The Siren's Secret

  The Siren's Secret

  Heather Ostler

  CHAPTER ONE

  An Unexpected Arrival

  Julia sat down at the dinner table across from several other soldiers, who were busy conversing about Ossai, Lockham Castle, and the Guild.

  “This is for you, sir.” She looked up and saw a young soldier with blond hair carrying a messenger bag. He had been coming by once a week to drop off Lancer’s mail and never stayed longer than ten minutes. He reached into his pack, pulled out a stack of envelopes and a brown package, and gave them to Lancer, Julia’s father.

  “Thank you, Radley,” Lancer replied. He flipped through the envelopes absentmindedly and divided them into stacks.

  “What’s in the package?” Julia asked. Even though she knew it wasn’t for her, her imagination ran away with fun possibilities. What if it was a care package from Terrence?

  Or maybe Scarlet had sent a box full of sweet treats?

  Julia’s father glanced at the address on the parcel. “It’s nothing,” he said. “It’s probably files from the Ossain government.” He picked up a letter opener and cut across the top of the box. Before opening it, however, he paused. “Actually, I should wait for Liam. These might be the papers he requested.”

  He picked up the box and tossed it to a smaller table against the wall. The box flew five feet in the air, landed on the table, and then exploded with a deafening boom.

  Julia watched as the table underneath the package blew apart, sending wood, drywall, and dust out from the explosion.

  “Get down!” Lancer yelled, pushing her back.

  She almost fell out of her chair as she scurried away from the blast.

  The room fell silent as the group of soldiers ducked and waited to make sure the explosion was over. After thirty seconds, Lancer glanced around. “Everyone okay?”

  As the dust settled, Julia saw that the blast had made a gaping hole in the wall with scorch marks that would forever serve as a reminder of the explosion. Below the hole was a pile of wood, what was once the table.

  A few soldiers inched near the wood and began looking for any more explosives or dangerous items.

  “Radley,” Lancer said, turning to the solider. “Who gave you that package?”

  Radley shook his head nervously. “It was just at the Ossain government building waiting for delivery. I promise, sir, I had nothing to do with this.” The color had drained from his face.

  Lancer held up a hand. “I know, I know. I’m not blaming you.”

  As Julia stood up, she realized that she was shaking.

  Her father was just about to open that package; if he hadn’t tossed it aside, then it would have blown up in his face. She felt like a brick had hit the pit of her stomach.

  “Who was it from then?” she asked in a dry voice.

  Lancer wiped some drywall dust from his sleeve. “It was from the Guild,” he answered.

  “So they know where we are?” She looked at the hole in the wall and realized she could see through to the living room now.

  “No, but they knew I’d take mail from the government.

  That package was a message from the Guild. They don’t want us to feel safe. They want to make sure we know they’re still in control.”

  The following morning, Julia stood alone outside in the warm summer air. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear and thought about yesterday’s events. She still felt rattled after the explosion. It didn’t matter that everything had been cleaned up and that Lancer had made arrange-ments to get his mail screened before opening it. All of the other soldiers seemed to just pick up the pieces and get back to work, but Julia felt more worried than ever about the Guild.

  The Guild was an evil group led by a woman named Alexis, Julia’s mother. Lancer and Alexis had been married, and then Alexis had betrayed Lancer when Julia was just an infant. Being a royal heir, Lancer held an influential government position, and Alexis wanted his power. She used Julia as leverage to make Lancer resign and give his position to her. He complied and then took Julia away from Ossai where she could be safe.

  Julia grew up in New York without knowing her mother or knowing that she was from the secret world of Ossai.

  Though she hoped desperately to mend their relationship, things only became worse when Julia confronted Alexis last year. Alexis saw Julia as a threat and worried that she would take away her power. She sent a Guild member to kidnap her and then gave her the choice to either join her evil Guild or die. When she refused, Alexis attempted to kill Julia. Luckily, the Soldier Union came to Julia’s aid, but in the confusion, Alexis fled and was still missing.

  Ultimately the Guild wanted to take down the Soldier Union and gain control of the Ossain government. They had worked for years to slowly corrupt government workers and attacked the Soldier Union constantly.

  As leader of the Soldier Union, Lancer fought to protect Ossai and Julia from the Guild.

  Terrence, Julia’s boyfriend, was also a soldier and worked with Lancer. She had met him last year at a soldier base and dated him secretly for months because she didn’t think her father would approve. However, at the end of the year, Julia finally admitted to her father that they were dating, and he seemed to accept her decision.

  Even though her father and her boyfriend were both soldiers, Julia wasn’t allowed to learn about certain classified information. At times she became frustrated when she was denied knowledge and wished that she could be a part of the Soldier Union. She wanted to be more involved and help fight against the Guild.

  Whenever she talked to her father about joining, he always told her the same thing: she needed to finish school at Lockham Castle.

  Terrence’s face flashed in her mind, and she bit her bottom lip. He hadn’t written to Julia in several days, and after the bomb, she wanted to know whether he was safe. He was supposed to spend time with Julia over the summer, but his soldier duties had kept him busy in Ossai.

