Wyrd Calling (Wyrd Bound Book 1) (18 page)

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After what felt like an eternity, I uncurled and sat up. I couldn't forgive him. I couldn't make everything magically turn into some blissful state, there was far too much still between us, but at least I understood. I kept my eyes lowered and the spark of happiness refused to creep out from the sanctuary within my ribcage. I didn't know if understanding made it better or worse. The betrayal seemed darker, heavier for having such a flimsy reason. He slowly lifted his hand and placed it on my cheek. He barely dared look at me, no doubt for fear of more screaming or perhaps biting. I leaned into his touch for a moment before I stood and pulled myself together. I concluded that the best option in that situation was to push forwards. Stop the siren killer. Stop further murders and quietly plot my revenge on the bitches who did all of this to me. I glanced back at him, the poor wretched soul that sat slouched on the bed. He was once so proud, a beautiful creature that commanded any room he stepped into. Maybe one day we would both return to our full glory, and even our place at each other's side.
 

I ran my fingertips over the pink lines on his neck, where I had marked him in my rage. I allowed the cool energies to trickle out over them and watched as they healed, removing the mark, and in some part, the memory. He leaned forwards just a touch and brushed his lips over my inner wrist. I flinched and pulled back without any thought. It was too much, it was too soon. I turned away as he sat up a little taller and collected himself.
 

"What did Lee say after I left?"

The quiet grinding noise from him clenching and gritting his teeth gave away so much. After a moment he let out a long breath and said, "She was found two blocks away from the other siren. Her neck was broken, but otherwise she was completely untouched. Her vocal chords were intact. There was no assault, outside of her actual murder, of course."

I frowned and rubbed my temples. That didn't make any sense. Sirens were worth a small fortune on the black market. Their vocal chords were revered by many for various reasons. Some used their hair in spells and hexes; others sold the organs to desperate people with far too much money to throw onto last ditch attempts.
 

"So, he's just killing them? He's not making any profit?"

Alex nodded and stood a little too close. He was testing me. He was testing us. I refused to budge and fought to keep my muscles relaxed.
 

"Maybe he feels he's freeing the world of parasites. There are plenty of people who view them as such."

I looked up at him. "You can't tell me you believe something so flimsy?"

He looked away before I realised what I'd said. I continued with, "Do we have anything on him? Did anyone see anything? Feel anything?"

"Apparently not. It's almost as though he's being protected. People who have seen him only have a vague sense of him. They can't give a full description, and there are never any witnesses."

I paced around the little room trying to pull the pieces together. I was missing something, and it was big. "Did Lee or Dan have any fresh insight or leads? Something?"

He shook his head. I pushed on. "How long ago was she found?"

"Maybe four hours."

It was a long shot, but we had to try. "Get me over there. Let's see what we can see."

** **

We left the cubs back at the apartment. Logically, I knew that it would be a good time to test them, and it could help to have some extra eyes and ears. I just couldn't deal with them in that moment. We walked with an awkward silence hanging between us as we scanned our surroundings trying to see or feel something, anything, out of place. The tall, pale-grey buildings blended into one another, the neatly cut grass didn't dare edge over the pristine curbs, and the trees stood to attention without so much as a whisper of rebellion. Everything was… perfect. Not a scrap of litter, nothing was out of place. That was, until we saw the dark red splatter on the tarmac. That was the only mark, and even that was neat and uniform, tidy little dots carefully scattered. I pursed my lips and carefully stretched my energies out hoping to find an imprint, something. Alex paced around the area doing the same thing. It felt clinical in its cleanliness. Even the usual traces and marks were missing. I pricked my ears and listened. Only the leaves occasionally rustled. There was no scurrying of rodents, chirping of birds, or melodies from voices. Not a single sound dared encroach on the scene. It was entirely barren, as though someone or something had come along with spiritual bleach and wiped everything clean.
 

