Chapter 44

Briar’s POV

I was surprised.

Not because of the book or the drawing or even the words coming out of Theo’s mouth.

I was surprised because, deep down, something inside me already knew that I wasn’t okay.

But being told this, not on my list of things.

Kylan sat beside me, staring at the page with a deep frown, his fingers tapping against the table as if trying to piece everything together. But I couldn’t look away from the image in front of me.

A woman, drawn in ink so old it had faded into the parchment. Long, flowing hair. Eyes that seemed to glow even in the faded artwork. Strange, swirling snake marks along her arms—marks I had seen before.

On me.

Theo exhaled, leaning back slightly. "She was a Siren Goddess," he said simply.

I finally forced my eyes away from the book. "A what?"

Kylan let out a low whistle. "I was hoping for something dramatic, but this? Yeah...it didn’t fit what I had in