Chapter 21

The scent of something roasting above a fire wafted into Maris' nose and prompted her to open the windows to her soul. The exact words her mother used whenever Maris had itchy eyes as a kid and needed some eye drops.

Her vision wasn't clear at first then later, it did and she widened her eyes when she couldn't recognize where she was. The room wasn't the same size as Sanna's, but it was just okay and painted in green.

She turned to the right and jolted as their eyes locked on like magnets, four pairs of eyes blinked in unison. There was an alertness in her eyes as she narrowed them into crinkled slits and primed her lips.

"Where am I?" She asked him, but he got up and disappeared out of the room. "Tristan!"

The exclamation sent a wave of headache to hit her hard on the head and she winced, nursing her head with her right hand. The moment she caught sight of the identification, according to what her mother said–she screwed her eyes tight and laid on the bed, remembering what the mark had caused.

Her eyes clouded and her muscles tensed. What did sirens do to the mother and the kingdom that was so bad?

She bit her bottom lip and felt a squeeze in the left part of her chest.

Tristan waltzed back into the room with a plate. It had chicken and some chips beside it.

"Here." He placed the plate on the bed and helped her to sit up. "You should eat and take this," he said, putting some tablets beside her.

"What happened to me?" She held her face in her hands and hated how bad her breath was. It smelt like garlic... Must be from the garlic sauce she ate earlier with Logan. "Last thing I remember was running out of the palace then that's all."

"Well," he sat one butt on the mattress and left one leg on the floor, while the other hung from the bed. "You kind of had like a heart seizure and thankfully," he displayed his single dimple warmly and held her gaze, "I followed you."

"What about Logan?" Her heart yearned for his hugs, but she was partly broken. He was meant to follow her, not Tristan.

"Forget him, he's a jerk." Tristan scoffed. "He couldn't even stand up for you, he just let his mother poke you around like a ragged doll."

Maris bit hard on her lip and felt the metallic taste of her own blood, dancing around her taste buds. He was right, she couldn't believe she was starting to fall for Logan and was actually letting the consort thing get into her head.

This isn't how they described werewolves in those countless werewolf romance books she had read.

Her subconscious stated and she bit her lip harder, cradling her knees with both hands to her chest.

I thought alphas were meant to protect their mate with their lives.

"Hey," Tristan said calmly, reaching for her chin and pulling her lip away from her teeth. "Don't do that to yourself."

"It just sucks and I can't explain how I feel." She muttered, blood slowly popping out of her snuggly lips.

She ran her tongue over the bottom lip and wrinkled her nose.

"Why does blood taste like iron?" She questioned and pursed her lips slightly, drawing Tristan's attention to it.

"Because our haemoglobin is rich in iron." He answered, downing the contents of a bottle water into a glass cup for Maris. "You know the body is fascinating?"

Maris nodded and he proceeded, saying, "You know what the haemoglobin does?"

Maris shook her head shyly because she knew nothing about science. She felt the throbbing pain the more she shook.

"It causes the red blood cells to absorb oxygen and transports it around the body. Haemo, as I call it, is the reason our blood is red." He explained and she found him attractive. He was smart and she was sapiosexual.

A warm smile graced her facade and she rubbed at her arms, listening to him blab about the human body.

There was a sudden vertical wrinkle between her brows and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why aren't you being dismissive?"

"Huh?" He cocked his brows up.

"Why are you helping me?" She sat up, fanning his face with her garlic breath. "I'm a siren, you should be scared."

"You're a siren, but your heart is kind. I've seen through the windows of your soul." He answered with the calmest tone ever and it sent cold water down her spine.

She stared blankly at the space between them and replayed everything in her heart, getting bruised each time she saw the questioning look Logan's face had at the ball.

"Thinking about Logan?" Tristan broke the silence and their eyes met before she shifted her gaze to the window with a blink. "You know the ball was for him to choose a mate, right?"

She spun her head instantly with glossy eyes. The news was like a silver bullet to her tender heart.

"Did he pick anyone?" Her lips were dried and she licked on them, causing a burning sensation on the place she had bruised.

"I can't say. I followed you." He shrugged and earned a skeptical look from Maris.

"How am I sure you're not also after me like the others?"

"Because I'm not. Read my thoughts." He carried her hand to his chest and they just sat there in silence, while she felt his heart beat. "Who are the others and why do they want you?"

She didn't reply, she was too busy blaming herself for everything that was happening to her.

"I need to brush off this garlic stench." She withdrew her hand.

Tristan got her a new brush and gave her some space to be alone.

After brushing her teeth and eating, she stood by the window and rested her elbows on the sill, just staring sightlessly into the darkness. The lights outside flickered on and she sighed, closing the window and putting off the lights. With that, she laid on the bed and slept.

The next morning, a soft hand caressed her forehead and a small smile tugged the sides of her lips.

"Logan?" She called then fluttered her eyes open, but it wasn't Logan.

Quickly, she clasped her wrist and sat up with cow eyes. The young girl gasped and her black eyes enlarged with a horrified look.

"Who are you?" Maris questioned and heard Tristan's voice from the doorway.

"That's my sister, relax." He sounded like he was about to laugh.

Maris released her hold on the girl's wrist and flickered her eyes past the girl's body to Tristan who was chewing a slice of Apple off a small knife.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The little girl apologized.

"No, it's fine." Maris flashed her a weak smile and got to her feet, wondering how long she was going to stay there for. "My apologies for the reflex action."

"Go get her something to eat." Tristan nodded at his sister and she returned Maris' smile before leaving.

"How old is she?" Maris walked over to the window and took a peak.

"Fifteen."

"Aww." She held her chest with a look of affection on her face before pulling the blinds to shield the evil rays from piercing into the room. His sister must have pulled them open this morning.

Tristan just stared at her like he was mesmerized and it made Maris feel weird.

"What?" She shrugged.

"You seem like a Nyctophile." He pointed out and she laughed then gave him a long skeptical look before averting her gaze to her feet. "Then I shouldn't be calling you a sunflower."

"How do you know I'm a lover of nights and staying in the dark?" She questioned.

"Because-"

"How did you even know I had a heart seizure, what are you?" She cut him short with more interrogations. "A doctor?"

"I wish," was the last thing he said before they heard a loud thud from the sitting room and Maris shook.

"What was that?" She swallowed hard.

It sounded again, followed by the heavy thumping of feet that indicated someone was climbing up the staircase.

"Olivia." He muttered and feared his sister was in danger if it was a stranger that broke in, but how was that possible in broad daylight?

"They've come for me." Maris' knees weakened and her heart pounded.