Page 46 of Siren’s Mark (The Siren’s Mark Duology #1)

ZANE

“Zane?” Ava’s voice calls.

My eyes shoot open and I’m met with a view of the night sky, stars peeking through the haze caused by the city lights.

What time is it? Where am I?

I raise my head and see a bottle of brown rum in my left hand. It’s cold and I’m outside lying on the pavement somewhere and my feet are wet.

Wait—why are my feet wet?

Through a groggy daze, I look toward my feet and see them dipped in Kami’s pool. It looks like I decided to fall asleep right here.

“Zane?” I hear her voice call again.

I look to my side and see Ava seated next to me. I immediately sit up.

“Are you okay?” I ask. “What’s wrong? What’s happening?”

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she says. “I’m sorry to wake you, I just… can we talk?”

“Sure.”

“I talked to Kami, and she explained what happened to… well what happened when you guys were living in Austria or Hungary or whatever.”

I rub my eyes as I process what she just said.

Kami told her about Ilen? My eyes widen and I don’t know where to start.

Why would she tell her that?

Ava’s never going to trust me again. She’s going to think I’m a monster.

I am a monster.

Why would Kami do this to me? Why would she ruin my chances with Ava? Please tell me this isn’t happening.

“I think I understand a little better, why you did what you did,” she says, biting her lower lip and looking down. “I’m sorry that happened.”

“I… wha-… what?”

“I don’t want you to protect me from anything, especially if that means hiding stuff from me. But if you can do that, if you can give me total honesty and let me make my own decisions…” she lets out a heavy sigh. “I’m willing to give it another shot.”

I let my body drop back onto the pavement.

“Oh fuck off!” I say, covering my face with my arms.

“Excuse me?” Ava’s voice responds.

These bloody dreams are a million times worse than the nightmares.

Sure, nightmares are awful, but it’s worse believing the lies in my dreams—believing that she has come back to me—only to awaken to an empty room and a bottle of liquor… or two… or twelve.

“This isn’t real,” I say to myself. “This isn’t real.”

“Zane,” her voice says. “What are you talking about? I’m real, this is real.”

I roll to the side. I’d rather be tortured in a nightmare than have to suffer through more of this false hope.

“Go away,” I say.

I feel a sharp tug on my shoulder but I stay put. Suddenly I feel a much heavier jab in my back and I leap to my feet.

“Owww!” Ava says, hopping on one leg. “What the hell! Are Sirens stuffed with rocks or something?”

“Wha-… Did you just kick me? ” I ask.

“Well, you weren’t listening to me and I tried to turn you over but you’re this big ol’ impenetrable lump of Siren-person so what exactly was I supposed to do?” she says defensively. “Besides, I probably still owe you a kick or two.”

I can’t tell if this could still be a dream, but the sensation was awfully convincing.

“So you’re telling me that you want to get back together and this isn’t a dream?” I ask.

Fucking idiot. Would a bloody dream actually tell you if you’re in a dream?

“Okay, what’s something that doesn’t happen in dreams?” she asks.

“Well, you’ve certainly never kicked me in the back before.”

“So there ya go—obviously not a dream.”

“Then you’re still affected by the venom,” I say with a sigh.

“It’s 4 am, Zane; the venom wore off before I went to bed.”

“I…” I mumble, but can’t find the words. I look at her sincere, grey eyes and I want so desperately to believe them, but I’m terrified of getting my hopes up. I look over to the pool, and in a split-second decision find myself diving in.

My body hits the water and my skin erupts in tiny bumps as the cold reaches deep into my bones.

This certainly feels real… and bloody freezing.

“Fuck!” I yell as my head emerges from the water, my nostrils flooded with the scent of chlorine. I shake my wet hair out of my face and comb it back with my fingers.

“Okaaayyy…” Ava says. “The heck was that about??”

I swim up to the edge of the pool beneath her and lean my elbows on the ledge.

