Page 13 of The Sirin Sisterhood (The Sons of Echidna #2)

Lucy

Lucy clapped her hands, calling for everyone’s attention.

“Okay. First order of business. What do we have to offer this ‘Sirin sisterhood’for their help?”

She had embraced the weight of authority and was wearing it like a cloak, her usually hesitant demeanor transformed into an assertive presence. Everyone turned to her, even Aris, although Klein seemed distracted and distant as he sipped his cold coffee.

“They want anything with magic residue. We did have a collection at the house, but we can’t access it.

Obviously.”Aris poured himself another drink.

Lucy was grateful of how willing he was to accept her leadership.

Although he was grumbling and rude, he seemed lighter somehow, as though he’d shrugged off a heavy burden.

He certainly wasn’t being helpful, though.

Lucy nodded. “Can we tempt them with what I have? I have magic.”

“It might help.”Lai nodded. “They’re witches, so if you rock up with those amazing powers of yours, you might score extra brownie points.”

“Or they might just feel threatened. They harness magic from nature.”Aris was still shutting her down at every step. What was his problem? It wasn’t just the loss of control. He’d tried to talk them out of going to the witches from the moment Lai had suggested them.

Lucy decided she wasn’t going to entertain his childish tantrum any longer. They needed to act, and she was ready to start issuing orders. Aris could argue all he liked, but it was the Sirin sisterhood or bust.

“I’m not wasting all night on speculation. It’s time to get moving.”Lucy took out her cell phone. “Where are they located?”She looked at Aris, expecting a straight answer from him, hoping her voice was as stern as she was trying to make it sound.

“TheFar East of Russia.”

“Show me on the map,”Lucy forced a smile onto her face, feeling one of her eyes twitch in frustration.

“I have coordinates,”Aris reluctantly admitted, not quite prepared to completely defy the head of the family. “We’ve dealt with them before.”

There. Was that really so hard?

“Then we just show up, I guess? We can explain our situation, ask for help, offer an IOU, and make payments on our outstanding debts. So all we need now is a plane.”Lucy turned to Xim, her voice trailing off as a realization set in.

She might be in charge of the family, but she was still relying on Xim’s generosity to sponsor the operation, and she was asking for a lot.

“Well, since you’ve all agreed on a course of action, I’ll sort out the flight.

It might not be as straightforward as I would have liked with all the sanctions against Russia that are in place, but I’ll get you there.

”Xim placed her hand on Lucy’s shoulder, reassuring her with a squeeze.

“For now, feel free to settle in. Lucy can show you to your rooms, there are plenty to go around. I would also suggest a shopping trip this afternoon. You would probably blend in well in Eastern Europe dressed like that, but you’re technically representing Farrowatcher enterprises by taking the jet. You need to look the part.”

Lucy followed her pointed gaze to Aris. The man was still dressed in a smoke-stained shirt and the same pair of leather pants he had been wearing since she first met him.

She had yet to see them on the washing line.

Klein’s‘dying-Victorian-child’look was an interesting aesthetic, too; drab, maudlin, formal, and clearly a style he was firmly attached to.

Xim was right; all of them needed an update.

Lucy had a sneaking suspicion that Lai would be much more difficult to drag into the present decade than his brother and father.

With growing dread, she began to realize that she would have to pry his crop tops from his cold, dead fingers.

He noticed her glance and winked, confirming her fears, her heart sinking.

Without waiting for her to show them to the rooms, the family dispersed throughout the penthouse, leaving her alone with Xim.

Lucy let out a long sigh, finally able to begin processing everything that happened.

The ache of her brand radiated miserably, and she leaned against Xim for comfort, only to find the woman tense and rigid.

“Is everything okay?”Lucy asked, seeking her eyes with her own.

“I know I’m asking for a lot. I’ll pay it all back, every cent.

”She was struck with the memory of all of the other friends Xim had cut loose over the years as they’d shown their true colors and gotten greedy, suddenly anxious that she’d taken a mile from Xim’s inch.

“It’s not that.”Xim waved off Lucy’s fear dismissively but still looked concerned. “You’re officially part of their family now. Does that make you...”She chewed the thought over momentarily, seeming to want to soften the blow. “Does that make you a monster? Like them?”

Lucy winced. Not so soft, then.

She hadn’t expected Xim to ask that question, and she truthfully didn’t know how to answer it.

