Page 25

The kiss turned rougher, all restraint unraveling, spiraling into reckless consuming lust. My fingers traced the delicate line of her throat, feeling the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat beneath my palm.

She clung to me, breathless, her body moving against mine in a silent plea for more.

My lips left hers, trailing down her jaw, finding the sensitive spot beneath her ear.

I bit down just enough to make her moan, and the sound nearly undid me.

I needed more. Gods, I needed all of her.

But then reality slammed into me like a blade to the ribs. Who she was. Who I was.

I wrenched myself back, breath ragged, every muscle locked tight to keep from reaching for her again. The space between us felt unbearable, like tearing something vital away from myself. I shouldn’t have kissed her.

But I didn’t regret it.

The silence stretched between us, thick with something neither of us wanted to name. I let it linger, watching the rise and fall of her chest, the way she steadied herself, as if she hadn’t just been pressed against me, melting like she belonged there.

I smirked. “Why are you here?” My voice came out rough, thick with the remnants of what we’d just done.

I cleared my throat, forcing indifference into my tone.

“I thought you’d send another one of your crones to deal with me.

Keep me caged and clueless until the week’s end.

” I leaned back, arms folding across my chest, the mockery deliberate.

A faint smile ghosted across her lips, something teasing, something dangerous. “Oh, I didn’t realize you missed me,” she murmured, tilting her head just enough to let the words sink in. “But I suppose you did, considering that kiss.”

Ah. So she wanted to play.

I held her gaze, let the silence stretch again, just to watch the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes when I refused to react. She was testing me, probing for a reaction, for leverage. But if she thought I was going to fall for her games, she’d be sorely disappointed.

When I didn’t respond, she sighed, amused by my silence, as if she had all the patience in the world. “I’m here because we need to discuss something,” she finally said, voice steady, like she hadn’t just shattered every line we’d drawn between us.

I huffed a quiet laugh, shaking my head. Of course.

She cleared her throat, her voice maddeningly calm. “Before I free you,” she said, each syllable deliberate, measured, like she was granting me a favor instead of undoing her own damn crime. “I have two conditions.”

I let out a low, humorless chuckle, shaking my head as I ran my tongue over my teeth. Of course, there were conditions.

My fingers twitched, itching to grab something, her wrist, her throat, anything to force her to stop playing these games and speak plainly.

But I stayed still, jaw tight, nails digging into my palms. I was listening, sure, but every word she spoke stoked something ugly inside me, something raw and seething.

She had kept me here, trapped, cornered, like some caged beast, stripped of any proper choice. And now she wanted to negotiate my freedom? Like she held the keys to my life, like I was supposed to nod along and play by her rules?

The injustice of it burned like acid in my veins. My lips curled into a snarl. She was still pulling the strings, still controlling me, and I fucking hated it.

“ Of course, ” I drawled, voice laced with venom. “Why would you ever make things simple?” I let my gaze rake over her, cold and sharp, searching for a crack in that measured composure. “Go on, then. Tell me what you want, Princess. I’m dying to hear what price you’ve put on my freedom.”

She barely reacted, just the smallest flicker of something in those sharp emerald eyes. Amusement? Annoyance? I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter. It still wasn’t fear.

And that only pissed me off more .

My fists curled, knuckles whitening as I forced myself to stand still, to keep the fury from spilling over. She had backed me into a corner, and we both knew it.

I met her gaze, refusing to look away. “What is it?” I growled, voice low, dangerous, the barely restrained fury coiling tight in my chest.

Her expression didn’t shift, not a single crack in that perfect facade. And fuck, that pissed me off more than anything else. The way she stood there, unshaken, eyes calm, face an impenetrable wall of grace, like nothing, not even me, could throw her off.

It made me want to rip that mask off her, to make her flinch, even if it meant I’d burn myself doing it. That poise attitude? It made me want to destroy it, piece by piece.

God, I hated how she didn’t let me get under her skin. It was like she was untouchable. But I knew better. And the more she stood there, the hotter the fire in my chest burned.

I let my eyes drift over her, down to that dress again, the one that clung just enough to make my blood boil.

It wasn’t just the fabric. It was everything it represented.

