A Symphony of Sirens (Spellsinger Book 2) Read online

  “It has to be a god; a witch would never betray us like that.” My father drew a hand roughly through his deep-brown hair, and when he laid it back in his lap, it was beginning to smoke.

  “Control yourself,” my mother whispered to him.

  “Dad”–I held a hand out to him–“we'll figure this out.”

  “Yeah, don't go all human-torch on us yet,” Cerberus added. “With my connections and your daughter's abilities, we'll find this son of a bitch and kill him in no time. Your family is my family; I won't stop until they're safe. I don't give a shit which god it is, I'll go against him for the sirens.”

  “Thank you, Cerberus.” My mother leaned forward and hugged him. “You know, you're like a son to us. I just wish you and Elaria–”

  “Mom!” I cut her off.

  “I know, I know,” she huffed. “And I do like your Shining One. He's a nice man, for a pervert.”

  Cerberus chuckled.

  “Mom, Torin is not a pervert.” I sighed. “We've been over this; not all fairies are perverted.”

  “He's part witch; that makes him okay in my spellbook,” my father defended Torin.

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “But that other one is definitely a pervert,” my father muttered.

  “Which one?” I was at a loss.

  “The redhead”–Dad shared a look with Cerberus–“that guy has 'pervert' written all over his pretty face.”

  “He means Declan.” Cerberus burst into laughter.

  “Yeah, I got it now, thank you.” I rolled my eyes.

  King Declan of Alexandrite had been a contender for my affections back when I'd mistakenly thought Torin was a cheating bastard. Declan had been kind to me, and he was also damn sexy. He'd taken the news of my reunion with Torin better than expected; accepting it but yet not. Declan didn't put up a fight, but he was still making himself present in my life. He showed up often, sent me lavish gifts, and basically made his affections known . . . to everyone. Declan was not shy, nor was he a subtle man. He didn't give a damn who knew of his ardent pursuit of me; not even if it was my boyfriend. Torin was getting supremely annoyed.

  “I forgot I had introduced you to Declan,” I said to my father. “And honestly, I can't argue on his behalf. Declan is . . . well, he's very fey.”

  “A pervert,” my mother proclaimed.

  “A refined pervert,” I amended.

  Cerberus had himself another chuckle.

  “You know what I mean,” I said to Cer. “Declan has class. I'd sooner call him sensual than perverted.”

  “That just means he's royalty.” Cerberus smirked.

  “He's a fucking pervert,” my dad declared, then gave me a wink. “But he's also an alright guy. He looked after you when you were sad . . . and you didn't tell your family.” He gave me a pointed look. “For that, he's earned my respect.”

  “Which means he won't call Declan a pervert to his face,” Cerberus translated for me.

  “Yes, I know what it means,” I growled. “Can we get back to the siren situation?”

  “Kalliope, do you have the cell phone you used to call your sister?” Cerberus asked my mother.

  “I'll go get it.” My mother stood and headed out of the room.

  “Can you do a trace or something?” My father asked Cerberus in an excited tone.

  “Because we've tried every spell we could think of and none of them worked.” Nigel ran a hand furiously through his ebony hair, slicking back the white stripe at his right temple. “It's almost like our magic is working against us.”

  “A trace may be possible,” Cerberus said. “I'll see what my experts can do. I'm also going to look into this crowing cock thing.”

  “How did I know you were going to use this an opportunity to use the word 'cock'?” I grimaced at Cer.

  “Because you know me?” Cerberus asked in a duh tone.

  “And how much you love cock,” I added.

  Nigel started to make a choking sound.

  “Hey!” Cerberus pointed a finger in my face. “You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about that.”

  My father's eyes went wide and Nigel's jaw dropped, but Tom burst into laughter.

  “It's a joke.” I had to explain it or my father was going to run off and tell my mother that the reason Cerberus and I weren't a couple was due to Cer's homosexuality.

  “Is it?” Cerberus waggled his brows at Nigel, and the air witch stiffened.

  “Um, I'm going to help Kalliope find that phone.” Nigel rushed out of the room.

