Dark Siren by Ashley Eden

Author:Ashley, Eden [Ashley, Eden]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: YA fantasy paranormal romance
Published: 2013-07-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 34

Rhane closed the screens and manually returned the computer to a low power state. They took the stairs to the basement and were greeted with the building’s most highly secured level. A latticework of infrared lasers barred every route, lacing through the entire room of artifacts, protecting them from anyone who desired to relieve the company of their worth.

Rhane started forward. “Watch your step.”

“Wait.” York grabbed his arm. “Can you see them?”

“Yeah,” Rhane said, and shrugged the hand off.

Avoiding the laser grid required the combined skills of a gymnast and a contortionist. But their superhuman agility conquered the obstacle with little difficulty. At the far corner of the basement, Rhane halted. A deeper sense told him that he had reached The Siren’s Heart. He also knew Kalista had stood in the exact same spot only a short time before. What happened to her after she saw the statue, he could only guess. But it had ended with him, at the mansion.

Rhane studied three cameras positioned above and around the exhibit. More than likely, using the dial to illuminate what was inside would activate them if not an alarm itself. Unfortunately, the opaque screen guaranteed the artifact could not be viewed otherwise.

York stood quietly behind Rhane. Maneuvering through the lasers had exacerbated the pain in his dislocated shoulder. But it didn’t diminish his sense of humor. “Too bad I left my x-ray vision in the other suitcase.”

Rhane let his fingers hover above the knob. Just past the exterior calm was a whirlwind of regret and anger. His own failings had carried them to this point.

Twisting the dial slightly to the right, he brought the light to a faint glow and instantly recognized the split figurine that was separate but entwined as one. One body was made of pure and ageless ivory and the other from flawless onyx. The opposites united into a tornado of color unmatched by any artists’ brush, and ended in the pitch of darkness.

Rhane reached underneath his jacket, releasing the Desert Eagle from its shoulder harness. The gun dangled at his side as he made a decision.

“I’m pretty sure the glass is bullet proof,” York offered.

“Not to this it isn’t.” Rhane raised the weapon. “Get ready.” He fired three shots in rapid succession. A framework of spider webs appeared with the impact of each bullet, spreading across the glass like cracking ice. The display collapsed upon itself, and Rhane reached inside to retrieve the statue. As soon as his fingers touched it, he realized something was very different.

“What’s that smell?” York asked.

Rhane couldn’t reply. So familiar…the smell stirred something. A memory? Perhaps a vision? He let out a startled gasp as foreign energy took hold of his mind.

Suddenly, a full moon loomed above his head like a beacon, breathing light across dark waters. No…it was a sea of sand. Rhane reached down and gathered a handful, letting the silken grains drizzle from between his fingers. The wind whisked them away, returning the dust to the sandy shores of the desert.

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