Page 56 of The Lost Siren

“My whole family would be dead without her. Fight us if you have to.”

Benedict backed away, his pride warring with his sense of duty. I knew he wouldn’t do anything that hurt his people, and so did Gelf. Benedict backed down, and roughly grabbed me.

“I do this only for my people.”

He bit down again into the back of my neck, and I shrieked in agony.

SEVENTEEN

Iawoke abruptly, gasping. Benedict hovered over me, the smell of blood and death in the air. I tried to sit up, but his hands pushed me down. My neck at least felt better, but the rest of my body felt like it had been dropped off the edge of the mountain. His face lingered my ears, his voice a deadly hiss.

“You’ve taken everything from me; my uncle, my nephew, my brother, mypeople, and myhope.”

His hand squeezed my neck, his fangs promising murder.

“‘I know," I admitted weakly, unable to stop him as he grabbed my short sword from where it lay at my side.

“I should have known this would happen. I can’t believe I evercaredabout you.” My heart froze, elation clashing with utter despair as his eyes filled with such hatred. I didn’t care: if there had been a moment atsometime where he had cared for me, it would make all of it worth it.

“You’ve disrupted everything. For over six hundred years I’ve ruled my people, and at first glance you nearly send me to my knees with your eyes, yourscent. I was disgusted with myself. I still am.”

I tried to jerk away, but he held me still.

“You’re soignorantof everything that it makes me want toscream. How could anyone be so unaware, so helpless?"

I writhed against him, but his hand across my neck squeezed lightly in warning.

“Then I tasted your blood, and I knew I was in trouble. I obsessed about it, I got in fights with the others, for no reason, and every thought I had was just another scheme on how to make youbleed. Then you gave out a distress call, and I would have happily murdered every one of my subjects for you.”

His hands slid down to grip my waist underneath the breeches, inching closer to that place thatached, thatburnedfor him. Because despite his hatred, despite his pain, I had never wanted anyone else in the world more than I wanted him at this moment.

“You liked it...liked being with me,” I whispered, a faint echo of hope stirring to life within my chest. His lips twisted with disdain.

“Just because Iwantyou, doesn’t mean Ilikeyou.”

It was a slap in the face, but it didn’t keep me from moaning as his tongue dragged across my neck, healing the little scrapes and lesions from the fight.

“You did something to me,” I panted, my mind spinning to rationalize everything I felt.

“You made me drink your blood when I first came here, and now I make strange noises, and now—”

“Your every waking thought is of me? You can’t sleep, you can’t eat, and every muscle vibrates in anticipation of the feel of your skin against mine? Join thefucking party."

Then the anger left him suddenly, his chest heaving with exertion.

“And now, I’ve failed my people in every way. The Overlord knows where we are, and the siren is still lost to us.Iam a failure.”

My dagger gleamed as he held it in his hands, and in one horrifying moment I knew his intention.

“No, it isn’t your fault! None of this was your fault! Your uncle tries to murder you and take your people and it’syourfault? You’re fucking psychotic!”

The other Drakens muttered at the tone of my voice, but Benedict grabbed me, and we disappeared.

He dropped me on the ground, and I was startled by the feeling of the wind on my face. The sky above me pelted me with cold rain, while the storm raged around us. Thunder roared, making it impossible to hear anything other than the fury of nature.

“Rhyfel’s sacrifice was simple,” Benedict began, yelling over the tempest. “The lost siren would be protected as long as I stayed away from her, as long as I refused to claim her. If I kept my people in this mountain, no one would know where she was. If I justkept away, she was safe.”

A small bit of my heart cracked, hearing him speak so fondly of anyone, even if it wasn’t me. It was a distraction from the pain riddling my body, at least. I vaguely wondered why he was telling me this. He continued, a snarl marring his face.

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