We were on our way out, barely escaping with the artifact from the main building of the serpent brotherhood. I was with Cassie and eve was with Jacob. We took seperate roots hoping that we would cause confusion and escape easier. I froze. There was something wrong. I couldn't leave.

"Ezickel? What's wrong?" Her words barely registered. I handed her the artifact.

"Get it out of here and meet with the others, I need to go back..."

"Ezickel?"

"Go!" I ran back in, thru the halls, confused, not even sure where I was going. I knew when I found her. Dark black hair, deep green eyes, pale skin and ruby red lips. She was locked in a room, a strong barred door in front. I easily picked the lock, I opened the door and started towards her.

"Stop. Don't come in!"

I didn't stop. My only thought was getting to her, freeing her, saving her, being her hero. I kneeled beside her.

"Are you alright? " she sighed in response. My face dropped. I had upset her.

"I'm a trap." The words sunk in. I looked at the open door, how could she be a trap?

I tugged her to her feet trying to pull her from the room, she lazily followed behind. When I reached the entrance I was thrown back by a forcefield.

"That wasn't there before..." I touched it with my hand and it pulsated an electric blue.

"It's a one way forcefield. You can get in, but as long as it's active you can't get out."

My mind was returning, no longer acting on instinct.

"You're the trap?" She sighed again and sat against the wall, she patted the floor beside her. I eagerly joined her and listened attentively as she explained.

"I'm half-siren. I was born of a human and a siren. I don't have fins but can still lure men to their deaths. As I have now lured you. It's not like I'm even trying, I told you not to come in. I didn't want to trap you. I just radiate an irresistible pulse that calls men to me. Everyone of them wants to please me to help me or save me from whatever predicament they think I'm in. It's stupid. You know how many men have tried to marry me, it's impossible. Now my father will kill you."

My mind was blurring whenever I looked at her so I looked at the wall as we talked.

"Your father?"

"You've met him, I'm sure. He leads the serpent brotherhood. He fell in love with my mother once when he ship was lured by the sirens. She seduced him but instead of killing him like she had planned she mated with him. I was born. Being a half breed I couldn't live with the other sirens. My mother snuck my father and I off the island where the sirens lived, fearing they would kill us. My father was evil, as I learned when I grew. When I was a child I was given everything I wanted, irresistible even as a child. My father soon developed a patch, sort of like a nicotine patch, that allowed you to resist my 'charms'. He has all his men wear them. When I began to take a more womanly shape he locked me away, luring men to their death whether I wanted to or not. You'll be the tenth librarian I've killed by luring you in."

Before I could respond Stone was at the entrance, I tried to call to him to stop him but it was to late. He ran to her, just as I had. I sighed and she put her head in her hands, her porcelain doll-like then explained again.

"So we're just trapped here until her dad comes to kill us?" Stone yelled. He threw himself against the forcefield, only to be thrown back with equal force.

"Think smarter, not harder Stone." Eve appeared outside the door. Cassie was beside her.

"Okay, if their going to kill us, they have to be able to get us out first right?" Stone asked the siren, who's name I'd learned was Jade.

"Yes, but the only time it's deactivated is when the guards come to kill you, they have a special key card that let's them in and out without being trapped." Jade sighed. I hated hearing her sigh.

"Okay. So we make them come before they know we're here! We have the advantage." Eve countered.

"How will the guards come?" Asked Cassie.

"Do you have a way to call them? Like if you need something?" I asked Jade.

"No, they feed me twice a day. Other than people like you showing up I don't see anyone much."

"How long have you been down here?" I asked incredulous.

"A long time..." She looked down.

"Wait, Sirens sing. That's mostly how they lure in their prey. I mean there is the natural pull which her dad accounted for. But, they didn't account for a sirens song." He looked at Jade. Jade shrugged.

"My dad never let me sing, even when I was young. He told me it was evil, that my voice would hurt others. But it was him who was evil."

"Will you sing for us Jade?" Cassie asked.