  Julia glanced at the house. The new hideout in New York wasn’t bad, but it didn’t really matter. It was just a temporary summer home where Lancer could work with the Soldier Union and Julia could keep a safe distance from the Guild.

  Alexis and the Guild were always fighting to take down the Soldier Union and to keep Julia away Ossai. Despite their attempts, she would soon travel back to Ossai and begin her second year of school at Lockham Castle—where she really belonged.

  Ossai, their secret world, was only accessible through water portals. Last year, when Julia learned that she was a werecat shapeshifter, she traveled from New York to Ossai through a lake portal.

  Once in Ossai, she moved into Lockham Castle. The elaborate palace had hundreds of shapeshifter and water nymph students who came to live for the full school year. At Lockham Julia learned all about Ossai and the art of shapeshifting.

  Sierra, Julia’s best friend, also went to Lockham Castle for school. She was in New York for the summer too, but she lived three hours away. Having distance between them normally wouldn’t have been a problem for Julia. However, with the danger that the Guild brought, their communication became limited. The risk of the Guild locating them wasn’t worth their teenage chitchat.

  Julia walked down a slope heading away from the house and toward the back of the property. Next to a large, black willow tree sat a small pond surrounded by weeds, wild bushes, and the occasional boulder. Julia cut through the weeds and sat down on the smoothest rock she could find.

  This pond was her favorite part of the hideout and she had been ecstatic when she discovered it. It wasn’t until a week ago that she learned Lancer had specifically chosen to stay at the house because they could set up a portal at the pond.

  Today there was an intense Soldier Union meeting in the ho
use, and Julia, of course, wasn’t allowed to attend. Not that she really wanted to. The meetings consisted of her father, Lancer Levesque, and the small group of other soldiers who she didn’t really know.

  The two soldiers Julia really cared about, Terrence and Caleb, were in Ossai—their world—and had been away all summer.

  Terrence had last written Julia five days ago from Lockham Castle. At the time, he had been doing simple security checks. However, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was involved with something more dangerous at the moment.

  Then there was Caleb—who Julia still felt uncomfortable thinking about. Caleb, who was also a soldier, was her good friend and had risked his life several times for her. Unfortunately, their last moments together last year had been confus-ing. Caleb had had vital information to tell Julia, but she never learned what it was. They never had the chance to say good-bye to each other either.

  What was it that Caleb didn’t tell her that day at Lockham Castle? When he confronted Julia, he had been upset and said that he needed to tell her something important.

  Unfortunately, Terrence had interrupted, and Caleb disappeared. Julia was never able to continue their conversation.

  Now she was left with a mixture of burning curiosity and guilt. It was only last year that Caleb had risked his life in order to save Julia from the Guild.

  It only made things worse that Julia repeatedly dreamed of Caleb. She didn’t want to, and felt somehow at fault, but what choice did she have? Time after time, Caleb visited her in sleep. She’d toss and turn frustrated that she couldn’t ask him what he needed to tell her so desperately.

  Liam, Caleb’s father, who was also in the Soldier Union, had mentioned something about Caleb coming to visit. However, the Solider Union constantly changed its plans, making it unlikely that Julia would see Caleb at all this summer.

  She leaned closer to the pond and lazily dipped her hand into the water. As she looked across the murky surface, her thoughts became consumed by Terrence and Caleb. She had her best friends, Sierra and Gabe; her boyfriend, Terrence; and then Caleb, who didn’t seem to fit anywhere in her life.

  She cared for him, but she would never love him the way she loved Terrence.

  Her thoughts on the dilemma ceased for a moment when something startling caught the corner of her eye. Julia backed away from the pond but kept her eyes on her reflection. For a split second, she thought something had seemed off. Either the reflection of her face had become distorted or the color of her hair had changed.

  Seeing anything supernatural in New York wasn’t a good sign. Julia knew it could be a warning sign that the Guild was watching her. She waited a moment, but she didn’t see her reflection change again. Her long locks remained brown, and her deep-set eyes stared back at her.

  She stood up from the pond and left wondering whether to tell her father. It wasn’t until she was at the top of the hill again that she decided her eyes had just played a trick on her.

  She was tired, and whenever she thought about Caleb, her mind became jumbled and disoriented.

  She shook her head, feeling more confused than ever. The bottom line was that she needed to sort things out with Caleb and Terrence—and hopefully soon.

  She found a spot of short, neatly trimmed grass and lay down exhausted from a terrible night’s sleep. Not only did her dreams of Caleb taunt her, but the old house also made an assortment of noises that would convince anyone it was haunted.

  The summer sunshine beat down on her form, but the soft breeze cooled her. Letting go of her complicated thoughts, Julia dozed off.

  “Where have you been?” a deep voice asked.

  Julia glanced behind her, knowing who the voice belonged to. Caleb Glyndor ran toward her, his green eyes more vibrant than ever as he took her in.

  Her heart sped up, and Julia waited for his embrace.

  Before any time could pass, his lips were against hers, warm and comforting. But soon an unpleasant feeling trickled into the back of her mind. Something was wrong.

  She pulled back confused. These lips were too familiar, and Julia knew that she and Caleb had never shared this moment before. She wrinkled her nose as she took in the smell of sandalwood and cedar—that wasn’t Caleb’s scent.

