Page 5 of Shattered Galaxies (Tears of the Siren #6)

Lorcan

The sun-scorched city of Dubai was spread out in front of us, the evening fast approaching.

Sea and sand lay in opposite directions of one another, and creations of steel and glass stood boldly, intermixed with ancient structures that had been there longer than I could even imagine.

The air seemed to shimmer with magic, and the bright blue skies were turning fiery to the west of us, the golden ground bleeding into copper.

An exhilarating urge to explore hit me, a sense of wanderlust I’d lost when I’d feared Toris appearing around every corner. We were standing on the edge of cosmic war, but part of me just wanted to enjoy the moment. To enjoy the possibilities that rested in every direction.

It didn’t surprise me that sirens had been drawn to this place—I was positive the nighttime desert skies would be crowded with stars that attracted our kind.

My sense of wonder and awe wasn’t shared by everyone, though.

Particularly Draven, who seemed on edge as he stood behind me on the balcony, his large form creating a shadow that shielded me from the dry heat seeping into my every pore.

We’d been at this restaurant for a little over an hour, tucked away in a private dining room as we waited for the perfect time to make our move.

The skyscraper across the street was our target.

“There’s something off about this place.” Draven’s sudden statement underscored what I could already sense through our bond.

I turned toward him with a questioning look. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe it was my extended stay in Broken House,” he wagered, “but the grandeur of this place feels tainted. It feels like something is waiting for us, attempting to lure us in.”

“It’s possible,” I said before suggesting softly, “or it just feels wrong because we want to enjoy it and don’t feel like we can.”

“Completely possible,” he murmured, shaking his head as my hand came up to rest on his chest. “Sometimes I worry I’m too cynical. I don’t want that to affect you, Lorcan.”

“Cynical?” I tilted my head in thought. “I don’t think you’re cynical, Draven. I just think you’ve been through hell and back. I think you’re scared to hope and enjoy.”

A low rumble broke from his throat as he admitted, “I’m not scared to hope anymore—not since you.”

My lips pulled into a smile as he gently led me into the air conditioning of the restaurant. I could hear the others standing and moving about the private dining room, which meant it was nearly time to leave.

“The magic in this place is intense,” I noted as we joined the others, Zander offering a nod of agreement.

“Far more than most places we’ve gone to in the Earth realm.

” Which was basically what Draven had noticed.

It was both a good and a bad thing—magical concentration was exactly what we were looking for.

“It’s because we’re so close to the first location,” Adriel said.

The second location, the water-based one, was at the resort next to ours, so we figured we would address the less convenient one first. Get it out of the way.

But considering how crowded the city streets still were, I was starting to wonder if doing the opposite wouldn’t have been better.

As we left the restaurant and returned to the busy street, I eyed the modern monstrosity in front of us. Something about the building felt aware. I could feel eyes on me—eyes that weren’t human, but other . I just hoped that ‘other’ was what we were looking for.

The doorman welcomed us inside, and Desmond passed him some bills, probably to ensure he didn’t ask any questions. When we’d crossed the lobby to the elevator, I looked at the button panel and frowned.

“You said we’re supposed to go down, right? There’s no ‘down’ option.”

Draven pressed the call button anyway, his magic filling the elevator car as the doors closed.

Purple-black glitter filled the air, the lights above us flickering.

Draven clearly wasn’t buying the whole ‘no other floors’ element.

He seemed annoyed at the attempt to hide them as he shook his head, reaching out to hold my hand.

“Hang on tight.”

The illusion of the building having no basement was just that—an illusion. In a pulse of magic, barely anything compared to what Draven was capable of, we were dropping.

Fast.

Hard.

I let out a small scream—that I would never admit to—as the car hit a jarring stop in seconds.

The weightless drop left me stunned as my stomach twisted.

Luckily, Dean was right behind me, holding me close to stabilize me.

Which was good because the building reacted, the sentient magic rattling the elevator.

“Holy shit,” Rhett chuckled once it had settled. “Little more warning would be nice next time.”

“I tried.” Draven shrugged, looking unbothered as Adriel shook his head in my peripheral.

Before anyone could say another word, the elevator doors opened onto a darkened hallway.