That dress, that fucking dress, was a cruel reminder of how close I was to giving in, how I let my control slip for a moment, for just a taste.

I wanted to ruin her composure. And if I didn’t focus on something else soon, I might just kiss her again.

Her voice broke through the haze in my mind, steady, unbothered. “You’re powerful, and to keep your hybrid abilities hidden, you’ll need control.” She might as well have been lecturing me about the weather. “So, my first condition is that you accept training lessons until the week’s end.”

I let out a low, dry chuckle. “Training? And who’s going to play teacher, Princess? Surely the council’s got someone lined up for this.” I didn’t care about the answer. I was fishing. Fishing for any hint of their game .

She didn’t break her gaze, and I almost laughed at her nonchalant demeanor. It only made me want to dig deeper. “I’ll help you train. You only need the basics to keep your powers in check.”

I raised an eyebrow, the sarcasm practically dripping off my words. “You?”

Then she dropped the real bombshell. “The council doesn’t know about this.”

The words hit me like ice water, but it wasn’t enough to calm the rage in my gut, though. Why? Why the hell would she keep this from them? That wasn’t a question I could let go.

“Why?” I growled, the anger pushing through my words like a hammer. “Why keep this from your precious council? What are you really playing at, huh?”

It makes little sense. When we first met, she spoke of the council like they controlled everything, as if their eyes were always on her. So why hide this? What game was she playing?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how little I truly knew about her, about this world I’m trapped in. She was an enigma, a puzzle with too many missing pieces.

Did I even want the answers?

That question swirled in my mind like a storm, tugging at my resolve. I wasn’t sure. The deeper I dove into their world, the more tangled I’d become in their web. Every answer led to more questions, and every question pulled me further into a world I didn’t want to be part of.

“Fine, but I also have conditions,” I retorted, unwilling to accept her terms without negotiation. “I want truths in exchange.”

For the briefest moment, a flicker of fear crossed her face, her facade cracking for the first time. If I had any doubt that she was hiding something, now I was sure of it.

She remained silent, pondering my bargain before speaking. “ Fair enough. I’ll concede the truths you seek, but I don’t take responsibility for them.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but she raised her hand to stop me. “As for my second condition, I need you to take an oath, a binding promise known as the Azure Oath.”

An oath? I knew what an oath was, but to make a promise of any sort to her, a siren, was unthinkable. Yes, she had saved my life twice, and there was that strange pull and attraction towards her, but to make a solemn promise, it felt like a step too far.

“What is this Azure Oath? How does it work?” I asked.

She sighed. “It’s an oath of secrecy. Only powerful sirens can perform the spell. Once complete, a small blue trident will appear on your wrist, and a small siren tail will appear on mine.”

The idea of being marked, of entering a binding deal with her, sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t like the sound of this at all.

“If I am to agree to this,” I said, narrowing my eyes, “when do we start?”

Her lips curved into a faint smile, a mixture of satisfaction and relief. “We can do the spell the day you leave, but the training, I’m afraid, must start soon enough, perhaps tomorrow.”

I clenched my jaw. “Why tomorrow and not now? You’re already here.” My voice was rough, dripping with impatience. “And don’t expect me to make this easy for you.”

“I wouldn’t dare and I don’t know if you noticed, but I wasn’t planning on this meting,” she replied, her smile faltering for the first time, a flicker of uncertainty passing through her eyes.

Oh, I had noticed, though I’d never admit it to her.

Keeping my gaze fixed on her face through this whole interaction had been the hardest thing I’d done so far.

Every fiber of my being wanted to look her up and down again, to let my eyes wander over that dress that practically invited it, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing how much she affected me.

I kept my expression hardened, defiant. She might have me trapped here, but she wouldn’t trap me in other ways.

“How is it you didn’t plan this? You came here on your own.” I pressed fishing for insight.

If she didn’t come to talk, then why did she?

She hesitated, letting the silence stretch between us. When she didn’t speak, my patience snapped.

“We have a bargain. A truth for the training,” I reminded her, my voice hard.

She inhaled deeply, visibly reluctant, but she knew she had no choice. “Fine.” Even though she agreed, it was clear she didn’t want to continue, which only piqued my curiosity further.