The Siren's Eyes (The Siren Legacy Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  The Siren’s Eyes

  The Siren Legacy Book Two

  Helen Scott

  Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Copyright

  The Siren’s Eyes

  Book Two of The Siren Legacy Series

  Copyright © 2017 by Helen Scott

  Cover Design © Natasha Snow

  Digital Formatting by Athena Interior Book Design

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the brief use of quotations in a book review.

  This book is intended for adults only. The sexual activities represented in this book are a work of fiction intended for adults. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used fictitiously by the author. Any resemblance to actual places, events, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  To my parents. You are my heroes. Every day I strive to be the best version of myself because of your love and guidance. Thank you for everything!

  Chapter 1

  “Don’t forget your goo!” Hyacinth called to the customer she’d just finished tattooing.

  “Oh, thanks!” The guy grabbed the sample packet of salve from her hand before leaving.

  She really hoped he remembered to use it. Otherwise that giant eagle she had tattooed on his back was going to turn into a blurry, scarred eagle as it healed. She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.

  “Hey, Tony,” she called, “I’m heading out to Al’s Place. You want to grab a drink?”

  “You go ’n ’head. Ima catch up with paperwork here.”

  Cin walked around to the private office in the back. “You’re really gonna leave me hanging like that?”

  “You wanna get paid, doncha?” he asked, scratching his beard.

  “Well, when you put it like that.” Cin smiled at her mentor, almost an older brother figure, and walked out. “G’night, Tony.”

  Cin texted her sister, Aster, to see if she wanted to go for a drink. She knew the response she’d get. Something along the lines of “I’m too tired tonight. Another time?” or “Work's crazy right now. Soon, though?” Sometimes Cin got the feeling Aster didn’t like hanging out with her big sister as much as she used to.

  The night was cool for the summer, even in New England, the breeze making the eighty-degree weather feel more like seventy. Cin regretted not grabbing a jacket this morning; her bodysuit and ripped jeans were making her decidedly chilly.

  One of the houses close by had a bonfire going. The smell of burning wood and cooking meat filled the air, making her stomach grumble. She’d started a new diet, and it was going well so far. So long as she didn’t take into account the way she was constantly hungry, which in turn made her more than a little hangry. She also had to pee constantly from the amount of water she was drinking. Not to mention the food was boring.

  All she wanted right now was a drink and a burger from Al’s. She was already breaking the rules by drinking alcohol, but she’d cut all the other joy out of her food life, and she wasn’t about to cut her after-work drink too.

  Al’s Place was the bar a block down from the tattoo studio. She tended bar there a couple times a week, although her shifts were getting fewer and fewer, which she would be okay with if they weren’t all going to the new guy, Ben. They never worked together, but she didn’t like him just the same. There was something about him that made her uneasy.

  The place was busy for a Thursday night. The patio was packed. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the break from the oppressive summer heat. Cin wove between people, trying not to cough as someone accidentally blew cigarette smoke in her face as she walked by. The music was pulsing; some local band or other played tonight, the younger crowd cheering them on.

  “Hey, Rico, how's the night treating you?”

  “Better now you’re here.” He winked at her and poured her a shot of tequila, handing her a slice of lime and a shaker of salt along with the shot glass. Women all down the length of the bar stared at her momentarily, wondering what Cin had that they didn’t.

  “You know me so well.” She beamed at him.

  Rico smiled back at her, his tanned skin crinkling around his chocolate brown eyes, before he hurried away to help another thirsty customer.

  Cin settled onto the bar stool and watched the other patrons. This was one of her favorite times to people watch, right before they got sloppy drunk but after they were past being stone-cold sober. She salted her lime wedge and popped the flesh into her mouth, sucking vigorously. The sour taste puckered her mouth a little before she withdrew the lime and drank the shot, the richness of the tequila being cut by the salty-sour taste still in her mouth from the lime.

  As the drink warmed her from the inside out, she checked her phone. Still nothing from Aster. Concern settled on Cin’s shoulders. Aster was never more than ten feet away from her phone at all times. Unless she’d picked up a night shift at work, she should have responded by now.

  “How’dya get y’hair that color?” A woman who had squeezed into the space between bar stools slurred. Rico nodded over to them to let Cin know he had seen her. The woman saw his nod and readjusted her boobs, making them look twice as big, before leaning on the bar.

  “I dye it.” She sighed, swinging the bright blue and purple locks away from the drunk woman next to her.

