The Siren's Eyes (The Siren Legacy Book 2) Page 3

  “Thad . . .” He could swear he heard her call to him, but that couldn’t be right. Scrying never came with sound, at least not for him. When she called for him a second time, though, he knew he hadn’t imagined it. He had seen her mouth move.

  “Aster, wait!” The panic in her voice made him wince. “Aster, where are you?” This was painful to watch. He tried to let go of the vision again, but it wouldn't let him. He hadn’t seen what he needed to yet, but he wasn’t sure how much of Cin’s pain and fear he could take. All he wanted to do was gather her up in his arms and soothe her.

  “I know you've been taken. Tell me where you are. We can help. We can save you.” Cin was speaking much too clearly and coherently for Thad to believe she was still dreaming. “I’m not going to abandon you—you’re my sister! Wait, Aster! Don’t go! Tell me where we are!” Cin was yelling now.

  She sat up in bed, panting.

  “What the hell was that?”

  Pushing the hair that had plastered itself to her forehead away from her face, she grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand, downing the whole thing in a few gulps. Thad tried to release the vision again, and this time he was able to do so.

  The sight of Cin faded, and although Thad could have watched her for the rest of the night, he knew that would cross a line. He hated invading her privacy like that, but it hadn’t been intentional. He mentally berated his subconscious for seeking Cin out when he had been looking for Aster.

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapped two separate photos, one of the Aster part of the photo and one of the Cin part, hoping that when he went to scry again, having only the photo of Aster would help him focus.

  Scrying with water wasn’t working. Even though his gifts from Poseidon usually made water easy for him to manipulate, it wasn’t cooperating right now. The next step up would be a scrying mirror—a mirror imbued with magic specifically for that purpose. The only person he knew who had one was Alec. Without thinking, he dialed his brother.

  “Do you know what time it is?” a groggy growl answered.

  Thad hadn’t even noticed how late it was. He was more energized than he had been in a long time.

  “Sorry, Brother. I didn’t notice the time.”

  “Well, I’m up now. What’s happening?”

  “I need to borrow your scrying mirror.”

  “Okay . . .” Alec trailed off. Thad sighed. He should have known he wouldn't get out of this without giving an explanation.

  “I’m helping a friend of Tony's locate her missing sister.”

  “Isn't that more of a police type thing?” Alec gently reprimanded.

  “Usually, unless they get a creepy note saying not to contact the police.”

  “So she was kidnapped?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, swing by in the morning and I’ll get it to you.”

  They hung up, and Thad remained on the bar stool for a while. Something had changed within him. His powers seemed off, or at least weren’t working the way they normally did. He glanced at the photo of Aster and Cin. By the gods, Cin was beautiful.

  He needed to clear his head. He wasn’t used to going around thinking about a woman being beautiful, or being beautiful enough that he had to swear to the gods about it. The only thing he could think of that would help was flying.

  Thad’s siren half called to him when the thought of flying crossed his mind as surely as the myth of the sirens calling to sailors. He couldn’t resist the call. He shook out his wings, allowing the glamour he and his brothers all used to conceal them from mortals to fall away, pulled his hair out of the ponytail, and toed off his shoes.

  Stepping out of his kitchen onto the deck that surrounded his house, he launched himself into the air. The rush of wind over his wings was exhilarating. He circled the island he and his brothers lived on, which was hidden from prying eyes, mortal and immortal alike, getting higher with every pass. Diving down toward the ocean, he skimmed the surface with his hands and feet, reveling in the spray hitting his face. Salt water, sand, and a good flight were all he needed to be happy. He wondered if Cin would like flying with him.

  That thought was the exact reason he was out here, although now he hadn’t realized how long it had been since he had been flying until he was soaring over the waves of the Atlantic. He rose so high this time that clouds were pressing in all around him. Then he dove toward the ocean once more, twirling and spinning in the air until all thoughts of Cin were replaced by the focus of physical activity and the rhythm of the ocean.