“Well… I had to see if I was really awake,” I say.

“And…?”

“I’m asleep for sure,” I say with a smile.

Ava reaches a toe into the water and kicks to splash me.

My smile grows as I realize Ava is real, standing in front of me and ready to give me another shot. It feels like seeing the sun after an endless storm. I can’t help but want to pull her in to join me for a middle-of-the-night swim.

“Come closer, love,” I say as she stands above me.

“Oh no no no,” she says. “I know how this goes and it ends up with me in the pool in Kami’s nice silk PJs and that is not happening.”

Busted.

“Okay, love, if I promise not to pull you in, can you kneel down closer to me?”

“Okay,” she says, raising a brow in suspicion. “But if I end up in the water, so help me, I will drown your ass. I don’t care how immortal you are.”

“Fair enough,” I say as she leans down.

“You’re real?” I ask, taking in her face like I’m trying to memorize every detail.

“I’m real,” she says.

“And you’re giving me another chance?” I ask.

My heart is beating so hard, I’m surprised it’s not sending waves through the water.

“If you don’t screw it up,” she says.

“I can do that,” I say.

I lift myself upward toward her until my lips connect with hers. A warm feeling spreads through my chest as if this one kiss ignited a fuse within me. It’s the first time I’ve felt alive all week.

“I love you,” I say.

“I love you.”

AVA

The sunlight is bright enough that it peeks through my closed eyelids. Despite drinking and staying up so late, I feel surprisingly content. I’ve missed having Zane’s warm chest in place of my pillow and waking up to the rhythmic thumping of his heart and the slow rises and falls of his breathing.

I don’t want to open my eyes, if only to bask in the moment a bit longer.

This is the last place I thought I’d be just 24 hours ago, when Jen was still trying to convince me going out drinking would be a good idea.

Oh god—Jen.

How the heck am I going to explain this?

My eyes open to the warm light of the mid-day sun filling the room and I watch Zane’s fingers delicately twirl a lock of my hair.

“Morning, love,” he says.

“How did you know I was awake?” I ask, turning upward to meet his deep brown eyes with mine. A wavy strand of his hair falls across his face and he brushes it away.

“Your breathing changed.”

“That’s one of the creepiest things you’ve ever said,” I reply with a giggle. “You’re not supposed to tell women you’re watching them sleep and listening to them breathe. It may seem romantic in teen movies, but in real life you sound like a serial killer.”

“Serial killer, eh?” he says with a goofy smile.

“Yeah, well, it’s even creepier when you’re smiling at me like that.”

“I missed you so much,” he says, looking deep into my eyes.

I giggle and my eyes dodge the sudden, intense eye contact.

“You’re getting creepier,” I say with a laugh.

“Really,” he says in a more serious voice, lightly lifting my chin to look at him. “You are perfect. I’m never letting you go ever again.”

The sincerity in his voice is overwhelming, and I can’t decide if I want to kiss him or just awkwardly boop his nose to break up the serious moment.

Without my consent, my hand chooses the boop route.

Boop.

Zane blinks a few times in confusion.

“Wha-…” he says with a baffled expression. “I… What was that?”

“It’s a boop,” I say.

Obviously.

“What’s a boop?” he asks with furrowed brows.

“You know,” I say, repeating the action. “Boop!”

“Well that clarifies everything,” he says with a laugh.

“It’s like, a thing you do to cute things. You touch their nose quickly and you say ‘boop.’”

He looks at me skeptically and raises one eyebrow.

“I can’t explain a boop to you, okay?” I say. “It’s just a boop. It’s ineffable. It just is . And really, how do you not know what a boop is? Don’t you have the internet?”

“Alright then, I guess I’ll have to just take your word for it,” he says with a smile.

“You’re doing that creepy smile again.”

“Get used to it, love. I got a second chance with you, I’m going to be smiling for a long time.”

“Yeah, well, don’t mess it up,” I joke, playfully smacking his shoulder.

