Chapter 18: The Siren
Thelma
The steam from the hot water in the shower has a calming effect on my taut nerves. In a matter of only three days, I have managed to meet more members of the Kwaad pack; some of them welcoming like Kim, and some like Yasmeen, not so much.
Rhia has been so patient with me when teaching me how to get in tune with my powers. Luckily, we don’t learn in an actual classroom, which is a huge relief. Yesterday she took me to a creek where there was a beautiful fountain. The scenery was so relaxing I wish I could have just stayed there forever. If school always had this kind of backdrop, maybe I wouldn’t have minded it so much,
The sound of the waterfall had put my mind at ease, paired with encouraging words from Rhia. I welcomed every part of the relaxing exercise; a complete paradox to my first night with Kyle which had been a total disaster. I still can’t believe that he threw me out of his room like a used tissue.
I had just laid in bed, oily, like a fucking greased-up hog.
Why hadn’t he finished what he started? Had I somehow turned him off?
I still have mixed feelings about him. I thoroughly enjoyed what he had been doing to me in the bedroom, yet I know I shouldn’t enjoy it so much.
After all, I am just his surrogate….Nothing more than a glorified incubator for the demon hybrid. I am not naive; I have watched porn before and know that for there to be sex, a man has to actually penetrate a woman with their big boy boner.
Why hadn’t he done that? What had I done wrong?
I finish bathing and step out of the shower. Hilda brought me a suitcase full of new clothes today. She said Kyle had personally shopped for me after seeing the small bag that I arrived with.
Although, since arriving here, Kyle seems to be avoiding me. When he is with me, he is cold. For an ice king, though, he sure has a splendid taste in fashion. I am sure he has done lots of shopping for women before.
I, on the other hand, have been avoiding Yasmeen. Each time she sees me, she gives me the dirty eye. I know she doesn’t like me very much. Maybe she is Kyle’s girlfriend or something. The way she is all over him most times does paint the image of something deeper going on between the two. Since I am stationed in a room next to Kyle’s, I have seen her leaving his bedroom twice.
When I first arrived, I assumed she was more of a tomboy. But now, she wears lots of makeup, short, tight dresses, and lets her short hair hang loose around her shoulders. I have seen her in heels, but for some reason, I had the feeling that she was struggling to walk in them. She looked like a drunk chicken on stilts, not graceful like Rhea in her impossibly high stilettos. Rhia could even jump rope in heels and still look as graceful as a swan. I don’t know if I like Yasmeen as the stout tomboy or the saucy vixen she is trying to portray these days.
Who am I fooling? I don’t like her at all. She is everything I hate in a person.
Kim even says she has never seen Yasmeen being so girly. Well, people do change. Maybe she is getting in touch with her feminine side just like I am with my powers.
I get dressed in powdered pink flared shorts and a floral crop top. As I lace up my matching pink sneakers, there is a knock at the door.
“It’s open,” I say as I sit up in the chair beside my bed.
Rhia walks in. For an eighty-something-year-old, this woman is stunning.
She bows slightly in my direction. I have noticed that she likes doing that a lot. I wonder why she feels the need to, though. Maybe she is under the delusion that I mean something more to their leader, Kyle. She probably has no idea that I am merely a surrogate, who is passing through like a business transaction. When the threat against me is dealt with, and I manage to bear Kyle a child, I will be thrown out of this place just like he did to me the other night.
“Are you ready for today’s lesson?” Rhia asks.
I nod as I jump to my feet. I am happy to participate in these activities that keep me from dwelling on Kyle and his strange behavior toward me.
I follow Rhia outside. The cool breeze hits my face, and I can’t help but close my eyes, welcoming the fresh air.
We walk past the gate and down a tarred road toward more houses that line the terrace.
“Today we are visiting Pedro. He is a shifter and he lost his mate a few moons back. He has been in mourning since and has refused to leave his house. What you will see today is a shadow of himself. He rarely eats and has lost a lot of weight. Today, you will bring him out of the sad pit he is in,” Rhia says as we proceed down the road.
I frown. “Bring him out? Me? How?”
Rhia smiles and reaches for my hand, “With these. You are a siren, Thelma. You can send him any thoughts you choose too.”
Okay! I have no idea what she means, but I continue walking beside her. I wonder if she is expecting me to give him a massage…or a happy ending. Gods, no!