I walked up to the bloodstain left on the tarmac and reached out to see if maybe there was something left behind in her blood. Nothing, not even a vague sense or trace of her. Alex scouted out around the area. He ran his fingers over the trees as he looked up into the branches in the vain hope of finding something. Anything. Every blade of grass was exactly as it should have been. None of them even had a crease of having been bent. We peered into every nook and cranny, we inspected every inch of the surrounding area, and yet, there was nothing. The energies had been entirely removed. If we weren’t so sure of our own senses, I would have thought I’d walked into a painting or an art installation. The plant life was clearly still alive, but the usual traces of energies surrounding them were gone. They must have been buried deep.
 

It was pristine. Even the pavement looked as though someone had scrubbed it clean. We spent what must have been an hour or more hunting for any little trace, a shred, a hint, something. There wasn’t a scrap of anything vaguely useful.

"Odd, isn't it, Suriel?"

I twisted around to find Lee standing behind me with his hands tucked in his pockets and his eyes slightly lowered. I sighed softly, "Very. Very odd."

Alex glared at him, but didn't say a word. I looked to Lee. "Any suggestions?"

He shook his head slowly, and the words scrambled to trickle out of his mouth, his tongue twisted trying to settle on the right ones before he said, "It's not like anything I've dealt with before."

That bothered me. I'd been Wyrd Bound for longer than I cared to remember, I'd seen and done everything, but that, that was new to me.
 

Alex tried to keep the growl from his voice. "Are we done here?"

"I'm going to speak to Lee. I'll meet you and the boys at that Thai place. We'll eat out tonight."

He kept his threats and demands to himself, but he didn't resist brushing his fingers over my lower back as he walked past us. His gaze never left Lee, but I let it slide. We all had a long way to go, and I didn't have the energy to get between them again.
 

Lee looked into my eyes and took a cautious step closer. I wanted to hate him, I wanted to hit and bite him for daring speak the way he did in the cafe. He slowly approached me while I fought to hold myself together. I couldn't afford to crumble in public. He wrapped his arm around my waist and whisked me away to the nearby park. He held me close and supported me as we walked, as I tried to bite back the memories and the questions. A grand old oak tree sheltered the bench, with its gnarled branches offering comfort overhead. I leaned on Lee's slender frame and looked down at my hands as they began to shake.
 

He stroked my hair and waited patiently.
 

"Did you know why Alex left?"

He rested his forehead on mine. "I had an inkling, an idea."

I looked into those rich green eyes, the colour of freshly cut grass. "Did you have anything to do with it?"

He didn't flinch, his eyes remained fixed on mine without so much as a flicker. "I won't deny that I had been tempted, but no, it was nothing to do with me."

I closed my eyes and tried to push the tears back. "How involved are you with them?"

His fingers found my cheek and brushed away the rogue tear that tumbled downwards, making a bid for freedom. "It's complicated. I'm bound, tied. I wish I could say it was in the way you liked."

My lips quivered with the thought of a smile at the memories he prodded with his comment. I sighed and pulled back to kiss his forehead before sitting up properly. "You have no ideas about this siren thing? None?"

He shook his head and continued stroking my hair, "I'm afraid not. You know I always do everything I can to help you, don't you?"

"I do."

I'd doubted at times, during the darkness, but I knew in the depths of everything that he meant it. His methods weren't always perfect, but he tried to help me, always. I was torn in that moment. I wanted to feel his warm lips pressed against mine, to lose myself in his charms, but I couldn't. It wouldn't have been fair to either of us.
 

"When will I see you again?"

His hand paused as he looked away. "I don't know."

"You're too entwined in this mess to get some freedom."

He merely nodded before he took my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. "I'm sorry Suriel, truly I am. I hope it won't be long."

With that, he left, as he had done so many times before, and as I knew he would do many times again.