  “I think I'll join you.” My father hurried after Nigel, with one last horrified glance at Cerberus.

  Cerberus fell back on the couch and roared with laughter. Thomas took a seat beside him and joined in.

  “That was fantastic,” Tom declared. “I'm going to tease them about this for months.”

  “Thanks a lot, jackass.” I punched Cerberus in the shoulder. “Now, I'm going to have to deal with the fallout.”

  “That's what you get for saying I like cock.” Cer gave me a huge grin and crossed his arms behind his neck. “One more point to me; Cerberus: 2,849, Elaria 2,567.”

  “That is not the correct count,” I growled.

  “You always remember it backward,” Cer said. “It absolutely is the count.”

  “It's not the count, and this isn't over yet,” I warned him.

  “It's never over, my darling girl,” Cerberus declared. “That's why we make such good friends.”

  “I know”–I went serious–“and I hope you know how much I appreciate you. You're a good friend, Cer. Thank you for helping us with this.”

  “Damn it, El”–Cerberus sat up and sighed–“why'd you have to go all sappy on me? You know we don't do the whole 'I love you' bit.”

  “We do now,” I said softly. “I love you, Cerberus.”

  Cerberus sighed deeply, then set his dark brown eyes steadily on me. “I love you too, Elaria. We'll get your family home, I promise.”

  “Maybe I should have left with the others,” Tom teased. “You two seem to need some alone time.”

  “Shut up, Tom,” Cerberus and I said together.

  Chapter Three

  I was passed out across my old, swing bed when Torin called. I woke to the sound of tinkling bells: my Shining One contact charm. Torin had given me the charm awhile back so that he could reach me in any realm. The charm was formed of barite, a heavy crystal whose prime magic was communication. The Shining Ones empowered the stone to communicate with anyone in any place; far better than a cellphone's coverage. The stone came in several colors, but it was the colorless version the Shining Ones used for their contact charms. Mine, in particular, was a rare one which had a naturally formed rosette on one end. The other end was like every other contact charm: a polished cone made to fit into the ear.

  I grumbled in annoyance as I reached for my bedside table, forgetting that I was in my parent's house. The bed, which hung on thick ropes tied to the branches in my ceiling, swung gently as I rolled over and came fully awake. My contact charm was still in my purse, on the floor. I crawled to the edge of the bed, causing it to sway even more, and had to wait for the return swing before I could snatch my purse off the floor. I pulled out a gold chain from an inner pocket. The contact charm was hanging on the end of the chain; a clear stone only half an inch long, filling with swirling, opalescent colors, which meant someone was trying to contact me. It tinkled again, another sign of use. I slipped the charm into my ear.

  “Hello?” I answered as I lay back and waited for the movement to stop.

  “Elaria, my love,” Torin's deep voice tickled my ear, “where are you? I'm in Hawaii and you are not.”

  “Torin!” I sat up straight in bed, the charm's chain slapping me across my face. “Fuck! I totally forgot.”

  “You forgot me?” He sounded more surprised than offended.

  “No . . . I mean, yes . . . I mean–”

  “What's happened?” Torin cut me off with a serious tone.
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  “It's my family.” I sighed. “Eight sirens have disappeared.”

  “How exactly have they disappeared? There are several ways in which such a thing can happen to a supernatural being.”

  “Right? That's exactly what I said to Cerberus.”

  “Elaria,” Torin's tone went stern.

  “We don't know,” I reported. “I'm at my parent's place. Cerberus is looking into it, and then we'll figure out where to go with whatever information he finds.”

  “Until then, I'd like you to return to Onyx.”

  Onyx was Torin's kingdom in Tír na nÓg, and it was also the stone he aligned with. He was an elite magic user, practically a partner to his allied stone, which is what made him a king. Basically, he was the most powerful onyx user in Tír na nÓg, which meant he was the most powerful onyx user in all the realms. Torin could access any of onyx's magical properties; of which there were several . . . including prophecy. Why had I not thought of that earlier?

