Call of the Siren (4 page)

Lina threw on her clothes and topped them with her leather jacket. Overkill considering it was June, but there was no better way to hide her collection of knives. Just then her cell phone rang.

She read Ronin’s name on the screen and, muttering a curse, hit the ignore button. Their relationship was complicated, to say the least. Ever since they’d found each other again, he kept pressing to renew their former brother-sisterly bond, especially after his father Mammon had broken out of prison and disappeared from the Council’s radar. He acted as if Mammon would go after
her
, just to spite him.

While Lina couldn’t deny that some part of her was secretly happy Ronin was so eager to reconnect with her, as the saying went:
once burned, twice shy
. It had killed her when he’d disappeared from her life at the age of five.

Just one more person on the long list of loved ones who’d abandoned her, in one way or another.

Lina headed for her door and threw it open…right as a man on the other side raised his hand to knock. He drew back, startled, and they blinked at each other.

She examined the stranger’s face. There was something familiar about it, about his eyes and the stark lines and angles of his lower face. But no, she couldn’t quite place it.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

His piercing gaze searched her face before he gave her a slow smile. “What’s the matter, Lina? Don’t remember me?”

Her throat closed at the sound of his familiar, scratchy voice. There was no mistaking
that
.

Suddenly weak and unsteady, she braced her quivering hand on the doorframe and examined him more thoroughly.

Gods, how could she have missed it? True, he looked far different from the last time she’d seen him. He’d cut the dirty blond hair that had once fallen to his mid-back. It now hung in long strands around his face. His yellow eyes—typical of a hubrin demon—had been glamoured brown and now possessed a clarity she had never before seen. His beard was gone. He’d also filled out quite a bit over the past years. Whereas his six-and-a-half foot frame had once been wiry, now his brown leather jacket, ratty jeans, and plain white T-shirt covered layers of muscle. On top of that, his multicolored, moth-like wings were hidden.

But still, how could she not immediately recognize him?

“Thorne.”

His smile widened. “That’s right, baby. I knew you would never forget me.”

How could she? The man had ruined her life.

She forced herself to stand tall, when all she wanted to do was curl into a ball and weep at the agonizing memories the sight of him elicited. “You look better. Does that mean you’re off the drugs?”

Thorne looked her up and down. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Bastard
. He would throw that back in her face.

“Two years now. No thanks to you.”

He made a
tsk
-ing sound. “Still blaming me for your troubles?”

“You
are
to blame.”

When he only smirked at her, Lina took a deep breath. Thorne had always known how to get under her skin, in one way or another. She wouldn’t let him rile her. But she
would
figure out what the hell he wanted, and then send him on his way.

“How’d you get into the building?” She didn’t live in a place highbrow enough to have a doorman, but there was a lock on the main door, and guests were supposed to be buzzed in.

Thorne had the nerve to look amused. “The lock on the front door is busted.”

Yeah, and why did she get the feeling that he’d been the one to do the busting?

Her fingers tightened on the doorframe, and she infused a layer of steel into her voice. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

He ignored her questions, instead pushing past her into the apartment. His presumptiveness ignited a bitter burst of fury inside her chest. How dare he assume he was welcome here? Thorne no longer knew anything about her. She wasn’t even the same woman she’d been two years ago.

Forcing back the desire to smash him into the ground, Lina closed the door. “I said, how did you find me?”

Thorne paused in his perusal of her living space and turned to face her. “Been living in this dimension—in the city—for about a year now. I heard some rumors of a hot angel mercenary fitting your description. Couldn’t believe it’d be you. I mean,
you
, a mercenary? But I asked around anyway, and what a surprise…here you are.”

He’d searched for her? How had he gotten her address? It wasn’t as if she gave that out to any guy on the street. And more importantly,
why
had he tracked her down? He must know he was the last person she’d ever want to see. The mere sight of him made her stomach clench in agony. Made the memories shoved into the deep, dark recesses of her mind come seeping out in festering streams of anguish.

She’d failed Sara, the person who mattered most in the world. Because of him.

“What do you want from me?” she asked.

He tilted his head, and his eyes softened. “I heard about Tara. Tough break.”

Just like that, his words broke the carefully constructed dam in her self-control. She let loose a scream that couldn’t be contained and rushed him without an ounce of the finesse she’d busted her ass to learn these past few years.

He caught her arm at the last moment. And then—damn the bastard—he laughed.

Laughed.

“I’ve missed you, Lina. You never even told me you were leaving. I was left wondering. Worrying.”

