Call of the Siren (28 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Tendrils of light snaked across the nighttime sky, melding with the orange glow of artificial light that blanketed the city. The ever-present noises of traffic filtered up to the massive terrace of Keegan’s apartment. Leaning against the balustrade, Dagan took it all in.

He never thought he’d see this place again. Right now it seemed like heaven, even down to the noxious fumes drifting up from the jam-packed traffic on the streets far below. To be back here was like a dream. And when you added the knowledge that they’d not only defeated the dark fae, but also killed the sadistic father who’d raised them …

It was almost unbelievable.

The essence of Ronin’s aura floated out to brush across Dagan’s skin. Moments later, the glass door leading out to the terrace opened, and he strode out, whiskey glass in hand. Dagan stiffened, and turned to his older brother. Despite everything that had gone down tonight, there was still unfinished business between them. A lot left to be said.

“How’s Amara doing?” he asked.

“Fine,” Ronin said. “Still a little shaken, but doing well. She’s in Brynn’s room with her, Lina, and Maya.”

“We’re all still a little shaken. No point in denying it.”

“True.” Ronin took a gulp of his drink and stared out at the sky.

Dagan waited a moment before cautiously asking, “How’s Lina?”

When Ronin’s arm grew rigid, Dagan braced himself for a potential beat-down.

“I want to talk to you about that,” Ronin said, his gaze on the horizon. “I saw you kiss back in Romania. Heard what you said to each other.”

“I…” Dagan flushed, despite himself. He knew what his big brother was going to say, but he couldn’t help but wish Ronin would understand. Would accept him. “I can explain.”

“I’m not mad.”

Dagan blinked, processing those words. “Uh, what?”

A shadow of a smile tugged Ronin’s lips upward. He turned to face Dagan, his gaze stark and earnest. “Oh, I was for a second there. But then I realized, you two really meant those words you said to each other. All I truly want is for my baby sister to be loved. Protected. And hell, who better to do that than a man I’d trust with my own life?”

Holy…
Recognizing his mouth was open, Dagan snapped his jaw shut. Unexpected moisture built up behind his eyes, and he blinked to dispel it. “Shit.”

“Heh.” Ronin let out a soft chuckle and punched him in the shoulder. “Made you cry.”

“You fucker,” Dagan said without heat. Grinning, he turned back to the horizon.

They passed a few minutes in companiable silence before Ronin said, “I still can’t believe Mammon is dead.”

“Me either.”

After a whole lifetime of fearing the evil demon who’d sired them, the bastard was finally gone. The scary thing was, Dagan didn’t quite know how to feel about how it had gone down.

“You know, bro, I…I think he—”

He cut off at the distant sound of Keegan’s front door slamming.

“Thank the devil,” Ronin muttered. “They’re back.”

Dagan followed Ronin back inside, just in time to see Keegan and Taeg step into the living room. The tightness in his gut alleviated at the welcome sight of both his brothers.

“How’d it go?” Ronin asked.

Keegan and Taeg had accompanied Tenos to the dimension that housed the Council headquarters. Though they’d brought good news of the demise of both Belpheg and Mammon, there’d been no telling how the Council would react to it—or to Keegan and Taeg’s presence. Part of Dagan had feared they might refuse to let them leave, or automatically deport them back to Infernum.

Keegan and Taeg exchanged a loaded glance.

“It was…unexpected.” Their eldest brother strode toward the bottle of whiskey Ronin had left on the bar.

Uh oh.
When it came to the Council, “unexpected” rarely meant a good thing.

Ronin’s fist tightened around his glass, betraying his nervousness. “Don’t keep us hanging. What did they say?”

“We thought it was going to be a real shit storm at first.” Snorting, Taeg sauntered over to the leather sectional and slumped into it, kicking his feet back onto the coffee table. “You should have seen those bastards’ eyes widen when me and Keeg walked in.”

Dagan could only imagine. He doubted the Council members had been expecting that. “So what did they do?”

Keegan loosened the cap on the whiskey bottle and dug out a glass, pouring himself a stiff drink. “Well…the Council members who were responsible for destroying Belpheg’s clan have disappeared.”

