Zephren’s heart was tight in his throat as he watched the two men exchange a look between them. The siren turned to Zephren, closing the distance between them as he murmured, “I know this must be confusing.” He avoided the question, perhaps deliberately, as he knelt before Zephren, his stance suggesting a certain nobility.

Zeph held his breath. At this closeness he could see that the siren’s shimmering skin was flawless apart from a deep scar running vertically over his lips. The man brushed back his long white hair with his gloved fingers, his gaze on Zephren where his silver eyes held him still. “We found you injured outside a manor, on the outskirts of Gallery. Were you caught up in an explosion?” he asked, his deep voice somehow soothing.

Gallery… Was that the city Zeph had lived in?

Everything seemed like a distant dream, almost hazy as memories came flooding back in pieces. Zephren’s throat felt irritated as he cleared it and said, “Yes…there was a blast that destroyed the outer wall. I was in the hallway when it happened.” Zeph’s voice was rough and much gruffer than he was used to, his throat swollen from all the smoke he’d inhaled. “My side,” Zephren reached to touch his waist, feeling more thick bandages under the shirt, “I injured it when I fell off the second floor. I thought…” he felt choked, tears in his eyes as he swallowed down the remnants of fear and sorrow, “I thought I was going to die. You rescued me?” He remembered feeling arms around him, hearing someone…and white flames that had engulfed his body. “How did you find me?”

Again, the siren didn’t answer, instead he gestured to Zephren’s arm and questioned, “Did you break your arm in the fall?”

Zephren gingerly brushed his fingertips against the injury, flinching as he remembered the horrible snapping sound. He closed his eyes, shaking his head as he tried not to remember. He didn’t want to answer that question, unsure if he could even form the words out loud; they were too painful.

He felt a hand come down on his shoulder, making him jump and cringe. He hadn’t expected to be terrified at the touch, but he was.

The siren’s eyes widened slightly, retracting his hand at Zeph’s reaction. “I didn’t mean to scare you…” He let his hand slip to the floor, narrowing his eyes slightly as he examined Zeph’s face. “Do you know who I am?”

Zephren shook his head, his brows furrowed. “Should I know who you are?”

There was a pause before the man spoke; his voice was a low rumble, deep and rough in his throat as he said, “My name is Rosakai Stane. And this,” he gestured to the silent, black haired man with amber eyes that stood behind him, “is Blade.” Pausing for a moment as if he expected Zephren to say something, in the silence he continued, “You’ve been unconscious for several hours. Our physician tended to your wounds and gave you some medication to fight the infection and ease your pain. You were critically low on blood, so we gave you a transfusion as well. You’re lucky the wound in your side didn’t come in contact with any major blood vessels or organs…otherwise you’d probably be dead.” Rosakai glanced at Zephren’s side, as if he could see the wound underneath. “You were smart, cauterizing the wound. You bought yourself a lot of time.”

Zephren shook his head, astounded as he muttered, “You put in a lot of effort to save a stranger.”

He watched Rosakai’s eyes narrow slightly, silver flashing as his gaze flicked up to look at Zephren; the look was piercing. “You’re not a stranger. You’re a siren…which might have helped save your life. We heal faster than humans,” he studied Zephren’s face. “Half siren, in any case,” he added, quietly.

Zephren broke his eye contact, hoping the hazel eyes of his father would disappear in the shadows.

“Why were you dressed in rags when we found you?” Rosakai asked.

Feeling his dry lips peel apart, Zephren was ready to answer him only to find that he had no words… He didn’t know if it was the shame or fear, but somehow he couldn’t say, I was a prisoner.

Rosakai’s eyebrows twitched into a furrow, almost agitated as Zephren remained silent. He glanced back at his companion, Blade, who hadn’t moved from his spot. His arms were crossed, a hard look narrowing in on Zephren with distrust.

Rosakai sucked in a deep breath as he looked back at Zephren, his hair fanning out around him. “You say you are Zephren Kyne… Then tell me, where is your father?”

Zeph flinched at the thought, trying to take a deep breath and fill his lungs so he wouldn’t panic. His hair stood on end as he shuddered, asking quietly, “Isn’t he dead? Didn’t you find him?” Zephren could feel himself begin to shake, pleadingly looking up at this stranger’s harsh expression. His fingers gripped the edge of the blanket covering him, almost begging, “Please…tell me he isn’t going to find me.”

Rosakai blinked at him, restless as his expression softened and he looked, for the first time, truly concerned. “No…” the siren answered in a hush, “He isn’t going to find you.” He stared back at Blade for a moment, though they both said nothing.

Silence engulfed Zephren as he held his breath, waiting to see what other questions he’d be asked…and what would happen next.

The siren stood abruptly, his demeanor darkening as he stated, “This is not a safe place. If you stay here, you will be in danger... But I fear that your injuries would cause you great difficulty on your own. You are a siren…and the world does not take kindly to sirens.” Rosakai looked at Zephren softly, glancing at his arm and his sickly appearance. “If you do choose to stay, I can offer you protection.”

Zephren craned his neck up to look at the man, impressively tall. “I can…stay here?”

Rosakai nodded, eyes flicking to the floor for a moment, then back to Zephren as if he were deliberating it further. Ultimately he answered, “Yes, I think it would be the best option.”

He didn’t know how to feel, part of him grateful…the other, equally terrified. “My father…” Zephren found even mentioning the man painful as he murmured, “He said that there were people looking for me.” Zeph hesitated, looking at the siren and the man that stood ever watchful behind him. “Are you those people?”

Rosakai was unsmiling as he stayed perfectly still, a ghostly statue in the dim. “There are many people looking for you, Zephren…” he stretched a gloved hand towards Zeph, almost asking for permission to help him. “I want to protect you from them. And, if you agree, I can help you find the answers you seek as well.”

Zephren stared up at him, the way his eyes were luminescent like the moon… The way his skin shimmered… Just a few hours ago Zeph had been dying, and a few before that he’d been locked behind an unmovable door. He’d wanted a different life—freedom outside of his confinements—and somehow this seemed like his opportunity to fulfill that want. “Then…I see little choice but to agree.”

Rosakai sucked in a breath, his face anxious. “Are you certain?”

Looking at Rosakai’s gloved hand—reaching, waiting for Zeph to take it…to trust this stranger—Zephren felt his heart skip a beat. The moment Zephren took Rosakai’s hand he would walk away from everything he had ever known and begin a new life…one he wasn’t sure would be any kinder to him, but there would be no more doors to keep him away from the world, and the world away from him.

Zephren watched as Rosakai’s silver eyes met his with a kind of expectation.

He didn’t waste time to clarify where he was, why any of this had happened… It wouldn’t change anything. Instead, his bare fingers grazed the cool leather of Rosakai’s glove, gripping his hand tightly.

Zephren nodded, his eyes blazing as he answered, “Yes. I am certain.”