Page 22 of Siren’s Kiss & Feral Beasts

NERISSA

T he care unit hums with quiet energy, shells glowing softly along the walls as the healers work in nearby chambers. My father lies in his bed, pale and his chest rising slowly in a shallow rhythm, while I stay by his side, gripping the edge of the bed until my fingers ache.

I’m still shaken from Grandma’s warning. I’m still lost and uncertain—need the truth now more than ever, but I’m not given the opportunity to ask or demand it. Instead, I’m told to stop and listen while she sits close and her voice drops lower.

The one person in this world who will never hurt you.

“Push the red button on the wall, Nerissa. The small one.” I do as asked, and immediately, a low sonar sound fills the room.

It makes it hard to understand the noises outside in the hall and other rooms, and then I get it.

For privacy. “Come close and pay attention. We only have a little bit of time before someone comes in and shuts it off.”

“What’s going on?”

Her hand finds mine, tugging me closer, and then she squeezes in a way meant to be comforting. “Your grandfather, sweetheart…he committed a crime he will never atone for. He’s dying, Nerissa. Dying slowly, but his wasting away is unlike mine. I’ll survive with proper care, while he has no cure.”

“Proper care? What do you mean?” A deep pang hits me in the chest, and my eyes become glossy. “What did he do?

Because if he’s responsible for my dad’s poisoning…

“Your grandfather killed his mate.” Her lips flatten and her tone is acerbic, pure disgust dripping through each word. “All for greed. To claim my throne, and my father helped him.”

I stumble back, the shock causing me to recoil, but the question still slips from me. “Who? Was she a part of our?—”

Grandma is shaking her head before I can finish, eyes softening for a split second before flashing with fury. “No. Not a mermaid.”

“Then who?” A whisper. A plea.

“She was an orphan protected by an ancient vampire house in the north. The elder, Lord Severus, had taken the child in and fancied himself a godfather. Doting when earned and then expectant as she grew older. She became his right hand, wanted for nothing but handled everything from financials to finding suitable donors.”

“And she agreed.”

“He treated her like family, Nerissa. Let no harm come to her, and expected all vampires to protect her just the same.” Grandmother stops, her brows furrow in thought.

“In fact, they say the cruelest Lord Severus ever was to Angelis was when he found out she was mated to Atlas, and even then, his displeasure was expressed in softly spoken words.”

“Why? Why would Grandpa do this?” I’m having a hard time reconciling the man who killed his mate to the man I’ve grown up with. Yes, he can be overbearing and a little sexist, but to actually take your mate’s life is unforgivable. A slap in the face to the gods. “I’m?—”

“It gets worse.”

“How?”

Queen Lucienne swallows hard, her face so sad, the betrayal she feels coiling around us. “My husband killed his fated mate and married me, because he thought it would give him unchallenged power. Instead, it’s tethered him to a slow decay triggered by a vampire’s kiss.”

Wait. What the hell? “Why would he drink tainted blood?”

“Not by choice.” This makes her smile, slow and wry.

“It was a peace offering made after, and Severus laced his drink.

“Grandma shrugs. “Atlas had it coming, and now clings to the vampires in hopes of freeing himself. He always suspected Kai would be your mate and spoke ill of the wolves, just like he blamed your father’s poisoning on the Daire pack. Mermaids have been whispering for days, offering well wishes to Marin while cursing those who left him face down on the shores of an abandoned island between San Tico and Avaria.”

“That’s not what happened!” I shout, and then bite back the rest of my retort. Drawing attention to us will tie my hands again. I need answers, not chains. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop,” a voice says from the bed, and I whip around to face my father. He’s wincing a bit, face scrunched up, but holds a shaky hand up to me. I bypass it and bend to place my forehead on his.

“Thank the Gods you’re awake.”

“I’m okay, Princess. Promise.” His eyes leave mine and focus on the person behind me. “Did you make the call?”

Rage coils in my gut. My disappointment is a bitter ache to swallow.

My father looks fragile, pallid against the low lighting, and yet people I trusted are busy bending the truth. I have to wonder just how deep Naia’s betrayal goes. Would she harm my family to please her mate?

I’m pulled from my thoughts by Grandma’s throat clearing. “I did.”

“How far out now?”

“A few hours. Reinforcement will be stationed nearby if needed.” She stands and moves to the other side of the bed and then leans closer, voice drops an octave or two.

“Other things have changed since we last spoke, too. They want more, Marin. The vampires will use us—our waters—to move their blood herds, wealth, and weapons. And when the time comes, they’ll use all three to strike San Tico. Kill every wolf on that island.”

The words slice through me, and I gasp. “No.” The stone in my hand remains black, but it’s hot to the touch, and I’m singed by it. Not that I care. My mind and heart are screaming with dread. “ No . That…they can’t!”

“I’m sorry.” Grabbing something from her pocket, Grandma presses it into my unoccupied hand. Her face is tight, almost haunted. “This is why you must leave tonight. Take the stone and hide it before your grandfather finds out.”

Tears sting my eyes. “I can’t leave you. I can’t leave my father.”

A tough cough breaks the silence. My father shifts weakly, his voice hoarse but steady. “Go, Nerissa. Your uncle and aunt are on their way; they know the truth and will care for me. We’ll be fine, but you…”

“I won’t be,” I finish for him.

Grandma glances at the door; fins are brushing the current and coming closer.

The sound is faint, a little distorted, but unmistakable.

