Page 2 of Shattered Galaxies (Tears of the Siren #6)

Lorcan

The current swayed gently around me, cradling my shifted form as the sound of waves crashing against the villa echoed nearby.

I moved my tail slowly, diving beneath the surface and parting the tropical water with my fingers.

Fish darted past as I retrieved a seashell from the ocean floor, early dawn light filtering through the water above.

How many hours had I been down here? I could always count on the water and waves to comfort me, to never ask questions.

Time passed in undulating currents, and I wasn’t exactly sure how to measure it.

But my fingers were still smooth—not pruned—making me wonder if that was a side effect of being in mermaid form. Fascinating .

Also, a complete distraction from my heartbeat, which had been pounding until maybe thirty minutes ago, adrenaline from the scare making my head ring.

After visiting the Old Realm of the Ethereal Sea, I’d felt hopeful.

And when I’d woken up next to Draven, I’d felt a sense of ease and comfort.

To have it ripped away so suddenly made me feel unregulated and off-balance.

My body felt disconnected from my brain, and even I was surprised I hadn’t gone into my star form to escape it.

But my men needed me.

I just wished I was strong enough to be up in the villa with them. I hadn’t brought myself to break the surface of the water yet, hiding in its dark embrace. Soon the sun would fully rise, though, and I would have to face everything that had happened—specifically, my guilt.

How many lives had I ruined? The vision I received from the druid charm told me everything I needed to know: I was the downfall of whoever this man was.

My stalker. He’d been sent to Earth, and I had polluted everything.

I’d hurt him. I didn’t know who he was, but I stood guilty on trial, and the weight of that—especially now that I wasn’t in a haze of being high—kept me beneath the surface of the water.

I knew my men wouldn’t blame me, but I blamed me. I wouldn’t surface until I could be sure I wouldn’t splash onto the villa’s floors in a puddle of self-hatred, falling apart right in front of them.

I sighed. That may have been a bit dramatic, but I still felt like shit.

Unfortunately for my plans, I could feel the concern echoing through our bond, and after another ten minutes, I slowly surfaced to face the dawn. My gaze immediately caught Dean’s as he leaned against the railing on the balcony.

The man hadn’t left my side since I’d passed out and then woken up. He’d been silently watching me swim for hours, standing sentinel so that I could feel secure. I knew Dean would always be there to anchor me, no matter the storm.

I also knew he wouldn’t push me to talk until I was ready, letting me work through how I felt. He’d always been like that, even when we were children, and it was something I endlessly appreciated.

“I promise I’ll get out soon,” I said softly, his navy eyes darkening with emotion as he offered a nod of understanding.

Dean’s 6’6” height cast a shadow across the water, his tan skin glowing in the early light.

The muscular lion alpha had his shirt off, causing my attention to stray…

before I dragged my gaze back up. I loved the way his golden-brown hair hung around his shoulders, loose and practically begging me to touch it, and I knew that if I got close enough, his woodsy cologne would wrap around me like his deep sapphire aura.

Moving to float on my back, I let myself drift until the sun had fully risen. Then, dipping beneath the water one last time, I grabbed two more seashells before resurfacing, holding all three between my fingers. As I swam towards the shore, Dean began talking to Desmond, who stood on the balcony.

Allowing my shift to take over, I began pulling myself up onto the edge of the dock.

Zander, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, immediately helped, pulling me up—though I didn’t let him step back.

Instead, I intertwined our fingers and looked up into his beautiful face.

He was studying me, checking me over, his magic sliding against my skin and waiting to latch on.

Our connection—our bond—was undeniable.

“Are you okay?” he asked. My eyes darted over his bronze skin before meeting his orange gaze. Was I okay? That was a question I didn’t have an answer for. Instead, I squeezed his hand and leaned into him, resting my head against his chest.

Zander’s large frame seemed to melt and mold against mine, his scent of sea salt and stars keeping my heartbeat slow and steady.

“No,” I finally answered. Almost immediately, Zander’s magic crashed over mine.

It wasn’t violent, but it should have been considering the amount of magic he gave me.

He wasn’t asking for anything in return, just giving.

Around us, stars sparkled even in daylight, and my magic grew in strength and stability from that singular surge.

The man was so incredibly powerful. I mean, it made sense since he was the first siren chosen by the Cosmos god…but still.

“Thank you.” My voice still felt weak, overwhelmed by the emotion he stirred in me.

I felt like there was no space and a million miles between us, like I knew him more than I knew myself while not truly understanding him.

I wanted to, though, and with each passing day, it felt like our connection deepened—as if we were diving into the deepest ocean and the farthest cosmic unknown.

“You never need to thank me, starlight,” he said. I looked up at him, his head tilting slightly as his chocolate-colored hair with purple streaks caught my attention. “I know how hard it can be—the guilt.”

Tears pricked my eyes as I nodded. I couldn’t express how good it felt to hear him say that—the relief to know that someone understood. After a long moment, he pressed a kiss to the center of my forehead and led me up the stairs to the balcony where Dean was standing.