Truthfully, though, I hope she doesn’t expect that of me. I remember when Rebekah told me about massage parlors that do such things. She explained how women make lots of money by erotically fondling men’s wanks. I manage to black out the visual image painted in my head by the thought.
Finally we arrive at a white manor at the end of the street. We walk up the stairs of the porch. Rhia knocks at the door, and an old man with gray hair, wearing what look like boxers and a vest, opens the door. There is a huge brown stain on his cream vest. I feel my brows come together at how the scrawny old man looks so unkempt and dirty. When was the last time the greasy man took a bath? His gray hair sticks to his forehead and I am sure the hair is as greasy as it looks.
“May we come in, Omega Pedro?” Rhia asks the man.
The man frowns as he looks at Rhia and then at me. He looks annoyed by our presence and intrusion. I can’t help but notice the dried Cheetos dust on his beard. Gods, am I here to give him a bath? What am I supposed to do with my hands?
“What do you want?” Pedro asks with irritation.
“This is Thelma,” Rhia says, gesturing toward me. “Shake Omega Pedro’s hand, Thelma.”
What the hell? Judging from the orange stains on his hands, I am sure they are as sticky and dusty as they appear. I swallow and extend my hand.
“Greetings, Omega Pedro,” I say.
Yep. His hands are as tacky as I predicted. I want to pull my hand away from his, but Rhia stops me.
“Don’t let go of his hand, Thelma. Omega Pedro is hurting. What would you want him to know? Don’t say it out loud. Close your eyes and send him calming thoughts.”
I do as she asks, while still holding on to the filthy hand. I know what I felt when I lost Pa, and I try to summon the kind of calm and comfort I would have wanted when I was mourning his loss.
‘Remember the good times. They will stay with you. Sometimes people depart, but their memories stay in our hearts forever. Those memories guide us and strengthen us. Your wife would be so disappointed to see you like this. She is in a better place. Help her find peace by being the best version of yourself. That is what she would want. She wants you to move on and be happy,’ I think silently.
“Happy thoughts, Thelma,” Rhia coos.
I envision the serenity of the waterfall. The butterflies around the multi-colored wildflowers as the sound of the water soothes me; the tranquil fragrance of the flowers and wet earth encircle me. I feel Omega Pedro’s hand begin to relax in mine.
‘It’s okay. You are fine. Only remember the good times. She is cheering for you on the other side to move on and get better. Find peace,’ I meditate.
I continue to dwell on the calming effect I found at the creek.
“Good job, Thelma,” Rhia’s voice cheers me on.
Well, since I have his attention…. ‘You will go and take a bath, wear your best clothes and start living again. Throw that stiff dirty brief in the trash…and the vest too. Spring clean your home and go out and start living again. You are okay.’
I feel a warmth radiating from my whole body, traveling up through my hand towards him. The sensation is almost like a slight jolt of electricity. I open my eyes and find Omega Pedro looking at me with a smile on his face and tears sparkling in the depth of his eyes.
“Thank you,” he whispers.
I nod as I let go of his hand. Rhia smiles and nods at the man.
“How do you feel, Omega Pedro?” Rhia asks.
“Like a new man. I need to go take a bath now. I think I need to also throw away these dirty clothes; gods, how did I not see how dirty they have gotten? Tell Alpha Kyle I will pay him a visit later. I also can’t wait to go take a walk around the market square….Who knows, maybe I will go for a run along the river bank. I miss my wolf. I have never felt so alive,” Omega Pedro says and punctuates his words with a raspy chuckle.
It’s nearly sunset by the time we return to the mansion. The crimson hued rays of the sun hit the roof at an angle before they make way for the moonlight.
“You healed a person with your siren abilities. Congratulations, Thelma,” Rhia says as we walk toward the entrance of the house.
I smile. I feel like I accomplished something important today; I helped a person.
However, that feeling of relief is suddenly replaced with paranoia as I feel like I’m being watched. I look up and see Yasmeen glaring at us from the third-floor window. She has a deep scowl on her face and her mouth is adorned with an ugly sneer.
Out of nowhere, I walk into something hard and I stumble. How am I so clumsy to the point of walking into a wall? Couldn’t Rhia have at least warned me?
“Excus–” My words die on my lips, as my eyes meet the searching, provocative gaze of the muscular man standing in front of me. Had I really bumped into him? Dang!
Kyle’s sprawling hands grasp both sides of my arms to steady me.
“Go take a bath, Thelma. Meet me in my room at seven. I hope you are ready for me.”
I gulp. Ready as I’ll ever be!