The Siren's Code (Siren Legacy Book 3) Page 20

  She caught a scent she wasn’t used to, but it was familiar, reminding her of summers as a child and thunderstorms. Fog filled the hallway.

  Dem.

  She had been wondering how he could control water. The visibility dropped, and it was only when she heard the handle of the door turn that she realized he was using the cloud he had created as cover. A confused grunt sounded from inside the room, before she heard a fist connecting with flesh, followed by a thud. If she was going to keep hanging out with these guys, then she needed to learn to fight. She hated feeling useless.

  The fog seemed to get sucked up. As Robin watched, it condensed around Dem before seeming to just become part of him. If she had been asked to guess how he controlled water, this would not have been her first, or even her tenth, guess.

  Taking in the guard sprawled across the floor and Dem standing over him, she knew that without having this unlikely companion, she would have failed at rescuing her parents and would be stuck back with Randall.

  “Mom? Caitlyn?” Robin’s voice sounded shaky to her own ears.

  “Robin?” Caitlyn’s eyes bugged out of her head as she stared at her sister, whereas her mother and father couldn’t look at her.

  “We’re here to get you out.” She sighed, thankful to have found them. The keys jangled in her hand as she began trying each one on the lock that kept their arms raised over their heads.

  None of them worked.

  “Does he have any keys on him?” She turned to Dem, trying to keep the panic from her voice.

  “No. I’ll go check the other guards. Stay here.” He pointed at Robin and then Nimue as he walked out.

  “I’m so glad we found you. We’re going to get you out of here and then get you somewhere safe.”

  “One of your friends told us that we were safe before, and look where we ended up.” The venom in her father’s voice surprised her.

  The rush of anger scorched her cheeks, and she was sure they were flaming red. “You led them to the safe house, not me! If you had given up betting like you told me you were going to when you sold me to Randall Fields, then you wouldn’t be in this mess. You just can’t keep away from the track, though, can you!”

  “Mom, what’s Robin talking about?” Caitlyn’s voice was small, tight with fear.

  “It doesn’t matter now.” Her mother cooed at her little sister.

  “It doesn’t matter? Are you serious?” Robin turned from her mom to her little sister. Looking at either of her parents made her sick to her stomach. “Dad sold me to a man who made me watch who knows how many people die, just because he wanted to test my abilities, let alone the fact that he controlled every inch of my life, of my body. The contract that he and I signed gave Randall complete control over the length of my service to him. It was twenty years at the beginning, and I know to the depths of my soul that even if I had survived those twenty years, he wouldn’t have let me go, especially since he could add years for any perceived infraction.

  “All that to pay off a gambling debt. You know what he told me on the drive over, before he and I watched Randall kill two men, before he pushed me into the arms of a murderer? He promised me that giving me up was the hardest thing he had ever done and that he would never gamble again because of it. He promised me as he used me to pay a debt.

  “Then when I couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to escape becoming Randall’s personal sex toy, I made sure you were all safe because I knew what kind of man Fields was. I knew he would kill each of you to get to me. It was only then that I even tried to run. And he risked all of that and betrayed the one promise I begged him to keep, just so he could lose money.” Her chest heaved as she finished speaking.

  Without thinking, she turned on her heel and was about to walk out, the rage flowing inside her too much to deal with in front of her family right now, when she saw Dem standing in the doorway. Fury contorted his features, and she knew he had heard more than she had ever planned on sharing with him.

  Whipping his phone out, his fingers flew over the buttons once more. She had no idea what he was saying or to whom, but as he marched past her with a different set of keys in hand, she walked out. Once she was out of the room, not looking at the parents who had abandoned her so easily, the pain became too much. Tears streaked down her face, and she slid down the concrete wall, curling into a ball on the floor. She gave herself sixty seconds to feel this, and then she had to pack it up once more so they could escape this wretched building.

  Footsteps approached from the hall. Glancing up, she saw Thad, distorted by tears, and waved him through into the room. The boys’ voices were quiet, and she couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she knew she had to get a handle on her emotions. Her sixty seconds were up.

  Wiping her eyes and tear-stained cheeks, she started to push herself up. Nimue was there, her touch gentle, as she helped Robin stand. The woman embraced her, squeezing her tightly. It almost caused the tears to start once more, but she let go just in time. Robin nodded at the woman and cleared her throat before going back into the room.

  Everyone was free and standing.

  “Thad isn’t comfortable jumping your mom and your sister out through such a small hole in the enchantments, so we are just going to walk everyone out.”

  “There are more stairs going down. Don’t you want to see where they lead? What if there are more people trapped down there?” Robin’s voice was rough and strained in her own ears as she carefully kept her eyes from going to her family. She knew if they did, then the storm of emotions inside her would just bring her to her knees once more.

  “We don’t have time. Ellie is getting tired. Whatever or whoever is down there is not what we came for. Right now we need to get out and get safe, before any of the other guards realize what’s up. We’ve been insanely lucky so far.” Thad was the voice of reason.

  Robin nodded. She hadn’t thought about Ellie. Guilt swamped her. She glanced over at Dem, who was currently giving her father a death stare. This was going to be interesting.

