Chapter four

Martin

This is a terrible idea.

I'm on board just as much as Cooper but I can't help but think this is going to blow up in our faces. This guy literally called himself a monster. He admitted to being the one kidnapping people.

And yet, there's more to him than that.

He might be our guy but there's more to this than that. There's an entire picture coming together in front of us and Dorian is only a tiny puzzle piece.

I don't trust him. Absolutely not. I'll be keeping my eye on him from the time he enters the camp until the moment he leaves but my gut tells me-- well, if I'm honest I'm not sure what my gut is telling me. On the one hand, this man is beautiful. He draws me in. He tempts me in a way I'm only used to feeling when I'm around Cooper. On the other hand, he's clearly not human, and yet, I don't feel in danger, I'm not scared. It's confusing.

"So, where are you from?" Cooper breaks the silence. I let out a breath, only just now realizing the silence was making me tense and hold my breath.

Dorian chuckles warmly, like this is just a regular walk in the park. Like this is some get to know you date. Fuck, why did I think the word date? This is absolutely not a date. Why would it be a date? Maybe those two would wanna be on a date but not with me tagging along.

"I'm from a little city on the coast. My family and I have always lived near the water."

"You have family? Any around here?"

Dorian's smile fades and he looks away. He shakes his head. "Not anymore."

My stomach clenches painfully. I wanna reach out and take his hand. I wanna soothe the hurt that's so clear on his face. Why do I feel this way? Is this a spell or something?

"Can you cast magic?" I blurt out and immediately regret it. Of course I wanna find out more about Dorian but not like this. I should have just let Cooper handle this part.

Dorian tilts his head, that easy going smile back on his lips. "Not exactly. I do have magical abilities but I'm not a spark or anything like that." A spark being someone who can harness magic they've been born with. "But I can influence people's emotions, I can put them to sleep, and I can make people's natural attraction to me come to the forefront."

I open my mouth, prepared to ask him if that's why I feel the way I do but he cuts me off, giving me a knowing look.

"Before you ask, no, you weren't enticed. Or you, Cooper." He makes a face that I don't quite understand but it's gone quickly. "And even if I did, like I said, it only brings your true feelings forward."

So the feelings I'm feeling are real. My eyes dart over to Cooper, finding him looking at Dorian. I know my feelings for Cooper are real. They've been real for a long time. They were slow, building up inside of me over the time I've known him, watching him become a better hunter with each passing hunt. But these new feelings, these feelings for Dorian, they're coming on hot and fast. Could both be just as real as the other?

Fuck, this is too much to think about right now. The most important thing is getting to the bottom of this case.

"If it's not rude, may I ask what are you? You're obviously not human," Cooper asks tentatively, giving Dorian a little smile.

"I don't mind. I'm a siren."

Huh, we've never come across a siren before. I had a guess we were dealing with a succubus and if I'm honest, I'm glad that isn't the case. Succubuses are messy at the best of times.

"Interesting," Cooper says, adjusting his glasses on his nose. Dorian watches with a fond look in his eyes. A tiny part of me burns with jealousy but I'm not sure if that's because Dorian is looking at Cooper or because I wish his eyes were on me with that fond look. "I haven't done a lot of research into sirens, though I probably should have since we're so close to the ocean."

"We don't necessarily need to be near the ocean but this is where we tend to feel most at home."

"I want to ask you so many things," Cooper admits quietly, "but that will have to wait until we're more comfortable with each other. Right now I'd like you to meet Jeff."

We step into our camp, finding a little fire going, three empty seats around the fire pit, and Jeff. He's waiting for us. I know our camp is filled with the people we love, our little hunting family, but they're all behind closed doors. It's the tiniest safety measure but it's better than letting Dorian meet them all before Jeff has properly vetted him.

"Holy shit," Dorian whispers, stepping over towards the fire, his eyes glued to Jeff. "You're the hunter leader? But you're a vampire?"

Jeff smiles, letting his fangs show before popping them back up into place. "We're hunters but we run this ship a little differently," he admits. Holding out his hand, he says, "I'm Jeff. And I hear you're the one we've been hunting, Dorian."

