Siren Awakened - C.R. Jane Page 0,62

again.

I scrambled to my feet and ducked her swinging clawed hand that time, but she turned on me too fast for me to escape.

Nails raked down my back. I screamed and hit the ground. But I’d never give up and rolled onto my back and kicked her right in the knees, giving me a moment’s pause to scramble to my feet to see Alaric trembling with anger. Laz bellowed, and Keon was half transformed into his demon form. Fuck, he was going to lose it.

Seth snarled words that made no sense, when his gaze fell onto Keon, fear blanching his face.

I rushed to Seth. “You need to stop this now. Stop before Keon changes.” I banged on the invisible wall just as a locomotive slammed into my back. I cried out and crumbled to the ground.

Seconds was all it took.

The invisible wall disintegrated and the men’s voices were suddenly suffocating me. They ran toward me, helping me up. Seth was at Keon’s side, placing a palm to his brow to calm his beast.

But no matter how much I hurt, how much I cried with agony, I shoved to stand up, pushing past Alaric and Laz to see the ghost back in her transparent form

She ran for the door.

“Stop her,” I called out, everyone turned in the direction I pointed, as she glanced back over her shoulder at us, smiling, glowing eyes and razor-sharp teeth exposed.

“You’ll pay for this,” she screeched and threw herself right through the door, vanishing inside the penitentiary.

I madly rushed after her, Laz and Alaric behind me. I caught the ends of her dress as she turned a corner.

Desperately, we chased her. Coming around the corner, she was nowhere in sight. At least a dozen beefy men stood in our way, laughing, barking, talking. Hard to tell, but I saw no sign of her. Alaric grabbed my arm and wrenched me backward, Laz stepping in front of us as one of the inmates looked our way. Laz greeted them, apologizing for interrupting them, while Alaric dragged me back outside.

“Stop, what are you doing? She’s gotten away. God, maybe she entered one of those prisoners.”

Laz joined us seconds later, then shut the door. “Fuck, that was close.”

“Why did we stop? Seth said we’re sending her back. I don’t want her loose in the prison.”

“Listen, babe,” Alaric said, grasping my shoulders, forcing me to face him. “There are some really bad people in this place. Some that don’t even come out until after dark. Even the guards are scared of them. And those are the scariest sonsofbitches you’ll ever meet. Fuck the ghost. We got it out of you, that’s what matters to me.”

My stomach twisted on itself. “Who the hell are those men?” They looked like ordinary prisoners to me.

Keon and Seth approached us as well, and I looked up at Keon, who smiled and looked like his normal self. Then he said, “Alaric is right. They are a cult, a pack of shifters and deathly loyal to Perseus. He’s a rare shifter who transforms into four animals, each predatory, and one is the kraken. When it comes out, blood runs down the prison walls for days. If the ghost took one of them as her next host, let them have her. This is no longer our business.”

“You’re free,” Seth said, taking my hand and pulling me toward him. “This is a win, and we need to celebrate. A spirit like her can only spend seconds in this realm without a connection with a host. She’s not coming back to haunt you, that’s impossible.”

Then why didn’t I feel safe?

Everyone around me hugged and kissed me, while my heart refused to slow down. Was it really a win?

The ghost was out of me. She might have gone to haunt some other sucker, but she was still in the prison with us. And her words refused to leave my head.

You’ll pay for this.

Chapter 14

It was strange how light I felt after getting rid of the spirit. I hadn’t quite realized just how much it had been pulling me down. Without it sucking on my soul, I saw the world in different colors. Things felt more settled, more positive. It no longer felt like I was living in a world of absolutes where I’d never get my power back, where I’d never be able to trust the four…yes, four men that I was falling in love with.

I sat down in the cafeteria, Laz falling closely behind. He squeezed my knee as