Song of Awakening Read online

  It was something that both disgusted me, and appealed to me at the same time. I wasn’t the only one to turn away from that lifestyle, but I wasn’t raised among my own kind and resisted the idea of it. I liked my life the way it was… and I hated it. Like I said, Sirens weren’t thick on the ground on the mainland, so we generally didn’t have places or clubs of our own.

  Luckily, we got along with most other supernaturals, as long as they were male that is. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, Lisa being one of them.

  Despite the power of the supernatural, humans ruled the world. One on one, any supernatural could take down a human without trying. But humans are clever, and there are a lot of them. Silvered weapons, iron, and magic bought from enterprising mages, could even the field for them against all but the most powerful of each species. Then there were the governments, who hired outfits such as the one I worked for to keep the supernaturals who would break the laws in line.

  Even the dragons were cautious in their dealings with the humans. One dragon had made the mistake of trying to take over their country and rule about fifteen years ago. The dragon had taken out almost a battalion of troops when the humans pulled out. In his arrogance he’d thought he’d won, until the stealth fighter dropped a fuel air bomb on his head.

  I don’t care how much magic he had, it wasn’t nearly enough to save his red scaly ass. Him, his manor house, and the abandoned town were all wiped out in moments.

  As a result, most supernaturals followed the established laws as best they could. Those that couldn’t or wouldn’t were thrown in jail. Even the sturdiest human jail couldn’t hold the weakest supernatural, of course that changes when mages like my boss enchant the hell out of it. The humans had even come up with a way to feed the vampires that were imprisoned, let’s just say there was no more death penalty. The worst of human society got turned into prison food. It was humane at least, those inmates all wore charms that would prevent the vampires from doing more than feeding.

  Right now the world was pretty much in balance, none of us, or at least the ones that weren’t crazy, wanted another war with the humans if it could be avoided.

  “Obsessions, or…”

  Lisa grinned darkly, “Do you think they’ll let us in?”

  I laughed, “Probably, we didn’t kill anyone after all.”

  Lisa snorted and nodded, as she pulled into the parking lot, and down into the private underground garage for staff, and arrivals.

  Gene was still out cold, so I tossed him over my shoulder. I’d thought about cancelling my magic, but chances are he’d use that word again, and I’d hate to have to kill him after all the effort I just put in to drag him in. The underground garage looked like any other in the city, except it was just the one level. We walked over to the elevators, and waited for the car to arrive.

  When the doors opened, I stepped in and felt Brent’s magic wash over me, it was just his wards. Anyone that didn’t belong there would regret coming into the building this way, but I was recognized. We took the elevator down three floors. The building had four underground floors, the first was the garage, after that were the weapons lockers and training rooms. The third sub level was for mages only, I’d never seen it, but I knew it was where mages developed new toys and spells, as well as practiced their own, for Walker security services.

  The fourth level, was the temporary holding cells. Our friend Gene would be here until the human law enforcement could pick him up and take him to a government jail cell. I walked forward off the elevator, this time it felt like walking through gelatin as the wards tested us again. The magical response here, if they’d gotten past the first wards, were of a deadlier nature.

  We took a right off the elevator, and I nodded at the guard as I walked past. The cells looked like normal jail cells, but nothing could be further from the truth. The wards alone would keep mages from casting magic, and werewolves from changing. It would keep the elves from using their magic as well. Surprisingly, my magic would work just fine. Not that it would do anything, my magic is focused on manipulating the male of any species, so it wouldn’t do me any good anyway.

  I put him in the cell and closed the door, Lisa wouldn’t have been able to. The bars were a mix of silver, iron, and titanium, just in case the wards were all broken they still wouldn’t have been able to get out. Iron and silver didn’t effect a siren, that said, I didn’t have any advantages against normal steel like the elves, vampires, and shifters had. I did heal quite a bit faster than a human, but those three races beat me hands down in that area as well.

  I sighed and looked back at the elevator, I supposed there was no more stalling, time to face the music.

  “Chicken,” Lisa accused in a cheery voice.

  “Bitch,” I replied as I walked toward the elevator.

  She snickered, “That’s miss hot bitch to you… slut.”

  I laughed as I hit the button and said sarcastically, “My apologies.”

  She’d done what she’d meant to, I was slightly cheered up, until she got off on the second floor, where our offices were, and I continued up to the third floor where Brent had his offices, and a completely awesome open apartment. He was a total workaholic, and literally lived at the office. That said, he was strongest here, and was connected to all the wards in the building when he was here.

  In short, the building was his stronghold, it made sense for him to be here.

  The elevator doors opened and I turned toward the right. To the left was his personal apartment, a place I’d only been in twice, and not in a good way to my disappointment. His office assistant Pricilla looked up at me disapprovingly. I just ignored her, as I did most woman, there was no point and trying to make nice, trying to do so would only make things worse.

  I walked into his large office, and he scowled up at me with anger in his eyes.

  My panties got a little moist as I took him in and my body tingled with desire. He was a mage, but he was also in great shape. Muscular and beyond handsome. He had short light ginger hair, green eyes, square jaw, and a powerful presence.