  Cin woke the next morning just in time to get to her client's appointment. It was a color round for a tattoo she had been working on for a while now. Her head pounded, and her mouth may as well have been full of wool, but she wasn’t about to let that make her late.

  A low buzz filled her mind with fragments of the dreams from last night. She was never much of a dreamer, but last night's was a doozy. Not only had she been exploring the tattoos on Thad’s body, but the next moment, Thad was gone and Aster was there, walking away from her down a corridor.

  Cin had called to her. When she asked where Aster was, her sister just shook her head. Cin tried to explain that she knew Aster was gone, that she had been kidnapped, but Aster kept shaking her head. Finally, the only thing Aster said to her was that she should leave her, that it was too dangerous to come after her, and that she loved Cin. When Cin protested, Aster faded away to nothing.

  She remembered the rush of adrenaline pumping through her system as she woke up. She shook herself. Thad was looking for Aster, and there was nothing else she could do right now except finish that tattoo. She pulled on some ripped black jeans and a loose-fitting tank top and left.

  By the time Cin got to the shop and had her cup of coffee, her client was ready to go. She printed off a fresh copy of the design and was ready to get to work when she noticed another sheet of paper waiting on the printer.

  Dread pooled in her stomach.

  Were the kidnappers finally getting in touch with their demands? She hoped so. She had no idea what to do otherwise. The paper was covered in random letters with one word at the top that was larger than the others. Eclipse.

  A chill ran down her spine and connected with the dread in her stomach. All Cin could think about was talking to Thad.

  She knew this jumble of letters was meant for her, but she had no idea what it meant. Cin knew it was going to take all her patience to get through this tattoo and wait to talk to Thad. She folded the paper and shoved it into the pocket on her skinny jeans.

  “Okay, Mark, you ready for some color?”

  The guy in her chair smiled and nodded as she prepped the different colors she would need for the tattoo.

  Thad had slept late. He wasn’t used to flying so much and had been exhausted by the time he went to bed. He had no idea what time it was when he had retreated inside last night, but the first rays of the morning sun were glittering on the horizon.

  “Alec?” Thad called as he jumped into the kitchen of his brother’s house. Alec had found his soul mate in Ellie, and what once was bachelor island was no longer. Thad and his brothers had learned to be careful when jumping into Alec's house unexpectedly. There were some sights brothers shouldn’t see.

  “In here,” Alec called from the library. Thad headed in his brother’s direction.

  “Before I give you the mirror, I want to know the whole story. Do you know how many boxes of MacLeod's stuff I had to dig through to find it? Plus, it was expensive,” Alec said as Thad walked into the room and sank down onto the overstuffed arm chair opposite his brother. The smell of leather and old books and coffee enveloped him, and Thad felt his muscles loosen a fraction.

  “Excuse me? Who did the searchin'?” Ellie's Scottish accent rolled from the other side of the room as she lowered the book she had been reading and looked pointedly at her fiancé.

  “Sorry, love. What I meant was, do you know how many boxes Ellie searched through to get that to me?” Alec said, thro
wing a sheepish smile toward Ellie, who grinned and winked at him in return.

  “I tried scrying with my regular bowl and water, and it didn’t work, so now I need to try something more powerful.”

  “You still haven't told me what’s going on.” Alec's jaw was set stubbornly, and Thad knew there was no way around it.

  “Did you get a call from Tony yesterday?” Alec nodded. “Well, it turns out one of his employees, who seems to be a close friend of his, is having some family trouble. Cin’s little sister was kidnapped. Tony found an image on the printer at the tattoo shop of Aster, Cin’s little sister, tied to a chair in a room with two guards. Cin tried to contact Aster with no response, and then when they were going to call the police, they received another note saying not to involve the cops. So, Tony called us, and I was the only one who picked up.”

  “So you’re using your weekend off to help a complete stranger find their kidnapped sister?” Alec raised an eyebrow at him.

