An Immortal's Song (Dante's Circle #6)(23)

Amara sucked in a breath. “What does that mean?”

“It means different things for different clans, but you are from the Windwalker clan.” Caly shook her head. “Don’t ask how I know, just know I know. It’s part of who I am. The Windwalker clan was banished centuries ago. Cursed by the queen. Your clan can sing to souls, and by doing that, they can go past merely joining with another soul for that time being, they can bring that soul to life…or to death.”

Tristan brought Amara to his lap at those words, knowing she would need to be held. Seth held her hand and slid over so his thigh pressed hard against Tristan’s.

“It’s a powerful gift,” Tristan whispered and kissed her temple. “But you can control it.” For some reason, he knew that was one reason she shook, her fear of lack of control, and as soon as he’d said the words, she calmed fractionally.

“Tell me what else,” Amara said softly, yet strong. “Tell me why the Windwalkers were banished.”

“You were too powerful,” Calypso said simply. “The queen was afraid she’d lose power so she cursed those who were to come and killed anyone she could. Your clan was not allowed to bond. No matter how close they came to one another as true mates, they could never feel the pull. The queen slowly but methodically killed off the rest of the clan, and no one else was strong enough to do anything about it. You see, she broke the existing bonds.” Caly’s voice broke, and Seth reached out to grip his sister’s hands. “I don’t know how she did it, but she did. I didn’t think it was possible.”

“Why haven’t we heard of this?” Tristan asked. “Why didn’t the Conclave do anything about it?”

Calypso cursed under her breath. “Oh, some knew. And those who knew are dead now. I didn’t find out until recently, and I’ve been trying to deal with what I could. It’s not my realm, though, Tristan, and as soon as I heard Amara was a siren, I did what I could.”

“You’re the messenger,” Amara said sharply. “We won’t hurt you or hate you for your words. Now, how do we lift the curse so I can be with my mates? I don’t want anything to do with the queen. I don’t have powers…or rather I don’t know how to use them so I’m not going to go for her throne. I just want to be with Tristan and Seth and go back to Dante’s Circle and live my life. I just want a home.”

There was something in her words that made Tristan pause, a deep pain he knew he would have to find out the cause of, but then he thought more of the threat.

“The queen knows,” Tristan said, his voice hollow. “The queen knows another of the line she fought to eradicate is here, and that’s why everyone is being so hush-hush. That’s why people don’t know what’s going on because they only have parts of the whole story.”

Calypso nodded.

“What does this mean? And how the hell do we break the curse?” Amara asked, her voice rising.

“You can only break the curse by getting the one who laid it to take it off.” Caly paused, met Tristan’s eyes, then Seth’s, then Amara’s. “The curse must be lifted in life…or in death.”

Tristan cursed again, and Seth let out a small growl.

“And from the sound of this queen, she’s not going to let me off easily.” Amara leaned into Tristan’s hold and he ran his hand up and down her arm. “I…I don’t want to have to kill someone. I know I’m not exactly new to the world of the paranormal even though I’m new to my world and the way things must be, but…I don’t know if I can do that.”

Seth leaned into them both and kissed her brow, then Tristan’s. “We’ll figure it out.”

“You’ll have to,” Callypso added. “Because the queen of the sirens won’t take no for an answer. She’ll do all in her power to regain control. There’s a reason the sirens have been so quiet on the Conclave and in other realm matters. They have their own pain and strife to deal with, their own queen to cower to. But that won’t last for long. The queen will want more power in some way, and she will break through the realms to get it. They say the sirens called men to their deaths, and yet that’s only a fraction of it. Don’t take this lightly, Seth. Don’t let them out of your sight, Tristan. Because no matter what, it will take the three of you on the siren’s door for you to find what you need.”

Calypso’s voice had gone into a song of its own as she spoke, her eyes wide and glassy. At her words, Seth had jumped off the couch and caught her as she fell into his arms. She shook her head and pushed him away.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice a rasp. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “I just need some tea and a bath.”

“You’re a prophet,” Tristan said, surprised. It took a lot to surprise him these days, but since he’d met Amara, nothing had been the same.

Caly shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe. I don’t know. If I did, maybe I wouldn’t be here.” With that odd statement, she patted her brother’s cheek and walked away. “You’re welcome to the cottage in the back. I know you’ll need your rest before you head to the siren realm.”

“Your sister is something else,” Amara said with awe in her voice. Tristan agreed.

“She’s always just been my sister,” Seth said with a frown. “I’ve never known her any other way.” He turned to Tristan and Amara. “We should take her up on that cottage. Get some rest. Try to figure out what to do next. For some reason, I don’t think we have much time.”