Page 269 of The Throne Seeker

Realization dawned as her eyes widened.

Lord Barron was a siren.

Her grip tightened.There!she directed Onyx, guiding him to the left through the trees.

They were gaining on him. Even with Lord Barron’s impressive speed, he was no match for Onyx. The magnificent beast drove his eight hooves into the ground with incredible force, driving them forward.

When they were close enough, she let her siren’s instincts take over. She lifted the blood-crusted arrow in her hand, and just like in the Snorri, she hurled it, snapping her wrist to send the arrow soaring.

The arrow struck his shoulder, knocking him to the ground in a small forest clearing.

With his fall, she caught up to him.

Rose jumped down from Onyx and drew her sword, pointing the blade downward at him to pin him to the forest floor, prepared to end him.

Lord Barron turned, leaves sticking to his robes. He grasped the arrow lodged in his back, tearing it out with a grunt.

“You have good aim for such a young siren,” Lord Barron praised. “I can see what’s so special about you.” He eyed her with a lustful smile.

She almost puked.

“How are you a siren?” she asked, keeping the blade at his throat.

He didn’t look the least bit afraid. “I was born that way,” Lord Barron said vaguely.

“You don’t look like a siren.”

He smirked. “Why? Because I’m not as pretty as you?”

She placed the edge of her blade against his throat.

He shifted back a bit, putting his hands up. “You don’t want to do that,” Lord Barron warned.

Rose took a lethal step toward him. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t.” She glared as she pressed her sword a little harder against his throat.

A wicked smile played on his lips. “Because I am not Lord Barron.”

Like a ripple in the water, Lord Barron’s body began to shift. His skin altered, his face melted, and he grew larger and taller.

Rose was so caught off guard, she stumbled backward. Thankfully, she managed to keep a grip on her sword as her mind attempted to keep up with what was playing out before her eyes.

She barely believed it. She was no longer looking at the middle-aged high council member but a mountain of a man.

A true siren.

He was ethereal, the most perfect creature she’d ever seen. His sandy-golden hair framed a pair of bright, vivid-violet eyes that gleamed like her own. His clothes were tattered, barely clinging to him, as rippling muscles broke through the fabric, revealing his fair skin.

He took advantage of her surprise as he stood up, now towering over her. “Do you prefer this, love?” the siren asked with a gorgeous, transcendent smile.

A chill ran down her spine; his voice flowed like a gentle stream.

Rose glared at him, but her siren was dripping with undeniable attraction, curious to finally meet another of their kind. She squashed the irrational sensation, unable to forget what he’d just done. Her mother could very well be dead because of him, reminding her she didn’t have much time.

She was about to answer when she realized she didn’t need to—he’d read her emotions.

“You don’t need to lie to me,” he said, stalking her like a dangerous predator. “You forget I’m not like them. I can feel it. You’re attracted to me.”

“Then you can also feel I’m going to kill you,” she said through clenched teeth.