20

I felt her before anything else. The slippery warm energies trying to consume my own as they lapped at my feet, desperately trying to claw their way upwards. I hated sirens. I focused for a moment and drove her energies back making her gasp and stop. The irritating clicking of her heels was grating on my nerves anyway. I turned and looked at her, my arms crossed and teeth slightly bared. Her long hair was messy and tangled. It hung around her face half-hiding her red-rimmed eyes. Her skin was pallid and stretched too tightly across her cheekbones. Her lips had a slightly purple tinge to them. I waited.
 

She gulped, "I was going to ring you, but I felt you and I thought this was better."

I tapped my foot once. Her voice was hoarse when she almost whispered, "Please. I need to eat."

I tapped my foot again. She looked around in desperation before she fell to her knees.
 

"Please."

I rolled my eyes. "Go and find a stray dog to eat. That’s not my problem. Do you have something for me?"

Her eyes went wide as a wave of revulsion swept across her gaunt features. She mouthed unspoken words of horror before she stood.
 

"I… my sisters and I, we’d like to talk. There’s an old cottage, it’s not too far from here. It would allow us to speak openly."

I thought about it for a moment. I wasn’t overly keen on the setting of the meeting, but speaking with a group of them could help us make some real progress. “I’ll have my pack with me, we’ll arrange a date and time tomorrow.”

She bowed her head. “Thank you.”

I turned and walked away. The idea of her having to eat something that repulsed her made me smile, as did the feeling of making some headway.

The city was almost like a patchwork with the varying styles of architecture claiming their own small territories within the bounds. Cream stone stretched upwards with barely a seam between the large, polished blocks. The windows were set far back into the stone walls, which the residents made the most of, adorning the sills with brightly coloured flowers and trailing vines. The area had a peaceful aura about it. Each building blended into another, with the splashes of colour adding quirky markings to the smooth canvas.
 

I meandered through the city, heading to the Thai place I'd told Alex to take the boys to. The slate headstone over the entrance sat in stark contrast to the pale cream surrounding it. Bold white writing held the simple name and drew the eye. The scents coming out of the open door made my stomach growl and reminded me that I hadn't eaten properly in a few days. I strode into the place giving a quick nod to the waiter before joining the boys out on the patio out back. Clean lines were clearly the designer’s favourite concept. There was no clutter. Everything was minimalist with only the barest touches. The interior was kept in semi-shadow with flickering candles and deep purple overhead lights. Rich green splashes shattered the plain, aloof sensation of the pale grey walls, which added a feeling of vibrance, thus stopping the potential for it to feel too cold and bare. Each table was carefully lit to allow the diners a feeling of privacy in the shadows without losing enough light to make eating difficult.
 

The patio was a completely different experience. I stepped out into courtyard with the vine-covered pergola. The various creepers and climbers were all out in full bloom, which gave an extra layer of sweet scents to the food smells. The peaches, yellows, and reds were delicately wild and relaxing at the same time. A short, squat red candle sat in the middle of the large round oak table, which didn’t quite fit the rest of the scene. I shrugged it off. I wasn’t an interior designer, I was there for the food. The boys were all tense, and the conversation seemed stunted.
 

I slipped into the empty seat between Alex and Dan and looked around. "Any news for me?"

Dan visibly relaxed and Ryan kept his eyes low. I looked around the group waiting for someone to answer me.
 

Nik finally said, "It was a failure, sorry. We tried a few options but nothing came up good. Just a bunch of dead ends."

I smiled. “The siren approached me. We’re meeting her and her sisters soon. I told her we’d arrange the day and time tomorrow morning. Have you ordered?”

Alex handed me a menu. "Did the siren give you much trouble? And no, we were waiting for you.“

I shrugged. “Not really. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

He tensed a little but let it go.
 

Everyone relaxed once the cocktails were flowing and the rich, sumptuous food was eaten. The flavour balance was exquisite, the spicy mingled with the tangy, and the fresh citrus cut through it all and finished the experience. It finally felt as if the day was washing away and things were returning to how they should be. The flowers added some fire to the proceedings when the sun set, casting her red light down through the vines overhead.