“So how did you get the sirens to let Henry go? How did you get the waters to flow?”
She just smiled. “It’s late. And it’s been a long week.”
Emma walked past me without answering my question about who or what she was and what she’d done. I wanted to be offended that she hadn't paid more attention to me and had ignored my questions, but I also knew how it went after a successful operation. It wasn't like Mystic Hollow was riddled with crime, but when I was a police officer I’d faced problems like this too. When the operations were over, most of the men were too busy riding an adrenaline high to write up accurate reports, so we had to institute an unofficial cool down period.
I'd let Emma cool off and enjoy the fact that Henry was safe, but soon enough I knew I would have to get to the bottom of this. Anyone who could make these waters flow was incredibly powerful. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad for the town.
As they headed toward their car, I had the feeling Henry was going to get the scolding of his lifetime in between hugs and slaps. He deserved it all. The guy was crazy smart, but that didn't mean he couldn't also be incredibly stupid. I hoped that he'd learned his lesson and wasn't going to gamble with the vamps and shifters any more. But if he actually had a problem, an addiction, then we were all in for a tougher fight. I wouldn't envy Emma or Henry's girlfriend, Alice, the job of keeping him on the straight and narrow.
The women were jovial as they climbed into the car, three of them stuffing themselves in the back seat with Henry in the front passenger next to Beth, who looked happier than I'd seen her in a long time. I was happy myself, relieved that Henry was alive and not being turned into fish food.
With the weight of Henry's life off my shoulders, I walked down the rocky, sandy path toward the sirens. As I expected, one of the males branched off and stopped me before I got close. “You cannot interfere.”
I held up my hands. “Not trying to interfere. I'm just wondering what happened here?” I asked.
I'd seen this siren before. He sold trinkets on the town pier, most of which were made from what he had scavenged from the ocean floor, or at least that was my guess. In any case, the two of us had interacted before, which I thought might have been the only reason he deigned to answer my question.
“A goddess restored our ancient waters,” he replied. “It was meant to be.” His gaze shifted to something over my shoulder and I was fairly sure that if I looked it would be the direction the women had disappeared in. And I had the sneaking suspicion that the goddess he was referring to was Emma. I mean, she was beautiful, but a goddess?
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I couldn't resist any longer, so I turned and followed the direction of the siren's gaze, looking up the path to see the car backing out before pulling away. She was obviously immensely powerful. Did she know how dangerous that could be?
Power like that wasn't just something that was used occasionally. It could call to people who wanted it, seduce them into trying to take it. There would be others that would feel her strength eventually and come looking for her, hoping to take her power, whatever it was, for themselves. Would she be able to stop them? Or would she gladly turn it over to them, more than ready to return to the human she had been in high school?
I had no idea. But I’d do whatever I could to help protect her. I just hoped it would be enough.
23
Emma
“Can you drop me at Alice's house?” Henry asked.
I sighed and glared at him but nodded. “Sure, yeah.” Apparently his older sister saving his butt still didn't make me cool enough for him to want to hang out with me. Not that Henry had ever cared about how cool I was, but still, I guess part of me had thought we would spend some time together once he was safe.
I should have known that Alice would be his first port of call. Sisters ranked somewhere way below girlfriends, even at our age.
Beth stopped the car in front of Alice's house, or rather her parents' house, since she still lived with them.
Henry turned and met each of our eyes one by one. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you so much.”
“Hey,” Deva said using her best mom voice. “Keep yourself out of trouble.” She patted Henry on the shoulder and he flinched like she'd stabbed him. I guessed it would take some time to get over whatever the sirens did to him.
“Enough gambling!” Carol said as she swatted him on the shoulder.
"Don't be out too late," I added, not wanting to say that my nerves were shot after today and that if he didn't come home I might assume that the siren queen, who had introduced herself to me as Ariquia before we left, had decided to take that blood payment after all. I didn't honestly think she would change her mind, but I also knew how my mind worked and how it would jump to the worst possible conclusion after something like this.
Henry merely nodded at me before getting out and bounding up the front steps of Alice's house. Beth waited to see him knock on the door. When Alice opened it, her face lit up and she threw her arms around Henry's neck. Suddenly I felt like a jerk for wanting him to spend time with me and not her. They obviously adored each