“No shit.” Dagan leaned against the wall, absorbing that particular bit of news. “Can’t say I’m too surprised.”

“Nope,” Taeg agreed. “But that means they had three fresh spots on the Council. Guess who snagged one of them? Our friend Tenos.”

Ronin grinned. “That’s fantastic. Did he make the case for us to stay here on Earth?”

“Hell’s bells, he did more than that.” Taeg grinned and crossed one ankle over the other before shooting Keegan an amused glance. “Guess who scored one of the other openings?”

Dagan’s breath caught at the insinuation behind Taeg’s words. “You mean—?”

“Our big brother Keeg is Infernum’s newest Grand Councilman.”

Ronin let out a disbelieving guffaw. “Holy shit!”

“You said it,” Keegan muttered. He tossed back the contents of his glass in one big gulp, and then poured himself a refill. His hand shook just the slightest as he lifted the drink to his lips.

“Jeez.” Dagan studied his big brother. “What does this mean? Do you have to move?”

“No. I simply report to the Council headquarters for work every day.”

“That’s right, our big brother has an interdimensional commute,” Taeg said, clearly enjoying every moment of this.

Ronin snorted and, shaking his head, moved to take a seat on the couch. “I can’t believe it.”

“What about us?” Dagan asked. “Can we stay here on Earth?”

Because he couldn’t imagine his life anywhere else. Everyone he loved was here.

Lina was here.

“Not just that. You, me, and Ronin are the newest Council liaisons.” Taeg gave a delighted chuckle. “Welcome to middle management, baby brother.”

Dagan’s mouth dropped open. He leaned all his weight against the wall at his back. Right now, he needed the extra support. “Middle management…holy shit.”

“It’s been a crazy night,” Keegan murmured. “Almost too impossible to believe.”

“That about sums it up.” Dagan took a heavy breath. “Since we’re on the topic of stuff that’s hard to believe…something happened earlier tonight…when I was fighting Mammon.”

His brothers’ eyes locked on him.

“With everything that happened, I hadn’t even given myself time to reflect on that one,” Keegan confided.

“Yeah, I can’t believe the bastard is finally dead.” Taeg gave Dagan a sober glance. “The fact that you were able to defeat him…it’s just fucking awesome.”

“That’s the thing. I…I think he let me.”

Ronin’s jaw dropped. “You think he
let
you kill him?”

“I know it sounds crazy but, it felt like he intentionally loosened his grip.”

Taeg slid his feet off the coffee table and scooted forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Why would he do such a thing? Why would he sacrifice himself like that?”

“I’ve been over it again and again in my head,” Dagan confessed, “and that’s what I can’t figure out. Is it possible that he repented in the end? That he regretted the things he’d done?”

They spent several long moments in silent contemplation.

“I doubt it,” Ronin finally said. “I can’t imagine him ever feeling remorse.”

Keegan nodded. “More likely he couldn’t stomach the thought of living in a world where he was nothing more than Belpheg’s solider.”

“Yeah, you know how he fancied himself the ruler of all worlds,” Taeg quipped.

Ronin raised a hand to his chin, rubbing at the growth of stubble. “So what’s going to happen to Rage? And to the incubus who helped us out in the end?”

“Tenos and I convinced the Council to offer them redemption,” Keegan said. “They’re to be tasked with chasing down the escaped Council members and bringing them into justice, in exchange for leniency for their roles in Belpheg’s plot.”

Dagan shrugged. “Sounds like a good deal to me.” And he was glad to hear Rage would be cut a break. He didn’t know the guy from Adam, but he
had
helped them in the end. Without him, they would have surely lost.

“So…” Keegan took another big gulp from his glass. “It’s over.”

Not quite. In fact, it was more like a new beginning. And Dagan knew just how he wanted to start.

He pushed off the wall. “I’m, ah…I’m gonna run downstairs. I’ll be back in a few.”

Ronin lifted a brow. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.”

But soon, if everything went the way he’d hoped, it’d be even better.

