Page 19 of Wrong Mate

She cringed as she was sure she felt someone drag a single finger across her stomach.

“Killian?” she asked.

“Yeah. Something’s in the water.”

“We are.”

She screamed as she was pretty sure someone grabbed her ankle.

“Leah, stop panicking, you’refine.”

She was about to respond, to tell him to take this seriously, but she didn’t getthe chance as she felt herself dragged under. Her scream was swallowed up by the water. She closed her eyes, trying to think about what Lucinda had told her.

Mermaidsand sirens had been banished because they broke the sea code. They are not allowed to take human life. If a human dies under their care, they are responsible.

She was a human. They were killers.

She kept her eyes closed and drew upon the elements aroundher. She still couldn’t breathe, but in putting out the call, she knew something else would listen.

Something grabbed her wrists, and she opened her eyes to see Killian had followed her down.

The hiss behind her told her the mermaid or siren wasn’t happy. Past his shoulder, she saw another one coming toward him. There was more than fucking one. Seriously. She didn’t have time to wait for one of their own to come to their aid.

Instinct took over, and she drew the energy within her palm, a swirling water tornado, and launched it past Killian’s shoulder, blasting the sea creature with the bolt. Next, she took care of the one at her ankle. They were surrounded. She kept doing this, but it didn’t take them out for long.

Leah knew she was fast running out of air. She was growing weaker. And then, she heard it—the magic sound of a true siren.

She didn’t see what they did, but suddenly she and Killian were no longer in the water, but on the opposite side of the river, where their destination was meant to be.

Leah gasped for breath, taking big lungfuls into her mouth, sinking it right down to her chest. She was so thankful.

Killian wrapped his arms around her, and Leah opened her eyes, turning toward the river, where a single siren was perched on the edge. She had gems outlining her eyes, and a smile on her lips.

“Hello, Leah,” she said.

“Rachel.” She breathed out a sigh of relief.

The siren chuckled.

“You took your time.” Leah sat up and pushed her hair off her face.

“For that, I am sorry,” Rachel said. “I was surprised to hear your call.”

“Sirens and mermaids, living together in one river?” Leah asked.

“Yes, it is unusual, but they must be hunting together. Next time find a safer way to journey. I have told you many times, rivers and lakes are no place for humans, or little witches.” Rachel winked at her and then disappeared.

“What was that?” Killian asked.

“That was a siren. Her nameis Rachel.”

“And you’re on first-name terms with a siren now?” he asked.

“I’ve known her for years. Rachel and I kind of met when we were kids. The coven had to do work with the sirens and mermaids several times. We trade magic for obscure gifts from the ocean that they can locate. Rachel was a young siren, and we hit it off. We see each other from time to time, but to hang out, I have to go to the beach or take a boat out to the ocean. She was the one that warned me about the banished sirens and mermaids, and where to locate them.”

“How did she know to come?” Killian asked.

“When we were kids, she told me how to use the signal under the ocean, to send out a locator distress call. That’s what I did, and she responded.” She breathed out a sigh of relief. “Can we go now? The mermaids and sirens are still in that water, and, well, I don’t want to run the risk of them figuring out how to walk on land.”

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