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

“Portal,” Dean snapped, clearly not liking how the man was communicating with me.

The guardian sighed but stood upright, striding towards the solid amber wall to my left. But as he approached, the bricks drew back to reveal a tunnel, gold swirling magic filling the void where the wall had been before.

“Be warned,” he said quietly. “There’s a reason no one’s ever accessed it in my lifetime. A fearsome creature guards it.”

Oh, wonderful. Fearsome was never good.

“When you step through, you will be in the water. The archive is only a short swim away. I wish you luck, elf.”

“Siren,” I grumbled..

The guardian flashed another smile. “It’s good to hear you admit it, prophecy holder.”

“Dude, how much do you know?” Rhett demanded, looking annoyed as hell. Honestly, in any other situation it would have been pretty funny.

“Come on! Let’s do this!” I called out, trying to get us out of there before another argument erupted.

The others stepped forward and my hand intertwined with Dean’s, who stood right by my side.

I could feel that the others were hesitating, not trusting the odd bastard, but I had a good feeling about this.

I allowed my confidence to filter through to them, my siren and instincts telling me we were on the right path.

Unlike many times before with portals, I didn’t hesitate.

The moment my body crossed the threshold, fresh, cold ocean water hit my tongue.

I inhaled sharply as the portal spit us out, our bodies tumbling forward through the water.

My hand left Dean’s as I was thrown into a heavy current, and my magic shimmered along my skin as I immediately shifted into my mermaid form.

Only then could I control the spin, coming to a halt as I tried to find some grounding.

Shit.

The others were swimming toward me, but everyone looked disoriented in the darkness of the water. The sun had set above, and there were creatures moving all around us as the waves pushed and pulled against our bodies. I turned to look around, feeling completely lost on what direction to take…

Suddenly, neon broke out of Zander’s palms, shooting forward in bright, floating lights that landed on coral around us, creating a path for us to follow. Thank the Maker, because my men could only hold their breath for so long, and even now that we had direction I was on the verge of panic.

Before I could control her actions, my siren sent out massive air bubbles to surround each of my mates’ heads, outside of Zander.

My eyes widened as they took huge gasps of air, completely unharmed.

I hadn’t even meant to do that… but it was such a controlled display of power that a surge of pride took me momentarily off guard.

Rhett offered me a big thumbs-up that made me crack a smile before I quickly refocused, pushing toward our goal.

In the distance, lit up by the luminescent plant life, I could see a stone cavern framed by limestone pillars.

I could also feel something watching us, right out of my sight.

Putting my hand up, I approached slowly, trying to draw its attention.

“Approach, siren.”

The voice was raspy, and I could tell my men heard it because they immediately drew closer. I watched the water shift as a creature moved from the cavernous void that lay before the entrance of the cave. ‘Creature’ may not have been the right word, though, when it was so much more than that.

A snake, maybe? That didn’t seem right either.

It was a serpentine reptile. Its scales were aqua and silver, and its head alone was nearly ten feet wide.

Its body mass moved the water around, creating waves of force that made mini maelstroms in its wake.

The way its gold eyes flicked open to watch me made me feel very small as its fangs glinted beneath the water.

I could sense the primordial nature of the beast, and the way its scales shifted against each other created a song in my head.

“If you hope to enter the archive, you must have more bravery than that.” His voice was almost mocking, and I immediately hardened myself.

“Just trying to decide if you’re going to lunge toward me or not. Those fangs don’t look particularly friendly.” My voice was strong, and I could feel the humor it brought him.

“I’ve guarded this archive for a very long time, siren; I know a Darklace when I see one. I’ve tasted their blood upon entrance, each forgotten generation coming to my realm. Approach so I may take the blood required to open the pass.”

I could practically feel the exhaustion in his voice, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many had come before me. How many had failed? I moved forward despite the feeling of fear in my bonds. I knew they wanted to stop me, but I didn’t give them a chance to.

I swam right up to the creature, which slowly turned its head to the side and offered a singular fang. I didn’t question what he needed me to do, but I did allow my magic to cradle my men and myself protectively as I brought my hand up and allowed the sharp tip of his tooth to cut my palm.

The reaction of the sea caught me completely off guard.

My blood drifted through the water between us, the pastel shade creating a wave of color that painted the sea the same tone.

A pulsing pathway of runes lit the corridor into the cavern as the creature dropped its head, disappearing into the depths as a welcoming song grew in my head, the beating of drums and a soft voice drawing me forward.

When I turned, I found the others right behind me. I urged us toward the glowing line of runes that beckoned me deeper, calling me by name as my magic entangled with the sea.

Beyond this waterway would be an ancient chamber; I could feel its power thrumming beneath my skin.

I just hoped we found what we were looking for there.