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Fella’s eyes widened further. Her sword clattered to the deck, and she dove. Thane rolled toward the edge where, yet another siren held on, until Fella landed on top of him. He bucked and grunted, kicking his bound legs into the air. Layala jumped on his lower half, hoping their combined weight could keep him down.

“Let me out of these! I love her! I must go to her! My Layala is down there!” he roared, throwing them both off. The vines began to bow and snap. Holy shit, the sirens created hallucinations.

Trying to rise to her feet, Layala slipped on the wet deck, crashing to her hands and knees. Fella was used to the dipping of the ship, the dampness of its deck and scrambled up, and drew out her sword. Two sirens crawled toward them, teeth bared, long fingers digging into the wood.

“Give me him!” the purple-haired siren hissed. “He’s mine.”

Layala grabbed Lightbringer and rammed the tip of it straight into the siren’s mouth. “No, he’s mine.” She kicked her free of the sword, and Fella smiled at her.

“You’re badder than you look. But I got the other siren. You get him!” Fella bellowed then slashed her blade wildly through the air.

Layala dropped down onto Thane’s chest, straddling him with her thighs then slapped him hard across the face. “I’m right here! Your Layala is right here!”

“Layala! I’m coming!” he shouted toward the water’s edge.

It was like he couldn’t even see her, as if she’d gone invisible to him. She gripped his hair, jerking him to look at her face inches from his. “It’s me, you stupid prick.”

His jaw tensed and he blinked several times, slowly shaking his head as if trying to clear away a fog. “Layala?”

All it took was calling him a prick huh?“Yes. I’m here.”

“We’re getting closer to the island,” Fella said, slashing at the siren who hacked back with wicked claws. “The power of their call is fading but not gone yet. Not until we are close to shore.”

“Layala, we need help!” Piper sounded hysterical. “They’ve got him! Help!”

Layala looked to Fella. “I can’t go. You must.”

“If I leave you, we might losehim. He’s the High King of the elves. He’s more important than them, right?” Her blade sliced through the siren’s forearm and the creature wailed, and dark-green blood sprayed across the deck.

“My arm! My arm!” she screeched and charged Fella, blue tailfin slapping against the deck, and face twisted in rage. The lake creature whirled around, sweeping out her fin and knocked Fella’s legs from under her. Her clawed hand swung down at Fella’s head. She brought her blade up just in time to slice off the arm and then kicked the siren hard enough to send her sliding across the deck and into the water.

Thane began struggling again. Whatever breakthrough Layala had with him was gone. More screams from below made Layala’s heart ache. They needed her.

Fella spit, and swung her sword over her head and moved toward the ship’s edge again to take on another siren climbing over the rail. “Sometimes hard decisions must be made, lass.”

Wilder than ever Thane bucked and kicked. Layala forcefully pressed her palms against the vines wrapped around Thane’s chest, making sure to keep him in place, but even her magic’s hold began to strain, and the restraints snapped one by one. She conjured more to wrap around him, more to keep him bound.

“Layala!” Aunt Evalyn shouted. “There are too many! Help us!”

Her chin trembled and her heart ached for abandoning them but… Hard decisions. “I can’t leave Thane!” Her voice broke on his name. Maker above, what if it was Fennan? Could she forgive herself?

Piper screamed and the agony of it tore a piece of Layala. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, as her vision blurred from tears. Thane fought and roared and grunted. Her vines kept snapping and she kept creating them. She sobbed as Piper and Aunt Evalyn shouted for help and there was nothing she could do.

As quickly as it came, the sirens’ song stopped, and Thane quit struggling. That far-off cloudy look in his eyes disappeared, and he focused on her poised over him. He looked down at the thick layers of vines wrapped around his body, then his eyes searched her face. “What happened? The last thing I remember is you tying me to the mast.”

Layala swiped her hands across her wet cheeks. The better question was, who was now gone forever?

Chapter22

Layala took a deep cleansing breath, trying to stop the tears from streaming down her face. Words wouldn’t come from her achingly tight throat. How could she tell him she’d failed their Ravens? They were hers too. Shaking her head, she reached back and pulled her sword, Lightbringer, loose, then slid the sharp edge of the blade under the vines, careful not to slice into his flesh. He tensed as the cool metal slid along his torso.

“Layala,” Thane urged, more forceful this time. “Did I hurt you? Why are you crying?”

“No.” She continued cutting through the vines. She considered she might be able to dissolve her own magic, but she didn’t have the mind to try anything new at the moment.

Fella’s boots clopped loudly as she made her way over from the ship’s railing. She stood over them with her mouth twisted into a frown. “You lost someone, maybe more, King Thane. Me and my girls did what we could. We fought hard.”

He shoved his arms out, snapping the vines down the center until he was completely free of his binds. “Who?”