Siren’s Song Read online

  Why was I even here?

  Shaking my head, I turned around. I followed the path Delpha had first took me on and reached the front desk.

  “Bye, Mr. G.,” I said to the man behind the desk. He waved at me, even though it looked more like he had shooed me off, and I walked out of the library.

  I was going to look for my father.

  Six

  Nathan

  I entered my pin on the keypad and the wrought iron gates opened. I drove down the winding road, flanked by tall trees. After a curve, the gray stone manor appeared, imposing and strong as always.

  My home.

  I parked my car in the underground garage, hung my key on the hook board beside the door, and raced up the stairs to the kitchen.

  “Douglas?” I called.

  “In here,” he answered.

  I found him in our small house library along with Aidan, Amber, Landon, Tessa, Caleb, and my cousin, Ash, all seated around an oval table and waiting for me. I had called Douglas and told him I had something unusual to tell them, something that could end up being a case. He told me he would call a meeting with whoever was in the manor.

  I took a seat and stared at them. “Remember five years ago when I was running on the beach and found a siren drowning a teenager by accident?”

  Everyone but Tessa nodded. Right, she hadn’t been here five years ago.

  “Yes,” Douglas said.

  “She’s back,” I said.

  “What?” Aidan asked. “But my father and Douglas and Isaac talked to her mother about it.”

  “I remember,” Landon said, nodding. “I went along and heard everything, though I was supposed to stay in the car.”

  “Typical,” Ash said, snickering. My cousin could be an asshole sometimes.

  Landon ignored him. “They told her mother everything, didn’t you, Douglas?”

  “We did,” Douglas said. “We told her male nagas come to Willow Harbor every summer solstice, looking for human females. When they can cross our barricade, they enchant females, have sex with them, and impregnate them. We told her that was how sirens were born. And we told her Brooke was a siren, daughter of a naga who had been able to break through our barricade.” He shook his head. “At first, she didn’t believe there were such things as nagas and sirens or anything supernatural. And she didn’t believe she had been raped. I explained to her it wasn’t exactly rape. Since she had been enchanted, she had consented to it. The next day, all she remembered was having a one-night stand with a stranger and that was it. I can still see the recognition in her eyes, when she remembered it. She knew it was the truth. We offered her the potion from the witches to keep her daughter’s powers under control.”

  “But she didn’t take that,” I said.

  “No,” Douglas said with a sigh. “She was scared after finding out Willow Harbor was full of supernatural beings. She asked if there was another option, and we told her to leave Willow Harbor, to move as far away from any saltwater as she could. And that was what she did. Three days later, the two of them left Willow Harbor.”

  “But why is she back?” Caleb asked.

  “That was why I called this meeting,” I said. “Last week, she received a letter. From her father.”

  “What?” Landon asked, his voice hard. “That’s impossible.”

  I shook my head. “I thought so too, but the more I think about it, the more I see it isn’t. Don’t the nagas try to come back for their daughters after they activate their powers? What if this naga was smart enough that he didn’t have to go after her?”

  “He’s making her come after him,” Douglas said. His face blanched. “Where is this girl now?”

  “I wasn’t sure about bringing her here, so I left her with Delpha at the library.”

  “Good, good. Delpha is good in a fight.”

  “What do we do now?” Aidan asked.

  “My first thought was to make a list of all the nagas we know in town,” I said.

  “But they have their own families. They are the ‘good’ nagas.” Caleb made quotes with his fingers. Like every supernatural beings, nagas were either good or bad. The bad ones came to Willow Harbor during summer solstice to impregnate human females and fight against us. When the sirens were of age, they came to take them away. The good nagas were the ones who had given up that life. They had fallen in love and made a home and family in Willow Harbor. They had been spelled by a powerful witch to look like humans.

  I nodded. “I know, but they could know other nagas from before they changed and moved to Willow Harbor.”

  “That’s a start,” Douglas said. “Let’s make a list of all the nagas we know, and then we should select some each and asked them some questions. Nothing offensive, please. Don’t start a fight. Explain to them we’re trying to consider everything for now.”

  “All right,” Landon said. “Let’s do that then.”

  “You guys start with that,” I said. Now was the perfect opportunity for me to tell them about my dreams about Brooke, but for some reason, I didn’t want to. Not yet. “I’ll contact Anna and order a potion for Brooke. I felt her power this morning and I don’t want anyone else falling for her magic. The sooner she takes the potion, the better.”

  “Agreed,” Douglas said. “After that, go check on the girl. One of us should have an eye on her at all times. Not only because of her powers, but if her father called her here, it’s because he plans on coming to her at some point. And when he does, we’ll catch him.”

  I dipped my chin once. “Yes, sir.”

  I walked out to the hallway and called Anna. I explained to her what we needed.

  “I have to check, but I don’t think I have all the ingredients,” she said. “I can order them or check with the other witches, but even if we have it, the potion takes a few days to brew.”

  “Shit,” I muttered. “Well, do whatever you can.”

  “I might have something else to help in the meantime.”

  “Like what?”

  “A potion you can drink that will temporary lessen the effects of her powers on you.”