…

After ensuring Amara was okay and watching Aegin fall into an exhausted slumber in Brynn’s arms, Lina headed out to the living room of Keegan’s apartment in search of Dagan. With all the excitement going on, the two of them hadn’t gotten a single moment alone since they’d returned to New York City.

It was hard for a self-professed loner to admit, but she missed him. More than that…like an addict starved for a fix, she craved his presence.

She didn’t find what she was looking for, but she did spot Keegan and Ronin out on the balcony, leaning over the railing in what looked to be deep conversation. When she opened the door, they cut off and looked her way.

“I’m looking for Dagan,” she said.

“He stepped out,” Keegan supplied. “Should be back any moment.”

“Oh.” Would have been nice if he’d checked in before he left, but she supposed she should cut him some slack. He wasn’t used to sharing himself with anyone. Neither was she. That was something they’d have to work on getting used to. Together.

“Okay, thanks.”

When she moved to step back inside, Ronin called out, “Lina, wait.”

She paused.

“I…” He looked hesitant. “I was hoping we could talk.”

Keegan pushed away from the railing. “I should be getting inside anyway. It’s been a long night, and we could all use some rest.”

Stepping onto the balcony, Lina murmured a good night to Keegan, then strode over to take a place beside Ronin. Glowing ribbons of yellow cut across the night sky, heralding the rapid approach of daybreak. Given everything that had occurred this past night, compounded with the time difference between here and Romania, this seemed like it had been the longest night in the history of time.

“I feel like I could sleep for a week,” she murmured.

Ronin let out a hoarse chuckle and rested his elbows on the railing right beside her. “After this night, you deserve to. We all do.”

“So…I imagine you start your new duties as Council liaison soon, right?”

When Ronin looked surprised, she added, “Taeg told Maya about it, and she filled us in.”

“Oh.” He let out a long breath. “Things are changing, and finally for the better.”

She thought of Dagan. Of the time they’d shared. “Yes they are.”

Almost as if he’d read her mind, Ronin said, “Listen, Lina. About you and Dagan…I want you to know that I respect you and your ability to make decisions. Whatever’s going on between you two, I’m okay with it. I support you.”

“Wow.” She let his words absorb. “Thank you.”

He nodded, and when he started to push away from the railing, her next words blurted out of her without any warning.

“I wasn’t really mad at you, you know.”

Ronin froze. “What do you mean?”

“I know I seemed like I blamed you for leaving, but it was never really about that. I…I was scared to let you in again. Scared of loving and losing you all over again.”

His eyes went soft, and his hand rose to gently rub across her cheek. “Lina…I know.”

An old, constant tightness that she hadn’t even recognized eased in her chest. She let the breath flow from her lungs in one slow exhale. Maybe now that they’d defeated their enemy, she and her long-lost brother could truly reconnect once more.

Ronin gave her a boyish grin that was somehow so reminiscent of that young, carefree boy she’d once known.

“Lina,” he murmured, “I give my word as your brother, I’ll never leave you again.”

Never leave you again.

Such an impossible promise to make. No one knew what the future held. But somehow when he said the words she believed them, and her heart was all the lighter for it.

She began to return his smile, when Dagan’s voice broke through the night.

“That makes two of us.”

She stiffened and turned her gaze to the balcony door. Dagan leaned against it, his hands casually slung into the pockets of his jeans.

Ronin’s hand dropped. “I’d better go check on Amara.”

Dagan moved aside to let Ronin through, and to Lina’s surprise, Ronin clapped Dagan on the shoulder as he passed by.

Well, hell.

Guess he really was okay with it.

With Ronin gone, she was free to focus all her attention on Dagan. On the man she loved.

“Hi there, sunshine,” he murmured.

When he smiled at her, her heart gave a funny flop. If she lived to be hundreds of years old, she didn’t think she’d ever meet a man who could rival his rugged beauty. Even though dark shadows lined the skin beneath his eyes, they still glowed with vigor, and the five o’clock shadow that practically lived on his face was on the verge of blossoming into full-out facial hair. It looked good on him, though. Everything looked good on him.