“No more making decisions for you.”

“I should be involved in all decisions that involve me,” I clarify. “We need to have conversations before you go off making rash choices.”

“I can do that.”

“Just don’t hide stuff from me,” I say.

“Mmm,” he hums with a bit of a frown.

Uh oh.

“Don’t make that sound; it seems like bad news. What are you not telling me?”

“Er… I’m not hiding anything, I promise,” he says. “But I didn’t tell you something, I’m not sure if this is the kind of thing you want to know about.”

My heartbeat starts to pound in my chest.

“Oh god, did you sleep with someone while we wer-”

“No, no!” he says. “God no, nothing like that. Just, the night of Kami’s party, when I went to pick up Kieran, I stumbled across him and uh… Shayna.”

Oh shit.

That is not what I thought he was going to say at all.

“Do you mean they were kissing or like, full-on having sex?”

“The latter.” He cringes slightly.

That bitch.

“Like, you’re sure they were… doing that?”

“I mean, unless they were doing some pretty intense, half-naked yoga in the back room of the bar…”

“Oh god, okay okay,” I say, cutting him off. “I could do without that visual, thanks.”

Oh no, I’m picturing it. Oh god, why?

“And Kieran was…” I say, trailing off. “Why would he do that? That’s so fucked up.”

“I think Shayna gave him the impression that she and Jen had an open relationship.”

I rub my forehead, trying to process it all.

“This is so bad.”

“Should I have not told you?” he asks.

“No,” I say. “I’m glad you told me. I just have no idea what to do with the information.”

That’s an understatement. Everyone knows the fastest way to get your friend to hate you is to accuse their partner of cheating.

“I appreciate that you’re not censoring what you do or don’t tell me,” I say. “I don’t want to be protected, I just want you to include me on anything that involves me.”

“Hmm,” he hums, sitting up on the bed.

“Can you stop doing that?” I ask, sitting up alongside him. “You’re freaking me out!”

“Sorry, love. I just want to make sure everything’s out on the table this time. There’s just another thing I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Okay, you’re killing me here, what is it?” I ask.

“So, you remember what I told you that night after I punched your brother?”

“Um, when you said we were soulmates?”

“Oh bollocks,” he curses under his breath. “Okay, I forgot about that one. I guess there are two things we need to talk about.”

“Holy crap, Zane, how much stuff have you been hiding from me?”

“I’m trying here, love,” he says with a sigh.

“Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry. Continue.”

“So, I guess I should start with, er…” he says, tugging at his hair. “We are actually soulmates. At least according to the Seer who also thought I should break up with you.”

My brain feels like a pinball machine with dozens of thoughts bouncing around inside.

“What??” I ask.

“She said we’re soulmates. The real deal. You and I.”

The thought is too bizarre to begin to wrap my head around.

“And she thought we should break up?” I ask.

“Er, yeah. She thinks I’m bad for you.”

“Well then,” I say, grabbing his hand. “She sounds like a dumbass.”

A wide smile spreads across Zane’s cheeks.

“Okay well, what I was trying to say was… do you remember talking about the mark?”

“Oh,” I say. “Yeah, the Siren human-claiming thing.”

“Well, the thing is, I’ve always been ready to do it,” he says softly, looking down at his trembling hands.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Zane this nervous before.

“I was—well, am—worried about doing it because you’re sick,” he says. “And I think deep down, maybe, I’m a bit worried that you’d feel differently about me if you were immune to my powers. Maybe the effect is why you love me now.”

It never occurred to me that Zane might doubt my feelings for him.

“Well then,” I say. “You’re a dumbass too.”

He chuckles and looks up at me.

“We already know that, though, don’t we?” he says with a smile.

“So,” I say, slowly processing what he’s told me. “What does that mean, then?”

“Well, I guess what it means is that it’s your choice. If you’d like me to make you, more or less, immortal.”