  It wasn’t the perfect solution but … “That could work.”

  “Give me an hour, then come pick it up.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I disconnected the call and went to help the others with the list of nagas until it was time to go to Anna’s and get the potion. Though, the entire time, my mind was on Brooke and how I wanted to go after her right now.

  Seven

  Brooke

  Even though it was too cold for a southern beach town, I decided to ditch my car and walk to the post office. It wasn’t far at all, just practically on the other side of the square, but I took my time, walking slowly and taking everything in.

  After a minute, I was freezing but I was content. Willow Harbor was as charming as I remembered. No, actually, I thought it was even more now. Before I had been a teenager who didn’t really care about the town, though I had loved living here. Now, at twenty, I could appreciate it so much more.

  If I hadn’t been on a mission, I would have taken the rest of the day to explore the stores and shops, but I knew the post office would close soon, so I went straight there.

  Thankfully, there were only two people in the line and it went fast. Soon, it was my turn.

  “How can I help you?” the lady behind the counter asked. She had big, brown eyes, and a wide smile covered by bright red lipstick.

  “Hi … hm.” I placed the envelope and letter on the counter. “I received this letter a week ago. It doesn’t have a name or return address, but the stamp is from here. I was wondering if there’s a way of tracking whoever sent it to me.”

  The lady’s eyes became two slits. “But you just said there’s no name or return address.”

  “Well, but the stamp proves it came from here. Maybe you, or whoever was working here at the time, remember who sent this letter and—”

  “The stamp goes on all mail that leaves this post office, hon, no matt
er what. Which means hundreds of letters every day. My memory is quite good, but not that good. Besides, whoever sent this letter could simply have dropped it off at the mailbox outside.”

  My stomach sank. I hadn’t thought about that.

  Which meant … nobody had seen my father mailing the letter. There was no witness. No clue.

  “I’m sorry, hon.”

  “It’s okay,” I mumbled.

  Feeling like I had just lost a limb, I left the post office and plopped down on the concrete stairs outside. The cold seeped through my jeans to my butt, but it didn’t bother me at the moment.

  Damn … I had come all the way here without thinking this through. What the hell? My father wouldn’t be waiting for me with open arms. If he wanted that, he would have told me his name and address. He would have given me his phone number and let me call him so we could arrange a visit.

  But no, I had simply upped and left. No other thoughts and considerations. And now I had dropped most of my classes and wouldn’t be able to get the semester back.

  Tears burned my eyes.

  I wouldn’t cry for a man I didn’t know. For a man who said he cared about me but hadn’t even bothered to tell me his name.

  I wiped away the tears before they could spill and decided I had to do something besides sit here and wallow in my misery. Like cross the square again and get some coffee and maybe something to eat. After all, I hadn’t eaten since I woke up early this morning.

  Exhaustion hit me like a truck, and I had to drag my feet to the coffee shop.

  Nice, warm air embraced me once I was inside.

  “Welcome to Urban Grind.”

  I glanced up and saw a blond man with a vest and beret behind the counter. Memories rushed back. Loran, the owner. I remembered him. Wow, he hadn’t aged a single day.

  I stepped up to the counter. “Hi. I would like a—”

  “Cafe latte,” Loran said, a knowing grin brightening his face. “I remember.”

  “You do?”

  He nodded. “Brooke, right?”

  “Yes,” I muttered. “Wow, I’m impressed.”

  “Why? Had you forgotten Willow Harbor?”

  “Not really, though I confess it wasn’t something I thought about often while I was gone. But now that I’m back, I remember everything.” I paused. “How are you, Loran?”

  His smile widened. “I’m well. Thank you.” He pulled out a paper cup from the stack. “Would you like anything else?”

  “Yes.” I pointed to the display under the counter. “Those croissants look so yummy.”

  “They are!” He leaned over the counter and whispered as if it were a big secret. “They are from Ida’s Bakery two stores over.”

  “Oh, I remember Ida’s Bakery. She used to do a caramel pecan pie I loved. I would come over once a week just to buy a slice.” Which made me want go over there and see if Ida still made them. I had to buy a slice, even if I saved it for later.

  “Understandable. So, a croissant? Which one?”

  “Two, actually,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed. I was hungry. “I would like a ham and cheese one, and a chocolate one.”

  “Like dinner and dessert. I like that.” Loran winked. “Sit down and I’ll bring your things over soon.”

  “Thanks.”

  The place was cute and quaint with a few tables and chairs, and a seating area with a comfy couch and a low table full of books and magazines.

  I took a small table by the window and stared out. As much as I wanted to control my emotions and thoughts, they raced. Why had my father sent me the letter? Didn’t he realize it would have the stamp from Willow Harbor on it? Did he really want to send me a letter saying he cared about me and leave things like that? Who did that? If that was the case, I wished he hadn’t sent me the letter.

  I sighed.

  That wasn’t entirely true. I was glad he had contacted me. I mean, he had said he cared about me, and he didn’t have to send it. If he hadn’t, I would never know and life would have continued the same.