  They walked out, up the stairs and into the lobby. There were some people milling around, but no one she recognized. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t recognize her, though, so she pulled her ponytail out and used it to hide her profile as they passed the group.

  Complaints about the power being out and the fact that they weren’t just released to go home seemed to be all the group was worried about. She knew that if they could go home, then they weren’t any of the employees who could have recognized her.

  The security guard from the front desk was missing from his post. She dropped the set of keys they had taken from him on the desk and walked out into the sunshine.

  Finally, they were back on the island, and for the first time, she felt like she could take a deep breath. It was only a matter of seconds, though, before her mind jumped forward and started focusing on rescuing Hal. She walked away from her family, knowing they were safe and couldn’t cause trouble, so she could save the man who had stolen her heart.

  Hal wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep fighting. The woman lending Randall her support was on the ground, in pain and exhausted, but the man just kept coming at him. His own body was becoming stiff as it tried to protect itself from further damage.

  “You’re all a bunch of cowards!” Poseidon yelled, as another one of his rages came on.

  His moods seemed to ebb and flow like the ocean itself. One minute he would be quiet, observing the fight, and the next he would be yelling at the purple cloaks, trying to bait them into lowering the circle. It appeared he was trying to bait them once more. Hal sighed as he circled around, making Randall work for his next hit. The god might feel better raging at the masks on the other side, but it was damn distracting when he was trying to concentrate on staying conscious.

  “You know what? Screw this! And screw all of you!”

  The ground under them rumbled, and Hal almost lost his footing. He really hoped that the god known as the Earth Shaker had more th
an that if he hoped to accomplish anything.

  Poseidon slowly began raising his arms. Water began pouring in through minute cracks in the floor, covering everything up to the barrier faster than Hal thought possible. The fight was getting more complicated as the water rose higher. It slowly crept up Hal’s legs until he was wading back and forth through it, trying to stay out of Randall’s reach.

  The frustration on his opponent’s face was clear, but it didn’t stop him and barely slowed him down. Hal focused on the water around him, pulling a wave of it from behind Randall’s legs, pushing him off balance.

  When the dark swath of hair went under the water, he knew this was his opportunity. One Hal couldn’t waste. Jumping on top of Randall, he held him down with one knee and most of his weight on the man’s back, forcing his opponent to struggle against his larger frame. It was when the woman on the floor started gasping for breath that he pulled the scrawny man up.

  Taking a deep, shaking breath followed by a hacking cough, Randall went to turn to attack Hal once more, but this time Hal’s arm snaked around his neck, putting him in a choke hold.

  Before he could do anything further, a great crack sounded, making his ears ring with pain. Lightning streaked out from the wall behind him, bouncing off the invisible shield holding not only them but the water in. Hal knew as soon as he saw it that they were screwed. He had only released Randall by a fraction of an inch when the lightning connected with the water. The pain exploded through him at an intensity he’d never felt before. Every muscle in his body locked up, and as the water rushed out of the room, he followed it to the floor, with Randall landing beside him. The last thing he saw was the woman who had been suffering to help Randall. She was still conscious, unlike the man she’d been connected to. Perhaps the bond broke when one of the members lost consciousness, but as her body collapsed to the floor, he gave up trying to think past the pain.

  “I told you not to interfere,” the High Brother’s voice scolded, before screams began ripping through the air.

  Hal knew he should be concerned about what was happening, but he couldn’t move. Every single hair on his body hurt. His skin felt like it was on fire, and that was all he could think about.

  Chapter 24

  Robin’s heart had stopped when she saw Hal’s body on the floor twitching. Everything had happened so fast that her brain was still processing. She knew she had to stay out of the way so the brothers could work, but it was taking everything she had not to run over and try to get to Hal. The only reason Dem had agreed to bring her along was because she could be played as a pretend bargaining chip or distraction.

  When they had arrived and seen Hal and Randall duking it out, their plan had gone out the window. There were too many members there for physical combat, especially if they all channeled their Keys, which could have the boys facing any number of powers. Dem and Thad worked together to create a magical barrier of water that held the members of the Order in a confined space. The giant of a brother had somehow succeeded in electrifying the surface of the water that faced them, so when they had tried to escape, they all were shocked, leaving them howling in pain. She could understand why the gods employed the brothers when she saw how they worked together.

  Alec and Nimue were over by the barrier, trying to get it down.

  “It’s the circle. It’s ancient and definitely shouldn’t be in such good condition.” Alec’s voice was tinged with concern.

  “So break the circle,” she said quietly as she scurried over to them.

  “Break what? The circle isn’t visible. Plus, even if it was, it’s pure magic.”

  “Break the magic that binds the circle. They had to add it to the stuff already there, right? So just break what they added.” Robin pointed at the markings on the floor.

  Nimue had come along as backup or as a bodyguard for Robin, which she thought was much more likely. After looking for a moment at what Robin was talking about, she sent an orb of light flying at the floor, the small tiles of the mosaic turning to dust under her power.

  “That should do it.” Her lyrical voice sounded so out of place in the current situation.

