Greed Page 8

  When I felt my need growing to the point of no return, I reined myself in and broke our kiss. Alayna buried her head into the crook of my neck. The sweet sound of her panting had my blood flowing to places it shouldn’t and certain parts of me throbbing with need.

  “Tell me about him. Tell me about your water demon,” I asked, knowing talking about him was the only way I’d be able to keep from laying her down on the sand and having a repeat of our time shared at the ball. “How does this siren thing work? I need details if I’m going to find a way to free you from him.”

  She glanced up at me, and a strand of hair slipped free from behind her ear in the breeze blowing around us. I tucked it back in place, careful of her bruise, and flashed her a smile.

  “And, I do intend on freeing you from him, Alayna. That is something I can promise.”

  “I believe you, but we can’t talk about it here. We’ve already discussed too much of our world in public. We should go somewhere else.” She glanced around and so did I.

  For the first time since laying eyes on her, I noticed we weren’t alone. There were people walking the beach, fisherman casting out, and children running around with headlamps, searching beneath debris for crabs, I supposed.

  “Lead the way.” I would follow this woman anywhere.

  Alayna released a slow breath. “I’m trying to think of where we can go. Lattes and Love is open, but I doubt that would be the wisest place to go, considering my siren sisters and I run it. Bringing you there would be completely out of character for me. Heck, just showing up on my night off would be. Typically, I steer clear of all things water demon or siren related as much as I can. Daily.”

  She started walking, and I kept pace beside her.

  “Lattes and Love?” I asked, arching a brow.

  “It’s the coffee shop my water demon, Lir, owns. We operate it though.”

  I stiffened. So, the asshole did have a name. “Not only are you bound to him through your siren, but you’re also bound to him in monetary ways too? What an ass.”

  “Yeah, I guess. We’re given a paycheck, so we do have our own money, but you’re right, most of the profits go to him.”

  “You mentioned having siren sisters.” The term was weird to say because I’d never heard it before. “How many?”

  “Three. We weren’t all created at the same time, but from what we’ve shared with one another, it was pretty close.” A light entered her eyes as she spoke of them. “I’ll introduce you to them. You’ll like them. They sort of make this whole thing bearable. It’s nice knowing I’m not alone.”

  My lips pressed together into a thin line. I wondered if he beat them too.

  “Did you ever meet any of the other genies?” Alayna asked.

  “No. Being a genie was a solitary gig,” I said. “Did you have siblings before becoming a siren?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation moving.

  She shook her head. “I was an only child.” Her hand squeezed mine. “I know where we can go.”

  She pulled me away from the ocean toward a wooden pathway and then cut across the street before making a left at a stop sign. I had no idea where we were going, but I didn’t say a word. When we cut right and then walked a few more minutes, I noticed we’d made it to a different section of beach. Alayna passed a simple house built on stilts, cutting across their property to a barn with stables beside it.

  “Don’t worry, the owners are asleep,” she said before I could voice any concern. “Even if they weren’t, they wouldn’t mind us being in the stables.” A mysterious look flitted through her eyes. It piqued my interest.

  “Why is that? Do you sneak guys into these stables often?” Jealousy rolled through me, souring my stomach.

  “What? No.” She tossed me a harsh glare, cementing the truth of her words. My jealousy left in a rush and was quickly replaced by embarrassment. “This is my parents’ house.”

  The breath in my chest stilled. She’d brought me to her parents’ house? In the middle of the night.

  “Don’t look so shocked,” she said.

  “I’m sorry.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m just having a hard time processing that your parents live here and are still a part of your life.”

  Her eyes narrowed, and I knew my words hadn’t come out right.

  “Why wouldn’t they be?” she asked. “I’m still me.”

  Shit. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  “What did you mean, then?” she asked as we made our way down a slight sandy hill.

  Movement in the stables caught my eye. There was a horse inside. It let out a noise that made me smile. He or she was obviously excited to see Alayna.

  “I just meant that it’s hard enough being in the supernatural world,” I said as I continued to follow Alayna. “I couldn’t imagine still having one foot in my human life at the same time.”

  She glanced at me from over her shoulder as she rubbed the face of the horse who had called out to her. “It’s not hard. I enjoy it.”

  “But doesn’t your siren call to them?” I asked.

  Maybe it was a dumb question, but I hadn’t made any indication that I understood how that side of her worked. She knew this.

  “No. My siren doesn’t affect them.” She licked her lips. The horse she pet nudged her hand when she paused, making her smile. “I think it’s because they’re my parents, that maybe they’re immune to my siren side because of it. I don’t know. Whatever the reason, she doesn’t seem to affect them.”

  “You talk about your siren like she’s a separate entity from you,” I said in a soft tone, unsure if my pointing it out would make her uncomfortable. Curiosity always did get the best of me, regardless of how hard I tried to bite my tongue.

  Alayna locked eyes with me. “That’s because she is. She’s not me. There’s barely any piece of me left when she comes to the surface fully. We coincide inside me together, but she’s still foreign. As much as I know it pains her for me to admit it, it’s the truth. We’ll never be fully united because I won’t allow it. Keeping her separate is the only way I can make sure I don’t disappear.”

