“My name is Alviero, but my dearest friends call me Vero,” the witch introduces himself. “My brother who sits next to you isn’t one to speak, but his name is Vindonio. I always do all the talking.”
“Out of your arse most of the time,” Maddox adds in, sitting down in the seat opposite me, next to the woman who is looking down, hiding her face with her long red hair. When she looks up, I try not to jolt. Black markings, like symbols but made of swirls and lines, are drawn onto her forehead, cheeks and down her neck. They are hard to look at, the way they are raised makes me think they were burnt on. The woman stares me down, her expression unreadable, but her brown eyes reflect the redness of her hair.
Vero clears his throat. “Ah, this is Sabina. The head witch of our coven.”
“Do witches live on the island?” I question, looking away from Sabina, but of course, she is the one who has to answer me.
“Our ancestors made all five of the hidden islands on earth. One for the witches, one for the sirens and one for the vampires,” she coldly tells me. “Humans such as yourself have taken the two other islands and everything near them as they spread around the globe, destroying as they went.”
Her distaste for humans is clear.
“Oh, Sabina. If they didn’t breed, we wouldn’t have our magic today. Human organs are vital in our spells after all,” Vero claims. Sick fills my throat once again, and I have to think of happy things, force myself not to react to that.
“Perhaps Riona might wish to discuss something less...revolting,” Natalia cuts in. “Unless you wish to see her vomit all over this table.”
“Ah, I forget her human ways,” Vero exclaims. I stare down at the gold plate in front of me as they carry on their conversation, and I try to cut myself off from being here, pretend that I’m anywhere else.
Pretend that I’m at home, and my brother is there making his jokes. My parents cooking and laughing with each other, and I sit there watching it all.
I nearly jump out of my skin when the doors open in the room and eight people, in two lines of four, walk into the room with plates. They place the plates in front of us all and then move to stand behind each of the chairs. The two remaining people go and stand by the door.
“To new friends,” Maddox lifts his empty glass. “And to finding out more about our guest, Riona.”
Maddox clicks his fingers, and the servant behind him lifts a knife and cuts a line down his arm, filling Maddox’s glass. I look away only to see Natalia’s eyes glowing white, and a small whisper leaves her lips. The sound is nothing more than a brush against my skin, pushing at me like the feeling of a paintbrush grazing me.
But the other servants in the room don’t seem to feel the same effect. They all walk away and start dancing around the room to no music, each of their movements exactly the same. The servant who cut his arm dances too, his blood dripping across the floor, and the other people whirl around in it, until the floor is covered in bloody footprints.
Natalia watches me very closely before smiling softly. “Ah, I see.”
“I assumed she would resist your magic as well as ours,” Maddox replies.
“Look, it’s very nice. You must eat,” Vero whispers to me, his voice too close to my ear, and I move away across my seat as he lifts the silver covering on my plate to reveal some posh cuts of meat and veg that no doubt has a fancy name. I much prefer cheese on toast or pizza over this crap.
I play with my food, having no interest in eating as they all proceed to eat like nothing is wrong.
“So is that issue still coming up?” Natalia asks Maddox, and I notice all of them look to Maddox for his answer. Using a code word means it’s something she doesn’t want me to know. The others seem to understand though.
He chews his food before drinking the blood (that I’m mentally pretending is wine) and folding his hands. “Yes, two more have arrived this month. My brother has found another as well. Same condition.”
“Are they still alive?” Natalia asks. “Perhaps I can take one and run tests.”
“I have one, and we have found nothing. The magic, if it is that, is unlike anything we have seen,” Vero cuts in. “But if you think sirens can find something witches cannot, please take ours. It is a bother to contain.”
“I do not want the—” Maddox looks at me and pauses. “It must not be killed, any of them, or you will face my wrath.”
“You do have a heart after all,” Vero jokily chuckles in a teasing manner, and Maddox simply says nothing, his eyes on me.
“Do you have a hobby, little human who does not speak?” Natalia asks me after a brief moment of silence. Business talk over then.
“I like to paint and play the violin,” I answer. I can’t see any point of saying nothing, not when it’s clear my silence isn’t making them trust speaking around me. “I hate dancing, love white wine and calling my mum for long chats. I hate cooking but love baking cakes. My ideal day out is sitting at a beach, feeling the waves brush against my toes while I read a book. What else do you want to know?”
“Oh, I do love music and the sea of course. It’s a siren thing,” Natalia explains with a big smile. Any other circumstance, I think we might get along. “I will bring instruments for us to play together when I am next here, and maybe Maddox could show you the sea. The magic in the waters around the island is enchanting.”
She seems so lost in her own mind with every word that I almost feel myself wanting to smile at her.
I turn to Maddox. “What does the prince of all evil like to do?”
He smirks. “Fuck women, paint women and in general murder pretty things. Anything else you want to know?”
Nope.
“Have you shown her your paintings, Maddox?” Vero asks, cutting into my staring match with my plate as I feel all their eyes on me.
I raise my eyebrows as I look at Maddox. “Can you actually paint anything other than naked women?”
“Yes. Painting is not a talent simply for humans,” Maddox counters with a cruel smile. “And after this, I will show you my work.”
I really, really don’t want to be alone with him. And he damn well knows it. I’ve just managed to dig myself into a corner.
“Do you have family, Riona?” Natalia asks me as she drinks some water.
“Do you?” I reply, crossing my arms and leaving my food as I’m not eating it. The people continue to dance around us to no music, but by this point the floor is covered in blood, the metal smell of it filling my nose, making me want to be sick.
“I have no family, it is the way of the sirens,” she almost softly explains. “When we are young, our parents give us to another clan, and they give a child up of their own in return. Therefore all clans are at peace. It is our way. No one family, everyone is family instead.”
I frown at her, feeling sorry for her a little bit.
I’m sure sirens aren’t all nice, and they must do terrible things, but that is a cruel thing to do with their children.
“At least they don’t carve your face like they do our females,” Vero chuckles. Sabina lifts her hand, and it glows red for a second, and then a burst of hot air hits me, Vero and his brother. Screaming, I fly across the room and slam into something hard and warm, taking my breath away and hurting my back a little. Blinking a few times, I feel his hands around me, holding me close to his chest even as I realise it’s him. Maddox.