  “Yes.” Thad knew this was out of character for him. He, most of all among his brothers, craved his time away from dealing with magical objects and misbehaving demigods.

  “Okay, let me go get it.”

  Alec disappeared momentarily and reappeared with the mirror in hand. The obsidian glass shimmered in a way that no other glass could replicate unless it was imbued with the same magic. The oval shape was decorated with an ornate frame that looked much older than it probably was.

  “Here. Do me a favor and try not to break it.”

  Thad smiled at his brother. He was still dragging from last night, and the thought of jumping back to his place to scry and then jumping back here to return the mirror was tiring.

  “Do you mind if I use it in the kitchen?”

  “Oh.” Alec's eyebrows shot up. “Sure, go ahead.”

  As Thad walked out of the room, he caught the glance Ellie and Alec exchanged. He wasn’t acting like himself, and he knew it.

  He gently placed the mirror and his cell phone with the photo of Aster pulled up on the kitchen table and sat facing the big floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed him to watch the ocean. Thad allowed the rhythm of the waves to slowly close his eyes and put him into the meditative state he needed to scry.

  When his breathing was regular and his mind clear of distractions, the photo of Aster began to take shape in his mind's eye. Opening his eyes, he focused on the obsidian glass and allowed his desire to locate Aster to come front and center in his mind.

  The mirror stayed blank. Nothing, not even a swirl of smoke to indicate that the scry was working. Thad shook his head and got up from the table. Pacing the room, he tried to think of where Aster could be that he wouldn't be able to scry for her location.

  He opened the sliding door and stepped out, the brisk sea air momentarily gusting toward him, robbing him of breath. Thad wanted to fly again. He felt so restless, so helpless against his own emotions, that it was driving him crazy.

  Out of the four brothers, he was the one who was usually the most rational, the most controlled. He was their strategist. He was used to being able to step back from his own opinions and emotions to find the best solution, and right now he couldn’t even get a simple scrying to work. When Thad turned back to go inside, he saw Alec waiting for him.

  “What’s going on, Brother, really?”

  “It’s exactly as I told you. I’m having trouble scrying for Aster’s location. That’s it.”

  “Right . . . So why are you pacing in my kitchen and going flying in the middle of the night for hours?”

  Thad shot a questioning look at Alec.

  “I couldn’t get back to sleep after you called, so I went and sat on the beach. You’re quite the aerial acrobat when you want to be, huh?” Alec lightly punched his brother's shoulder.

  “I’m restless. I want to help Cin and for this to be done.”

  “Did you try scrying with the mirror?”

  “Yeah. Not even a flicker of connection.”

  “Weird. Do you want me to burn some mugwort, try and help it along?”

  “No, that'll stink up your house. I’ll try once more and then leave you guys alone.”

  “Why don’t I scry with you? Who knows, maybe double the siren will do it?” Alec smiled. Thad knew he was trying to be encouraging, but right now it just sounded patronizing.

  “Sure.”

  They sat at the table with the mirror between them. Thad handed his phone to Alec. “That’s Aster.”

  “Got it.” His brother nodded.

  Their breathing became synchronized as they fell into the trance-like state for scrying. Thad envisioned finding Aster in his mind, the photo prominent in his thoughts.

  The mirror vibrated on the table. Thad’s eyes cracked open as the vibrations got louder. The connection was there, just out of reach. It was like getting his fingertips on it and then it slipped from his grasp again and again. But nothing appeared.

  “Have you used the mirror at all? Maybe you got a dud.”

  “Test it, then. I’m going to pour some coffee.” Alec rose from the chair. Thad suspected that his brother may have been insulted by his question, but he was too concerned with why he couldn’t track down Aster right now to care.

  Thad listened to Alec puttering about the kitchen as he closed his eyes and focused on the mirror. He knew he shouldn’t, but the only other person he could think to scry for was Cin. Her face came so easily to his mind, and with such a rush of emotion that it made him more than a little nervous. Her worried expression and multicolored hair were vibrant in his mind.