Lina swallowed past the raw lump in her throat and blinked back the tears that threatened to escape. “You’ve never worried about anyone but yourself, asshole. Nothing could make that clearer than you not remembering that her name was
Sara
!”

His fingers tightened on her wrist, and a scowl lined his face, along with an honest expression of shame. He swallowed hard and leaned in close. “I still—”

The sharp rap on her door cut Thorne off in mid-sentence. Lina jerked her arm away.

“Don’t
touch
me,” she said in a low tone. “Never again.”

Thorne sighed. “Lina, I didn’t come here to fight.”

“Then why did you come here?”

Before he could answer, the knock sounded again.

Lina shot Thorne a furious glance and headed across the room to the door. She opened it to reveal yet another surprise on the other side. One more person she most certainly hadn’t expected to see.

Dagan.

Her mouth dropped open. “What are
you
doing here?”

One of Dagan’s thick brows arched, as if in silent reproach over her sharp tone. “I happened to be in the neighborhood so I thought I’d stop by, see how you’re doing after last night.”

She snapped her mouth shut before she could point out the obvious—that he’d never been here before, and that Ronin would no doubt flip his shit if he knew Dagan was here.

As if he sensed her train of thought, Dagan propped his shoulder on the doorframe and gave her an easy grin that showcased his perfect white teeth. He wore faded jeans and a black T-shirt that had the words TOO SEXY FOR THIS SHIRT stamped in bold white letters. A five o’clock shadow accentuated the powerful angles of his square jaw, emphasizing the truth of that statement. And although his turquoise-glamoured eyes were hidden by his aviator sunglasses, she imagined they were boring a hole into her.

“Well?” he prompted.

“I’m fine.” Even though she wasn’t, thanks to that bastard Thorne.

Dagan crossed his arms. “You sure?”

Before she could respond, his smile faded. Lina didn’t need to glance behind her to see that Thorne had stepped into his view, right behind her. The asshole’s warm breath brushed the back of her hair, way too close for her comfort.

“Who’s this, babe?” Thorne asked.

Dagan frowned and straightened off the doorframe.

“None of your business,” Lina said without looking back. “You need to leave now.”

The force of Thorne’s displeasure hit her like a laser beam to her spine. “We still need to talk.”

Oh, that was funny. She whirled to face him.

Amazing how the sight of the man she’d once loved now brought nothing but pain and fury.

“Anything we had to talk about is long gone,” she snapped. “Now
go
.”

Anger darkened Thorne’s eyes, and for a moment, she feared he’d defy her. But then, with a stiff nod, he stepped around her…directly into Dagan’s path.

Much to Lina’s surprise, Thorne was an inch or two taller and a little wider than Dagan. Damn, the jerk really had filled out. No doubt his heart was still a cold, hollowed-out space, though. Whatever appeal had once drawn her to him was no more. As she’d learned all too well, the man was nothing but an empty shell.

When Thorne assessed Dagan with the obvious swagger of a man measuring his competition and finding him lacking—as if she was some piece of ass he could fight over—Dagan’s back stiffened and his hands clenched. To his credit, though, his voice sounded perfectly even when he asked, “Who are you?”

Thorne stared him down for one beat longer before curling his lips into a smug grin. He glanced back at her. “Is this the guy you’re fucking now?”

Lina had to hand it to Dagan—the man could move
fast
. Her vision barely registered the flash of his arm as he snatched a handful of Thorne’s shirt and dragged him closer, emitting a low growl that was deep and ominous enough to send a shiver throughout her body. “What did you say to her?”

“Stop.” Before either of them could strike, Lina placed her hands on their chests. “If anyone is going to kick anyone else’s ass here, it’s going to be me.”

She ignored Thorne’s disbelieving guffaw. He hadn’t seen her since she’d grown a spine. He didn’t know.

When she glanced at Dagan, his jaw was clenched. Just when she thought he wasn’t going to listen to her, he released Thorne’s shirt and pulled away.

“Leave.
Now
,” Lina said to Thorne. “And don’t come back.”

Thorne smirked, but he slid past Dagan without further antagonism before facing her again. “This isn’t over, Lina. We
will
talk.” He turned and took a few steps, then paused and peered back over his shoulder. “I wonder, Lina, does
he
know about Sara?”

With that parting shot, he left.

Dagan made a low, inhuman sound in his throat and took a step toward Thorne’s retreating figure.

Lina placed a hand on his arm. “Let him go, Dagan.”

The look he gave her was filled with fury so deep she could read it even through the tinted lenses that hid his eyes. “He’s an asshole.”

“No disagreement here, but I can take care of myself.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but in the end he gave her a curt nod. “You’re right.”

