A Symphony of Sirens: A Reverse Harem Siren Romance (Spellsinger Book 2) Read online

  A Symphony of Sirens

  Amy Sumida

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  More Books by Amy Sumida

  Sign up for Amy's Newsletter and get a free gift:

  And dive further into the worlds of the Godhunter, Twilight Court, and Spellsinger, at Amy's website

  The Playlist

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Keep Reading for a sneak peek into the next book in the Spellsinger Series:

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Pronunciation Guide/ Character List

  About the Author

  Author Information

  Copyright © 2017 Amy Sumida

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-10:1547255609

  ISBN-13: 978-1547255603

  More Books by Amy Sumida

  The Godhunter Series (in order)

  Godhunter

  Of Gods and Wolves

  Oathbreaker

  Marked by Death

  Green Tea and Black Death

  A Taste for Blood

  The Tainted Web

  Series Split:

  These books can be read together or separately

  Harvest of the Gods & A Fey Harvest

  Into the Void & Out of the Darkness

  Perchance to Die

  Tracing Thunder

  Light as a Feather

  Rain or Monkeyshine

  Blood Bound

  Eye of Re

  My Soul to Take

  As the Crow Flies

  Cry Werewolf

  Pride Before a Fall

  Monsoons and Monsters

  Blessed Death

  In the Nyx of Time

  Let Sleeping Demons Lie

  The Lion, the Witch, and the Werewolf

  Hear No Evil

  Beyond the Godhunter

  A Darker Element

  Out of the Blue

  The Twilight Court Series

  Fairy-Struck

  Pixie-Led

  Raven-Mocking

  Here there be Dragons

  Witchbane

  Elf-Shot

  Fairy Rings and Dragon Kings

  Black-Market Magic

  Etched in Stone

  —Completed Series—

  The Spellsinger Series

  The Last Lullaby

  (A Symphony of Sirens)

  A Harmony of Hearts

  Primeval Prelude

  Ballad of Blood

  A Deadly Duet

  Macabre Melody

  Aria of the Gods

  Anthem of Ashes

  Spectra Series

  Spectra: A Cynical Superhero

  A Gray Area

  A Compression of Colors

  Erotica

  An Unseelie Understanding

  Fairy Tales

  Happily Harem After

  The Four Clever Brothers

  Wild Wonderland

  Beauty and the Beasts

  Pan's Promise

  The Little Glass Slipper

  Historical Romance

  Enchantress

  Sign up for Amy's Newsletter and get a free gift:

  http://google.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=398603e0fc6b3876340e37356&id=3abd32edce

  And dive further into the worlds of the Godhunter, Twilight Court, and Spellsinger, at Amy's website:

  AmySumida.com

  Pronunciation Guide and Character List in the back of the book.

  The Playlist

  These are the versions you'll find on Spotify, some songs are remakes, but in the book, I credit the original artists.

  The Spotify Playlist

  “The Dolphin's Cry” by Live

  “Let Her Go” by Passenger

  “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban

  “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

  “Bang Bang: by Jessie J. and Ariana Grande

  “Genie in a Bottle” by Christina Aguilera

  “Burning Down the House” by Talking Heads

  “Hell Hound On My Trail” by Eric Clapton

  “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis

  “Whenever, Wherever” by Shakira

  “Wish You Were Here” by Rasputina

  “Queen of the Night” by Whitney Houston

  “Cities in Dust” by Siouxsie and the Banshees

  “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed

  “Blaze of Glory” by Bon Jovi

  “F**kin' Perfect” by Pink

  “Stand Back” by Stevie Nicks

  “Heathens” by Twenty One Pilots

  Chapter One

  “El?” Cerberus rapped on my picture window, startling me enough to spill my coffee. He chuckled as I let out an inventive curse.

  “Gods damn it, Cer.” I swiped at the mess with a napkin. “Can't you come to the front door like a normal person?”

  “And miss out on spooking a spellsinger?” He came in the back door of my house in Hawaii, and started rooting around my kitchen. “You got anymore of that?”

  “You mean, so you can replace what you made me spill?”

  “Yeah, sure.” He got himself a mug and filled it, then brought the pot over to me. His tone went grim, “I've had some unsettling news.”

  “No.” I shook my head adamantly. “I just finished that crazy job for the nagas. I'm tired, and I intend to head back to Tír na nÓg as soon as I finish this cup of coffee. I need some onyx therapy.”

