Page 30 of A Siren Song for Christmas

Still, he grabbed the plate from the shelf and placed onto it the baked goods, cookies, pastries, and tarts. His mouth watered. He offered the plate to Trent. But Trent waved a hand, clearly more interested in the frog on his chest than the food.

Chapter

Sixteen

Trent stared down at the frog on his chest. Her white throat, which contrasted with her green body, moved rapidly. She crawled up his chest, approaching his neck. Trent laughed. He lifted his hand, placing it beside her.

Without hesitating, she crawled onto it. He raised her in front of his face. She moved around, exploring as she ribbited.

“Can I stroke her?” Trent asked.

“You can try. She’ll move away if she doesn’t like it.”

Lifting his free hand, he moved it towards Kelby. She looked at the hand but didn’t move away. Slowly, Trent touched her smooth, damp, slightly slimy back. She didn’t seem perturbed by his touch.

“How did you find her?” Trent asked.

“She turned up in the emporium, sitting on a water lily, a couple of years ago,” Malachi answered. “But I have no idea where she came from or how long she’d lived in the emporium before I first saw her. She is a master of camouflage, so she might have been in the shop for weeks, maybe even months.”

“What does she eat?”

“Insects,” Malachi said. “I never have to feed her. She is an excellent hunter and finds her own prey in the store. The plants attract a variety of tiny creatures.”

Suddenly Kelby jumped. Trent startled, a surprised noise escaping his throat as she landed on the shelf. She hopped again, and this time, she landed on a log in her terrarium. She crawled around. Then closed her eyes, seeming to go to sleep.

“I hope she approves of me.” Trent smiled at the sleeping frog.

“I think she does.” Malachi offered the plate of baked goods again to Trent.

Trent took a caramel tart.

And so did Malachi. “If she didn’t like you, I feel she would have just hidden.” He set down the plate. Then he took a bite of the caramel tart.

The siren closed his eyes and chewed, the pleasure clear on his face. His tentacles swayed slightly.

Trent’s mouth dried.

Fuck me. He’s stunning.

Malachi swallowed. “This is beyond delicious.” He opened his eyes.

Trent cleared his throat. “I’ll pass on my compliments to my brother, Briar. He made them.” He took a bite of his own tart.

“Please do. It’s the best thing I’ve eaten in years.” Malachi chewed and leaned back in his chair.

They sat silently for a few moments as they ate.

“I was wondering, how did you come to live in Anorra?” Trent asked. “It’s very far from the ocean. Sirens tend to live in the ocean, right?”

Malachi nodded. “Well, at the time, I was…wandering. I didn’t stay put anywhere for long, and I ended up in Anorra. I saw the emporium. At the time, I had been away from the oceanfor several months. The aquatic plants beckoned to me, and so I came in.”

Malachi paused. “Back then, an elderly kraken shifter had just inherited the shop from a distant cousin.” He laughed. “She hated serving customers. She didn’t know how to tend the plants and had no interest in learning. So she offered me a job.”

Trent laughed. “What? Just like that?”

“Well, I was staring at the plants. She asked me if I knew how to look after them. I said I had some idea.” Malachi huffed. “That was enough for her. After hiring me, she barely spent any time in the shop. I ended up doing all the work. She spent her nights up here and her days in the lake in the forest.

“But that worked for both of us. Five years later, she passed and left me the emporium. She didn’t have any family. Still, I was surprised. And grateful.” Malachi smiled. “That’s how I came to be in Anorra and why I remained.”