I looked at Crash. “You know any sirens?”
He blinked down at me. “Call Corb. He brought her into the Hollows. He should know what to do.”
Eric ran to get his phone, and he handed it to me while I gripped Suzy’s hand. “Suze, we’re calling Corb. Can he help you?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes scrunched tightly. “I’m sorry about the room, Bree. Please send Eric out.”
“Don’t worry about anything. We’ll get the room cleaned up in no time.” I squeezed her fingers, fear clutching my heart. Losing Suze was not an option. I dialed Corb. He didn’t pick up, and I left a frantic message that I followed up with an equally urgent text: 9-1-1 Gran’s house!!
Eric shook his head. “No, I’m staying with you.”
A tear slipped from under one of her eyelids. “You have to go. I can’t control this much longer.”
“I’m not leaving you.” He went to his knees and scooped up her hand. “I’m not.” Only she didn’t answer, her body limp and unconscious.
I looked at Crash for help. He stood back at the top of the stairs, his upper body slick with water from the swamp, his jeans wet almost to his thighs. As lovely as all that was to look at, it was his face that I locked onto and, more specifically, the uncharacteristic worry I saw there. I mouthed one word. Bad?
He gave me a slow nod and mouthed back I’m sorry.
I tightened my hold on Suzy’s hand. “Is there nothing we can do to help?”
Feish stroked Suzy’s hair. “If she’d drained Eric’s life, she would have survived.”
“Wait, are you saying she might not survive even with help now?” The words tumbled out of me as I tightened my grip on Suzy’s hand. “Are you serious?”
“Even a siren of full power might not be able to help her at this point,” Feish whispered. “It has been too long since it was opened in her, I think. I’m sorry, I should have known something was wrong.”
My thoughts were racing as I tried to come up with a solution that would keep both Suzy and Eric with us. “Suze, hang on,” I whispered as I gave her hand to Feish. “Yell if she changes.”
I stood too quickly and my knees protested, but I ignored them and forced my legs to hurry to my bedroom, my arm reaching out to grab Crash along the way. He followed me willingly as I flipped my bag off my neck and onto the bed. “Explain to me quickly what is happening, please.”
He stood across the bed from me as I yanked Gran’s spell book out. I’d relinquished the hand-tooled leather cover (for a good cause), and the pages were now enclosed in the cover for Spells for Beginners. I flipped it open, searching for the section on sirens. I knew there was one because I’d looked for it after meeting Suzy, and also because Gran was nothing if not thorough.
“When a half-breed siren gets close to their fiftieth year and the change comes on them,” Crash said, “they either stay weak and able to do only minor manipulation of emotions, or they come into their family powers.” He took a pause, and I knew the next part would be bad. “If they have a victim on hand and can drain that victim’s life, then their powers will be solidified, and they will be able to fully control their powers from there on out. But if not . . .”
I found the section I was looking for, held my hand there, and looked up at Crash, seeing the sorrow in his eyes. “If not?”
“Then the siren will die, and her last gasps of magic will turn the place of her death into a breeding ground for more sirens. It’s sort of a circle of life for them. And in her case, since she is a swamp siren—”
“Her death will create a permanent swamp here in Gran’s house.”
You know, because it wasn’t enough that the house was haunted and home to a bunch of shadow world supernaturals.
I put my hands on the book and read the words I’d been hoping I’d remembered correctly. Words that could maybe be the tipping point for Suzy.
“Not if I can help it.”
10
I left the book of Gran’s spells on my bed and hurried out to the second-floor landing. “We are going to save Suzy.” I crouched beside her head and her eyes flicked open, flooding with tears. I smiled down at her and stroked her hair. “We are all in this together, and my gran’s book says it’s possible.”
“How?” Suzy whispered, her lips blue. A trickle of water crept toward us, leaking out from around her and puddling on the floor as if she were dissolving in front of us.
“You’re going to take energy from each of us. Not enough to kill us, but enough to get you through this. Okay?” I tightened my hand on her. I looked to Eric, already knowing his answer.
He nodded. “Of course.”
Feish bobbed her head. “Of course.”
I smiled down at Suzy. “See? You’ve got family, and love will see us through this. Just don’t grab my boob, okay? I don’t swing that way.”
Her smile was subtle, but I was relieved to see it. “Eric, you go first. When you pass out, Feish, you’ll take her hand next. I’ll go last.”
I glanced at Crash and understanding flowed between us. He would get us out if this didn’t work. The fact that he didn’t argue with me, didn’t try to stop me when we both knew this was a crap shoot, meant everything to me.
That man was so getting into my pants.
I let go of Suzy and Feish sat back on her heels, her red kimono spilling around her like a big skirt. Eric scooped up both of Suzy’s hands in his own, engulfing them. “You can do this, Suzy.”
Nothing happened. There was no change in the air around us, no flicker of discomfort on Eric’s face.
“You have to kiss me,” Suzy whispered, her lips darkening farther to a blue so deep, they were nearly black.
“Oh.” Eric swallowed hard, but he didn’t hesitate. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers. Her body arched under his mouth, and he clung to her hands, his body shaking. The air around us went from cool and damp to hot and humid like a jungle in the dead of summer blended with the peak of rainy season. Eric shivered despite the humid heat and his body slumped sideways after only a minute.
Crash grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him off Suzy.
Feish didn’t hesitate—she leaned over and put her lips to Suzy’s. The air changed again, and Suzy’s body shook once more as the air around us seemed to turn liquid. I found myself holding my breath as if we were underwater. I didn’t dare take a breath as Suzy drew from Feish, her throat working as if she were indeed gulping the river maid down.
Feish held out longer than Eric, but even so, it wasn’t long before her shoulders sagged and Crash pulled her off.
Suzy still had her eyes closed, but her skin had pinked a little and her lips were less blue.
Crash stepped around her and put a hand on my shoulder. “Be careful.”
I squeezed his fingers. “Just pull me off when I can’t hold out any longer. And it will be enough.” It had to be.
I leaned over Suzy and put my mouth to hers, pressing our lips together. I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain, or whatever was coming for me. Instead, I blinked and found myself amid a swamp. Suzy lay in front of me on a bed of lily pads, pale pink and white flowers blooming all around her as if she were Sleeping Beauty.