Siren Awakened - C.R. Jane Page 0,17

One way that he’d become so strong was because of his ability to make alliances that benefited him. This move was out of character for him. “Isn’t it in your best interest for you to have a good relationship with him?

“I don’t need anyone. And the warden should have realized that.”

“Hmm,” I said in a noncommittal tone, wondering if the rumors about him changing had been understated.

There was a tense silence as Julian continued to stare at me as if he was going to lunge at me and gobble me up at any second. I sneaked a look to the side, making sure there were still guards nearby just in case he did.

“How is everyone back home?” I asked, trying to distract him from whatever he was thinking.

It was his turn to hum in a noncommittal tone, and the move filled me with unease.

“Do you think about me when you’re alone in your cell? Do you find yourself touching yourself as you imagine what I could do to you?”

I gaped at him, amazed at how he could be so off in the night, how he could know me so little.

“Every time I come, it’s thinking of you,” he said in a gravelly, thick voice laden with lust. I watched, incredulous, as his left hand drifted towards the new tent in his pants, like he wanted to rub one out right in front of me.

I’d had enough. Julian was a sicko creep and would always be a sicko creep. I didn’t want to play any more games. This little task the warden had given me needed to be done, and then I never wanted to see this asshole again.

I’d seen a siren use her powers before, and although I’d only gotten a taste before, there was no time like the present to try out my powers of persuasion.

“Julian,” I whispered, and the voice that came out of me was not my own. It was interlaced with a vibrant energy. It was seductive, beckoning. And then my voice cracked, and the power retracted back into me with a snap that had me stumbling back a step.

Julian shook his head and frowned. But he still didn’t seem to be aware of my power. Had the warden done something to hide it?

Squaring my shoulders, I tried again. His name came out smoother this time, but just like the time before, it cracked and the spell, or whatever it was that my power did, broke.

I tried a few more times, trying to focus my energy, my calm.

And finally, Julian’s name left my mouth, and this time, my voice didn’t crack, not even a bit.

As soon as the word left my mouth, I knew that this vampire, even with thousands of years under his belt, wouldn’t stand a chance.

“You want to fulfill your deal with the warden. It’s imperative that you keep a good relationship with him. You will give him the book.”

A siren had once visited from a different clan. The vampires in that clan weren’t as hard on their sirens, so this one was actually quite old. She’d visited with a few of us, asking about our power coming in, and she mentioned something offhand about the most powerful act of persuasion was to plant ideas that would lead to what you wanted, rather than ordering someone to do it outright.

I tried to remember that as I continued to work my power on Julian.

It was working. I could tell by the way his eyes were slightly dazed looking. He was gaping at me like he would do anything for me, give me the world if he could.

“You should get the book right now,” I told him soothingly. “Make sure that your alliance with the warden remains strong.”

He nodded slowly and then pulled out his phone. “Bring the book to the prison. Now,” he ordered to someone before hanging up and continuing to stare at me deliriously.

For a second, I was tempted to try and plant an idea to free the sirens. But I knew it wouldn’t work. An act like that would dismantle too much of vampire society. He’d be met with so much opposition that even if my power were to last outside of me standing in his presence, which I doubted it would since I was inexperienced, the sirens would never be released.

While we waited for whoever he called to come to the prison with the book, I continued to tell him how good of an idea this was, how powerful he