An unexpected burst of pleasure lit inside her at his words. Nice to know one of the two men respected her, at least.

“Who was he?” Dagan asked, his gaze still on the corridor Thorne had disappeared down. His body remained tense, as if he expected the man to round back into sight at any moment.

Lina’s gaze dropped to the rigid muscles in his arms and got stuck there. Now that Thorne was gone, there was nothing to protect her from her body’s purely sexual response to Dagan’s presence. While he resembled Ronin in many ways, it was the differences that she couldn’t help but notice: the square curve of his jaw, the muscular angles of his body, the fullness of his lips.

Truth be told, the last thing she thought of when she looked at Dagan was Ronin. More like lust and sin and mind-blowing sex. He’d had that effect on her from the moment they’d met…which meant he was far too dangerous to be around. She needed more personal entanglements like she needed a hole in the end. Once upon a time she’d let herself become entangled, and nothing good had come of it.

“No one,” she said, when he raised a brow and turned his sunglass-shielded gaze back to her.

“Lina,” he pressed.

She stifled a shiver when his voice made her stomach flutter and her thighs grow moist. It wasn’t as if he could help the blatant desire his voice sparked. That was only his half siren heritage at work.

“He’s my ex,” she admitted with reluctance.

Dagan slid his sunglasses from his face so that his eyes bored into her. “And who’s Sara?”

The question made her wince and turned her insides into a boiling tempest. Damn Thorne for bringing it up to him. For mentioning her at all. He had no effing right.

“No one,” she repeated weakly.

Dagan stared at her for one long moment before shaking his head. “Bullshit, Lina, who is she?”

Oh fuck, might as well tell him. It wasn’t as if he had to know any details. And she already knew he would persist until he’d gotten a response he was satisfied with. In that, he was far too much like Ronin.

She took a fortifying breath. “Sara was our daughter.”

Chapter Four

Wasn’t it just like a woman to drop a landmine on you and then act as if nothing had happened?

“She was your
what
?” Dagan ground out, reeling from what Lina had just confessed.

Lina ignored his question, turning instead to stride further into her apartment. He followed her inside and slammed the door shut.

Behind the sofa, which sat in the center of the room, a pass-through window peeked into a tiny kitchen. He carelessly tossed his sunglasses on the counter and stalked after Lina, who’d crossed the room to stare out the large glass window laid into the upper half of her deck door. She didn’t even glance at him, so he grasped her arm. “Lina.”

“What?” She faced him, her eyes blazing with emotion.

“You had a child?”

“Yes. She’s dead.”

The stiffness of Lina’s posture belied her casual tone. This topic hurt her. A lot. How could it not?

Dagan released her arm. “How long ago?”

“Two years.” Lina sighed and ran a hand through her hair, flipping it behind her shoulders. “It’s fine. I’ve adjusted.”

“Bullshit. No one is ever
fine
after losing their child.”

When her face crumpled, he cursed himself for being a stupid, insensitive bastard. “Oh hell, I’m sorry.”

He tried to pull her into his arms, but she jerked away, composing herself. “Don’t worry about it.”

Even though she’d just rejected him, he ached with the desire to hold her. To comfort her. But she wouldn’t accept that. Not from him. Not from anyone, maybe. So he strove for understanding instead.

“How did it happen?”

After a long pause, she shook her head. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Of course not. “Are you ever going to share anything about yourself?”

That earned him a dry glance. “What do you care?”

“I do care.” He lifted a hand to her cheek, and to his surprise, her breath sucked in at his soft caress.

She pulled back, more gently this time. “It’s in the past, Dagan. Thorne and I are no longer bonded.”

“What? You were
bonded
?” She’d been bonded—the demon equivalent of marriage—and he hadn’t even known?

Wait a second. If he didn’t know…

“Ronin doesn’t have a clue about any of this, does he?”

“No.”

Unable to help himself, he grasped her forearms and whirled her to face him straight-on. Tried to ignore how right she felt in his arms. “You have to tell him.”

In a flash of temper, her eyes changed from their normal powder blue to the color of the roiling sea during a fierce storm. “No, I don’t.”

“When he finds out you’ve been keeping this from him, he’ll be devastated.” And that was an understatement. Ronin blamed himself for the pain Lina had suffered from losing him, even though it hadn’t been Ronin’s fault that Mammon had stolen him away from his mother and adopted sister. Once he learned what Lina had suffered in her past, it would kill him. The only thing that would soften the blow was if Lina told him herself.

A sudden fit of anger struck him at Lina’s treatment of Ronin these past few months.

