Though the sun was cresting high upon a cloudless sky and the weather thick and hot, there was not another soul in sight at the refreshing Serenity Pools.
Glittering crystalline water shone brightly from the force of the sun on the lightly sparkled surface, shimmering from some of the residue that must've traveled in on the wind from the Gold Sea.
Oren's grip had loosened along the walk and his hold had slid down along my arm to rest with his hand holding mine, catching the curious eyes of a few prying Sirens, but it was surely something that I would have to grow used to, I imagined.
If I stayed in Hefeta, that is.
They wanted me to be their leader, to be as strong and powerful as Olesia had been, as intimidating as Velda had been.
I didn't know which particular strength the third Elder, Treasa, displayed, but I was sure they'd want me to hold her qualities as well.
Was I up to the task?
The only skills I had were that of death and running, surely nothing compared to understanding the complexities of leading an entire community.
Oren tugged on my hand and we came to a stop at the banks of the nearest Serenity Pool, the water so clear that you could make out each and every pebble and rock beneath its surface in stunning clarity.
"Josephine, you know the reason that I brought you here, but you don't know everything. Not yet."
"How could I know everything when I only just arrived yesterday and then that poor girl was stolen before we had a chance to finish our discussion?"
Oren kicked off his boots before capturing a seat at the lip of the entrance to the pool of water, and I took the time to notice his attire.
Gone was the black as night armor and twin blades strapped to his back as if he were a fierce player in a major battle that would be written about in the history books for ages to come.
Gone was the mask of false charm. He had no need to sway me into doing whatever he wanted now. I was right where he'd wanted me from the moment that we met.
As he'd so plainly put: he had done his job. So then why did he feel like I was his responsibility to watch over and keep safe?
I had no emotional ties or connection to him whatsoever. Aside from a few longing touches and moments of weakness, there was attraction between us at best.
My goal was to keep my heart guarded, and I had accomplished in that task. I always kept it under tight lock and key.
Except when it came to Peter.
Pushing my fallen love to the back of my mind, I took in Oren's relaxed shape as he observed the atmosphere around him.
"It's quite a beautiful day, Princess. Why don't you join me?"
"Join you? After all the awful things you said to me yesterday? I only wanted to hear what you had to say and then leave, not to spend time with you."
I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for him to respond, but he only picked up a stray rock beside him and threw it into the pond with a slight curve to the wrist.
His rock bounced and glided along the water until it finally reached its resting point five skips later.
"How did you do that?"
I'd always wanted to learn to skip rocks.
To have a leisurely hobby that normal girls were able to enjoy when they weren't on the run for who they were.
"Sit down and I might show you."
There was a wicked gleam in his amber eyes that dared me to do it.
I was always a naive fool, anyway.
He turned his head to me as I did as he bade and placed myself far enough away from Oren that he couldn't get the wrong idea about our little 'meeting'.
Was I grateful that I'd finally found my homeland? Absolutely. But was I grateful to Oren kidnapping me in order to get me here? Absolutely not.
His attire consisted of thick black pants and a loose white shirt that was left gaping wide open due to him not bothering to tie it.
Of course, his bronzed skin was on display. I turned my gaze from him and instead gaped out at the gorgeous pond before us.
"The Sirens are very grateful for you and what you've done for them. You're truly something else, Josephine."
"Yes, well. Maybe they're giving me too much credit. I mean, you are the one who caught the men in time. You saved that girl."
"No. I was following your trail of mist. That was how I found those men and that girl. I only tore into the throat of one of the men. The other two were burned alive. From the inside."
A lump formed in my throat as my fingers distractedly searched for a rock with a smooth enough surface to dance across the surface of the pond like Oren's had.
"Oh."
"Oh? Is that all you have to say about being the strongest Siren in history?"
"I am not even a Siren, Oren. We've already gone over this. I don't turn into a creature as they do, and they definitely don't spew deadly fire mist from their mouths when they sing!"
"No, they most certainly do not, but it still doesn't change what you are. You are a Siren, but maybe...maybe you're something else, too."
"Oh great, so now I'm a mystery, is that it? You're only telling me everything I've known about myself my whole life."
I hurled the rock at the pond with such force that Oren chuckled at the outburst, but the relinquishment of energy did little to quell the quiet buildup of mad vigor inside of my body.
