for the fallen sword in the dirt. The idiot leaned in closer, and my arm with the sword went around his neck, hovering at the juncture between his head and his spine. HeknewI was a backstabbing bitch, but his Draken instincts were stronger, making him weak, and less aware of his surroundings.

His lips hovered above mine, his tongue flicking out to taste my blood. That’s when I struck: as hard as I could, I brought the sword down across the back of his neck, his mouth frozen in a surprised ‘O’ as I severed tendons and hit bone. He flopped uselessly over me, blood pouring down his back and staining my front. I pushed him off with a shove, shaking as I gathered my knives and wiped them on my pants. Bair reached out to me, his eyes frozen in a look of betrayal, which I thought was rich. His blood continued to pool around his body, leaving too quickly for him to heal. I tried to drop the sword, but I was shaking too much. Dripping with his blood, I turned around and found myself face-to-face with Benedict.

THIRTEEN

“Benedict, I can explain.”

Hatred burned in his purple eyes, and I managed to drop the sword to the ground with a clatter, my arms shaking.

“I think I heardenoughright before youbutcheredhim.” My jaw dropped as my stomach twisted with fear.

“No! It wasn’t like that at all! You don’t understand—"

I reached for him, but he swiped his claws at me as he stood in his Draken form.

“I understandjustfine. It wasn’t enough to damn my species to extinction, was it? And to think, Ibelievedyou when you said you didn’t know who I was, and that you knew nothing of this arrangement. Whatelsedid Bair find out, what secret was so terrible you had tomurder my baby brother?"

I didn’t know what to say...whatcouldyou say in the face of such accusations? Tears ran down my face, but he turned away from me.

---