“He loves you, Lina. He’d do anything for you, and all you do is treat him like shit. He wasn’t there for you back then, but he’s here now. Get over it. And
tell
him.”

Lina frowned and placed her hands on his chest, trying to shove him away. “So we’re supposed to tell him everything? Does that mean you’re going to tell him you stopped by here today, or what you were doing at Opiate last night, when you were
supposed
to be working?”

Dagan sucked in a breath at her not so subtle blackmail attempt. Even though part of him wanted to slink away at the shameful thought of what she’d seen last night, he forced himself to meet her eyes. Because he sensed something else behind those words…

“You almost sound like you’re jealous,” he said.

“Jealous? Ha!” Two splotches of color darkened her cheeks, and she half-heartedly struggled against his grasp.

Holy shit, he was onto something here. Yeah, he’d always sensed an intense sexual awareness when she was around, but since she’d pretty much brushed him off every time he’d been in her vicinity, he’d dismissed it as being one-sided. But the way her pupils dilated before his very eyes, the way her vanilla and honey scent deepened with the alluring scent of musk, he was starting to think maybe it was more than that. Maybe she was just as attuned to him as he was to her. Maybe…

Their gazes caught, and something wild and electric thickened the air between them, sparking the fierce staccato beat of his heart and hardening his cock. Her chest heaved, and his hands involuntarily tightened on her arms, as if they were going to pull her in without any conscious thought on his part. When Lina’s mouth parted and her tongue flicked across her lower lip, the muted tunes of desire that filled his head in her presence rose to a staggering crescendo.

Oh hell…

Just as Dagan was about to crush her to him, the doorbell rang. They both jumped, and the heaviness in the air dissipated.

When he took a steadying breath and threw her a questioning glance, she gave a nonchalant shrug. “I’m not expecting anyone. But then, I didn’t expect you or Thorne either.”

His jaw tightened at the mention of her ex, but then, like a derailed train, it hit him what had almost happened between them.

Son of a bitch.

Dagan flung himself away from Lina, his gut clenching with the unmistakable acknowledgment that he was a total shit.

How could he? Here he’d been, about to repeat the same damn pattern all over again, all because of his stupid dick. Why couldn’t he, for the sake of his brother, just leave Lina the fuck alone?

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Lina avoided his eyes and strode across the room to peek through the peephole of her front door. She froze, and a moment later, he understood why.

“It’s me, Lina,” Ronin’s voice said through the door.

Shit. Double shit.

Think of his brother, and there he appeared. But the last thing Dagan wanted was for Ronin to find him here. No telling what he’d assume.

He’d think you were macking on Lina, that’s what.

And apparently he’d be right.

You asshole.

Lina turned to Dagan with a grimace. She crossed the room and spoke in a low tone. “Maybe you should leave through the roof deck.”

Good to know he wasn’t the only one feeling tense at the thought of Ronin catching the both of them together.

Dagan moved aside so Lina could unlock the deadbolt and then followed her out to the deck. He couldn’t fly, but he could always jump. At least, thanks to his demon heritage, the four-story fall wouldn’t be enough to kill, or even really hurt, him.

“Take the fire escape.” Lina pointed to one end of the roof.

Even better.

He climbed onto the fire escape. “Oh, and Lina.”

When he faced her, she gave him a look of challenge. “What?”

“Tell him. Or I will.”

“I will,” she snapped. But then, much to his surprise, her face took on a half-pleading expression. “Just give me some time.”

When she said it like that, it was impossible to resist her…even if he knew he should.

“One week, no more.” When her mouth tightened, he added, “Believe me, he’ll want to hear it from you.”

Dagan turned and concentrated on making his way down the fire escape. Thank the devil that the only parking spot he’d been able to find was several blocks away. There was little chance Ronin had seen his car as he walked up to the building.

Because if Ronin found out he’d been here…he’d probably kill him.

…

When Ronin’s knock elicited no response, he frowned and raised his hand again. He could’ve sworn he’d heard some movement coming from inside Lina’s apartment. Could she be ignoring him?

Truth be told, he honestly didn’t know the answer to that question. His relationship with Lina was…complicated. It had been like a dream come true when he’d found her several months ago. After two decades of wondering, he’d finally found her safe and sound. But the separation had made her bitter, and he’d quickly come to realize she’d suffered a lot in his absence. If only he had been there for her.

He couldn’t change the past, but he could be here for her now. No matter how difficult she made it for him, or how much she tried to avoid him.

The deadbolt on the door clicked, and it swung open to reveal Lina on the other side. She wore her leather jacket.

“Going somewhere?”

“I was heading out for a job. What are you doing here?
Unannounced?
”

He ignored the obvious ire in her voice. “The lock on the front entrance is busted.”