Dorian reaches out and shakes Jeff's hand. "Umm, yeah, that would be me." Once Dorian takes his hand back, he takes a step back. "Is this the part where you kill me and dump me in the woods? Because I gotta confess, I'd much rather my body end up in the ocean, please."

Jeff sits down, sliding the cooler over towards us with his foot. "Have a seat," he tells us, nodding towards the empty seats. "Let's have a chat before we decide anything. My guys here, they wouldn't bring just anyone to meet me like this. There's a reason you're here."

"What?" Dorian asks, digging into the cooler and pulling out a beer. "Like Lady Fate crossed our paths?"

Jeff smiles. I grab a beer for myself and for Cooper, handing it over. Our fingers brush for a moment and my stomach flutters like it always does when I'm around him. His eyes meet mine and we share a look before looking back at Jeff. I wonder if we should even be here, listening into this conversation. It feels like the two are sizing each other up, trying to find each other's true intentions.

"I've learned many things about Lady Fate in recent years," Jeff says slowly. He picks at the label of his beer, his smile going fond for a moment before looking back up at Dorian. "I know there's a reason you're here, I'm just trying to figure out what that reason is."

"Maybe it's to meet a couple of handsome men who'll have their way with me if I'm lucky."

I snort beer out of my nose. It burns. It burns so fucking bad but I just sputter through it, pretending like everything is fine despite my cheeks heating and my insides turning to molten lava. Jesus Christ, could Dorian chill with the flirtations for one second?

Jeff shakes his head, letting out an amused chuckle. "Nah, I think it's more than that. Our group, we like to see a case all the way to the end. We ask questions, we investigate, and we only shoot if it's absolutely necessary."

"Okay?"

"So tell me your story, Dorian."

"I'm worried that if I tell you, I'll lose everything," Dorian says softly, just barely loud enough for my ears to pick it up.

Cooper reaches over, taking Dorian's free hand. Dorian's pretty blue eyes are glued to Cooper's face. "We can't help you unless we know what's going on. Dorian, I really, really want to help you."

Those blue eyes are suddenly on me, pining me in place. I swallow thickly. "It's true," I say, "I want to help you too."

Without letting go of Cooper's hand, Dorian turns towards Jeff, letting out a long sigh. "If this blows up in my face, I'm going to be so pissed at you guys."

Jeff chuckles, nodding his head. "If it blows up in our face, I'll be pissed too. But we'll be pissed together, okay?"

"You guys are like some sorta fucked up found family, aren't you?" Dorian asks, wrinkling his nose, but somehow I already know this is him being playful. He doesn't think our found family is weird, if anything he looks a little jealous.

"We are," Cooper says with a smile, squeezing Dorian's hand.

"Fine. You've pulled my gills," Dorian finally says, letting out a dramatic sigh. He takes his hand from Cooper, wrapping his arms around himself. Leaning back in his seat, he begins to speak. "You mentioned earlier that you like to research things," Dorian says, looking at Cooper. "If you research sirens, there's a few things you'll learn very quickly. One of them is our rituals with our dead."

My stomach sinks, wondering why that's relevant to this case. I have a bad feeling I'm about to learn a few things that are going to make me very angry.

"When one of our own passes, we need to put their remains into the ocean. In order to pass from this plane to the next, we must leave our ashes where we came from."

I clear my throat. "What does that have to do with what's been going on?"

"It has everything to do with it," Dorian says, his voice rising slightly. He sits forward, his eyes suddenly blazing. For a split second, I swear I see scales around his eyes before they're gone again. I blink rapidly, wondering if it was just my eyes playing a trick on me with the flickering fire.

"You're being blackmailed," Cooper whispers, his hand tightening around his beer bottle.

"Yes," Dorian admits. "He has my sister's remains. I have to get them back. I have to set her free." All of the fight goes out of Dorian all at once. Where once a flirtatious man sat, now sits someone who looks more defeated than I care to ever understand. He looks at Cooper. Then at me. Then finally to Jeff. "You have to understand, I didn't want to do this. I would never hurt someone on purpose."

"Are the people you're kidnapping being hurt?"

"No," Dorian says right away. There's a long pause before Dorian asks, "will you help me?"

Without an ounce of hesitation, Jeff, Cooper, and I answer in unison. "Yes."