  “Still with Torin, eh?” Cerberus took the seat across from me.

  “Yes, I'm still with Torin,” I huffed. “Things are going really well, actually.”

  “Things are going really well, actually,” Cerberus mocked me.

  “I don't sound like that.” I grimaced.

  “It's not a job.” He ignored me. “It's straight up news: siren news.”

  “If it's siren news, why hasn't
my mother called?”

  “She may not want to bring you into it,” Cerberus sighed. “It's bad.”

  “The last time you said it was bad, I had to kill an entire army of blooders.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Sweet stones, Cerberus, just tell me.”

  “Since when have you started using their expressions?” Cerberus scowled.

  By “their” he meant the Shining Ones, of which my boyfriend happened to be a king of (they had several kings but it was still a pretty big deal). I'd been spending most of my time in fairy central, aka Tír na nÓg, which is one of the many realms separated from Earth by a magical boundary called: the Veil. I may have become a little wrapped up in my love affair with Torin. It was entirely possible that Cerberus, who was not only the ex-Hound of Hades but also my best friend, was jealous. It looked as if I needed to make some more time for him; friendships like ours were rare.

  “You know you can always come for a visit,” I offered. “I'll get you a traveling stone.”

  “Torin already gave me one,” he admitted.

  “What? Then why don't you come to see us in Tír na nÓg?”

  “I don't know,” he sighed. “Do you want to hear about the sirens or not?”

  “Go on then, tell me.”

  “They're disappearing.”

  “Disappearing how?”

  Cerberus gave me a look which clearly said I was an idiot.

  “There are several ways that a supernatural member of the Beneath could disappear,” I chided him, referring to the community of supernatural races which we were a part of –and which most humans knew nothing about. “They could fade out of existence, they could go invisible from a spell, they–”

  “Someone is abducting sirens,” Cerberus growled, cutting me off.

  “Oh.” I blinked. “I'd better call my mother.”

  My mother is a siren, as are all the mothers of spellsingers. All of our fathers are witches. We are one of the few races of the Beneath which require a very specific set of parents to produce one of our kind. It's the recipe for spellsinger babies: one part siren and one part witch. Or, as I liked to refer to it: the Recipe for Disaster.

  “Yeah, you might want to do that.” Cerberus rolled his eyes.

  I left the dining table in search of my cell phone. A few taps and the call was going through. Mom answered on the second ring.

  “Praise Persephone,” my mother exclaimed. “I need your help, Elaria.”

  “Cer just told me about the disappearances,” I said. “Why didn't you call me?”

  “I only found out a few hours ago,” her voice dipped into an angry mutter. “Cerberus is evidently more informed than I, and about my own family, no less.”

  “Well, he makes it his business to know everyone else's,” I reminded her. “Do I need to get on a plane?”

  “Yes,” she said immediately. “Come home, honey. The family is in danger.”

  “How many have gone missing?”

  “Eight, including your Aunt Aoide.”

  “Aunty Aoide?” I felt my knees go weak.

  She was my favorite. Aunty Aoide had often come to visit me when I was a child. Being raised on an island, with only my parents for company, made me appreciative of consistent visitors. But Aoide was special. She'd sing with me; something most of our visitors were afraid to do. And she'd take me flying. I had the fondest memories of soaring over our island, Aunt Aoide's golden-brown wings catching the sunlight like a hawk's.

  “Yes,” Mom's voice quivered. “Your father is upset. He's already started five fires by accident.”

  “I'm on my way.” I hung up the phone and looked at Cerberus. “You coming along?”

  “To siren central?” Cerberus smirked. “I wouldn't miss it for all the worlds.”

  Chapter Two

  Pyrosvesti, the island I was raised on, and the one my parents still lived on, was accessible only by boat. Most of the world didn't even know it existed. It certainly wasn't on any maps, and you wouldn't be able to spot it, even if you sailed nearby. A repelling spell kept boats from plowing into it by mistake and planes from flying through its airspace. But if you were invited to the island, or were family, the spells recognized you and let you pass.

  The lush paradise of verdant mountains, pristine beaches, and flower-filled meadows rose up before the boat Cerberus and I had rented. The repelling spell didn't even flicker when we passed the reef it was set into. Cerberus and I had been passing through that spell for centuries. We docked about fifty feet from the shell-spotted shore, then took an inflatable raft to the island. My parents were waiting for us on the beach.