Lina scowled, but didn’t respond. When she didn’t make any move to allow him inside, he asked, “Do you have a minute?”

She moved back with a muttered curse. “Must be national ‘Visit Lina Day.’”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.” She crossed into her tiny kitchen in measured strides then peered at him through the window that looked into the living room. “Want a drink?”

“Sure.”

Ronin walked to the pass through and watched as Lina took two glasses out of her cupboard and poured them generous portions of Johnny Walker Black.

They had the same taste in liquor. That had to count for something, didn’t it?

Lina handed him a glass. “Where’s Amara?”

He smiled at the mention of his better half. “Her mother talked her into going shopping. She claims I’m keeping Amara hidden away now that Mammon escaped, and that she needs to relieve a little bit of the stress from being constantly cooped up.”

Lina let out a snort. “Shopping with the mother from hell. I don’t envy her.”

“Me either.” He downed the contents of the glass, reveling in the smooth burn of the liquid. “I came by to see how you’re doing.”

Lina shot Ronin an amused glance and spread her arms wide, staring down at her torso. “All in one piece, as you can see.”

“Your side is feeling better?”

She gave him a “No duh” look. “Um, yeah…I’m an angel. I heal pretty quickly, in case you didn’t know.”

Never let it be said Lina didn’t enjoy a little bit of sarcasm.

She chugged her drink and set the glass down, meeting his gaze. “So why are you really here?”

Ronin stifled the urge to smile. He had to admit, one of the things he liked most about this new, grown-up Lina was her lack of hesitation in calling people out.

“I’ve been looking more into Sam’s background and trying to figure out why he might have turned against you. Whether he has some sort of connection to the dark fae, or to Mammon.”

Lina shrugged. “Wish I knew. Don’t know much about the guy, other than I met him at Eros and he’s been a damned good mercenary every time I’ve worked with him. Not a lot surprises me anymore, but yeah, I must say I was shocked he turned against me.”

Just one more person who’d let Lina down. Like him.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“Whatever,” she said, appearing completely nonchalant about the fact that someone she trusted had betrayed her. “I tried calling him a couple of times, but hey, go figure, he didn’t answer.”

No surprise there. Sam must know he was going to face retribution for his actions, at Ronin’s hand if no one else.

“One of my contacts has been trying to track down information for me on Sam’s whereabouts.” He set his empty glass down on her counter. “I’m meeting him at Eros tonight, and I thought you might want to go with me.”

Lina grabbed the whiskey bottle, poured each of them one more drink, and recapped the bottle. “No thanks.”

Ronin paused in the act of taking hold of his glass. “What?”

“I’m pissed he fucked me over. Of course I am. But I’m not really interested in getting revenge.”

He shot her a disbelieving glance. “Are you serious? Don’t you want to know why Sam betrayed you?”

Lina rested her hands on the counter and shifted her weight. “I figure I pretty much know why. The dark fae made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

“Well then, don’t you at least care what this dark fae is up to?”

She let out a low, easy laugh. “Ronin, you should know by now that I’m not into all this political bullshit. I only care when I’m paid to care.”

Ronin stared at her, aghast at her callous words. How could she be so fucking shallow? He opened his mouth to spit out a blazing retort, but the challenge in her eyes stopped him cold.

Shit, she was trying to pick a fight with him. Nothing new here. She’d done it quite a few times over the past few months.

Lina clearly harbored resentment toward him for the mistakes he’d made. Her insistence on getting paid was probably one more way of sticking it to him for not being there for her when she was a child.

Well, if that was the way she wanted it…

He chugged his entire glass of whiskey. “Then I’ll pay you to care.”

Lina stared at him for one long moment before the fight went out of her. Her shoulders sagged, and she appeared more soul-weary than he’d ever seen her before. “I’m really not up for a trip to Eros toni—”

“Five grand.”

She stiffened and gave him a suspicious glance. “You’ll give me five grand just for going to Eros with you?”

“And wherever else we need to go to track Sam down.”

Truth be told, if Ronin could reconnect with Lina even the slightest bit while out on this mission, it would be well worth the expense.

“Besides…I’m worried about you,” he admitted. “With Mammon on the loose somewhere, it just isn’t safe for you out there alone.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I told you, Mammon has no reason to go after me. You’re just being overprotective.”

That was exactly what he thought she’d say, which was why he’d hired a guy to tail her went she left her home. It wasn’t a foolproof plan of action, however. Lina could fly, which meant she slipped from his view every now and again. The more time she spent with Ronin, the better. He would protect her with his dying breath.