"I'd love to help you, I don't want any of you to die, but I've never ever sang before, I don't know any songs.." Jade looked down sadly.

"Singing comes naturally to a siren. If we taught you a song it should catch on pretty quick."

Stone started a low melody and we all joined knowing the song.

"Nothing's gonna hurt you. No ones gonna dare. No one will desert you, not to worry Ill be there"

We started the song but stopped when jades angelic voice took over. As she sang I became transfixed, only she existed, only she mattered. The walls dimmed to black and the people blured out of existence. It was just me and her. We sat under a spotlight, the only light their seemed to be and although the blackness went on forever I felt no need to explore it. I just sat and watched her sing. Her lips moved with such elegance. I didn't want her to stop but I couldn't help myself. I leaned forward towards her body closer and closer. She didn't seem to notice. She didn't notice until I touched my lips lightly to hers, forcing her to stop singing, then the blackness brightened and the people appeared, I saw stone sitting oppisite of me watching her. The room was littered with bodies, unconscious, no doubt by Cassie and Eve. Every male guard had come to Jades aid and been knocked to the ground one by one. I let myself fall against the wall. It was more than I'd ever expected, that small, light, kiss. My life was complete. I could die now. Suddenly I was pulled from my trance by a slap on the wrist. There was a patch where I had been slapped. The anti-siren patch. I looked at her, she was still just as beautiful. She bit her perfect lip and looked on me sadly.

"It's alright ezieckal. You were under a spell." She whispered. Had she thought I'd kissed her because of the trance of her song. Maybe I did. I don't know, I know I would do it again.

"Come on, let me get you out of here." I reached for her hand but she withdrew it.

"My father will be here soon." She tried to explain, I didn't understand.

"Then I guess we'd better hurry." I reached for her hand to no avail.

"If we take her with us, were more likely to get caught." Baird said.

"So?" I felt another slap this time on my forearm it was another anti-siren patch.

"It's not working." Stone said frustrated.

"I snapped out of it as soon as I got the patch. You're still caught by her spell. I don't get it."

"You can't save me Ezekiel. You can only die trying." She looked away.

I felt arms pull me to my feet, I fought. It was Baird and Stone, they pulled me from her. I kicked and screamed the whole way out of the building. I thrashed and moaned loudly the whole way back to the library. When we got there they let me go and I rushed for the door only to have Stone push me into a seat.

"Let it go." He told me. Jenkins came in from his study.

"What's all the ruckus?" He asked grumpily.

"This idiot met a siren and won't stop trying to get to her." Stone told him. Jenkins looked me in the eyes and nodded knowingly.

"Not just met. You kissed her." He observed.

"So what?" I asked not caring how he knew.

"It's how Sirens lock in their pray, they kiss them so the prey will follow them until they are hungry, the she kills him." He said handing Stone a book on sirens.

"She was only half siren does that change anything?" Stone asked.

"Changes everything, a full siren, nothing I could do, he'll just keep trying to get to her. Half siren, a little bit of seaweed water and he'll be good as new."

I sat there chained to the chair as the forced me to drink seaweed. It was awful. I didn't feel much different. I still wanted her, I still craved her. But now, I could think, maybe get her a safer, smarter way. And I calmed enough they set me free.

"Why isn't he disillusioned?" Stone asked angrily, looking at Jenkins.

"Because, he was never illusioned in the first place. He's in love with her. True love, the most powerful force there is. Nothing will keep him from her now. You'd better just let him to her." Jenkins left back into the study.

"Alright, I'm coming with you." We both started for the door. Jenkins came out with a book on true love.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Stone."

"Why the hell not? You think I'm letting him go into the serpents layer alone? You're crazy!"

"He felt the pull of true love immeaditly. She didn't. Perhaps because she's half siren. The point is for her to feel it he needs to save her. Alone. He must rescue the princess from the tower where the wicked witch keeps her. Or in this case, from her father who will no doubtably kill her for betraying him."

Kill her? Stone was problely going to protest but I was already gone.