  Two hours later, she was still there. She had taken care of the drunk girl—found her friends, who were all equally drunk, and called them cabs—and cleaned up the sawdust-covered vomit, which she had narrowly avoided. The night was not going as planned, to say the least.

  “Cin! What
are you doing here, lovely?” One of the other bartenders who visited regularly came up and gave her a hug. She went by the name Sugar. Cin had no idea what her real name was. Between Rico, Cin, and Sugar, the only other one of them she hadn’t seen was the new guy, Ben.

  “Came in for an after-work drink and stayed to clean up the vomit.”

  “Oh, sweetie, you shouldn’t get roped in like that.” Sugar pouted comically in disappointment.

  Sugar and Cin were almost opposites, just like Cin and Aster. Cin was tall and thick, tattoos, brightly colored hair, and size sixteen curves making her stand out in a crowd. Sugar stood out because she was so bubbly; her personality sparkled like a glass of champagne. The woman was petite, with platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes, not a tattoo on her, her skin completely unmarred by any scars or acne, a perfect canvas. Cin was sure if she hadn’t been so short, she would have won beauty pageants.

  “Why don’t you come and sit with me and Benny?”

  “Benny?”

  “I like to tease him. You know, gotta keep ’em on their toes.” She winked a big blue eye at Cin.

  “Always.” She genuinely liked Sugar, and now she understood why she never worked with Ben. He had probably requested to work with Sugar or alone. Men were unable to resist that woman. They never lasted, though, man-eater hat she was.

  Ben glanced up from his phone, and a confused expression crossed his face when he saw Cin. She should have gone home after the vomit incident.

  “Benny Ben! Look who I found!” Sugar cooed as she sat down, swinging her blonde hair over her shoulder.

  Cin watched as his jet-black hair fell across his forehead as he looked back down. Sugar’s effervescent personality stood out even more against Ben’s. He was so quiet.

  “I just stopped by to say hi. I was actually on my way out.” Cin ran a hand through her hair. Her bodysuit rode up over her hips, or maybe it was her jeans falling down a bit as she stretched.

  She caught Ben glancing up at her at exactly the wrong moment. Cin lowered her hand and tried discretely tugging her bodysuit and jeans back into place so her hips weren’t as exposed. Cin had never been ashamed of her body, but she didn’t show off anything other than some cleavage, and usually that was only to distract the guys she was tattooing so they didn’t squirm about on her.

  “Sweetie! Stay and have a drink with us!”

  Cin’s phone buzzed in her pocket. A text from her boss, which she could read later. “No, it’s okay. I should really get home. I’ve got a client coming into the shop early tomorrow, and I hate tattooing exhausted.”

  “Okay, if you insist.” Sugar popped up from the table and gave her a quick hug. “Text me and let me know you made it home safe!”

  “Will do.” Cin smiled at Sugar. “Goodnight, Ben.”

  “Want me to walk you home?”

  The offer surprised Cin. She never worked with him and had barely exchanged two words with the guy.

  “I’m good. Thanks, though.”

  Cin wasn’t even out of the bar when her phone started ringing. That was weird. It was Tony again.

  “Shouldn’t you be in bed, old man?” she teased.

  “Yeah, yeah. Can you come back to the studio?”

  “Sure. Everythin’ okay?”

  “Can’t say yet. Jus’ come on back here now, and ya can tell me.”

  A cold chill ran down Cin’s spine.

  “What’s wrong?” Cin said, bursting into the shop.

  “Did ya leave this on the printer?” Tony handed her the piece of paper, his Hawaiian shirt swaying slightly as he leaned over the counter.

  The paper was a black-and-white photo that looked like an image from a security camera. Cin struggled to see what this had to do with her, and then she realized the face that her eyes kept drifting to was Aster’s. Her heart clenched as the edge of the paper crumpled between her fingers.

  “What is this? Where did you get it?”

  “I went to print out some of the forms I need to send to the bank, and this was sitting on top. I figured ya musta left it when you left.”

  “No. Why is Aster tied to a chair? And who are those men standing there?” Cin’s heart was beating a mile a minute. Where was Aster? Was this why she hadn’t texted back?

  She fished her phone out of her purse and called her sister. It rang and rang and rang. When she got the voicemail message, she hung up and tried again. This time it went straight to voicemail. She stared at the photo as though it were a live video feed, and she was waiting for the image of Aster to answer her phone.

  “Tony, she’s not answering. What do I do?”

  “Call the police?” The way Tony said it, it sounded like po-leece, which usually made her smile. As Cin prepared to dial, the printer whirred again. They glanced at each other.