  Julia opened her eyes and saw a figure hovering over her. The face that loomed above her was attractive, but it didn’t belong to Caleb. Instead, Julia’s eyes met with an Ossain solider—the soldier that she’d fallen in love with last year.

  “Terrence!” she exclaimed, sitting up and wrapping her arms around him. “You’re here!”

  Guilt settled inside of Julia as if Terrence had known she was dreaming about another soldier. Not only had she kissed Caleb in her dream, but she liked the feeling of warmth and safety that came with it.

  Terrence held her for a moment before leaning back. “I heard what happened yesterday. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  She quickly came out of her thoughts about Caleb and the dream. “I couldn’t stop worrying about you,” she replied.

  “Were there any attacks in Ossai?”

  “No, luckily it’s been calm. No one has a clue where the Guild or Alexis are.”

  Julia sighed.

  “I thought I was coming here days ago, and I wanted to surprise you,” Terrence said. “Then I had to fill in for someone and spend a couple extra days helping with security at Lockham. I’m sorry.”

  “I forgive you.” She smiled. “But only because I like you.”

  Julia stood up, stretched, and offered a hand to Terrence, who sat on the grass. He didn’t move but instead laughed at the sight of her outstretched arm.

  “What’s so funny?” she demanded.

  “You, attempting to be strong. I’d like to see you try and pull me up.”

  Julia dropped her jaw. “I am strong.”

  Terrence, who was still lying down, kicked both legs high into the air, arched his back, and propelled himself off the ground. He successfully landed an acrobatic kip-up jump.

  Julia was stunned. She had only seen that move done in action films.

  “Not impressive,” she lied.

  “Really?” He had a confident blaze in his eyes. “What would impress you?”

  Julia walked around his tall form. “Werecat strength,”

  she replied, “and speed.”

  Terrence scanned the massive yard. “Are you allowed to shapeshift here?”

  “I’ve been given special permission. And it’s not like it matters.” Julia jutted her head toward the home. It was so far away that it only appeared as a white speck in the distance.

  “My dad is too involved with the meeting to notice.”

  Terrence nodded with assurance. “There’s only one thing I feel bad about,” he said with no remorse.

  “And what would that be?”

  “The fact that I’m a faster shapeshifter than you—” He had barely finished his sentence when his body became a dark blur. In an instant, Julia began transforming into her own white tiger werecat. She struggled with shapeshifting all last year, but now she was able to change in seconds.

  She transformed quickly, but Terrence had years of experience on Julia. When her blurred figure materialized into her werecat, Terrence’s jaguar was already sprinting circles around her.

  Julia, in werecat form, broke free from his circle and dashed across the grass field. Her long strides came easily, her paws digging into the long grass.

  Last year when she was given her first lessons on shapeshifting, Julia had been disappointed on how slowly Mr.

  Knightly, the transformation teacher, had taught the class.

  Everything had changed, however, when Terrence had given Julia private lessons outside of the castle. He’d told her secrets about using emotions, visualization, and strength in order to shapeshift.

  White tiger and jaguar raced fiercely around each other in the large, grassy field. Julia’s feline eyes locked onto Terrence’s, and for a moment she could have sworn she saw a smirk on th
e animal’s visage.

  Julia skidded to a halt and paced around Terrence. She put her head down low and tried to formulate the best plan for a surprise attack.

  Before she could even attempt to take him, Terrence leaned back and pounced powerfully into the air.

  The jaguar werecat leaped onto Julia, and she fought back, trying to show him just how strong she could be.

  Both wrestled each other with tremendous strength, but Terrence’s massive jaguar pinned her down within seconds.

  Defeated, Julia willed herself to transform back into human form.

  When she opened her eyes, Terrence’s face was already in front of her; apparently he could change back into human form quicker too. Still smirking, he moved away, and they both sat up.

  “So, now are you impressed?” he asked, his voice elated. “I think it’s safe to say I won that round.”

  Trying to catch her breath, Julia considered him. “I don’t know. It’s going to take more than a fast jaguar to impress me.” Terrence didn’t laugh, which for a split second made Julia wonder if she had insulted him. But then he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her.

  Kissing Terrence always made Julia feel lightheaded. He was impulsive, bold, and captivating. The combination of such gave her a whirlwind of feelings.

  A call echoed in the distance, and Julia pulled away from Terrence. Lancer was yelling for her. She scrambled up quickly and ran her hands over her hair.

  “Just pretend that we were … catching up,” Julia said to Terrence.

  “We were.” He tilted his head, looking puzzled. “Are you trying to hide the fact that we were shapeshifting or that I’ve been kissing you?”

  Julia could feel her cheeks flushing red. “Both,” she answered with a sheepish smile.

  Terrence looked slightly disappointed, but he stood up and took her hand anyway. Almost running, Julia pulled him toward the large New York house.

  “It’s strange here.” He eyed the large, unkempt acres of land. “Does it make you miss your old home in New York?”

  “No. I mean, I miss Sierra, but I know I’ll see her soon. I guess it makes me miss Ossai.”