Page 34

Dominic

The woman sitting next to me on my living room couch was the most unbelievably incredible woman I’d ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on.

And not just my eyes—less than two hours ago, I was driving my cock deep into her warmth, hearing her scream my name in pleasure. My cock twitched with the memory.

What the fuck had I done—or perhaps more accurately, not done—to deserve someone like her? Karma must have looked the other way.

As much as I wanted to continue getting to know every inch of Bree’s body and life intimately, we had work to do. Bree had started telling me what had happened to her over the past month, so I made the excruciating decision for us to get dressed and return to my penthouse.

We’d run into Marissa and Frankie in the Sato estate’s foyer on the way out. Other than tangling her fingers with mine, Bree had all but ignored their jokes and attempts for details. Her ability to rise above was commendable, especially with a sister like Marissa.

I brought all three women back to my place to discuss the situation. Ichiro’s pyrocrystal legacy lived on despite his death, and Bree’s information might be the key to ending it once and for all.

It had been difficult to control the rage that wanted to consume me as she described her time with the venomous sea witch and the soon-to-be-dead King Ateleíotes. What I wouldn’t give to face them both right now and rip their limbs from their still-breathing bodies. Jou rumbled his agreement.

I gripped the arm of the couch to expel some of the rising anger. Beside me in his chair, Aaron glanced down at my hand, then shot me an understanding look. I’d called him as soon as we’d left the estate, asking him to meet us here. Keiko remained at Rin’s side.

“I wish we could’ve met under different circumstances,” Bree said to Aaron with a sigh. “I’m so sorry to hear about your friend Rin. From what I remember, he seemed very likable, despite being complicit in my kidnapping.” She arched an eyebrow in my direction.

He had been following my orders. The man was innocent. I swallowed hard, knowing she’d have the opportunity to get to know Rin, but not Hayai.

Aaron’s smile was sad. “He’ll survive. That’s what’s most important. You’ll have plenty of time to get back at him.”

“There’s one more thing I need to tell you all, and it’s kind of big.” Bree wrung her hands in her lap and looked at her sister, who nodded her encouragement. “We, uh, well, we’re kind of important back home. Our father, you see, he’s?—”

“We’re princesses,” Marissa blurted out. She sat on the other side of her sister. “Our father is the king of the Naftes Kingdom.”

While I hadn’t known that detail, the news wasn’t all that surprising. Being princesses explained quite a bit about the sisters’ desire for secrecy.

Bree cast a nervous glance around the room. “Why isn’t anyone acting surprised?”

Still staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows with her back to us, Frankie shrugged. “I’ve known since the day I met you two.”

“What? How?”

The fae woman chuckled and turned to face the sisters. “It’s not so obvious now, but back then, both of you stood out like sore thumbs. Y’all came from upper class, that much was clear.”

Marissa arched an eyebrow. “Upper class isn’t the same as royalty, though.”

“Maybe not, but add in the comments I heard over the years, and I put two and two together.”

Bree grimaced. “I hope no one else at the gym overheard anything.”

My shoulders tensed. If that ended up being the case, I might need to do some damage control to protect her. Not that she couldn’t protect herself, but what was the point of having all the Sato wealth if I didn’t put it to good use?

“Nah, I love a good eavesdroppin’,” Frankie said, leaning her hip against a chair. “I only overheard stuff when no one else was around. You two were close-lipped otherwise.”

I relaxed. One problem solved.

“Why didn’t you tell us you knew?” Marissa asked.

“Why would I?”

“I don’t know, in case you had questions? Or so we didn’t have to keep it a secret from you?”

Frankie made a pfft sound. “I didn’t care. Still don’t. Doesn’t change who you are. But also, you coulda told me at any time.”

As the two continued to bicker, Bree turned her gorgeous ocean-hued gaze on me. “You don’t seem surprised either. Did you know?”

I took her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist, enjoying the slight pink that tinted her cheeks. “No, but your secrecy makes sense in hindsight.”

“You’re not weirded out that my dad is a king?” she asked.

“Not in the least, darlin’.” I winked. “The Sato family is a bit like royalty in the Gifted community, and every bit as wealthy.”