When I didn't wake in the morning with a sore, scratchy throat like I'd expected, I had assumed it was because of the never ending well of power the Sirens had gifted to me through their pain, but ever since the incident the night before, there was an explosion bubbling in my veins just begging to be let out.
Oren leaned over and picked out a large rock between the two of us, a lock of his rich tawny hair falling over his amber eyes and I couldn't imagine a time where he looked more beautiful.
Not attractive or appealing, but absolutely, dazzlingly beautiful.
I wanted to reach out and touch that lock of his hair, to lean forward and capture his lips with mine to see if they tasted as sweet as the crisp apple that once exploded across my tongue when that rouge blast of wind had hit him, or when it had protected me from drowning in the Gold Sea.
"You might be a mystery, Josephine, but you're the most exquisite one I've ever tried to unravel."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment? Is this where I blush and fawn over the fact that Lord Oren called me exquisite?"
A smile pulled up the corner of his tempting mouth as I bit into the plump skin of my lip imagining how his would feel upon mine.
"I'm not sure, but you got one part right."
"And which part was that?"
We were suddenly inches apart, like the distance separating us disappeared and we had gravitated towards one another of our own volition.
"You are blushing."
My hands flew to my cheeks of their own accord just as Oren's light chuckle breezed over my lips.
His breath was warm and tinged with the scent of cinnamon.
"Do you bathe in cinnamon at this point?"
He seemed taken aback at my question.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Every time I'm near you, all I can smell is cinnamon. And bonfire smoke, but not the bitter scent of smoke. There's always a sweet tint to it, like berries and flowers are being burned on the fire."
"You're aware of my...powers. Part of it is that I smell to someone else whatever is most attractive to them. Every part of me is designed to lure others to me. Women, men, Sirensâit doesn't matter."
"How is that your power? What are you, exactly?"
Oren drew my hands into his and then suddenly I was astride his lap, staring down at him as I placed my hands on his shoulders to steady myself.
"You're aware of the stories of the gods and goddesses taking mortal lovers, right?"
"My sister told me some of the stories, yes. Sometimes the gods didn't take 'no' for an answer, either. Like what they did with Hefeta, Nalini's daughter, even though she was a demigod with powers of her own, she couldn't protect herself against that many gods."
"Exactly. Some of the gods and goddesses do have consensual relationships with mortals, though. My father is mortal. But my mother..."
His muscled body shifted beneath my legs and heat traveled all the way up my spine as the scent of cinnamon and sweet smoke invaded my senses tenfold.
The world around me became a distorted imitation of the lens I was seeing through, and suddenly all I could see was Oren, like someone had thrown a blanket atop the meadows and the Serenity Pool.
Like nothing else in the world existed aside from him.
Energy pulsed at my back, swirling in my veins and spinning my mind in circles until it stopped on my lips.
Tingling and aching for some kind of contact, I leaned forward to capture Oren's lips with my own.
The first touch was a symphony of pigment and music blending together until my body was writhing, my lips capturing his in slow, undulating movements that drove me completely out of my mind.
The energy was beating a steady throb in my back as it traveled downward to the place where I straddled over Oren's hips.
His arms banded around my back as my hands dove into his hair, tangling the strands up in my fingertips and threading it through until it was only a mess that I commanded. He grumbled an approval as my fingernails raked the skin of his scalp.
His hands trailed pure fire down my sides and I sucked in greedy air against his lips as his tongue entered my mouth and the moan that escaped me had Oren crushing me even tighter against him.
Slowly, that needy throb and the strong scent of cinnamon and sweet smoke faded until it was only my own desire urging me onwards to find the cure for the ache between my thighs.
Until I came back into myself and realized what, exactly, Oren had just done.
And I couldn't find it in me to care, not as his mouth left mine and his teeth raked a sharp line down the sensitive skin of my neck and I shivered in response.
And then the answer to his parentage hit me, just as his wandering fingers trailed up the skirts of my dress.
"Adira. Your mother is Adira. The Goddess of beauty."
Oren pulled back at me and winked.
***
Author's Note:
What did you think of this chapter?
What do you think will happen next?
What do you want to happen next?
How do you feel about Josephine and Soren's relationship so far?
Until next time my lovely readers,
Kristen :)
***
The World of Irena: