Their Siren

Chapter Three

Hannah

I wasn’t sure how long I had slept when I opened my eyes but by the light streaming through a crack in the curtains, I had obviously slept the night away. The pounding in my head was the first thing I noticed, it was like someone was drilling into my left temple, the throbbing pain made my eye twitch in what I was sure was a very attractive way, the second thing was that I was hungry. Like tummy growling hungry. My guess would be that I had slept through the night and most of this morning as well. Slipping my legs from out of the heavy blankets I was suddenly aware of how sweaty I had become overnight. The quilt was heavy, and it was by no means cold in this room. My hair was stuck to my cheek but as I scanned the room, I couldn’t see anything to tie my offending hair back with. In fact, the whole room was strange. How I hadn’t noticed it before I wasn’t sure but this sure wasn’t the room, I had been staying in. There was none of my stuff here. Which meant none of my clothes.

I stepped up to the full-length mirror, surveying, myself for the first time since the accident. I didn’t look that bad, true my hair was sticking up in every direction and there was a bloody bandage around my head, but my face was clear. Thankfully I hadn’t been drooling in the night and there was even a slight flush to my cheeks, and I had to admit there was something inadvertently sexy about wearing nothing but a mans t shirt. Even if it was huge on me. I had to grin at myself. There would be no way in hell I would normally stumble downstairs in just a t-shirt, especially in a man’s house. Two men I corrected myself. But my stomach just wouldn’t be silenced, and the smell of bacon was like a beacon, so I was going to brave it. I was going to go downstairs without underwear or even a washed face and just pray it was Alex and not Julian down there. I wasn’t sure I could handle Julian on an empty stomach.

I paused in the doorway taking in the scene in front of me. I knew the kitchen well, it was the one room apart from my own that I had spent most of the last two weeks in. but I was used to it being empty when I came down every morning. Today it was anything but empty. Music was playing, loudly, and both men were singing along animatedly. Something modern with a catchy beat. Alex was sat at the island that took up most of the kitchen, a half full plate of food in front of him, Julian at the huge range oven, his back to the door. They were both moving to the music, lithe bodies moving in ways I couldn’t hope to dream of.

It was like I had stepped into some private scene, they were so in sync it was scary, and I couldn’t help but stare at them, leaning heavily on the doorframe. Feeling like a voyeur.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare Hannah or are you joining us?” There was laughter in Alexanders voice, and I felt myself blush. How had he known I was standing there? I took a tentative step into the room and was awarded by two wide smiles, though Julian seemed to hate himself for even smiling at me which was strange. I couldn’t think of a thing that I had done that could make him dislike me this much so quickly. Usually it took people a little while to realize I wasn’t their cup of tea, I grinned widely at him which earned me a frown. Good, if he was going to dislike me for no reason he sure as hell could deal with me being extra nice to him in return.

“Good morning beautiful” Alex was standing, and I hadn’t even seen him move as he gestured to the stool, he had seconds ago been occupying. His eyes were scanning my body and I blushed crimson as his eyes lingered a second to long on the press of my breasts against the fabric. It seemed he liked what he saw.

“Good morning” I slipped onto the stool, crossing my legs, more than aware that I was naked under the t-shirt that now didn’t seem that big at all. It wouldn’t do at all to flash these two what I had for breakfast. Even if they were the ones feeding me it. I stifled a laugh at the thought.

“You look better” Julian’s voice was cold, ok it wasn’t a compliment, but I would take it. He moved in front of me, sliding eggs onto an empty plate, my stomach growled in appreciation as he slid bacon next to it.

“Hell Jules” Alex settled himself onto the island to the right of me, even though there were several perfectly good stools to choose from. “She doesn’t look better, she looks amazing” He gave me a smile that caused me to press my thighs together. If I didn’t know better, I would say he was flirting with me.

But I knew better. Guys like him didn’t flirt with girls like me.

Julian grunted, turning back to the grill.

“Ignore my brother, he thinks you look amazing as well, that t shirt really suits you” His eyes were appraising me again.

“I should have changed into my clothes before I came down” Biting my lip I looked up at him through my lashes. He made a sound in the back of his throat and slid down from his perch.

“You look fine the way you are” Julian’s voice was softer than I had ever heard it. “it looks better on you than it does on him”

Was that a compliment from Mr. Grumpy pants? I wasn’t too sure, but I would take it. “Thank you, Julian,”

Both staring at me so intently made me all sorts of nervous, it was as if they were devouring me with their eyes. There was nothing to break the silence but the sound of their breathing and mine was a little too fast for civilized company. I popped a bit of bacon in my mouth, partly because I loved bacon, partly to break the silence. “This is really good, I hadn’t expected any of you to know how to cook”

“Julian is the chef of the family, there’s nothing he can’t cook. Drives Mrs. fletcher mad when he takes over the kitchen” Alex laughed.