I eyed it cautiously. The stone walls and floors were covered in sand and rock that appeared to have drifted in…

but how? I had to imagine this place had been built within the past decade, so how would sand and rocks have gotten in here?

Unless the builders had been particularly messy…

“I’m not sure if this is the right place, but something is obviously here,” Zander said, his hushed tone loud in the space.

As we walked forward, Cash and Dean spreading out in front of us, I noticed the subtle changes as we made our way down the hall. The worn, sand-covered stone turned into blocks of amber, pulsing with glowing magic veins that ran along the walls.

A humming noise filled the air, and a small tug in the back of my head warned me: this wasn’t the right place. This wasn’t our magic, or even a magic we were familiar with.

When we made a sharp left at the end of the hall and walked through a set of double doors that stood partly open, my mouth dropped.

“What the hell is that ?”

A massive basin sat in the center of an amber-walled room, and the gold veins of magic that ran along the wall converged at the center-top of the ceiling, right above it.

Liquid gold dripped into the tub as bubbles popped like a cauldron, creating a honey scent that filled the air.

I could sense wisps of magic all around us, and I felt rooted to the spot at the oddity of it.

I mean, I’d traversed our literal cosmos, but this…this was something truly unique.

As the thought crossed my mind, the room recognized my magic.

The pulsating gold flashed a seafoam green, mixing with the amber color and sparkling with starlike crystals.

I took half a step back as a wave of nausea hit me, my eyes squeezing shut.

When I opened them, the cauldron had returned back to its normal bright gold color.

“Welcome.” The owner of the masculine voice emerged from a well-concealed doorway across the room.

He was dressed in dark robes, and his golden hair was mixed with white, lending him an obscure age—somewhere between forty and seventy.

His magic was a whisper of that unknown, ancient energy I didn’t understand.

“What is this place?” I asked. I felt like a ‘who are you’ was needed as well, but I didn’t want to attack the man when this was clearly his home.

“This is the originator—the power source that fuels this region of the world. It provides a stable structure for the diverse magic that exists in the area and allows for grounding.”

“Is this a common thing to have?” I frowned, not remembering anywhere else we visited having something like this.

“Everyone handles magic in their region of the Earth realm differently,” he explained simply. “I am the guardian of this originator. So as I said, welcome .”

“And do you have a name, or is it just ‘guardian’?” I continued as I realized my men had spread out defensively.

“Guardian works,” he mused. “Now, what can I do for you, elf?”

I guess we weren’t doing names at all.

“We’re trying to find an archive—one that star elves and water elves would have been interested in,” Adriel said, trying to avoid stating our true intention to this unknown individual.

I arched a brow in confusion as the man’s face shifted into good humor. He shook his head, approaching the tub and looking into it.

“What you seek is the siren archives—for the Darklace family.” His gaze moved up to me as he added, “For her family.”

“What are you talking about?” Cash demanded.

I could feel how tense my men grew at his statement.

Adriel was staring at him with narrowed eyes as Desmond’s power began to infiltrate the room, blocking out the amber.

Unknown to this ‘guardian,’ Dean and Rhett were already standing behind him, having circled the room.

Zander stood closer to the pool, his fists tightening at his sides.

“No need to attack me for knowledge.” The guardian shook his head as if disappointed. “I don’t mean you harm, siren. I became aware of your imminent arrival the moment he”—he nodded toward Zander—“star traveled over our region.”

Yeah, this bastard had way too good of a grasp on everything we were doing. This shit was insane.

“Unfortunately, this is not the archive you are looking for. It is underwater, near the coast,” he said before looking down at the pool. “The most I can offer you is what I would offer anyone looking to explore the magical layers of this region—a portal to its entrance.”

“That would be helpful…” I drew out my words. “Why would you help us?”

The man’s face grew serious. “I’ve heard the rumblings and cries of our universe, faintly tugging at our originator. I am willing to help however I can.”

“A portal would be good,” Zander agreed before looking at me. “I don’t sense anything from his desires.”

I hadn’t even been able to sense his desires to begin with. I stared at the guardian in frustration as he offered a small shrug.

“Don’t take it personally. I’ve been alive a very long time.”