The Dark Siren's Unexpected Mate

The Redheaded Beauty

I swallow hard when the word pops into my head. “Princess.”

I remember the strange prince that I saved from a watery doom. I remember the urge deep within my gut. The pull I felt. 

For the first time I wonder… do I really want to kill him? Or am I just trying to protect myself from getting hurt again?

“Calliope?” Says the old man, snapping me out of my whirlwind of thoughts, “We should get going. The market will open soon.”

“What?” I say, “Oh, right. Yes. The market.”

“Trust me, dear, “ he says, “You’ll do wonderfully. No man will be able to keep his eyes off of you, and the women will envy you so much that they will be desperate for our dresses.”

A small, wicked smile stretches across my lips. I do love toying with men. This might be fun.

So we quickly gather up all of Angelo’s supplies, some samples for display, and his rolling cart, and we are on our way.

We emerge into the bustling street, the shouting voices of merchants and customers fills the air. We walk down the street to the center of the market, pushing through the crowd as we go. I pretend not to notice people staring at me as I pass, but I’m already enjoying the attention. I get a sick joy out of seeing a woman smack her husband on the back of his head when he stops dead in his tracks at the sight of me.

Angelo finds a place to set up his cart toward the edge of the market. Around us are other merchants selling meats, fruits, jewelry, and countless other things. 

The energy around me... the life pulsing through the street is infectious. My whole existence has revolved around death for so long, I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to go back. 

We aren’t even done setting up our cart yet when a woman stops in front of us. “WHERE did you get that dress?” She exclaims. I stand up from the bolts of fabric I was laying out and place a hand on my hip. The woman is adorned in a ridiculous amount of lace and frills, and her enormous hat makes her look like a caricature. 

I flash her one of my best, alluring smiles and answer, “Master Angelo made it.” I’m even shocked by the pride in my voice. Then I lean forward to finish my sentence in a low, mysterious voice. “But be warned, he cannot take on many more clients. He’s in very high demand right now. If you want a custom dress, you’ll have to place your order now.”

The woman’s eyebrows shoot up and she takes a step back. She looks me up and down, surveying the handiwork of my gown. Then her gaze darts over to Angelo. “Right,” she says in a curt, short voice. “I’ll be in tomorrow for measurements. Here is my deposit.” Just like that, she plops a heavy satchel of coins in my hand. “Lady Dungee is my name. I’ll be there first thing in the morning.”

“I’ll see if we can move our other appointments around for you,” I answer. “We will see you in the morning.”

The woman turns to leave, her layers and layers of gaudy fabric swishing as she walks. 

When I turn around, Angelo is standing behind me with his mouth hanging open in shock.

I can’t help but giggle.

Yes, I giggle.

Me, Calliope, the queen of the sirens… I giggle.

I proudly place the brown bag of coins in his hand and lean in. “How many more do you want me to sell today?”

After a few hours and countless other customers, my little white lie about having too many appointments becomes truth. Angelo is practically beaming with excitement, and his pockets are getting heavy. They jingle loudly every time he moves. 

I use my dark magic to lure in a few customers, but even I’m shocked by how eager these people are.

“I think it’s time to pack up,” Angelo says. “I have enough work to last me the rest of the year! You were incredible.”

“Glad I could help,” I say as I join him in packing up the cart.

Angelo tucks several fabric samples back inside the cart, then stands up. Suddenly, his face goes ashen white. A hush falls over the entire crowd. 

I turn to look at what’s caught everyone’s attention. At the edge of the street, a young woman is approaching. Her red curls are blowing gently in the breeze, held in place by a tiara that sparkles in the afternoon light. Her eyes are a bright gold, and her skin is so pale that it almost looks translucent. And her gown? Well, before today I would’ve considered it a work of art. It’s all white, covered with delicate lace and beads that catch the light just enough to cast rainbows on the ground around her.

“Who is that?” I whisper over my shoulder at Angelo.

He’s completely frozen in shock, though, and he can’t answer. The woman has already locked eyes with us and is walking straight toward me. The crowd seems to part ways for her, some of the onlookers even bow as she passes.

I’m not going to let her intimidate me, though. This woman has nothing on my strength and power. She will be putty in my hands.

So I throw my shoulders back and prepare to use my dark, tempting magic on her as she approaches.

“My Lady,” Angelo says in an awe-struck whisper, bowing low to the beautiful woman.

She looks down her nose at him in disgust. I feel my hands clenching in anger, wishing I could suck out her soul right now. But there are too many onlookers.

Her gaze moves over to me, and she looks the dress up and down. She raises her hand and makes a little circle with her index finger. 

She wants me to turn. 

I scoff angrily at first, my gut instinct is to dig in my heels and tell her off.

“Calliope!” Hisses Angelo. The whole crowd is staring at us now.

So I roll my eyes and turn around. 

“Hmm…” Sighs the redheaded woman. “One of the ladies-in-waiting told me about this gown,” she says. “I had to see it for myself.”

I stop turning and make eye contact with her. I smile, sending the dark energy of my magic her way. But she just raises a curious eyebrow at me, her cold expression is unmoving. Why isn’t it working? Something is different about her. 

Is she not human?

She disconnects our gaze, leaving me stunned. Then she steps toward Angelo and hands him the largest purse of coins I’ve seen all day. “You’ll have to do,” she says haughtily.

I grind my teeth in frustration. How dare she talk to him like that!

“What kind of gown will you be needing?” Angelo says in a choked voice.

“My wedding gown, of course!” She answers. “After all, I’ll be marrying the prince in two weeks. I need the finest gown in the kingdom.”

My blood runs cold at her words. The anger and intense jealousy that is pulsing through my veins is nearly uncontrollable. She’s the one who is marrying the prince. My prince.

“It would be an honor,” Angelo says with a bow.

“Yes, it will,” She answers as she turns away with a flourish. She calls over her shoulder at us as she struts down the street. “Be at the palace tomorrow!”