  No one else was in the shop, so who was printing?

  Curiosity got the better of her, and she waited to see what it was. What if it was another photo of Aster and she was at home or at a bar with friends and this was a practical joke.

  The printer spit the paper out, and Tony flipped it over for them both to see. Cin felt like she was trapped in a bad movie. All that printed was “Don’t call the police” repeatedly.

  “How did they know that was what we were talking about? How are they even printing to this printer? Are they some kind of crazy hackers?” Cin’s voice rose, becoming shrill, but she couldn’t stop it.

  Panic slithered up under her skin. She knew Aster was in trouble. She sensed it even before Tony found the photo, but she had just ignored it, not wanting to be the over-protective sister. What was she going to do? The place could be anywhere. It was a blank room with two Joe-Schmo-looking guys standing around, and her little sister tied to a chair. Cin’s stomach dropped as an even worse possibility occurred to her. What if Aster had one of her visions when they had her? They wouldn't know what to do, or how to help her afterward.

  “Tony, Aster has a . . .” Cin sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. She had promised Aster she’d never tell anyone, but now? Now she needed to tell someone. She needed to know she had help, not that she was sure what she and Tony could do. “She has kinda a medical condition type thing.”

  Tony’s eyebrows furrowed.

  “I can’t lose her. If she has an . . . an episode while she’s there with them, well, that would be bad. I need to get her home to take care of her.” Her hands were shaking. The only reason she could tell was because the papers were shaking too.

  “I can make a call if you want? I know some fellas that handle this typa thing all the time. D’ya need to call your mama, tell her what’s happening?”

  “I don’t want to worry her yet, but if you know someone who could help, well, I’ll take it.”

  “Give her a call, ya hear. She’s better knowing than not, and that’s the truth.”

  Tony left Cin alone, going to his office to make whatever calls he wanted. Cin didn’t think he’d know anyone who could help, but right now she’d take just about anything.

  She sat on the couch that was usually reserved for waiting customers. The air in the office still stank of the last client’s cologne, and she could faintly smell vomit. She didn’t think any had splashed on her, but apparently she was wrong, judging by her shoes. Between that and the cigarette smoke stuck in her hair, she smelled like she’d had a rough night, and it was only midnight.

  Lifting her phone to call her mom, her thumb hovered over the speed dial number that would connect them, but she couldn’t face it yet. Cin didn’t want to call her with only bad news. A tear streaked down her face. She didn’t even know she was going to cry when suddenly it all broke loose. She lay on the couch and covered her face, praying that when she opened her eyes again, everything would be back to normal.

  Chapter 2

  Thaddeus Cantio’s phone chirped in his pocket. He debated ignoring it. It was his weekend off, after all, and he was being particularly introverted. He shifted on the couch, suddenly uncomfortable. The boo
k he had been reading was losing interest for him. He glanced at the screen and sighed. Tony didn’t get along as well with Thad as he did with Alec and Hal, the tattoo artist even liked Dem better than him, so he knew he’d be the last resort. His brothers must not have picked up the call.

  “Tony, what’s going on?” The man wouldn't call to chat.

  “Thad, man, I’m so glad ya answered. None o’ those brothers of yours picked up.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We, uh, we gots a bit of a sitcheation goin’ on down here. My best artist’s little sister has been taken and there’s a note sayin’ no police.”

  “Okay, what can I do to help?” Thad’s brain shifted into work mode, like a switch had been thrown. Finding things was the biggest part of his job, and sometimes that included finding people.

  “I was wonderin’ if y'all could use some of that there magic y’all have to track her down.”

  “I can try. Are you at the shop? I’ll jump there and we can get started.”

  Tony thanked him, and Thad wrapped the filaments of the universe around himself and teleported upstairs to his bedroom. If he was going out in public, then he needed to hide his eyes. People found the all-white orbs unsettling. Grabbing his tinted glasses, he jumped to the tattoo shop's storage room.

  The brothers had been here enough getting tattoos that they didn’t need to land far away and walk in. Tony had done all of Thad’s recent work. The man was a wizard with a tattoo machine, plus he souped-up the tattoos he and his brothers got with magically-infused ink.

  The big man had continued the family business of mixing witchcraft and tattoo artistry. He had learned everything he knew from his grandmother, which was something Thad admired. If only his own grandmother had taught him how to use his magic. What was it they said about wishes being fishes? He sighed and walked out of the storage area toward Tony's office.

  “Tony?”