Dark Siren by Katerina Martinez Page B

world a little better? Seems to me like the Italian loafer fits.”
    The words came out before Alice had a chance to run them through her filter. She hadn’t meant to say them, hadn’t meant to get personal with Isaac in the slightest. In fact, getting personal was the furthest thing from her mind; all she wanted to do was help Emily. But the words came out like a spray of bullets shot from the past. She didn’t have to remind herself she had been the one to end things, but there had been things left unsaid, and these things were bubbling to the surface like scalding acid-reflux.
    “I wanted to help you,” he said, “I wanted to give you the answers you needed.”
    Alice frowned. “Like hell you did. I know your type, how you enjoy taking things apart to see what makes them tick. Knowledge is power, right? That’s what you’ve always said. You would have found a way to turn your knowledge of me into power.”
    “I would never disrespect you like that.”
    “I have no way of knowing whether that’s true or not.”
    Isaac’s deep brown eyes found Alice’s, and his gaze scorched the air between them. He clenched his jaw and looked away. Alice let go of the breath of air in her lungs, took a moment to shake herself loose, and felt the tension wash away from her like sweat after a marathon.
    “Can you help Emily or not?” Alice asked, “I don’t want either of us to waste any more time than we have to here.”
    “I think I can help her,” he said, “But I would need to do some research.”
    “Research? What kind of research?”
    “Just because one has the power to tear a hole into the realm of the dead doesn’t mean one does so on a daily basis. I would need to prepare the right kind of ritual and get the incantation right. Opening the door isn’t the difficult part; getting Emily out without hurting her, or letting anything else get out after her, will be.”
    “How difficult?”
    Isaac stared at Alice again, though his eyes weren’t intense this time. Concern had taken over and caused his face to take on a pleading expression. “I can’t say yet, but I want to be prepared. Of course, this preparation will take time, and I have other responsibil—”
    “You’re kidding right? Are you about to blow me off?”
    “I wasn’t. I was simply trying to tell you that I will need time—”
    “We don’t have time, Isaac. I need you to give this your full attention right now. Emily needs you.”
    She was asking for a lot—of course she was. But there was a girl lost in the Reflection somewhere, being subjected to all manner of horrors. Maybe she had found a good place to hide, but it was more likely that she hadn’t, that she was being hounded by— the arm in the picture —whoever had taken her across into the other realm. She had put her priorities aside to help Emily, and she wasn’t about to leave here without Isaac doing the same.
    “Please, Isaac,” she said. “Not for me, but for her.”
    Isaac stood, tugged on his shirt, and said “Fine, but then I want something in return.”
    “Payment? Really?”
    Again, more words which spilled out of Alice’s mouth involuntarily. She had been paid for this job and would, hopefully, be getting paid again, so reason dictated it was only fair Isaac should get paid too. Nate had said he would have trouble scraping a few thousand dollars together, though, and she doubted he would be able to hire Isaac’s services, too. She would have to pay him herself.
    “It’s only fair that I be recompensed for putting my life on hold for you.”
    “Not for me. For Emily.” She sighed. “How much?”
    “I don’t want your money.”
    “What’s wrong with my money?”
    “Nothing, I just don’t need it.”
    “So then what do you want?”
    “I’ll make my terms clear after we’re done.”
    “That will not work.”
    Isaac hesitated, pausing to carefully consider his next words. “You can trust me to only ask for something appropriate for the services