  “Torin, could you ask onyx about the siren disappearances?” I asked him.

  “I can try,” he said. “But first, I want you safe in Tír na nÓg.”

  “Funny, my mother wants the exact opposite,” I huffed.

  “Your mother should reevaluate,” Torin said. “No one will be able to abduct you from my kingdom.”

  “That's not exactly true,” I said gently.

  “Yes, it is,” Torin's voice brooked no argument. “No one would dare come against you now; no Shining One at least. Not after what you did to the Sapphire Kingdom.”

  “That might be precisely why a Shining One would come after me,” I muttered. “Revenge or simply to make themselves feel safer. And I don't have the relic anymore, so I won't be able to defend myself against Shining One magic.”

  “That's not true either,” Torin chided. “Your magic is stronger now. The relic did not leave you defenseless, it left you with a gift.”

  “A gift we've yet to figure out,” I noted. “I have no clue what it did to me, Torin.”

  “Whatever it did to you, it was not done maliciously, Elaria,” Torin said gently. “The relic has left a payment inside you, another tribute, if you will, for your service. I cannot imagine that this gift would be anything but positive in nature. It will most likely increase your innate abilities, which are nothing short of impressive, to begin with. You are not a weak woman.”

  “I know.” I sighed. “But I feel weaker in Tír na nÓg.”

  “Ridiculous,” Torin scoffed. “Come home, little bird, or I will come and catch you.”

  “Torin,” I growled.

  “You can't possibly think a Shining One is behind this,” he said reasonably. “And if it isn't a fairy, then you are safer in Tír na nÓg than you would be anywhere else.”

  “And what about my mother?”

  “Bring her with you.”

  “You know she won't go to Fairy Central,” I grumbled.

  “You do not need to be there,” Torin tried for more reason, ignoring my use of a Tír na nÓg nickname he hated. “Cerberus can come and fetch you after he finds out who is behind this. Or, better yet, leave your contact charm with him and instruct him on how to use it. I will supply you with a new one he can reach you on.”

  “But I like this one; it has a rosette.”

  “Elaria,” Torin groaned. “You can trade it back when next you see Cerberus. I'm sure he will prefer the standardly shaped stone to the rose I gave you.”

  “Look, I'm safe here too,” I pointed out. “And I think I should be with my parents right now.”

  “Go,” my mother's voice came from the doorway.

  “Mom?” I looked over at her in surprise.

  “As much as I don't like the thought of you being in Tír na nÓg, I can admit that you'll be safer there . . . under these circumstances,” she said. “I'd rather you be surrounded by perverts than in danger of being abducted.”

  Torin sighed heavily. He hated the pervert stigma.

  “What about the investigation?” I ignored Torin to ask my mother.

  “Cerberus doesn't need you for that.” She shrugged. “And if there's a way for him to get a hold of you when he discovers anything, then it isn't an issue.”

  “Finally, some sense,” Torin said.

  “Alright,” I gave in. “I'll go.”

  “But don't wander off into the woods alone, Elaria,” my mother warned me. “That's how the really perverted ones catch you. Then all this will be for naught, and you'll be abducted anyway.”

  “Actually, she has a point,” Torin conceded.

  “Right, no going on hikes in Primeval”–I rolled my eyes–“got it.”

  “I'll meet you back at Onyx Castle,” Torin said. “And I'll speak to the stones before you arrive. If there's any prophecy about the sirens to latch onto, I will find it for you.”

  “Thank you, Torin.”

  “Anything you need, little bird.”

  Chapter Four

  “I saw the flowers,” was the greeting I received from my lover, the King of Onyx.

  “What flowers?” I shoved my traveling stone –the enchanted Shining One amulet which allowed me to travel through the Veil– back into my pocket.

  The Veil is a magical boundary which separates the numerous realms of existence. A traveling stone is a Shining One invention which takes a person from one side of the Veil to a specific location on the other. Yes, the Shining Ones use crystals to create all sorts of charms for all manner of uses–it was kind of their thing. But every charm had its limitations; the traveling stone couldn't cross distances in one realm. You actually had to go through the Veil to employ it. It had been a gift from Torin, just like the contact charm. Torin, who was now glowering at me.