Dean was at my side almost instantly, wrapping me in a towel as Zander motioned for me to sit.

I would have smiled at their care and thoughtfulness, but I was too focused on Desmond, who was pacing with a phone held to his ear.

I watched the Djinn King with curiosity, noticing the faintest smoke curling from his fingers.

Unlike Dean and Zander, Desmond wore his signature suit despite the heat and tropical location.

The only difference was that his shirt was unbuttoned, showing off his umber skin.

The man always appeared to be smoldering, everything about him born from smoke and illusion.

His dark hair was damp, as if he had recently showered, and when his intense blue-green eyes met mine, I knew who he was talking to.

He crouched beside me and handed me the phone, his bonfire smoke scent wrapping around me.

“Hey,” I whispered, grabbing the cell phone and bringing it to my ear.

“Shit. Lorcan, you okay?” my brother asked. “Desmond’s mostly caught me up—but the fucking blood, how did he do that? I know we’ve had stalkers in the past?—”

I cut off his rambling. “I promise I’m fine. I… I don’t know what to think. It feels more motivated than before. I don’t get the game he’s playing.”

“Whatever it is, it’s fucking bullshit.” I nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see it. Desmond’s hand gently ran over my leg as I let out a sigh.

“Desmond explained what happened? What we found out?”

“Yeah, that we’re related to some siren bloodline, the Darklace.

Fucking wild. We’ll have to ask Jeanie and Nelson about that one.

But he also explained that we’re going to split up and check out some of those coastal regions that were important to the elven community—we’re planning to leave this afternoon. ”

“Great.” That made me feel a bit better. “Please be careful—and anything relating to music or combat, grab onto it. It could help in the long run.”

“Of course. You be careful too. It seems these cosmic assholes are some persistent fuckers. I’m just glad to know you’re not alone in this insane prophecy.”

I smiled. “Yeah, Nova is the person I want by my side if we have to do this. I wish you’d met her when we were in Arizona. She’s so insanely powerful, Cormac.”

“I’m excited to meet her eventually,” Cormac agreed. Someone said something in the background, and I knew it was time to end our conversation.

“I’ll call you if we find anything,” I promised.

After a quick goodbye, I handed the phone back to Desmond.

I could tell his thoughts were distant, but he instantly took the phone and straightened.

I heard him saying something about rounding out the list of locations, but my attention was pulled toward the ocean, where the sea glittered with morning sunlight. It was beautiful.

I almost wished we could stay here. We couldn’t, obviously. But I still wished it.

The conversation left me feeling conflicted.

Cormac’s confidence and determination gave me comfort, not to mention it was just nice to talk to my twin.

I knew Desmond would ensure we hit the right places…

I just hoped that all of this wouldn’t turn out to be a wild goose chase.

I hoped that the Darklace lineage—and Beryl—would truly lead us to where we needed to go to find this composition piece.

I’d come so far, from wanting to die to needing to live, and I wouldn’t lose it now. My gaze dropped to the charm Desmond had placed on the table in front of me, my fingers tracing the tree of life. The Druid realm…I just didn’t understand how this connected to anything.

Suddenly, moss-colored eyes appeared in front of me, and I reached out to place a hand on Adriel’s chest, to feel the warmth of his heartbeat that pressed through his linen shirt.

His long pale braid was as tempting as ever, but what I really wanted was his fingers and shadows against me—my King of Nightmares, terrifying to everyone but me.

His warm, spiced scent contrasted his metallic, nearly luminescent aura.

He was the perfect contrast—direct and broody, passionate and intense. I loved it. I loved him.

“Princess, I’ve reached out to the Druid realm.”

Oh.

“You have contacts there?”

“The magic from the charm is definitely from the new druid kingdom. If we’re going to find out any information about your stalker and where they originated from, it may be there. I just don’t know what the new ruler or kingdom will be like.”

My brow furrowed. He hadn’t exactly answered my question.

“If you don’t know the kingdom or ruler, how do you have a contact there?” It was clear that Adriel was holding something back, but what ?

“I…I knew someone there once. Someone who was locked in Wicked Blaze who never should’ve been.

” He shook his head. “I made contact with the kingdom outside the prison long ago so I could keep tabs on him. When Wicked Blaze Correctional was destroyed, I lost contact completely, so we’ll see. We may have to go there eventually.”

I could sense his hesitation, so I didn’t press him. He was obviously conflicted, and I knew he’d talk to me about it when he was ready.

“Whatever we need to do,” I agreed. “I don’t want him around; he’s a distraction to our bigger problem with the dark—” I paused, remembering once more the warning I’d been given.

That saying their name would call them, and decided on a replacement.

“—the world eaters. I want to find a way to break this hold I have on him.”

Adriel’s eyes darkened. “Lorcan, this is not your fault. Or your magic’s. This is on him.”

But he was wrong. Right? Or maybe he wasn’t. I’d gone from only reacting to pushing for more in my life, so maybe I needed to change how I saw this, too. I offered him a long look before glancing back down at the charm.

Whatever waited in the Druid realm, I’d have to be ready to meet it.