Marissa heaved a sigh, drawing our attention back to her and the fae woman. “That reveal was so much more anti-climactic than I’d expected.”

“You mean more than you wanted ,” Bree said.

“Same difference.” Marissa brushed her hair off her shoulder, then frowned. “But wait, why did your command work on me?”

“What do you mean?”

“At the bar, you used your siren song to make me sleep. But I’ve tried my entire freaking life to use it on you and it’s never worked.”

Bree smiled, but her eyebrows drew together slightly. “I don’t know. I guess my panic amplified my magic or something.”

She was brushing off the comment, but something about her sister’s question lingered in the back of my mind. There was more to that moment than either of them realized—something I’d file away for later, when we weren’t trying to unravel a black-market conspiracy.

“We know Ateleíotes provides the pufferfish poison to Calypso,” Aaron leaned forward in his chair, steering the conversation back to the problem at hand, “who then provides a mixture to Ichiro—well, provided. That must be the blue liquid we couldn’t identify.”

“Right,” I said, shifting back into mission mode. “But how did Ichiro discover this pufferfish connection to begin with? How did he and Calypso meet?”

“These two ain’t the only fish to walk on land,” Frankie said, tilting her head toward the sisters. “Sirens and the like come and go like anyone else, most’re just more sneaky about it. Usually traders, but I’ve heard mention of a sea witch before. Thought nothin’ of it.”

Marissa pursed her lips. “That had to be Calypso.”

“Probably.” Frankie sat on the arm of an empty chair. “But we don’t know enough to be sure. Maybe she’s workin’ with other witches, landlubbers or otherwise.”

Bree’s frown deepened, forming a cute crease between her eyebrows. “No one ever visited while I was with her, besides Sidon.”

Ah, yes. One of the other sirens I would soon kill.

“No communications with anyone from what I could tell, which sadly doesn’t mean much.

I didn’t see most of what she did.” Bree’s expression took on a look of realization.

“She must have been checking in on us over the years and somehow connected with Ichiro. That would explain the talismans failing, too.”

Aaron rubbed his chin. “What does she get out of the deal? From what you’ve described, money doesn’t seem like enough.”

“Years ago, before I was born, she attempted a coup and our father banished her,” Bree explained.

“You think she’s out for revenge?”

“Oh, I know she is. Ateleíotes and Zephyrion talked about it. Whatever she’s gotten from Ichiro and now Ateleíotes has made her confident enough to return to Naftes.”

“By herself?” I asked.

“That’s where my knowledge ends and where I could use some help.”

It clicked. “You want to go home.”

“Want? No, and definitely not for good.” She squeezed my hand. “I need to find out what she’s up to and put a stop to it before it’s too late. Besides, my talisman won’t work much longer. I need to find a solution.”

I looked at Frankie. “Anything you can do about that?”

“‘Fraid not. Shapeshiftin’ magic’s outside the fae wheelhouse.”

There had to be a solution to at least that problem. The sea witch couldn’t be the only one capable of such magic. I’d have Aaron and Rin?—

My lungs seized. Fuck, it was going to be difficult not including Rin for some time. Although it might be a good distraction for him, help him feel useful in a new way. He was a valuable asset, regardless of his magical abilities or lack thereof.

Internally, I sighed. As much as I enjoyed the benefits of being a wealthy man, I didn’t crave the power that came with it. I didn’t need it the way Ichiro had. Some men built empires. I preferred to dismantle them, brick by bloody brick.

But men like Ichiro never stopped.

Power wasn’t just a throne they sat on. It was an addiction. A sickness. A god they served until it devoured them.

And in this world, the ones who fell hardest were never the monsters themselves. It was everyone standing in their blast radius. I thought of Bree and the time we’d lost. The future we might still lose.

History has always been shaped by men who thought the rules didn’t apply to them. Kings like Ateleíotes. Dictators. CEOs. Mob bosses.

Presidents.

They always wanted more—more land, more loyalty, more blood.

And the worst part?

They usually got it.

Until someone, finally, lit a match.

Only this time?

I would be the match, and I would burn it all down.

THE END

Find out what happens next when Bree must take on the Sea Witch in SIREN’S LEGACY , the explosive conclusion to the Wild Magic: Siren’s Secret trilogy . Coming soon!