  The sadness reflected in her tone nearly broke me. I wanted to reach out and pull her close. I wanted to cup her face and kiss her lips. I wanted to promise her the world, but instead, I settled for standing there and being in her presence. For being an ear to listen. A person to care. Sometimes that was all we needed.

  “Who is this?” I asked, nodding to the horse, trying to change the subject to something lighter. “And, why exactly are we here?”

  “This is Firestone. I’ve had him since I was fourteen. My parents got him for me as a birthday present. Pet him. He’s a good boy,” she said to him as she continued to rub the sides of his face and make a cooing noise. She cast a sideways glance at me. Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not afraid, are you?” There was a challenge in her words; it was in her eyes as well.

  I stepped forward. “Scared? Me? Nah.”

  My gaze dipped to the horse. His eyes were on me. Was he smelling my unease? I’d never been around horses before. They were much larger up close than they appeared to be on TV. Alayna made a noise, and I glanced at her. She was biting her bottom lip, trying not to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked with a grin.

  “You. I didn’t imagine you were the type to be scared of a harmless horse.”

  “I’m not scared.” I inched closer to Firestone. My hand reached out to touch him, but he made a loud noise that sent me reeling back a few steps. Alayna laughed. “What did he do that for?”

  “He’s probably sick of waiting for you to show him some love,” she said once she was able to contain herself.

  A light flipped on behind us from somewhere. When I spun to see, I noticed it came from inside the house. A door creaked open and someone stepped out onto the deck.

  “Alayna? Is that you?” an older man called out.

  “Yeah, it’s me, Dad,” she answered back.

  Her dad s
tepped to the edge of the deck and squinted. “You got someone down there with you?”

  “Yeah,” Alayna called back. She started to introduce me, but a woman stepped out from behind her dad before she could say anything more. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Alayna, what are you doing here so late? Is everything okay?” her mom asked as she wrapped a cardigan tighter around herself. Even from where we stood, I could see her brows pinch together in worry. “Who’s that with you?”

  Alayna let out a sigh. It was clear from the way her parents reacted that she didn’t bring people here often, if ever.

  Satisfaction slithered through me.

  “I’m fine. And, this is Ryan. He’s um… my friend,” Alayna said, introducing me.

  My stomach bottomed out. There was worry in her eyes when she glanced at me. I knew then she hadn’t intended to hurt me. Maybe she just wasn’t sure what we were.

  “Your friend?” Alayna’s mom asked. I didn’t have to see her face to know there was a grin spreading across it. I could hear it in her tone. “I’d like to come down and meet this friend of yours.” She wrapped her cardigan around herself tighter, and then headed for the stairs on the opposite end of the deck.

  “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I’m going to apologize for my mother right now,” Alayna said as she shifted to face me. Her eyes were wide and dramatic, but I found it comical. Cute even. “I have no idea what’s going to come out of her mouth. Fair warning, it could be anything. My mother can be blunt. She’s also a little eccentric.” The words left her in a rush, like she was trying to prepare me as best she could for her mother’s presence.

  “I’ll take your word for it, but I think the best people are the eccentric ones. I mean look at us, we aren’t exactly normal.” I chuckled.

  Besides, her mother was human—how bad could she be?

  “When I say she’s eccentric, I mean she’s hippie-dippy,” Alayna said.

  I glanced at her mother. She was slowly making her way down the stairs still, her husband right behind her. “What do you mean by hippie-dippy?”

  Nothing about this woman screamed she was a bell-bottom-wearing flower child, which were the images that came to mind when I heard the term hippie-dippy. In fact, when Alayna’s mom came closer, I noticed she wore a pair of dark leggings and a gray knitted cardigan. Her hair was clipped back from her face and she wore a wide smile. She didn’t seem hippie-dippy to me at all. She seemed nice.

  “Let’s just say she’s really into mother nature and all of that stuff. If my mom were ever to become part of the supernatural world, she would totally be a witch. She’s always been really into crystals and gemstones. Herbs and homeopathic remedies. Meditation, tarot cards, and don’t even get me started about the clairvoyant visions she has,” Alayna said as she made air quotes around the words clairvoyant and visions.

  “I take it you doubt her abilities? After everything you’ve seen and know?” I had to ask. Maybe it was a dickhead move, but the way she had said everything seemed as though she didn’t believe her mother. I couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t like she didn’t know such things existed, even among humans. “I think all of that is cool.”

  I’d visited a tarot reader once when I was in New Orleans while human the first time around. She’d been spot on as far as everything she’d said about me. She even mentioned my tendency to be greedy would be the death of me. I’d laugh her off, but she’d been right of course. Although, she hadn’t mentioned the part about becoming a genie. I probably would have thought she was even more of a quack if she had, though. Still, I often found myself wishing I’d taken her even the slightest bit serious, then maybe things wouldn’t have ended up the way they had for me.

  No, actually I didn’t because if even the tiniest thing of my past were to change, I might not be standing here with Alayna.

