Free Siren's Serenade (The Wiccan Haus) by Dominique Eastwick

only made contact with me twice, hardly the beat the shit out of the guest you usually go for.”
    “It would appear neither of us is focused today.”
    “What the hell is going on?”
    Rekkus looked as if he was about to say something, then shook his head. “I hope to be able to tell you very soon, but not yet. Do me a favor: can you go check on Dana on your way back to your cabin?”
    “Of course.” The hairs on the back of Kaleb’s neck stood on end, and seconds later the alarm on Rekkus’s walkie-talkie went crazy. “But I think the soon just became now.”
    “Damn it. Come with me.” Rekkus turned off the alarm and started running as Cemil squawked at Rekkus to get his ass to the lake, immediately. “You, I think, are about to find out the island’s little secret.”
    Rekkus ran through the woods with Kaleb fast on his heels, though it took every ounce of energy Kaleb had to keep up. When the woods opened to the forbidden lake, Kaleb stopped and leaned over his knees to catch his breath. Able to finally breathe, he stood. It was then that he saw the handful of beautiful women standing waist-deep in the lake. And they were angry.
    Angry at Serena, who was giving back every ounce of anger they were throwing at her. Looking at the most imposing of the women before him, Kaleb saw what he couldn’t believe he had missed at first glance: the similarities in their faces. This had to be Serena’s mother.
    Kaleb walked closer and would have taken Serena in his arms, but Cemil placed a staying hand in his path. “I wouldn’t if I were you.”
    “I’m not afraid of a little cat fight.”
    “Cat fight doesn’t begin to explain it. And here comes Sarka. This is gonna get ugly,” Cyrus said, pulling a set of orange ear plugs out of his pocket and placing one in his ear.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Earplugs. Should have brought you a set I guess.” He shrugged as he shoved the second bud into his other ear.
    “What the hell is going on?” Sarka demanded, stepping within inches of the lake.
    “What?” Cyrus asked loudly.
    Cemil ignored Cyrus and turned his attention to Sarka who was standing next to Serena.
    “You’re not welcome here, Mother.”
    “Serena, your year is up.”
    “That’s not possible.”
    “Your year is up as of sundown tonight.”
    Two of the women came forward, and as Kaleb was getting ready to jump in, Sarka put herself between the women in the water and Serena. “I do believe Serena informed you that you aren’t welcome here.”
    “I do not listen to you, witch.”
    “Oh, I think you’ll be listening to me. This island isn’t big enough for more than one bitch, and that bitch is me. Now, I suggest you get off my island before I have my security team throw your scaly asses off.”
    Rekkus growled and stepped toward Serena, grabbed her by the arm, and pushed her into Kaleb’s arms. “When your sisters start singing, you need to sing like your life depends on it.”
    “But—”
    “Make that sing like his life depends on it, and you know it does.”
    Rekkus started to strip naked, leaving Kaleb gapping. “What’s he going to do, fuck them off the island?”
    Cyrus looked confused. “What did you say? What did he say?”
    Then everything seemed to fall into place one of the women dove into the water, her tail making a loud splash. As he was about to process that information, Kaleb looked toward Sarka. A pale, green-tinted glow of white light surrounded the tall woman, spreading out to the people standing with her. Others, all women from the Haus, had joined the group; Myron, Trixie, Lakshmi. He counted thirteen not including Rekkus, Serena, and himself. And somewhere in his subconscious, Kaleb knew that Sarka had called in her coven.
    “Siren, sing!” Rekkus demanded. And then he did the impossible. Where a naked Rekkus had once stood, was now a large, angry black tiger. And the damned tiger seemed to shrug at him before he leaped to the water’s edge. There was no way