Page 38 of Shattered Galaxies (Tears of the Siren #6)

Lorcan

I felt liberated. Bound only by the deepest currents and the farthest galaxies in our universe, my existence was limitless.

I was free to be both water and star, no longer restrained by the desires and rules of man.

No longer a tool, or constantly concerned over my influence being exerted over others, but instead just… me. Lorcan.

There was an odd acceptance and relief that came with my situation. I hadn’t been sure how I would feel after the war, but the sensation of surety had come to me quickly.

If I ever woke from this state, if I was truly still alive but in some odd limbo, I promised myself that I would live life like never before. I would grasp the vitality and essence of every moment and breathe it in. Is this what it meant to live as a star or water elf, but not a siren?

I hadn’t been surprised to find that I could star-travel or that I could shift and swim throughout the oceans of our paradise. I had been surprised that despite my siren being cast off into the universe, branded into the stars themselves, I didn’t feel alone.

The silence that left a hollow sensation inside of me wasn’t silence—it was the quiet of the depths, the silence of space.

My siren, once an immortal and essential part of me, now existed as a friend.

I could feel her traversing through the universe, passing through the galaxy for fun, as I experienced whispers of the moments.

An extension of myself would always be with her, similar to how I would always carry part of her with me.

Even in moments like this, dancing in the stars, I could feel her power brush past me, my skin dancing with wavy blue magic that decorated my new star form.

One that was a kaleidoscope of colors, each reminding me of one of my men.

My response to her magic made me wonder…

If I ever needed to call on her, could I?

I didn’t know if I would ever truly find out—especially if we never left this limbo.

In the days or even years that had passed, I had experienced many things.

I’d slept beneath the stars on the beach, having visions of previous sirens throughout history—how they suffered and how they thrived.

I had visions of what I could only assume was the future, Cormac and his bonded traveling the world in search of other sirens.

I wanted to tell him of what I saw—of all the help he could provide.

But I had no way to talk to him or anyone else.

Instead, I’d spent my time wandering the cosmos and the sea.

Nova and I had talked at length, day in and day out.

I expressed to her how I felt about my siren being gone, about my past and what I’d undergone.

She in turn had expressed hers, a sisterhood forming that I knew would stand the test of time once we left here.

If we left here. I had to keep reminding myself of that.

I didn’t think we were dead, but I didn’t have answers either.

Although, the Cosmos god appearing to me just the other day had been interesting.

It had been brief and passing, a whisper on the wind that I hadn’t been able to question.

But the ‘you did good’ was clear enough.

Nova wasn’t allowing herself to believe it yet, but his message made me believe that we’d succeeded. That we’d saved Earth.

I still couldn’t find it while star-traveling, so that worried me a bit, but I was hanging onto his affirmation of a job well done, as ‘Hey, everyone you love is alive. Good job.’

Often, when it was late at night or I was sleeping, I thought I heard my men whispering sweet words to me.

Words of love, words of conversation, words of worry.

It made my heart ache, imagining that they were mourning me, but even worse was the possibility that I was imagining it. That we had somehow failed.

Letting a breath leave me, I whispered my men’s names under my breath while letting my body float, wanting to find my way back to them. Moments, or maybe even days later, I found myself near a familiar star.

I had no idea how I knew it was the star Adriel and I had created, but the longer I stared at it, the more emotion welled up inside of me.

Tears leaked down my face as I imagined each one of them, a crack sounding in the distance like shattering glass.

My heart was breaking at the thought of never seeing them again.

“Princess.” Adriel’s voice infiltrated my sadness, and I spun around in shock. There he stood—or floated—right out of reach. The King of Nightmares was painted in black stars that seemed to pulsate with power. “It’s time to come home.”

“Adriel.” My voice was almost nonexistent as I reached out to him, begging for his touch.

In an instant he was in front of me, capturing my jaw and slamming a kiss onto my lips.

I melted into the touch as our fingers grazed each other’s hands, intertwining as stars warmed our skin in welcome.

The star near us, our star, hummed happily in response.

Home. Adriel was home to us.

“We can still star-travel together,” I murmured, my eyes leaking with tears. “Does that mean… When you said it’s time to come home, did you mean that everyone is alive?”

“Yes. You did it, princess. Everyone is alive and waiting—damn near begging—for you to wake up.”

“I can be a bit stubborn,” I teased, kissing him again before pulling back and holding his gaze. “I love you. I love you so damn much.”

“Lorcan. There is nowhere in this universe you could go that I wouldn’t follow. I love you more than my very breath. I’m taking you home where you belong.”

My world turned into a blast of neon colors and music, and I knew that when I woke, I would be home.