  I glanced to the tree taking over one end of the square. Now that I was here, though, I wondered, did I want life to continue the same?

  A steaming mug of cafe latte appeared in front of me. I looked up at Loran. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” He took the seat across from the table and stared at me. Loran had always been a mysterious man. I didn’t remember anything about his life, and I had the slight idea that no one did. His gaze flicked to the willow tree before returning me. “What brings you back to Willow Harbor?”

  I sighed. It was silly of me, but I was starting to regret coming. Asking people about a man without a name and address and any other details was a waste of time. Still, I was here, wasn’t I? And Loran looked like a guy who wanted to help, so why not? I showed him the letter. As I suspected, Loran didn’t know who could have sent it. I also told him about stopping by the post office, hoping someone there would know about him, and my idea of asking around town about him.

  “I agree it’s the best idea right now, but it still doesn’t seem efficient, does it?” The gleam in his eyes was sympathetic.

  “I know, I know. It was stupid of me to come here.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t,” he said, so serious, I thought he would offer me a solution. “You should trust your instincts. If they told you to come here and look for your father, then it’s because you were supposed to come here.”

  I frowned. “Why does that ring a bell?”

  He had a knowing grin as he said, “There’s a saying here in Willow Harbor, that no one ends up here by accident.”

  “Yes, now I remember.” Locals used to say it to visitors and tourists who stayed too long. “But I’m not here by accident. I came here with a purpose.”

  “Perhaps …” He stood. “Or you’re here because you’re supposed to be.”

  Without another word, Loran turned and went to greet new customers who came into the coffee shop.

  I stared at him as my mind mulled over his words. What did that even mean?

  * * *

  After devouring my croissants, I ordered another cafe latte to go, and started my trek around town.

  I began to the left of Urban Grind, with Dragon’s Hoard, an antique shop. Next was Ida’s Bakery. To my surprise, Ida remembered me and she pulled out her caramel pecan pie as soon as she saw me. I couldn’t help feeling welcome. I bought two slices and she placed them in a to-go box for me. Afterward, I stopped by the bookstore and was surprised to find Claire Meyers, a girl I knew from high school, behind the counter. Memories came flashing back to me, and I remembered her family owned the bookstore and she had a twin brother, Danny.

  “Welcome to—” She tilted her head, her long, dark hair falling to the side. “I know you.”

  I approached the counter. “Yes, I think so. Brooke Ellis. I was a sophomore in high school when I left town. You and your brother were seniors.”

  “Right.” Her dark blue eyes twinkled. “I remember you.”

  I glanced around, searching for her brother. “Where’s Danny?”

  Her shoulders sagged. “He died some time ago.”

  I gasped, “No.” I hadn’t expected to hear that. He would have been only twenty-two, twenty-three? So young. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks,” she said with a small smile. “Anyway, how can I help you?”

  A little self-conscious, I bit the inside of my cheek but ended up telling her everything about my father’s letter and my crazy quest.

  “I’m sorry, Brooke,” Claire said with compassion stamped in her eyes. “I can’t think of anyone that could have sent this letter to you.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. Even though I knew what people would tell me, I couldn’t stop hoping. “Thanks anyway.”

  I waved goodbye and walked out of the bookstore as a tall, blond guy, wearing black shades held the door for me. He nodded at me, then went inside. A little curious, I turned around and watched him through the bookstore’s large
windows. He walked right around the counter and smacked a kiss on Claire’s lips.

  Shaking my head, I averted my eyes.

  On the corner outside, I stared at the library across the street. Better steer clear of that before Delpha showed up looking for me. If she was actually after me.

  I had turned back, heading to the stores on the other side of Central Avenue, when I felt that same inexplicable pull toward the ocean. The urge to run to the water and dive under hit me hard and, before I realized, I turned toward it.

  A horn blared, waking me from my daze.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” a guy asked, half his body outside the window of his car.

  I blinked, lost. “What?”

  “Are you trying to get killed?”

  What was he talking about? I glanced around. I was in the middle of Main Street, right in the path of his car.

  I gasped and almost dropped my coffee and pie box. How … when … I couldn’t remember walking into the street.

  “Sorry,” I muttered, rushing back to the sidewalk.

  What was wrong with me?

  Shaking my head, I hurried my steps and went to the next shop on the street: Dark Horse Diner.

  I didn’t remember it until I stepped inside and saw the checkered black and white floors, the booths along the windows, the high stools and long counter; then the memories came rushing to my mind. I remembered coming here with Lillian and Jane at least once every weekend. All high school students did. It was a popular place at that time. I bet it still was, though there weren’t many teenagers in here now. A family of five, an older couple, two elderly women with warm smiles, and three men in what looked like lumberjack uniforms—jeans and plaid shirts and boots—took most of the booths, and a man with dark brown hair and blue eyes was seated on a stool.

  I went to the counter.

  A young woman in her mid-twenties turned to me with her lips turned upside down. The moment her eyes met mine, they bugged. “Oh, mylanta! If it isn’t Brooke Ellis! I haven’t seen you in … I don’t even know how long. How have you been, girl?”