Muses, Mishaps, and Murder!

Chapter 12 An Unwanted Siren

Muse Paisley

Holbrook turned to Mason. "Thanks for being a sweetheart."

The siren sniffed the air and tried to ignore her. She grasped Mason's wrist. "I bet if I pull up your sleeve, I'll prove you desire me."

"Nope, you'd be wrong." Mason pulled away and examined Holbrook to make sure she wasn't injured.

"Why aren't you examining my injuries?" The siren's wings beat faster, trying to attract Mason's attention.

"You're fine. Have one of the other prisoners check you out," Mason said.

The siren pouted. "Aren't you infected with my hormones? Only mated forest fairy wolves are immune to the full effects of sirens. I'm special. Ten of forty-thousand sirens are born with hormone power. Do you realize how rare I am?" the siren asked.

"You aren't that special." Mason rolled his sleeve up and glanced at his wrist before yanking it down.

One of the men who didn't attack Holbrook approached the siren. "You're lucky that the goblin woman didn't kill you. I'm infected, but it is up to the man to control himself. Sadly, you use your power to hurt other women like that."

The siren snorted, glared at Holbrook, and lunged at her again.

"Stop bothering me." Holbrook held the woman back with one hand.

Zander rushed to the cell. He and the guards removed the siren and the other prisoners. "Take her out! Our protected agents aren't permitted to be in contact with the general population."

"I had my orders," an unmasked guard said. His face mirrored a tiger.

"Not from me," Zander said.

General Allen raised his hand. "Zander, you were ordered to protect my daughter!" He slumped and appeared defeated and broken. "You haven't discovered who murdered Quin Salamander or who Deb-Dagger is." General Allen's eyes narrowed. He mimicked Shanna's voice. "I'm Shanna Salamander, and I sound like Deb-Dagger, yet everyone thinks since I'm on a kid's show that I'm not a psycho. I killed my mom for the money because I'm an entitled princess, and she didn't buy me a rainbow puppy doll."

"Your buddy Mason cleared her." Zander tapped his foot, and it started thumping.

"You shouldn't call this protective custody," Mason said.

Zander spoke to Mason. "I'd never place Holbrook in a cell with that pickpocket because I know that idiot siren would be humiliated and possibly injured, and I don't need the extra paperwork. I'm protecting the other prisoners from Holbrook and her father because of the riot the last time they were in protective custody." Zander slipped a device around Holbrook's waist.

"I won't hit that stupid Rag-And-Bone Merchant again if you take my chains off." General Kitten Allen struggled with the chains. "He struck me first."

Holbrook nodded. "Doctor Henry was told to keep his hands to himself."

"Just stop talking to him," Zander said. "He is a blowhard."

Mason glanced at Holbrook's laser gun. "The living spaceship digested the salamander women in its engine tank except for Vash's blood. Quin Salamander's murder stopped the investigation into her thefts."

Masked guards moved their prisoners from the cells to the prisoner seating area. They shoved Mason and the others into their jump seats and latched their heavy, cell-like harnesses.

Most didn't speak.

A sheep guard yanked Mason. "We tried to take you four times in the last month for this investigation without the spies on your old crew ship getting word. This isn't a dinky operation. You're on the top Agency-14 penal ship."