Page 34

Abandoned fool

Adrian

She ran. Coward.

I stood frozen, staring at the spot where Iryen had disappeared beneath the water. A hollow ache spread through my chest, sharp and consuming, gnawing at me with every breath. It wasn’t just frustration. It was something darker. Something possessive.

The ghost of her touch burned against my skin.

I could still feel the way she had moved beneath me, how her body had molded so perfectly to mine, how her voice had broken on my name like a whispered prayer.

The way she had clung to me, as if I was the only thing keeping her grounded. And now? Now she was gone.

It wasn’t just sex. It had been a symphony of sensation, driving me to the very edge of my control. The aftershocks of our shared orgasm still reverberated through me, like an electric current running beneath my skin.

I closed my eyes, the memory of her touch flooding my senses.

Her body had arched and trembled beneath me for my touch, her muscles tightening around me with such intensity that it felt like she was pulling me deeper into her, into us.

Every thrust, every caress, had felt like an exploration of something primal, something I hadn’t even known I was searching for.

The way her skin had glowed beneath the sunlight, slick with sweat and desire, had burned itself into my mind.

I felt at easy, as I had finally found my place on this earth.

Like she was home and belong to me and I to her, but that was impossible, she wasn’t only from another world she was a fucking princess, A siren who had no right to sink her claws into me, only to retreat when it suited her, she was everything I despised and denied my entire life, And yet, I had wanted nothing more.

She belonged to me.

The thought came unbidden, raw and unfiltered, but I didn’t push it away. Because it was the truth.

I could still taste her on my lips, still feel the tremor of her release as she screamed my name, as if that moment had been a collision of not just bodies, but souls. And yet, as overwhelming as it had been, as much as it had torn me apart in the best possible way, she had pulled away. She’d left.

I let out a slow, controlled breath, but it did nothing to temper the storm inside me. My fists clenched at my sides as my jaw tightened. She thought she could just leave? Just walk away after what we shared? Did she think I would accept that?

No.

She was running. And fuck, maybe she had a reason to. She felt it too, this pull, this obsession coiling tighter around us with every second. But instead of facing it, she left me standing here in the wreckage of something she wasn’t willing to explain.

Fuck, it mattered.

The way her scent clung to my skin, the way I felt her emotions ripple through me like a second heartbeat. It wasn’t natural, wasn’t normal. And no matter how much I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t. Our connection ripped me apart from the inside.

I raked a hand through my hair, pacing along the shore, my thoughts an unraveling thread of anger and desire. This wasn’t just some fleeting attraction. It was deeper. Hungrier. It was in my bones, in my blood, and no amount of distance would erase it.

I stopped, staring out over the dark waters again. The pull was still there, tugging at me like an invisible thread woven between us. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t escape it. She was a part of me now. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn’t want to escape it.

Iryen had told me she couldn’t afford to be reckless. That her responsibilities were bigger than the bond we shared. But what about mine? I wasn’t some bystander in all of this. I had a say, too. She couldn’t just decide for both of us.

I should go back to Thalassa. Forget her. Forget this.

But the thought was laughable. As if I could walk away. As if I could ever be free of her.

No, I would find her. I would make her face this, face me . She didn’t get to make this decision alone.

She could run, but I would chase.

And this time, I wouldn’t let her go.

* * *

The water in the Moon Pond rippled, and my spine went rigid, every muscle coiled, waiting.

Moonlight bathed the clearing in silver, and for a breath, just one, I let myself believe it would be her.

That she would rise from the water like some spectral vision, skin glowing, emerald eyes locking onto mine with the same heat that had consumed us before she ran. To explain. To do… something.

But it wasn’t her .

Turquoise eyes, sharp and assessing, met mine instead.

Elora

She surfaced with the effortless grace of a predator, her fiery hair slicked back, water beading on sun-bronzed skin.

Even as disappointment sank its claws into me, another emotion curled up right beside it, relief.

Because if it had been Iryen, I don’t know what I would have done.

I wasn’t ready to face her. Not like this.

Not while the bond was still burning through my veins like a brand, searing me with a truth she refused to acknowledge.