  He felt the connection, swift and strong, just as it had been the night before. When Thad opened his eyes, she was pictured in the glass, bent over a man's thigh while she worked on the upper part of his leg sleeve.

  Her hair was pulled up into a big bun on top of her head, and she smiled at something the man had said. There was an emotion in the pit of Thad’s stomach. Jealousy? He’d never really been jealous before. He had no reason to be. He knew his life was better than most. Thad watched as the man stared at Cin’s cleavage, and his blood began to boil.

  As Cin wiped away ink, the man reached out to touch her, and Thad felt rage flow through his body. Cin flinched away from the contact and gave what looked like an uncomfortable laugh. He wanted to punch the man.

  Cin was his to touch.

  No, she wasn’t. He was helping her find her sister. That was it, he reminded himself. Thad shook his head and released the vision of Cin. He couldn’t believe he’d allowed himself to watch her again.

  “So, who was that?” came Alec's voice from over his shoulder.

  “Cin, the woman whose sister is missing.”

  “I didn’t realize it was a woman.” Alec grinned at Thad as he sat down.

  He could feel the scowl on his face, but didn’t have enough control to wipe it away and put on his usual calm mask.

  “Don’t scowl at me like that. I wasn’t the one flirting with her.” Alec raised his hands defensively.

  “She can flirt with whomever she wants.”

  “Of course she can,” Alec said, smiling as he sipped his coffee.

  Thad sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Cin was under his skin, and he didn’t like it one bit.

  “Will you help me scry for Aster again?”

  “By all means, Brother.”

  They both took deep breaths and focused on the mirror, the trance-like state coming easily now. Thad focused on Aster, and only Aster, demanding the mirror reveal her location. He opened his eyes when the mirror started vibrating.

  Again, he got the sensation that the connection was just out of reach, like he was trying to grab a fish out of water. He mentally pushed for the connection, the whisper of it in his ear and the ever-so-slight swirl of smoke on the glass made his heart leap.

  The glass exploded, spraying in all directions around them as the wooden frame cracked. Thad didn’t even have time to cover his face, and the shards scratched his cheeks, leaving trails of blood
forming in their wake.

  “What the hell was that?” Alec breathed as Ellie came running into the kitchen.

  “What on earth happened?” The tension in Ellie's voice was palpable as her eyes latched on to Alec, roaming all over him, assessing him for injuries.

  Thad and Alec looked at each other, both unsure of the answer.

  “We were scrying for Aster and the mirror broke?” Thad said, unsure if Alec agreed with him.

  “I think broke is an understatement. We couldn’t establish a connection. I don’t know about Thad, but to me it felt like there was something blocking me, like there was a film or something there that prevented contact. I could feel it, though. I just couldn’t actually connect with it. Super weird.”

  “An’ it jus’ exploded, jus’ like that?” Ellie's Scots accent was thick with fear.

  Alec stood and went to her. “I’m fine, love.”

  “Aye, well, ye better be.” She swatted him on the arm as he hugged her. Jealousy ran through Thad again, and he realized he was envious of the connection Alec and Ellie shared. “What d’ye think caused it to shatter?”

  “You said it felt like something was blocking you?” Thad asked.

  Alec nodded.

  “Hadn’t thought of it that way.” Thad pondered for a moment. “I thought since I was so distracted by . . . other things that it was my fault, but now you've said it, that makes more sense. I felt it too, like the connection was always just out of reach, but I wasn’t able to touch it. How could that happen?”

  “Maybe she’s magically hidden? Like your island?” Ellie piped up.

  “Our island,” Alec quietly corrected. “Ellie has a point,” he said to Thad.

  “I have no idea how we'd even figure out if that’s true or not.”

  “Granddad may have had something to help, but I don’t know where it is.” Ellie paused for a moment. Thad could almost see the different thoughts crossing her face. “Thad, you create water, right?”

  “Technically I pull it from the environment around me—”

  “But you can use it to create, right?” Excitement glittered in Ellie's eyes.