Kings and Sirens (The Blood Falls Book 2)

Leena

“Someone better start explaining things!” I was mad but mostly I was scared. I hated that I was scared, but denying this fear pulsing through my veins was impossible.

Klah paced around me, flinching at the sounds of Atsila’s roars in the distance. “I don’t think we’re supposed to say anything. Tee was going to handle this.”

“Well,” I threw my hands in the air, “he’s currently a little busy tearing a monster I’ve never seen before to pieces. So maybe you can fill in some blanks.” I might have sneered at the end of the sentence.

Anger was taking over for fear.

Klah scratched the back of his neck. “We call them Salishan.”

“Them? How many are there?” Fuck, why didn’t they share this information with the rest of us?

“We don’t know exactly. Dozens? Hundreds?” He shrugged.

“Well where did they come from? What are they? Where do they fucking live?”

“North of the Line,” Kuruk said quietly, hands on his hips. “It’s why we established the Line. We keep them north of our lands. It’s so remote they don’t bother anyone but the seals and polar bears.”

The Line. “What is this line? Explain it.”

They traded another look and another sigh. Klah pleaded, “Please just wait for Tee. He’ll be done in a minute.”

I pictured him picking up limbs, covered in blood. “Are they easy to kill? Do they hurt you?”

“Alone?” Klah said. “Not too hard if we shift and catch them off guard. In packs…that’s another story.”

In packs. Oh… “That’s what killed the others? That Atsila survived?”

They simply nodded. A pack of those things—the Salishan—killed all those Heida. Except Atsila.

Large and ferocious, he loped through the forest carrying the destroyed Salishan body under one enormous arm. Atsila was already a giant beside me when he was in his samhain form, but now he stood almost twice my height and width, his paws as big as my torso, but his eyes just the same.

He made a noise and pointed his nose toward home.

Klah waved at me. “Come on. We need to go now.”

But I was a little frozen. I could see how upset Atsila was. Could feel the pain rippling through the Plane. I went to him. One tentative step at a time. He didn’t stop me. His eyes followed my movement, his body locked down by muscle and adrenaline. When I got close enough to touch him, he tucked the corpse further away. Blood dripped from his claws and there were wet patches on his cheek and shoulder. Probably blood.

I moved against his body, the coarse fur tickling my skin as I pressed in for a hug. I felt his tremors and knew we needed to go, so I craned my neck up so I could see his face. “Thank you.”

He blinked at me in confusion. His gaze softened. “Go.”

I finally went.

We went straight to the meeting tent. Everyone was so busy that almost no one paid us any attention along the way. Atsila dropped the body on the floor and shifted back.

“Dammit,” Lyla swore. “Get Hex!”

Today she wore a flowing blue gown almost identical to the green one she wore yesterday. It suited her so I didn’t blame her for the repeat. I’d do the same thing. Her hair was pulled back from her face with combs, the long locks spilling down her back. She was barefoot.

The meeting tent was set up for small meetings. Up at the front was a table with several chairs surrounded by a semi-circle of more chairs. The rest of the tent was in darkness.

Daisy was there and went right to Kuruk, who enveloped her with his big arm, holding her close to his body. He kissed the top of her head. “Another,” was all she said.

Hex came storming through the flap at the back of the tent. “Where did it attack?” He moved straight to the body and bent down, examining what was left.

For the first time I really let myself look at it. The Salishan was approximately the same size as Atsila, but covered in hair from head to toe. It was a lighter brown hair. Thick and coarse. Like a long-haired dog. It was matted in some sections, tangled in others. Its build was broad and muscular. If I just looked at the body and imagined it hairless, it could be a member of the Heida.

But then there were the paws.

Yes, paws. There was no other way to describe them. Not as big as Atsila’s were, but the same shape. Entirely too big for the body it was attached to. Its face seemed to be stuck somewhere between samhain and bear as well. If I didn’t know better I’d say it was a Heida stuck mid-shift.

“You cut the jugular. How long did it take?” Hex looked up at Atsila.

“Four minutes.”

Hex grunted and went back to examining the body. “It’s a younger male again.”

“They’re breeding,” Lyla said between clenched teeth.

“We don’t know that.” Hex stood up, wiping his hands on a cloth. “I think it’s time to get the Doctor involved.”

“No!” Lyla cut her hand through the air. “No outsiders!”

“The Doctor isn’t an outsider. He’s the Doctor.”

The Queen and King stared each other down. While the power typically laid with the women, the balance between these two seemed to be flowing evenly at the moment.

I cleared my throat. “Uh, if you don’t mind, I actually have something to say.”

Lyla glared at Hex one last time, then turned that fire on me. “What?”

“A new Doctor has been chosen. The transfer of title hasn’t taken place yet. It might be a good time to call him in.” During our chaotic battle with the House of Axl, a new Doctor was chosen. Someone who’d lost their loved one. The transfer of power and title could take weeks or months.

Lyla frowned. “So we bring in the old Doctor, someone about to be released from their obligations? An outsider about to become an outsider again?”

“Yes. I know the current Doctor well. He’s a known quantity. He’ll be professional and discreet. I can’t say that for the new Doctor.”

Understanding washed over her. “I agree. Sun is a professional. All right. Call for the Doctor, but make it clear his apprentice cannot come.”

“Thank you,” Hex said. “I know you want to keep this quiet, but if they’re breeding—”

She put her hand up. “I understand.” She turned her glare back on me. “You will say nothing until I say so.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I wouldn’t know what to say even if I could.