In the Veins of the Drowning (The Siren Mage, #1)

by Kalie Cassidy

The king sits wrecked and ravaged beneath her wing. My heart began to squeeze. What they have made will decimate the order of all things. “What they have made… What the queen and the king have made…” I whispered, clinging to Theodore’s sturdy shoulder. My stomach dropped. “Is Nemea…” Rohana began to giggle, and with sickening assuredness, I knew. “He’s my father.” “Good girl.” She sounded approving of my revelation, but I was undone. The features of Nemea’s face, the notes of his voice, even the remembered touch of his hand, swarmed me. “I’m not…” Then Rohana was in front of me. Her skeletal fingers clamped onto my jaw, and she jerked it toward her face. “You are what will bring chaos and ruin and death. You are the fount of desolation and change.” My throat tightened with tears. “And Theodore…” I was the daughter of the man he hated most. “Will I ruin Theodore too?” She blinked slowly. “His power and duty are as incorruptible as ever. And yet he would give up his throne for you.” “No.” I shook my head. “He’s a good, loyal king—” “Chaos. Ruin. Death,” she whispered through a flash of bluish teeth. Her wrinkled mouth pulled back in a smile. “I’ll tell you what I would do if I were still young and beautiful like you.” Her white eyes shone. “I would keep him. I’d use his power and body to keep myself safe. Your journey to sever your bond with Eusia will be dangerous. You’d be a fool to go it alone.” Her vines brought her even closer to me, but I was too stunned to recoil. “Da...