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Her gaze flicked from his face to the shirt in his hands, suspicion carved into every trembling line of her body.

It was natural for a Siren to be mistrusting of men. It was males that had hunted them across the seas for their powers, before it turned into a graveyard of curses.

Aldric draped the fabric around her shoulders with a care I did not have the patience for, covering her before he slid an arm around her waist, careful to only touch her where the material covered her skin. The Siren stiffened, a warning sound rumbling low in her throat.

“Easy,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”

He helped her toward the cabins at the stern, her bare feet slipping against the boards with every unsteady step.

“Fool,” I muttered as they disappeared.

“Indeed,” Solas grunted. “That boy would throw himself into the jaws of a fucking monster if he thought it would help even one person.”

His gaze remained fixed on Bryony, his expression hardening. “But somehow, the Siren feels worse than a monster.”

He was right, but I needed her, nonetheless. I turned toward the helm just as the sky split open above us. Lightning forked across the clouds, bright enough to bleach the deck white, followed by a thunderclap so violent it rattled the bones of the ship.

The storm was upon us.

It came screaming over the Dead Sea, black waves rising like mountains around the ship, hungry enough to drag us straight to the ocean floor.

“Get inside. Now!” I roared over the rain as it lashed from the sky.

The ship pitched violently beneath my saturated boots. I staggered with it, one hand catching the rail, the other snatching a bottle of rum from where it rolled across the deck. I reached the wheel and ripped free the oar I had wedged through the spokes to keep us on course.

The wheel jerked beneath my grip, fighting me like a living thing, but I held it steady.

I uncorked the bottle with my teeth, spitting the cork onto the deck. The burning swallow I took spread through my veins, steadying me.

I sung, my voice deep and gravelly as the words poured out of me while I fought the onslaught of waves.

I rose and fell through the notes, losing myself to the song. I only paused to burn the back of my throat with a swig of rum.

Stonebriar’s shores waited beyond the black horizon.

By morning, we would reach them.

And after that, there was only one thing left between me and Lyra.

A serpent to kill before the blood moon rose tomorrow night.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Locket of Memories

Lyra

Astaroth led me through the pristine halls of his manor, and I stayed two steps behind him, keeping my eyes trained on my boots.

Every step twisted the knot in my stomach tighter. I wasn't afraid of the games. I was afraid of the answers waiting beyond them, and whether I'd still recognise the monster staring back at me once I found them.

The image of the Vaskra attack replayed in my head. That heartbroken mother had carried a teddy bear pressed tightly to her chest. Its once-soft blue fur had been worn thin, one button eye long gone. She had knelt before the sea of flowers and placed it among them with trembling hands.

I needed to reach the amulet first. No matter the cost.

We descended the sweeping staircase into the ballroom foyer, where pastel flowers wound around the balustrades in delicate blooms.

How many mothers had buried their children because of me?