  “I would believe in her abilities if there was anything to show for them,” Alayna whispered. “She’s never had one that made sense or was even the slightest bit helpful.”

  I leaned in closer to her. “Doesn’t mean they aren’t real.”

  “True,” she said with a wide grin that made my heart expand.

  “Oh, honey, what happened?” Alayna’s mother asked when she was almost to us, concern etched through her features. A gentle breeze blew, sending the scent of lemon and an herb I couldn’t label from the woman. Was that basil or sage? Rosemary perhaps? Whatever it was, it was an appealing scent. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Alayna said. She flashed her mother a smile that seemed more genuine than the one she’d given me when I’d asked if she was all right.

  Pretending. Again all I could think about was how good at pretending to be okay Alayna was.

  A light came on, illuminating us all. Alayna’s mother looked as though she was going to say something more about the bruise on her cheek, but her gaze fixed on me. Alayna’s dad stepped from inside the barn where he’d flipped a switch on. I glanced in his direction, breaking eye contact with Alayna’s mom. Her staring was unsettling.

  “Hi, I’m Ryan. Ryan Blythe. It’s nice to meet you,” I said as I held a hand out to Alayna’s dad. Wasn’t that the polite thing to do? Shake his hand and then hers? I was so out of touch with being human and having a normal introduction to someone I wasn’t sure.

  “It’s you,” Alayna’s mom whispered before her husband could grip my hand. Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open. My heart pounded while I waited for her to explain her reaction to me. “It’s really you.”

  My mouth grew dry. “Excuse me?”

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” she said. “I didn’t think you would come. I’ve been waiting so long. We’ve been waiting so long.”

  “Mom, what are you talking about?” Alayna demanded. Her face reddened as she glanced between her parents.

  “This is him. This is the man I saw from my vision,” Alayna’s mother said. Confidence echoed through her words. “He’s the one who will help to save you from Lir.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Silence built between the four of us until it was thick and palpable. How did this woman know I was here to rescue Alayna from her water demon? How did they even know she had one? Did they know what she was? Alayna hadn’t mentioned that they did. Then again, I hadn’t asked either. I glanced at her. Her eyes were wide. Clearly, her mother’s words were a shock to her as well.

  “He’s here to help save you, Alayna. From Lir. From the thing he put inside you that holds you to this place and to him. I’ve seen it in a vision,” Alayna’s mother insisted. Her husband wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, consoling her even though she didn’t seem to need it. He said nothing, but he did look at me with new eyes. Hopeful eyes. “In my vision, I saw the two of you together. You were happy. And I gained the sense that you were finally free.”

  “Free?” Alayna said the word as though it were the breath of a prayer. Something resting just out of reach she yearned for often all the same. She blinked. “How did you know I needed saving? How did you know about Lir?”

  My gaze narrowed on her parents as my scalp prickled. Most humans weren’t privy to the knowledge of the supernatural world, especially not when it came to demons.

  “That doesn’t matter. All that does is that Ryan is finally here,” her mother said.

  Alayna shifted her attention to me. “I—”

  “We don’t have time for this,” her mother said harshly, waving a hand wildly through the air. “There are a few things you must know, a few things we need to tell you before it’s too late.” Her eyes dulled as her husband shifted on his feet beside her. Whatever it was Alayna’s mother was about to say had him uncomfortable. “Alayna, you are what you are because of us. We made a deal with your demon. We made a deal with Lir.”

  The breath was knocked out of me at her admittance. Why the hell would anyone make a deal with a demon, especially one that involved their child? What was wrong with these two?

  “What? No.” Alayn
a shook her head. Her voice was firm. “You’re not responsible for this. I am. I made a deal with him. I told him I wasn’t ready to die. I was surfing and wiped out. I would’ve drowned. I didn’t want to die, and this was the cost of living. It was my choice. It has nothing to do with you.”

  “It has everything to do with us,” her father insisted. His brows pulled together as sadness swirled in his eyes. Not sadness—guilt. “Now please, listen to your mother.”

  Alayna’s mother placed a hand on her husband’s chest. She glanced at him, and I watched as the two seemed to share a moment without any words before either shifted their attention back to us.

  “We had trouble conceiving,” she said. “Even with all of my herbal concoctions and homeopathic remedies, it just wasn’t happening. We tried for years. I went to speak with a woman who claimed she could help me. She told me I needed to pray to the water gods and deities, that they were the ones in nature most responsible for fertility. I did this. I don’t remember for how long. And just when I thought I should give up hope, Lir appeared to me. To us.”

  “He did? Why?” Alayna whispered, disbelief laced in her tone. “Why would he have answered you?”

  She knew the answer to her question. We all did. Lir wanted to secure himself a siren. Was that how all sirens were created?

  “Water symbolizes life and fertility.” Alayna’s mom’s voice shook as she spoke. “He agreed to give us you. To help us conceive. We were blinded by his promise and didn’t ask what the cost might be. We didn’t care. All we cared about was conceiving. Creating a child of our own.”