He zigzagged around trees, heading down the mountain toward the small town at the mouth of Lake Shannon. He had plenty of money to give her. From there she could catch a bus into Seattle then hop a plane wherever she wanted to go. Bottom line, though, was that where she went from here wasn’t his concern. He was doing the right thing by making her leave. Getting her to safety before he snapped and did something he’d regret.
A heavy hand knocked into his shoulder. Realizing she was trying to get his attention, Ari turned his head, intent on telling her to sit still until they got to their destination. But one look was all it took to realize she was focused on something off in the trees.
Ari slowed the snowmobile. Before the machine came to a complete stop, she jumped into the snow and tugged off her helmet.
He quickly pulled off his own helmet and grasped her by the sleeve. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I saw someone.” She tugged free of his grip and darted into the trees before he could stop her, her too-big boots sinking into the new powder with every step.
“Skata.” Ari dropped his helmet on the seat and followed, his own boots sinking all the way to his ankles. Someone could be something. She could have seen a damn daemon for all she knew. Yeah, she was ticked at him for making her leave, but this wasn’t ticked. This was stupid. “Come back here, before I—”
His words cut off when he passed a large tree. A trail of blood stained the snow and led from the tree around a large boulder. A warning tingle slid down Ari’s spine. He reached for the dagger he’d strapped to his thigh before they’d left the hold. “Daphne, come back to me right now.”
A grunt echoed from behind the boulder. Ari gripped the dagger and bolted around the rock, then slowed when he saw the horror.
Daphne knelt next to a female leaning against the rock in the snow, the front of Daphne’s pants and jacket red with blood.
His heart lurched into his throat, and he rushed forward. “Holy gods. Are you—?”
“It’s not me,” Daphne said quickly, tugging off her gloves. “It’s not my blood.”
She pressed her hands against the female’s shoulder. Blood gurgled between Daphne’s fingers, ran down the female’s arm, and dripped onto the snow at her side. “She’s hurt. We have to help her.”
Relief that it wasn’t Daphne’s blood whipped through Ari, slowing his steps, but that relief waned when he turned his attention to the female. She was dressed in knee-high black snow boots, slim black pants, and a thin jacket. Nothing someone who spent a lot of time in the snow would wear. Her thick mane, a mixture of blonde and brown and red, hung past her shoulders in a sleek wave, and her brilliant blue eyes were guarded as she stared over Daphne’s shoulder toward him. On the ground beside her injured hand, lay a very unique, very intricately carved bow. A bow Ari had definitely seen before.
Siren.
The word ricocheted in his head like a marble zinging around a track. He waited for the rage, for the blackness to overtake him, but nothing happened. Looking out over the trees, he searched for anyone else, but the snowy forest was cold and silent.
“Ari,” Daphne said, her voice dragging his attention back to her. “She needs help.”
Ari watched the blood bubble through Daphne’s fingers. She wanted him to help a Siren, the same being he hunted.
Except...he wasn’t hunting this one. He hadn’t even known she was in the area, which totally went against everything he knew and understood.
“Ari,” Daphne said again, looking over her shoulder with pleading eyes. “She’s going to die if you don’t help her. Please.”
That duty that was ingrained in his DNA kicked into gear, forcing his feet forward before he could stop them. He knelt on the Siren’s other side and rubbed his hands against the thighs of his pants. The female whispered something to Daphne he didn’t catch. In response, Daphne said, “Shh... It’s going to be okay. Trust me.”
Ari wasn’t so sure. He didn’t know what would happen when he touched the Siren, but that duty wouldn’t let him leave. Regardless of what she was, she was injured, and he had the healing gift that could save her. To Daphne, he said, “Move your hands.”
The Siren’s jacket was shredded in three long, angled lines, blood seeping through the garment and running down her arm. Ari reached for the Siren’s ripped collar. The female’s eyes grew even wider, and she jerked back against the rocks.
“He’s not going to kill you,” Daphne said, scooting forward and placing a hand on the Siren’s arm to steady her. “I promise.”
The Siren looked from Daphne back to Ari, and though fear reflected deeply in her eyes, she stilled.
She knew who Ari was. She’d probably been in these woods to kill him, and here he was about to save her life. The irony wasn’t lost on him, and for a split second he considered getting up, dragging Daphne with him back to the snowmobile so the Siren could die as she deserved, but as soon as the thought hit, he knew he wouldn’t do it.