  That sounds kind of twisted, it wasn’t the angry look at all that caused that reaction, so allow me to explain…

  I was abandoned to the human system when I was a baby. I wasn’t there very long, as I was adopted by human parents before any real amount of time had passed. Sirens don’t manifest any power until puberty, not even the strength or speed. I was attractive as a child, and never got sick, but otherwise appeared normally human. Which meant, I had a pretty damn good childhood.

  Until I hit puberty at thirteen.

  Then my dad looked at me differently, he didn’t do anything bad, just avoided me all the time, no doubt to remove himself from temptation as both my powers and sexy curves came in almost overnight. My mother went from sweet to… hatefully angry at me, worse she didn’t really understand why. Then the boys and even male teachers at school wanted… well the obvious, and they were easy to manipulate. I lost all my girlfriends a few days later.

  So there I was, a siren coming into her powers, but raised with a human family and human morality, that clearly told me enslaving men was wrong.

  Long story short, my life slowly spiraled and I ended up in juvie three years later when I was sixteen. I was a real bitch back then, soured to the world, and had a gang of boys that would do whatever I asked. It was a mess. That’s when Brent Walker found me.

  I can’t even pretend to know what he saw in me, but he took me in, trained me to fight, encouraged me to use my magic, and be my own person. Predator of males or not, I crushed on him pretty hard, and despite hitting on him, he refuses to go there. He was… protected from my magic. I don’t even know how to this day; all he’s ever told me was it is a rare magic that few mages know of. Needless to say, my crush went away when I hit my twenties, but my attraction didn’t, nor my gratefulness for him seeing in me what I couldn’t see in myself.

  I’m still conflicted by my nature, it’s hard to see male humans as pot
ential slaves when I was raised human, and at the same time I desire that, which explains why I’m so much trouble. But the one thing I really hate is letting him down.

  “Sit,” he said sharply, “And explain to me exactly what the hell you thought you were doing.”

  Despite how I felt, I walked forward gracefully with my head high, and took a seat in front of his desk. I looked in his eyes, and his anger rolled off my back, but the disappointment I saw there felt like a dagger in my gut.

  “I wasn’t, thinking that is,” I offered, “I should have backed off and waited. I’d planned to do exactly that, at least I did until I snapped.”

  His stone facade indicated he wasn’t going for that excuse.

  He growled, “I’m pulling you off all skip cases, and hunts. I can’t afford to have you fucking around with a sanctuary, my reputation and business is on line. You’re on protection duties only from now on, and you’re on probation, control yourself Melody.”

  I frowned, “Boss…” I wasn’t happy with his decision but was at a loss of what to say next.

  That meant I wouldn’t work with Lisa anymore, she didn’t do well in protective details and was a born hunter, or made I guess I should say. I’d be stuck working with Chad Carter, or Tad Roberts. The first was a pain in the ass wolf shifter whose alpha male nature set my teeth on edge. Tad was an elf, and as arrogant as they came. Both were extremely good at their jobs, but a total nightmare to work with.

  He waved his hand cutting me off, “Damnit Melody, if it were anyone else I’d have fired them. Count yourself lucky and get out of my office, do us both a favor and don’t fuck up again. If you can prove you can control yourself, we can revisit the subject.”

  I stood up and walked out pissed off, mostly at myself, but I’d more than enough to go around…

  Chapter 3

  “Wow, you are a hot little bitch aren’t you?”

  Lisa glared, “Little?”

  I almost laughed, because that’s what she took offense at, but I didn’t.

  We’d gotten ready for tonight, I had on a tight black dress that hugged every curve down to my hips where it flared out into flowing fabric down my legs. Every step I took would reveal tantalizing views of my toned creamy legs… without revealing the mixed and spelled steel, silver, and iron daggers. Unfortunately, this dress wouldn’t conceal a sword, so I’d have to leave it in the car.

  There was nothing unique about it, everyone carried a weapon of some kind or another.

  Lisa looked pretty damned good as well in a crimson mini dress, which was the cause of my comment. She didn’t even hide the daggers she wore, they were prominent in her four inch healed, blood red, calf high boots with built in sheaths. We weren’t expecting trouble, but neither of us would be caught unprepared if we picked up trouble instead of pleasant company.

  “Hot petite curvy bitch?”

  She snorted with laughter, “Let’s go, I’m hungry and even your neck is looking tasty right now.”

  I tilted my head to the side teasingly, “Really?” most of me joking back, a small part of me intrigued with the idea. I’d been in bed with a few vampires in my time, but never a female. Feeding was kind of erotic and pleasurable, add to that the energy I absorbed from sex, and it could be mind blowing. I wasn’t dependent on that energy, but it did give me a boost to health, strength, and speed for a week or so after, and honestly, I was always less of a bitch a few days afterwards.

  Of course, being what I was I’d never slept with a woman before from any race. I wasn’t even sure if I’d like it or not, never had the opportunity to even try.

  She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the door, a small part of me was disappointed.

  She shook her head, “You’re my partner and housemate.”

  I translated that in my head to yes, my neck did look good, but it would be way too complicated, as we got into the car and headed for the club.