With her crimson tail fanning out behind her, Elora raised a brow, her gaze sweeping over me. “Expecting someone else?” she asked, her voice light but with an edge that hinted at knowing more than I wanted her to.

“I thought Iryen might—” I cut myself off, jaw clenching.

She snorted. “She won’t come.” Elora pushed forward, the water parting around her as if it, too, obeyed her will. “And if she does, it won’t be because you’re standing here waiting like some abandoned fool.”

Her words stung, even though I knew they were true. But that didn’t make it any easier to accept. I didn’t need to hear this. Didn’t need her to tell me what I already knew.

“So, why are you here?” I asked, voice flat.

Elora pulled herself up onto the rocky edge of the pond, propping her arms on the shore like she had all the time in the world. “Someone has to make sure you don’t drown in your own fucking misery.” A smirk curled her lips. “And Iryen sure as hell will not do it.”

I shot her a glare, but she just shrugged, her expression unbothered. In the few interactions we had, Elora had always been blunt, but there was something comforting about it. She would not sugarcoat for my sake, and maybe that’s exactly what I needed.

I exhaled harshly through my nose, biting down the surge of anger clawing at my ribs. “You think this is funny?”

Her smirk faded, replaced by something colder. “No. I think it’s pathetic.”

I snapped my gaze to hers, stirring a dark feeling inside me.

Elora didn’t flinch. “You’re standing here, waiting for her to come to you, hoping she’ll give you the answers you already know she won’t. You can keep pretending you’re powerless, or you can get your shit together and start acting like the man you were before all this. It’s time to move.”

A low, humorless laugh escaped me. “Move where? I’m stuck here.”

“Maybe physically,” she said with a tilt of her head. “But mentally? Emotionally? If you want to have any choice at all, you need to turn this anger into something else, human.”

I scoffed, feeling the frustration rising again. “Turn to what? Easy for you to say. You’re not the one trapped in this.”

“You think I don’t know what it’s like to be bound by some bond? I’ve been bound to this kingdom, to protect Iryen, since the day I was born and later I was bound by the same bond you are now. We all have chains, hybrid. It’s how you handle them that matters.”

Her words cut deep, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to say. I opened my mouth to argue, but before I could, another ripple appeared on the water’s surface.

I turned, expecting another surprise guest, and found a pair of lavender eyes staring back at me.

Another Siren. Fucking perfect.

I shouldn’t be surprised by now, but it was still unbelievable seeing such different creatures up close, each one more surreal than the last. The new siren moved with the grace of someone used to being unseen until noticed, her clear white tail contrasting seamlessly with the dark water.

Her calm presence brought a quiet energy to the space, and despite the tension gripping me moments ago, I felt my pulse slow, as if her mere presence had soothed some of the chaos inside me.

“Adrian,” she greeted softly, her voice like the sound of the ocean at night, deep, melodic, and endlessly vast. “It seems you’ve attracted quite the audience.”

I stared at her, unsure of what to say. She carried wisdom in her eyes for her age. Or what I assume was her age.

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice sounding rougher than I intended, suspicion creeping into my tone.

Her lips curved slightly, almost like my awareness amused her. She didn’t answer right away, her eyes studying me as if she could see straight through the confusion tangled up inside me. For a moment, the only sound was the soft lapping of water against the pond’s edge.

“Oh my, where are my manners? I’m Sienna Kallias,” she finally replied, her tone gentle but firm. “Iryen’s advisor. And a friend.”

Friend. The word felt loaded, but I didn’t press it.

Her gaze remained steady, and I had the strange feeling she could sense exactly what I was thinking. Something about her presence reminded me of the stillness of deep water, calm, yet holding the potential for something far more powerful beneath the surface.

“I’m not here to cause you any discomfort,” she added, her voice low, soothing.

“So, why are you both here?” I asked, trying to mask the irritation that boiled beneath my skin.

“We’re here to make sure you hold up your end of the bargain with our princess,” Elora responded coolly, her turquoise eyes cutting like a sharp knife.

“She sent you to train me rather than do it herself?” I scoffed, the disdain clear in my voice. “Please remember her that the bargain has two ends.”

Sienna glided beside Elora, her calm presence contrasting with Elora’s fiery demeanor.