Page 24 of Until The Moon Ends

"Do sirens have to mate with their prey?" I asked Joon as I finished my meal.

"I think they just like to," he smirked. "I've met a few sirens in my time, and it's my understanding they get drunk on emotion. I bet their prey's excitement for sex, right before the fear of death, feels good to them."

"They feed off our feelings?" I wracked my brain, trying to figure out how such a thing could even work.

"I don't know if theyfeedoff of them, but they do feel them. I think it helps to know what to shift into to lure people to their deaths," Joon mused as he arranged a small pile of sticks and logs in the makeshift fire pit. "Why does Lex look like that? Does he look like someone you know?"

"I saw him...eating, and he looked like that already," I said, forgetting that wasn't Lex's actual appearance. I wondered if anyone had ever seen a siren's true form before.

"Ah, so we've been befriending someone else's fantasy?" he smiled.

"I guess so," I shrugged, watching him struggle to spark a fire. "You're doing that wrong."

"I am not," he snapped, his wolf on edge at being challenged. I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling.

"Of course not. My apologies, please continue," I said, a smirk lurking behind my blank expression.

Joon sat motionless for a moment, crouched next to the fire pit with a stone in each hand. He flicked them together several more times before sighing hard and silently holding them out to me. I smiled and settled next to him.

I adjusted the rocks in his hands, then cupped them, moving his arms to just the right angle. His hands were warm and surprisingly soft for the most part. My fingertips brushed over the callouses along his knuckles, and a shiver ran up my spine. My wolf edged closer, wanting to feel his hands elsewhere.

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the feeling of his eyes on the side of my face. My cheeks warmed, and I could only imagine how flushed I must look. My wolf preened at his undivided attention, making me want to smack myself in the nose, hard.

Pushing back my flustered wolf, I showed the Alpha the quick movement needed a few times, then let him take over. He sparked a small flame immediately and laughed. His breath fanned over my neck, causing my skin to tingle. I jumped up and rubbed my throat hard, trying to quiet the sensation.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yup. It looks like you've got it," I smiled, moving back to my spot.

He nodded in thanks, adding some dried grass and adjusting the wood until a decent fire flickered away.

"I've never been great at starting fires and tend to sleep without them." He watched the flames dance. "Thanks."

A loud, rough screech echoed toward us from somewhere in the distance. I looked out in the direction of the barren lands trying not to think too hard about what was out there. We were so close, and by tomorrow morning, we'd be in the thick of the desert. There'd be no turning back.

"Were-wrack," Joon said. "Mutated shorebirds that feast on the dead and dying in the drylands. Don't worry. They won't venture into the woods. But it might be a good idea if we slept near one another. Just in case."

"Why?" I asked, hating how desperately my wolf wanted to press up against him. "If they come this way, won't they just kill us no matter how we're sleeping? Would it matter if we're laying close?"

"I'm just trying to be safe," he said, a strand of dark, wavy hair falling into his eyes. "I'm not trying to be inappropriate if that's what you're worried about."

"No!" I said quicker than I intended. "I wasn't trying to say you would...I didn’t…I wouldn’t…” I sighed hard, not sure what I was trying to say. "I'm just tired."

Joon scooted back, leaning against a fallen log, and patted the space next to him. I rubbed the soft pearl on my wrist and stared at his muscular, sun-kissed arms. He held them open to me, so inviting and warm. Lex's words repeated in my mind. 'You don't have a mate anymore. And he does look delicious.'

"I'm fine, thank you," I said firmly, much to my wolf's disapproval.

"I just want to make sure you're safe," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "A little thing like you would be snatched up before you even woke."

"I've made it this far by myself," I shot, trying not to look too offended. "I'm sure I'll be fine for one more night."

"Everyone thinks they're safe right before they're killed," he smirked. "But if you think you have the strength to fight off one of those wracks, then, please, sleep where you like."

He was starting to annoy me with his smug face and stupid muscles.

"Strength doesn't automatically mean you'll be safe," I said, feeling anger rise in my chest. "If that were the case, I wouldn't have been forced to pull you out of a tree."

His grin fell. "You didn't pull me out of a tree. This is an enchanted forest with a strength no man or beast could challenge. There is no winning a fight against a creature like that."