After a beat of silence, she meets my eyes again—hers blank now, just like my father is lying back with his eyes closed—as if this conversation never happened.

“Do as he says, child. Run now, before it’s too late. ”

The palace fades behind me, its polished grandeur and hidden dangers swallowed by the distance as I swim hard through the outer currents.

My lungs burn, fin propelling me through the water.

Every fast heartbeat is a reminder that I cannot go back.

Every bit of the distance between me and the place I called home all my life hurts, but I don’t slow down.

Not after everything I heard.

Because the people I trusted—who I still care for—decided their greed outweighs common decency. That the end justifies the means, no matter who gets harmed.

Up ahead, I hide behind a grouping of pillars. They're large enough to hide me as a guard on duty glides past me, spear in hand. His fins cut through the water silently, and my stomach twists.

Shit. I press myself closer to the stone, letting my cloak shimmer and bend the light, obscuring my outline. The merman slows, eyes narrowing, trying to find a scent or heartbeat—he can sense someone is there—before moving along while shaking his head.

I let out the shaky breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, my hand gripping the stone to find an anchor. For a few minutes, I don’t move just in case, but then take a quick peek. Nothing to the left or right, and I push off the stone, swimming faster than I ever have before.

“Swim, Nerissa. Keep moving,” I mutter under my breath, cutting through the current without pause until I break through the surface near Port Avaria.

It’s already dark out, the distant lights from various businesses creating a fractured light across the water.

The scents of herbs and food—alcohol from the tavern —are sharp in my nose, and I sneeze.

“Definitely different from the early afternoon hours.”

My eyes don’t sting; the sights in front of me are sharp as I walk up the beach and head toward my private cottage. The sound of laughter coming from the town’s center—the late-night crowd from the ports, or those taking refuge for the night—carries through the wind.

I keep quiet so as not to attract attention. Hold my cloak tight as I slip through narrow back lanes, taking a shortcut through the outskirts, until I walk up my lit pathway. Only then do I let myself relax a little bit.

Not much, but enough not to jump at every single sound.

Once inside, though, I’m quick to pack, collecting the things I can’t leave behind just in case.

The book Magda gave me, jewelry passed down to me with certain protection spells, and a piece of Kai’s pants I’d saved from that night.

I’d found it in my bathroom after he left, just a small square that must’ve been dragged into the house in our haste, and still carries his scent.

Thicker, as a few drops of dried come had landed on it.

Guaiac wood. Pineapple. Leather.

I inhale deep and then shove it in the bag, making sure to close it quickly so I’m not tempted to rub the piece of fabric against my neck.

Scent marking me the way he did that night, his skin against mine, his exhales warming my flesh until he’d been satisfied, and only then did he allow me more than an hour of sleep.

“No time for this. Pack and go,” I remind myself, rushing back out the way I came after grabbing three simple changes of clothes and money stashed for emergencies. A few pieces of solid gold, too, just in case.

Nothing too big, but the bag weighed enough that I looked like a seasoned traveler heading to a new adventure while carrying everything she could need for any possible scenario.

It’s less conspicuous this way. Creatures ask too many questions when they can’t rationalize something.

The path from the house to the port is narrow, and I’m trying to catch one of the boats heading toward the western sea. Avaria’s port is open all night, mostly because crews drink and then pass out onboard their boats, but a few like to make nighttime travel a commodity.

Moreover, I’m close to the fork in the road when it hits me.

His scent. Raw. Wild. Pulling against my chest, twisting this invisible tether, making my pulse hammer. My reaction is automatic, and I freeze, eyes frantically searching until I find the man staring back at me.

Gold meets violet, and the world stops. Then tilts. The call from his end of the semi-formed bond slams into me as though it were a tidal wave. I stumble, dig my feet into the sand-washed tar before righting myself?—

I don’t look away. Can’t.

His form shudders violently, bones snapping and muscles twisting as black fur erupts along his tanned skin.

It happens so fast. Painful as it looks, I blink, and the man I know is gone, replaced by a massive wolf the color of midnight.

The wolf’s shoulders ripple with power while his paws, huge and powerful, slam into the grass on his way to me.

I feel the earth tremble beneath my feet.

Run, dammit. Run.

I curse under my breath, spinning on my heel while my bag swings on my hip.

My cloak snaps around me, a whisper of protection and concealment, as every nerve screams to go back.

But I can’t. If they found me last time, they’ll easily find me again, and the last thing I want to do is bring a war to my mate’s doorsteps.

The one person in this world who will never hurt you.

Before I left, Grandma pulled me into a tight hug before whispering something low, so only I could hear.

She was adamant that I pick up Magda’s book and read chapters five through seven and use it to my advantage during my travels.

That I’d understand dream walking and shared sleep—how to help my wolf through it and guide him to me under the cover of the moon.

You will need each other, my child. Lean on the bond. Don’t push it away.

“Goddess, please don’t let this be a mistake.”

Up ahead, the pier appears, and I push my legs faster.

He’s gaining on me, can almost feel his heated breath on my skin, but then I’m diving for the dark waves below, letting the cool waters swallow me.

Beneath the surface, I kick hard, propelling myself far from Avaria.

The wolf’s growl follows, though—guttural and angry—the vibrations travelling through the sand and into the sea.

It’s a promise. A mate’s declaration to hunt me down and bring me home.

And all I can think is:

Please do, my wolf. In the meantime, I will find you in my dreams.