  “The flowers a certain Alexandrite king sent to your human residence.” Torin crossed his thick arms over his even thicker chest.

  The guy was one of the biggest fairies I'd ever met; due in part to his witch blood. He was also one of the most beautiful men I'd ever seen; with hair so black it shone with cerulean highlights, eyes which matched the deep blue of that shine, and dramatic features that screamed of power and masculinity –except for his sensual mouth which never seemed to get tired of kissing me. A fact for which I was supremely grateful. Currently, though, his sensual mouth was set in an angry line. It didn't look as if it would be kissing me anytime soon.

  “Since there's only one Alexandrite king, I'm assuming you mean Declan,” I said casually.

  “Yes, of course, I mean Declan,” Torin spat his rival's name. “Has he been visiting you in Hawaii?”

  “He's harmless.” I sauntered over to Torin and slid my arms around his waist. “We told him we were back together; we did so together. He knows I'm in love with you.”

  “As if your love for me can sway his for you,” Torin grumbled but lowered his arms to pull me into an embrace. “He irritates me. Declan is like a heat rash that won't go away, even after the sweating is done.”

  “That kind of sounds like you,” I teased.

  “Hmm”–Torin chuckled–“perhaps we should sweat a little and find out if I go away afterward.”

  “Definitely,” I agreed. “But first, tell me what the onyx said. Did it give you a prophecy about the sirens?”

  “Prophecy is not something you can call up whenever you wish,” Torin said gently. “I've asked Onyx if it has foreseen anything, and it has only replied in riddles I can't unravel.”

  “What riddles?”

  “Something about a rooster”–Torin shook his head–“obviously onyx is unclear about the future. I'm so sorry, little bird. I've tried over and over to sort it out.”

  “When my mother called my aunt's phone, someone answered by crowing like a rooster,” I said.

  “Really?” Torin cocked his head. “I suppose this may have bearing after all. Onyx told me 'The rooster will strut, with his hens he shall rut, but the cock will only crow once. A new bird will steal his song.”

  “That sounds fortuitous . .
. possibly.” I groaned and rubbed a hand over my face. “Fucking prophecies. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to ask onyx after all.”

  “Yes, it's rather vague.”

  “The bit about a new bird stealing his song sounded good,” I noted. “I mean, it has to be about the sirens and whoever took them. The rooster, the reference to song, it's definitely about them, right?”

  “Yes, I'm certain it is, now that you've told me about the crowing,” Torin assured me. “And if he only crows once, that also must be a good thing. I think we should take hope from it, even if it doesn't help us in any other way. The stealing could reference a rescue.”

  “You're right,” I agreed. “It sounds positive enough to allow me a little breathing room to relax in. Let's focus on something else for a little while. I think I need to let this stew in the back of my brain.”

  “I have just the thing to distract you.” Torin smiled wickedly.

  “I'm so down for that,” I said, “But first, show me my treasure.”

  “What treasure?”

  “Before I left Onyx last time, you said my tributes should be here by the time I return,” I reminded him. “I have returned.”

  “So you have.” Torin smirked. “If you wish it, I will show you the settlement I secured for you.”

  “War can be so lucrative.” I took his hand and let him lead me out of his bedroom.

  “If you're the winner.” Torin grimaced. “If you lose, it's another matter entirely.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I pulled on his hand. “Come on, show it to me.”

  “So demanding.” Torin rolled his stunning eyes. “Your words bring to mind our first sexual encounter.”

  “Shut up,” I huffed. “I never said that to you. In fact, I don't recall you needing any urging to 'show it to me'.”

  “I believe you were the first to put on a show.” Torin smirked. “I was merely reciprocating.”

  “Are we seriously arguing over who got naked first?” I chuckled.

  “Not at all,” Torin said, “you did. I vividly recall being enamored with your smooth womanhood, while my manhood was yet to be revealed.”