“Its just bacon” Julian shrugged, but there was a vulnerability to his eyes. Something in them that made me catch my breath. “Its really good bacon” I held out a piece to him, half expecting him to turn his nose up at my offer of food, especially food that I offered with bare hands. I didn’t expect him to take the offered meat with his lips. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours his lips brushed my fingertips.

I gulped hard.

“maybe I should go and get dressed” I finally let out the breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding. Suddenly feeling all kind of naked under the fire in their eyes. I had never seen brown eyes blaze like theirs, it was as if they were lit with some secret fire from behind. I slipped from the stool, pulling the fabric of the t-shirt down over my thighs. I had never had a man undress me with his eyes so blatantly, and to have two of them do it at the same time made me feel all sorts of… well I had no words for how I was feeling right now. There was a deep ache in the pit of my stomach, a yearning. I had to get away. I gave them both a smile, showing more confidence than I felt and slipped out of the room.

How had a simple breakfast turned into so much more, as I flopped onto my bed, the door firmly closed behind me I felt the tears start to well. What the hell was happening? I had hurt my head, that must be it because there was no way in hell those two gorgeous men were looking at me the way I thought they were. So, it must be my imagination. Because there was no way they felt the same attraction as I did.

I punched the pillow halfheartedly. The sooner I got out of here the better before I made an absolute fool of myself. So why didn’t I want to leave? I knew the answer to that. Leaving would mean settling into the life my parents wanted for me. And as much as I wasn’t ready to live side by side with two exceptionally gorgeous men, who I assumed were something other that human, I wasn’t ready to live a fake life either.

Alexander

I slipped Hannah’s plate into the sink soundlessly, my brain running at a million miles an hour. What had just happened? I wasn’t even sure. One second Julian was being his normal aloof bad-tempered self and the next second he had her fingers pretty much in his mouth. For the second time. If it had been anyone but my brother my fists would have been flying. The fact that he looked just as disgusted with himself as I was with him was a small comfort but only a tiny one. I could feel his turmoil but there was one thing he couldn’t deny any longer. He felt her, the same as I did. He felt her pull, it was the only explanation as to why he was acting the way he was.

“has she said anything about yesterday? About what she saw? Or have you managed to come up with a convincing story” deadpan as always my brother whirled on me.

“We didn’t really discuses it” that was the truth, in part at least. She hadn’t questioned me, and I hadn’t elaborated.

“I’ll phone the council”

My stomach dropped, the glass I held in my hand shattering as my hand clenched around it. “that’s not going to happen Julian” How could he be so calm and mention the council in the same breath as her?

The council, the cold sons of bitches who ruled over the preternatural community with an iron fist.

“She needs her memory wiped Alex and you know it, she can’t leave here until its done” My brother paused, as if weighing his next word carefully and my eyes narrowed. “she can’t stay here”

“You can’t deny you feel her pull” I snarled at him my voice louder than I wanted it to be. “The council will wipe her mind Julian, then means the dragons will be involved, can you honestly say that’s what you want?”

The word dragons had the desired effect, my brothers’ caramel skin paled and his Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “She’s strong, she could handle it”

I could feel my anger bubbling to the surface, it was a shock even to me. Julian was the one prone to anger. I was the calm brother. “Do you want to risk it, she’s just had a head injury. could you live with yourself if they delved to deep and left her …” I left it unsaid, it didn’t need words. We both knew what could happen if she wasn’t strong enough to with stand the dragons rummaging in her brain. If they wiped too much, she wouldn’t be Hannah any more. She wouldn’t even remember she was Hannah.

“She’s strong” He almost whispered it, it was more to himself than it was to me.

“And look at her, just take a second a look. The dragons would be all over her” I could feel my eyes change at the very thought of it, black bleeding in to the white in my anger at the very thought began to overtake me. “You know they are all about finding a mate brother, and you want to offer her up like some sacrifice”

Julian snarled right back at me, teeth flashing but I didn’t stand down. If he wanted to fight this out, then we would fight it out.

“The dragons won’t force her; my god Alex do you think I would send her to them if I thought even for a minute that they would” He sounded offended, self-righteous even, but I could see the worry in his eyes start to blossom. Good.

“And what if she chooses one of them, what if she is attracted to one and mates without even realizing, she’s human Julian”

And there it was. That niggling doubt in my brain that she would choose a dragon. The very thought made my blood ran cold. Giving her up to the council had very limited options and none of them agreed with me.

One, they would wipe her memory and she would forget, whilst I was stuck remembering the smell of her skin.

Two, the dragons would shatter her mind, leaving her half the person she was.

Or three, she would foolishly fall in lust with one of those devilishly charming dragons and find herself mated. Untouchable. The thought of never being able to touch her, even in a purely platonic way made my teeth stand on edge. And at that moment I realized how much I wanted her. Wanted to protect her.

“Give me a week Julian, a week to make sure she is no threat to us, if I can’t guarantee it after a week you can call the council” I slumped in my seat, defeated. Because he was right. We couldn’t keep her, however much I wanted to.