  Robin moved forward without thinking and was through the area where they had seen the barrier before Alec could yell at her to stop. She dashed over to Hal’s side. He was breathing—she could see his big chest expanding and contracting with rapid, shallow movements. They needed to get him home.

  The two other men began to stir at that moment, while Randall was still out for the count. She was willing to bet that if they hadn’t beaten each other to a bloody pulp before the lightning hit, then Hal and Randall would be waking up as well.

  “Sirens?” The older man with the strange markings chuckled to himself as he rubbed his head. “Figures you’d come for one of your own.”

  “My lord.” Alec dropped to a knee. “Please excuse Demetrius and Thaddeus for not showing the respect you deserve, but they are focused on containing those who would wish you harm.”

  “Oh, enough with the formalities already and help me up.” Alec reached down and gripped the man’s arm. The silvery-blue markings on his skin swirled at the touch. They weren’t tattoos as she had initially thought; it was something actually in his skin. Once he was on his feet, he went to check on the other guy.

  “Samuel?” Concern was etched on his face.

  “Here, Grandfather,” the younger man responded with a cough, groaning as he rolled onto his side.

  “Good boy.” The man clapped Samuel on the shoulder, which made him take a sharp breath in.

  “Maybe not so much with the physical contact for a while, okay?”

  “Oh. Sorry, Sam.” The older man smiled, bright white teeth accentuating his tanned skin. He ran his hand through his hair, pulling out a long strand of seaweed. “How long’s that been there?” he seemed to mutter to himself.

  Sam had pushed himself up into sitting position and was looking up at his grandfather, who in Robin’s eyes didn’t look old enough to have grandchildren. “What are you going to do to them?”

  A dark fury crossed the older man’s face. “I’m not sure yet.” He stalked over to the huddled group of people. “What should I do with you? Trying to capture and enslave a god? Tsk, tsk. No good can come from that, but how will you tell your friends if I just kill all of you?”

  Dem and Thad glanced at each other with worried expressions.

  “Sirens, you may let the wall down. I can defend myself now that I’m not stripped of most of my powers.”

  “Yes, Lord Poseidon,” Thad said with his head bowed.

  They slowly lowered their arms, letting the water melt away into the floor, the same as the water that had been about to drown Hal. Dropping to their knees, they bowed their heads. “Thank you,” they both said, before standing and coming over to where Robin and Nimue sat with Hal.

  The row of about ten people, minus Randall and the woman who had collapsed onto the floor at the same time Randall was struck by the lightning, stared at the god, their eyes wide with fear.

  “Rest assured that this specific summoning circle will no longer be of any use to you once I am through with it, and neither will a few of your comrades.”

  The sea god’s face was almost feral with anger, making Robin want to shrink as far away from him as possible. The scream wrenched itself out of her then, startling everyone around her. The heinous sound had clawed her throat as it escaped, only to leave her with a flash of a vision and a knot in her stomach. She saw Poseidon killing them, though thankfully it wasn’t all of them. She knew exactly what was coming. Who Poseidon was going to kill and how.

  After realizing what she was and what was happening, the sea god turned back to his victims. Reaching out, he grabbed two of them by the arm, and water flowed out of the ground and up their bodies, like a waterfall in reverse. It covered their faces, making it look like they were wearing clear helmets filled with water. As the scream subsided, she knew she couldn’t sit by and just let him kill them. Viole
nce like this was unnecessary and cruel.

  “Robin, do not meddle in the affairs of gods.” Nimue’s voice was just behind her ear, the woman’s hand coming down on her shoulder like a ton of bricks. “He will retaliate on you, me, and the sirens you are so fond of. If for nothing else, then for their sakes, do not interfere.”

  She stopped her movement and shut her mouth. If there was one thing she wasn’t about to do, it was bring a god’s wrath down on those who had just helped rescue her family. Glancing down at Hal’s prone form, she didn’t think he would be able to take whatever retribution the god dished out, and he was the one person she would never, for the rest of her life, betray.

  Focusing on Hal, she tried to shut out the sounds of the people drowning, instead replacing them with the memory of Hal’s laughter, or his deep baritone voice that she thought was heavenly, and if he sang, well, then she wouldn’t stand a chance, would she?

  “Did that scare you enough?” Poseidon’s voice cut through the daydream of Hal serenading her by the ocean.

  Glancing over, she saw the two freshly slumped bodies. She wrenched her eyes away before they took in details she couldn’t unsee.

  “No?” The god’s voice sounded again, the edge of malice sharp as a razor blade. “Maybe one more, then?” She heard a sickening crunch and looked back down at Hal. “Now, as for the rest of you, let’s treat you to a nice vacation. What do you say?”

  She looked over just in time to see him teleport out with four of the members of the Order. He appeared again seconds later, bringing with him a swirl of fresh air and exotic scents. There was even sand stuck to his feet. Grabbing the remaining members, he disappeared once more, this time returning with flakes of snow flurrying around him. It was only as he walked over to them that she realized the third victim of Poseidon’s rage had been the woman who had seemed to be connected to Randall somehow. She had been in pain when they first appeared, and then when the lightning struck, she had collapsed like a sack of potatoes.