Page 10 of Sworn to Revenge
Without hesitating, I slide into his bed, too afraid he might change his mind. His scent wraps around me like a drug, soothing every ache and whisper of doubt. My body feels light, relaxed for the first time all day.
Pedro watches me with a puzzled look, sitting on the edge of the bed in his shirt and pants. He keeps his distance, his gaze intense, like he’s calculating every move. His eyes finally break from mine, and he lets out a string of quiet curses.
“Is it that hard for you to be near me?” I ask, my voice cracking. “Even a brother shouldn’t be that horrified.”
“No, that’s not it. It’s just… a rough day.”Pedro mutters, letting out a heavy sigh as he slides under the covers, but he keeps his distance. His tone is flat, distant, and I can tell it’s not just Luca—he feels detached, like I’ve somehow slipped away from his thoughts.
“I just don’t want to be alone tonight,” I murmur, burying the sting ofhis rejection. He nods, not saying a word.
I turn my back to him,feigning sleep, but my mind spins in the quiet darkness. Every sound feels sharper, every second longer. I breathe in his scent, something familiar, something safe—at least, it used to feel that way.
But the comfort doesn’t last.
The roar—familiar, yet too loud, too close—rips me from sleep. My eyes fly open, and I look around, disoriented. This isn’t Pedro’s room. It’s wrong. I’m trapped again. In the cage. My heart pounds, a cold dread tightening in my chest. No. Please, no.
“Bay!” Elyr’s voice cuts through the dark, raw and terrified. “Help me!” Her arm is stretched out, reaching for me, her pink tail ensnared in a dark, swirling cloud of the cage’s magic.
“Take my hand!” I shout, lunging for her. Our fingers lock, but the black fog is relentless, pulling us both deeper into its hold.
“Bay, I don’t want to die!” Her voice breaks, fear twisting her face as she tries to hang on. I pull with all my strength, but the force is too much, and her hand slips from mine.
“I thought you were going to save me! You promised you’d help! Why did you let me die?” She screams, her voice echoing as the fog pulls her away. Her scream rips through me as I cry out her name. I can’t watch her die again. “Elyr!”
The darkness closes in, crushing me. The roar of the guardian swells—louder, louder—an inescapable storm that drowns everything, leaving me alone in the void.
Pedro
“Can you hear me?” Alin asks, waving her hand in front of Bay’s face. Bay has been frozen in place for over ten minutes, completely unresponsive. Her amethyst-purple eyes, usually sparkling with a gemstone glow, have turned cold and dark.
“What’s happening?” I ask Alin, hoping she has some kind of answer. The world of mermaids is still strange to me. Maybe mermaids shed their skin like lizards? Or maybe it’s just that time of the month... I raise an eyebrow in frustrated confusion as Alin suddenly starts shaking Bay’s shoulders, her panic rising.
“Pedro, this isn’t a good sign. Something—or someone—is holding onto her consciousness,” Alin says as Bay remains unresponsive. “I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but what ever’s gripping her must be incredibly powerful to affect her like this without even being here.”
What the hell does that mean? Is Bay lost? I don’t understand a word of what she just said. Someone’s holding her consciousness? Is it like theeffect their powers have on humans?
Before I can even process what’s happening, Bay’s mouth opens, and a sound rips from her—a raw, guttural screech that feels like it’s cutting through my very bones. My skin crawls, my heartbeat stutters. Alin is on me in an instant, her hands slamming over my ears with a desperate force, trembling as if she’s trying to hold her own fear at bay. The room pulses with the violent clash between Bay’s inhuman wail and Alin’s melodic hum, a sound so soft, so fragile, it’s barely a whisper—like a prayer meant to counter the chaos. But the hum is desperate, and it only seems to make the screech more unbearable.
My fingers dig into Alin’s wrists, holding on tightly, trying to block out the insanity of this sound storm. The noise vibrates through my chest like a sickening pulse, twisting in my stomach, something we can’t control or escape. My entire body shudders from the intensity of it, as if the sound is pulling at the very fibers of my being.
Bay’s eyes are wide and empty, pools of nothingness that send a cold shiver up my spine. Her body is taut, like a puppet caught in the hands of some unseen master, every twitch a silent scream of something too far gone for us to understand.“Bay, are you okay?” Alin asks as the noise cuts off abruptly, releasing her grip on me.
“Alin? What are you doing here?” Bay’s voice sounds clear, and her familiar mischievous smile returns as she looks at us, her amethyst eyes sparkling again.
“Are you okay?” I ask, still shaken from everything that just happened. But she seems completely unaware of the chaos she just caused.
“What’s wrong with you two? Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Bay looks between us, baffled, but her voice sounds… distant.
“Bay, you were completely unresponsive—like you were possessed,” Alin tells her bluntly. Bay’s face pales.
“No, no, I’m fine. Don’t worry. Maybe I swam… I mean, sleepwalked…” Bay mutters something vague, clearly trying to brush off Alin’s concern, but her tone suggests she’s hiding something.
Alin notices it too. “Bay, you can’t—”
“Alin, I’m fine! Let it go. It’s over. Go live your fucking boring human life and leave me alone,” Bay snaps defensively, cutting her off brutally. “Just go already, fuck!”
What’s happening?Bay would never talk like that, especially not to Alin.
I glance at Alin, whose eyes widen, hurt by Bay’s behavior. This isn’t like her at all.