  Obsessions was close to west end, it was a large white brick building, with a garishly large dark red neon sign that spelled out obsessions in script, with what looked like blood dripping down from the letters. There wasn’t a line, but that didn’t mean much. It was already pretty late by the time we got Gene processed, went home and got ready, it was nearing almost one in the morning.

  The bouncer at the door just held the door open for us, there was wary recognition in his eyes, but no alarm or antagonism, so I guessed we were welcome back after the… incident.

  The inside, creatively enough, was bathed in red light, and the vibrations of the loud music washed through me. The place was still packed and we headed through the crowd toward the bar. I could feel the eyes of the men I walked past follow us as we passed by on our way to the bar in the back. We’d barely sat down when a couple of human men approached and bought us drinks.

  A part of me hated this, and a part of me couldn’t wait for later as the blond haired well-built male pulled me onto the dance floor. I’d done it so many times I knew exactly how it would go.

  I’d take one of the men here home, and feel like a goddess for a short time, as the man enthralled by my pheromones and beauty fed me adoration, energy, and intense pleasure. While that happened, I wouldn’t be hating it at all, I’d be fighting the temptation to sing, to make him mine forever. Then of course, they would leave and the warmth would slowly fade over the week.

  It was a two-way street, I wouldn’t be draining my partner, just harvesting the energy from our coupling, he too would enjoy greater vitality and stamina afterwards. There were a great many benefits from sleeping with one such as I, the only large caveat was the loss of their self-determination, and only if I crossed the line.

  There was a reason sirens were driven to gather a male harem by instinct. It meant more power, more pleasure, and more adoration. Still, I settled for this compromise, and it seemed to work well enough, but a part of me was very tired of the one night stands. There was no way for me to have a real relationship, even if I didn’t make them a permanent slave… the influence of my magic and being would make any relationship very one sided.

  Well, there was one man I knew that was immune to my power, that I’d jump on in a second. But Brent just wasn’t… interested in me that way.

  I dropped my heavy thoughts as I danced and began to truly enjoy myself. His hands felt good on me, and his hard body fit against my soft curves so well as we ground against each other to the heavy fast beat of the song. My core tingled and dampened as I felt just how much of an effect I was having on his body, not to mention the size of it. I was a little breathless and flushed when the song ended, and we returned to the bar for another drink.

  When he’d first come up to us, he was all cocky and confident in his chances, but now he followed me like the sun was shining out of my ass, which was about normal for me on these nights. My pheromones and magic were fairly subtle from a distance, merely making men inclined to like me, but physical contact such as dancing ramped up the effects by quite a bit. He still had free will, only one song could truly take that away, but he was also probably filled with lust and willing to do just about anything to get me out of my dress at this point.

  I had no guilt about it, he’d approached me with the idea of taking me home and getting sex out of me, so no harm no foul. It was the full on sex slave part that made me uncomfortable, not this, it would only last the night, until I sent him away.

  Lisa nodded at me slightly from the bar, she had a young man with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a cute smile hanging on her every movement and word. We’d been here fifteen minutes, and she was already signaling she’d decided on that one. I turned to mine and whispered in his ear.

  “Let’s go somewhere a bit more intimate.”

  He smiled and nodded, and the four of us made for the door.

  Huh, I didn’t even know his name. Not that it mattered. The drive to his place was a blur of want and desire. My body wanted it so bad, and I relaxed and leaned against him as he caressed my thigh the whole way. My han
d may have been wandering over him as well, I suppose it was a miracle we didn’t get in an accident.

  When I got him alone, he kissed me with passion, and I was filled with a deep need and desire. It was raw, hot, and my core was damp and ready for him by the time we finished feverishly stripping the clothes off of each other’s bodies. The feeling of lust, need, and anticipation of the pleasure, and power I would harvest had me breathless and trembling with desire.

  He eyed me hungrily before pulling me back into a deep kiss, his hands roamed my soft supple skin as I caressed his chest and pushed him back onto the bed. Between the dancing, and the drive here, I was past any need for foreplay as I quickly mounted him, grabbing his hard length, and impaling myself down atop it. I closed my eyes, put my head back and moaned as pleasure shot up my spine, my silken core tightened and fluttered around his length.

  I gasped in pleasure, and squeezed him harder as he reached up and teasingly thumbed my nipples. I rode him in short circles and small rolls of my hips. I could feel the pleasure building between us, and the energy gather around us as I pleasured myself on his tool, and dug my nails into his firmly muscled chest.

  I could hear the song in the back of my mind, the one that begged to be sung, the one that would forever mark him as mine. It was both urgent, yet easy to ignore as I focused my mind on the moment, and the pleasure and power that pushed us both inevitably toward completion.

  I felt so full as I started to ride him hard and fast, my hips moving quickly as I rode him up down, filling myself with his pleasure over and over as we were lifted ever higher, and I felt my body start to tremble as he expanded deep inside me. I cried out in pleasure as the ecstasy overcame me as he started to fill me with his life giving seed. My body trembled and arched above him, as the world washed away under the torrent of pleasure that overwhelmed my mind and body, and I also felt the power of our intense joining rush into my body as my magic claimed it, and the power flooded me and then was shared with him, through our joined bodies.