Call of the Siren(63)

Sudden movement rustled in the forest beyond them, and Keegan appeared, flying low to the ground. He saw them and landed, absorbing his leathery wings in one quick snap. His face was bruised, and his shirt had all but disintegrated in his fight with the ishtari, but he didn’t look too bad, all things considered.

Keegan took a look around, his expression clearing when he spotted Lina by the tree trunk. “Good. We need to move out. The mercenaries I hired are holding off the ishtari, but they’re headed back to the portal. We need to be long gone before they get there.”

A breeze blew in behind Keegan, coalescing into one swirling mass of energy. It materialized into Taeg’s form, naked as the day he was born. A grin transformed his face as he caught sight of Maya. “Miss me, slayer?”

She didn’t answer, and he frowned when he took a good look at her. “What’s wrong?”

Keegan glanced from Maya to Ronin, no doubt reading their worry and despair. “What is it?”

“The dark fae implanted Lina with a magical bomb,” Dagan muttered when no one else spoke up.

Keegan’s mouth fell open. He did a double-take, returning his gaze back to Lina. “Serious?”

Lina, who grew more and more conscious with every passing moment, nodded. “Yes. It could detonate at any moment.”

“Fuck me,” Taeg whispered. He pulled Maya to him, giving her a quick hug before digging his clothes out of the pack on her back. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I can’t come with you guys, that’s what it means,” Lina said in a shaky voice.

“No,” Ronin growled, lifting his hands to grasp his head.

“Screw that.” And screw treating her like a pariah. Dagan closed the distance between him and Lina with sure, steady steps.

“St-stop,” she said, her eyes widening.

“No way in hell.” He dropped to a squat right in front of her, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her eyes glinted with momentary heat, giving him a glimpse of the strength she normally held.

That’s my girl.

He gave a silent prayer of thanks that the Lina he knew and cherished was slowly returning.

“You know I can’t,” she whispered low so that only he could hear. “I can’t endanger all your lives. Just leave me.”

“No.”

Her hand crept up and closed over his, and her gaze locked in on him. “I don’t want to die, Dagan,” she whispered. “But I won’t be responsible for all of your deaths, either. You know there’s only one way to stop this. Leave now.”

Fuck that.

“I’m not leaving you, Lina.”

“We’re not leaving you,” Ronin said from behind him. When his footsteps crunched along the forest floor, Lina shook her head.

“Ronin, no. Think of Amara.”

Her words had the intended effect of making him pause in mid-stride. Hell, at this point mention of Amara was probably the only thing that would have stopped him.

“I don’t want to rush this, but we need to leave,” Keegan spoke up, his voice gruff with worry.

Keegan was right. They hadn’t made it all this way only to let Belpheg find them now. They needed to move out.

Dagan turned his gaze to Ronin. “Lina will need to go into hiding until we can find a way to remove the bomb.”

“I could talk to that mage we worked with a few months back,” Taeg volunteered. “He might know how to disable or remove it.”

“But none of that helps right now,” Keegan said. “Is she staying or going?”

“Staying,” Lina said, at the same time Dagan and Ronin said, “Going.”

She shook her head firmly, resolve shining bright in her eyes. “What if he sets the bomb off while we’re traveling to the portal? Or after we get to the other side? No, I’m not going with you.”

Damn it, much as Dagan hated to admit, she was right. It was far too risky for her to travel with all of them.

But there was one thing he could do.

He rose and turned to face his brothers. “You all go. I’ll wait a few minutes, then take Lina and cross the portal. Once we’re back on Earth, I’ll get her somewhere safe and wait to hear from you.”

Ronin shook his head, his eyes bright with unshed emotion. “She’s my sister. I’ll do it.”

“What about Amara?” Dagan murmured. “She needs you by her side.” When Ronin opened his mouth to argue, Dagan added, “Plus, of the four of us, I’m the most expendable.”

Ronin gave him a deep look, but finally he nodded. “Okay. You stay with her.”

Dagan’s follow-up argument died on his lips.

No shit, really?

Color him shocked that Ronin had given in so easily. This might be a fool’s mission, but he knew in his heart it was one Ronin would have gladly accepted.