Page 14 of Sworn to Revenge
“A hunting screech came out of you,” Alin says bluntly now, her face tense. “I had to sing over your voice to save Pedro, and I had no choice but to knock you out.”
The weight of her words hits me hard. I understand why she locked me up. She did the right thing.
I almost hunted Pedro. I have to break this cursed prophecy.
I look at Alin now, my expression serious. She, as if reading my thoughts, nods for me to hurry—we need Aunt Lora.
“It’s time to hunt,” the deafening roar accompanied by an ear-piercing growl penetrates my ears again, and I clutch them tightly, feeling like my eardrums are about to burst at any moment, falling to my knees.
“Let me go already! I’m not going to hunt!” I scream into the air, now curled up on the floor, still covering my ears. Alin promised she’d help me—I won’t give in to him. I’m not alone now!
Alin rushes to me in concern and, without thinking twice, releases high yet soft sounds from her mouth, a soothing symphony that clashes with the sharp hunter’s screech the Guardian is releasing into my ears, freeing me from his grip within moments.
I finally let go of my ears and lie down on the cold floor,calming my racing heart, grounding myself back to reality.
“Alin, you’ll have to go to your mother alone and get the answers we need. If I return to the ocean, his hold on me will be much stronger. You won’t be able to break our connection like you did here,” now I realize that staying in the locked room is the smartest decision until Alin returns. “I’ll stay in the room, lock myself in until you come back.”
Alin nods, and Pedro steps forward, his face unreadable.
“You’re not locking yourself in alone. I’m staying with you,” he declares, and I can’t understand why he’s risking himself like this. We’re nothing, so why is he diving headfirst into a whirlpool when there’s a clear path to swim away?
“You’ll be in danger. If Alin isn’t here to break his hold on me, I could hunt even you, without control,” I warn him, knowing it should be enough to deter him from staying with me.
“I made sure to bring earplugs and noise-canceling headphones from the shooting range. I’ll put them on quickly if it happens again,” he says, dropping the backpack I just now notice he’s been carrying, showing me the large black ear protectors he brought with him.
Why is he so insistent? Isn’t he afraid?
“Are you sure?” I ask, raising an eyebrow, and he nods in confirmation, gripping my arm.
“I’ll stay with her here. Come back quickly,” he tells Alin, and she nods in agreement before rushing out of the apartment.
Now it’s just the two of us.
Or three? Stupid, perv dragon.
Sacred Bride, she said?
Pedro
“Tell me what you need,” I ask, cautiously running my hand down her arm from behind as she steps into my room first. I have no idea what she’s thinking right now or what this whole situation with that terrifying grip is about.
A guardian, she said? The hunters?
Alin had briefly mentioned her release from the Hunters’ pod before, but Bay hadn’t said too much about what happened there, just how she got sent there. Judging by Alin’s expression, she seemed just as surprised by everything going on here. What the hell did Bay go through that she never talks about?
“I need that fucking Guardian out of my head. Can you help with that?” she breaks the silence, her voice dripping with venom, her eyes and lips still swollen and red from crying.
I turn her to face me, raising an eyebrow as I look at her. “I’m here tohelp you; I’m not your enemy, Bay.”
“I’m sorry,” she replies so softly that I’m not sure if I imagined it. “His grip on me is exhausting. I’m fighting him in my mind every moment, doing everything I can to keep him from taking over again. I can’t think clearly.”
My heart tightens in my chest, and I instinctively pull her into my arms, wrapping her in my embrace as we stand there in silence. The soft morning sunlight filters through the glass wall overlooking the city, casting a warm glow over us, but it does little to ease the ache in my chest. I know I shouldn’t, but she needs me—she’s standing so quietly, looking so vulnerable, like she’s carried this weight alone for too long. I feel a sharp sting of frustration rising within me—frustration that I can’t fix this, can’t make it all go away.
It’s the first time she’s opened up like this, truly exposed—her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, so raw and unguarded. I feel my heart pounding harder in my chest, a fierce surge of protectiveness coursing through me—I won’t let anyone harm this fragile thing I’m holding in my arms. I won’t let her suffer alone.
She lifts her head slightly, meeting my gaze with those deep amethyst eyes, still wet, shimmering with a silent plea—a desperate hope that I’ll offer her some kind of solution, a way out of this. My fists clench in frustration, powerless to give her what she so desperately needs.
I exhale softly, my shoulders sinking in defeat as I gently guide her toward the bed, leading her carefully to sit down. I settle beside her, taking a spot just close enough to feel her warmth, but far enough that she can breathe—far enough that I’m not crowding her.