  “Hey, little Ellie-phant.” My father hugged me first, his thick build nearly squashing me.

  “Dad, how many times do I have to tell you that it's unflattering to call a woman an elephant?” I huffed.

  “I didn't.” My father gave Cerberus a conspiratorial wink. “I called you an Ellie-phant. Huge difference.”

  “Huge,” Cer agreed as he extricated himself from my mother's embrace. “Bigger than a pachyderm.”

  “You're not helping,” I said dryly to my best friend.

  “Oh, why have you never married my girl?” My mother asked Cerberus, as she always did. Her lavender eyes lit up, making her fragile, blonde beauty seem suddenly vibrant. The midnight-black of her feathered wings was like a velvet background, bringing that vibrancy to an almost glowing level. “You two are perfect for each other.”

  “We are perfect as friends, Mom.” I gave her a big hug, loving the way her wings wrapped around me. I always felt safe when I was held within my mother's wings. “And you know I'm seeing Torin.”

  “He's a beautiful man,” she admitted, smoothing her cotton dress down over her full figure. “But a Shining One, El? I don't like you spending so much time in Tír na nÓg. It's dangerous; all of that wild magic running amok.”

  “Amok, amok, amok,” Cerberus sang.

  “I know.” I sighed and gave Cer a scowl. “But we're not here to discuss my love life. Tell me about the sirens.”

  “Come inside first.” My father's normally sparkling, blue-green eyes looked grim and dull. “Nothing will change in the few minutes it takes us to walk home.”

  “Home” was technically the entire island, but Dad was referring to the rambling spread of living spaces nestled among the branches and root systems of several massive banyan trees in the center of Pyrosvesti. Mom was a siren, and they loved nesting in high places. Dad was a witch; a fire one in particular, so he felt more secure on, or under, the ground. This made for some interesting compromises.

  Our house was built with several levels, going from subterranean to sky. Dad had his witch workspace underground, burrowed deep into the bedrock of the island. Mom had her music room built up above the highest branches of the banyan, directly above. Between those two spaces were numerous rooms set at various levels: ground, trunk, branches, and beyond. The main entrance was on the ground.

  In case you've never seen a banyan tree, I'll explain. Banyans are unlike any other tree. They have the potential to grow in all directions. Most trees grow upward and downward; their roots spread through the ground while their branches reach for the sky. Banyans are also able to spread outward. Their branches send down supporting roots every few inches; roots which thicken into thin trunks, and which allow the Banyan to keep growing as wide as the landscape permits. The branches don't have to taper off since they have support beneath them. Because they are supported by these root-trunks, the lower branches end up growing relatively horizontal. This makes them prime candidates for tree houses; their sturdy, straight branches providing a great foundation for floorboards.

  The entrance to our home is set among a banyan's hanging roots; a foyer built of stone with the banyan root-trunks as support columns. Inside this main room, stairs go down to my father's study and his numerous workspaces, while another staircase heads upward to the family rooms and my mother's loft. Cerberus and I took the stairs up; spirali
ng around the main trunk, bypassing the kitchen on the ground floor, to continue between the branches. We came out on the first landing and went to the right. This took us to the living room: a spacious, semi-circular room which curved out from one banyan to its neighbor, creating a bridge between trees and a sort of balcony. The back end was built against other rooms and also held the entrance to the hallway, but the entire curved front was set with windows. It gave a remarkable view of the valley, which we were perched on the edge of.

  I was too worried to appreciate the view. Instead, I headed straight to the bar at the back of the room and poured myself a drink. I downed it and poured another before I went to take a seat on the long, fluffy, white couch which was set facing the windows. I put my whiskey down on the glass-topped nautilus shell which served as our coffee table, then I sat back and waited for my parents to tell me what the hell was going on.

  “This never gets old,” Cerberus noted as he swaggered over to the windows. “I gotta build me a tree house.”

  “Mom”–I ignored Cerberus–“tell me. Who took Aunt Aoide?”

  “We don't know, Ellie,” it was my father who answered. “We just don't fucking know.”

  “They're simply vanishing.” My mother shook her head. “Aoide was due for a visit yesterday. She never showed. I called her cellular over and over. Finally, someone answered, but they didn't say anything.”