She shrugged. She felt like a monster after all she had done.

Losing control of her powers, attempting murder, costing them the manor, andstealing Aris’s position.

Maybe she fit into the family so easily because that was exactly what she was.

“I don’t think so,”she lied. “I can’t transform, and I’m not related by blood or marriage. I’m more like a zoo-keeper or something, and the cages have all been opened at the same time.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”Xim leaned back into her and stole a soft kiss just as they were interrupted.

“My room’s got a hot tub! With jets !”Lai ran back into the living room, absolutely beaming.

“I’m never leaving again! I know you have grand plans, Lucy, but I think we all should just move on.

The manor was old, the property tax crippling.

We’re better off right here with you and our new stepmom, Xim. ”

“Like you guys ever paid tax?”Lucy laughed, pointing back at the door. “Go and enjoy it while it lasts. You aren’tweaselingyour way out of Russia.”

Lai poked his tongue out at her and vanished, leaving her and Xim alone to savor the silence.

“Look at you,”Xim laughed. “Ready to go out there and save the world. Maybe I should be calling you a superhero instead.”

“It’s a pretty tiny world. But it’s important to me,”Lucy smiled, nuzzling into Xim’s shoulder with a heavy sigh. “I haven’t said this enough, but thank you.”

Xim chuckled, wrapping her arms around Lucy. “Don’t worry about money; you can repay me later if you’re still gonna insist on it. I’ll go and make a few calls. Worst-case scenario, I’ll speak to Grace back at the tower. She won’t say no to me grabbing a plane if I tell her it’s important.”

Lucy nodded, savoring the last moment of tenderness she expected to enjoy for a long time, her eyes closed and a playful pout on her face, lips puckered in demand. Xim laughed and obliged, meeting the kiss with a smile.

“Have fun. Get them all cleaned up and back on leashes, my little zoo-keeper. They’re giving me a headache,”she whispered, holding the last kiss for an extra beat before lightly pushing Lucy away, rolling her eyes as Lucy whined in protest.

“I’m no miracle worker, but I’ll see what I can do.”

◆◆◆

Lucy found Aris in the study with Ryan. Both of them were examining the minimalistic shelves, which contained aesthetic selections of beige books with pages facing outward instead of the spines.

Xim read a lot but rarely collected physical copies since she couldn’t stand anything collecting dust. Neither of the men looked impressed.

“How would you guys feel about a haircut? Maybe a business-casual look?”Lucy offered them optimistically as she approached, buttoning her shirt over her bandages. She was caught off guard by Aris’s glare as she glanced up at him.

“Absolutely not. There is nothing wrong with how I look, girl.”

“You need a bath, your clothes need to be washed, and if you keep wearing all thatmetalthen you’re going to have a hard time getting past security sensors,”Lucy listed matter-of-factly.

“You’re going to draw attention to yourself here, and Eleanore will have no problem finding a man dressed as a pirate if she comes looking for you. ”

“I do not dress as a pirate, girl, I am a pirate, and you’ll do well to show some respect when you address me. I earned the title of Pirate Lord, and you will not reduce it to a costume.”

“Pirate Lord?”Lucy snickered. “Like in that book with you and the dragon? Are you telling me that was a true story?”

Aris sucked in a breath, face darkening with anger as Ryan shot his father a warning look.

“Some of it was true,”the boy explained, brushing the back of Aris’s hand with his own to calm him down.

“Madison—the author—is notorious for her exaggerations. She’s a bard rather than a historian.

But my father truly earned his title, fair and square.

Bending over for the business end of a dragon is no simple task. ”

Aris was quick, but Ryan was quicker. The slap was a blur that the boy stepped out of reach of without Lucy’s eyes ever registering the movement.

“You little shit , if you think I can’t catch you–!”

“You can’t,”Ryan smirked as he grabbed a book and flopped into a reading chair, seemingly confident in his bold statement.

Lucy sighed. She had thought Ryan was helping with de-escalation! Now Aris was even angrier, and she still had to try to talk him into a suit.

“It’s in our best interests to lay low. Once we get the manor back, you can dress however you like, but right now, you have to dress like a normal person.

I’m not going to allow you to lead your crazy ex to Xim,”she demanded firmly, hoping he would take an order from the head of the family seriously.

If anything, it only made him more irritated. His lip twitched, showing a sharp fang that seemed longer than a human should have.