Siren's Serenade (The Wiccan Haus) by Dominique Eastwick Page B

the lips. “Sleep sounds like a nice idea. I still can’t believe you don’t hate me.”
    “I can’t believe you’re a deadly siren. I wish you’d told me the truth, but I suppose the bigger the secret, the harder it is to let someone know. And I can’t blame a whole race because of what one individual did, now can I?”
    Placing a hand on his arm she looked into his eyes and, her voice full of passion, said, “I love so you much it hurts.”
    “Perhaps tomorrow when I have some energy, I can love you so much it feels good.”
    Pulling her into the shower, Kaleb kissed Serena with every bit of emotion he had and swore he would never let her go again.

Chapter Nine
    S ERENA A WOKE L ONG B EFORE D AWN . Kaleb’s light snores filled the room as she took a last glance at him before leaving the cabin. The sun had yet to peek over the horizon, but there was much she needed to do. The beach was empty, although two security guards stood on either side of the door to Rekkus’s cabin. They acknowledged her with a slight nod but said nothing.
    The island was peaceful in the hour just before dawn, before the humans woke. The vampires had all settled in for the day, and except for the sounds of the waves on the beach, everything was quiet. As she reached the top of the hill, Serena watched the sunrise reaching like fingers into the morning sky.
    She was surprised to see Myron at the front desk so early. Myron smiled as she put on whatever name tag was in the drawer. Tina today. “Sage is in the office. She would like to talk to you.”
    Serena had prepared for this. She took a deep breath and went in. Sage sat at the desk, yawning into the back of her hand. She smiled and waved Serena to sit as she leaned her head against the wall. “I can’t believe you’re up so early.”
    “I don’t need a lot of sleep.”
    “Well, I do. But I need to wait until Cemil wakes before I can take a nap.”
    “Myron said you wanted to see me?”
    “Yes, I was hoping Cyrus and Rekkus would be here to talk with you too. But I think they’re raiding the kitchen.”
    “Rekkus is up?”
    “And a sourer mood I have never seen. But I suppose it’s to be expected; his pregnant wife was nearly kidnapped by sharks. He’s limping, but I am sure will be right as rain by evening.” She yawned again. “Anyway, I hope you don’t think me too forward, but Kaleb has requested that his home base be here on the island. We don’t usually allow that, but for the two of you, we’ll make the exception. We would love to have you come on the staff here.”
    “You want me to work here?”
    “Yes. We thought you could assist with hydro-therapy. Yavonka still needs you—”
    “And I need someone on security to deal with the underwater threats as well as help track that odd rip current off shore,” Rekkus said, limping into the office. “You’re the obvious choice.”
    “I don’t understand. Aren’t you worried I might hurt someone?”
    Sage shook her head. “The only person at risk of being hurt by you is Kaleb. And he seems willing to take the risk.”
    “So?” Rekkus asked with a knowing smile.
    She nodded. “When Kaleb isn’t on missions he can come back here?”
    “Through the portal,” Sage acknowledged.
    “Am I allowed to sing?”
    “Don’t push your luck,” Rekkus said, but there was no bite to his words.
    An hour later, Serena walked out of the office with an amazed sense of purpose to her life. Myron never looked up from her cards, but then Serena didn’t expect her to. She found Kaleb in the dining hall, devouring eggs, bacon, and sausage, with an empty plate beside his full one. She hadn’t thought about the fact that everyone had missed dinner the evening before, but this was one of those times where it just couldn’t be helped.
    As Serena approached, Kaleb stood, kissed her, and then returned his focus to his food. She watched him eat while waiting for her meal, feeling a peace she had never felt before. He knew what