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“I kissed him and he collapsed last night,” Lucienne blurted out.

“The boy got too excited?”

“No! It was a bad fall.” Tears came to her eyes. “He’s allergic to my kiss.”

Jed looked worried. “Did anyone else see that?”

“No. Kian took care of it.”

An appreciation smile floated to Jed’s eyes. “Good Kian. Always efficient.”

“What am I, Grandfather?” Lucienne asked. “Why can’t I kiss a boy? I can never be witha man, can I?”

“Did you kiss others before the prince or after him?”

“Vlad was my first kiss.” She swallowed. “But, well—”

When it came to Jed, the best strategy was to tell the truth. He expected it. He always knew if she was lying. “Two other guys after him also got poisoned,” she said reluctantly.

“I take it they wouldn’t recognize you?”

“They’d describe me as a tall blonde with a distinctive accent.”

Jed nodded in approval.

“The point is, Grandfather, I must find out why I can’t be with male.” A sob, again, stuck in her throat. “I don’t ask too much. I want only one boy.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” said Jed.

“That I want only one boy?” Lucienne raised her head, staring down at the old man incredulously.

“There’s a reason the tradition forbids a female Siren. The implant mutates Sirens, giving us superpowers, but at a cost,” Jed said. “The mark isn’t of modern technology, but ancient, before we conceived of a female Siren. It might not be compatible with your system.”

“So I’m condemned to be a virgin forever because of a malfunction?” Lucienne let out a furious cry.

“Remember what I told you at the ritual?”

“You said I could no longer have a normal life,” Lucienne said bitterly, “but I didn’t expect this—a life without passion.”

“Passion is a fleeting thing.”

“Easy for you to say. You don’t need it anymore. You and all the other Sirens were married and had children; some of them married many times. And you’ve had many women in your life, Grandfather.”

Jed glared at the girl before softening his expression. “The mark did something to all the male Sirens, too, not that we cared much. For thousands of years, none of the Sirens could produce female offspring, until you came along.”

Lucienne had heard about the phenomena and wondered if that was the force behind the fierce resistance to her being Siren. But what if she—

“You’re my bloodline,” Jed said. “I had the DNA test done before I brought you in all those years ago.” He paused for a few seconds, then continued. “I’d been searching for your Russian mother. I was mystified by the abnormality of a female offspring.”

Lucienne held her breath. This was the first time Jed had told her about her mother. “She disappeared right after she gave birth to you, and any record of her was wiped clean. It’s as though she never existed, other than to be my son’s secret lover. Our network can find anyone, but not her,” he sighed. “She remains a mystery, and so is part of your heritage. Perhaps you’ll solve it one day.”

“I don’t care about the woman who abandoned me. All I want is to find a way to be with Vladimir.” Lucienne looked at Jed pleadingly. “I can’t bear to lose him, Grandpa.”

“Your only chance is to find the Eye of Time and open the portal to Eterne. Only then will this curse be lifted from you.”

“You make it sound like it’s as easy as finishing a dance.”

“You can do it, Lucienne. You must finish the dance that we didn’t. You’re the only Siren who had the vision during the ritual.”