Page 36 of Sworn to Revenge
I take a long breath, hold it for a few seconds, and release it in one sharp exhale. I need to calm down and think rationally. If I’m bound to them, it means if their bloodline ends, I go down with them—to merhell, or wherever the place fish go when they die—maybe straight down the toilet. Irritation, mixed with frustration, surges through my chest, pushing out every other emotion that had me distracted moments ago. I turn my back on Bay, who’s watching me with pity in her eyes.
I’m not a man to be pitied. I don’t do pity!
I storm toward the water, burying my feet in the sand with each step, kicking up clouds of it in the air to vent my frustration. When I finally reach the water, I kick a chunk of wet sand into the air, watching it splash back into the shallow water around my ankles. But before I can understand what’s happening, I collapse backward onto the sand.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! What the fuck?” I shout as I look down to see that cursed blue tail reappear in place of my legs.
A shriek rips from Bay’s throat behind me, and she calls out for Alin—looks like none of us saw this coming.
I shoot a furious glare at Alin as she rushes toward me, still clutching her phone. Her mouth drops open in shock as her gaze lands on my tail.
She tosses the phone onto the sand and cautiously steps toward me, stopping just before the dry sand turns wet.
“I think your mom forgot to mention that being tied to your bloodline comes with a full package deal,” I mutter sarcastically, letting out a heavy sigh when she still doesn’t respond. If I could get up right now, I’d shut her gaping mouth myself.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, what in the merhell?” she finally says, and I don’t like what I’m hearing.
“You’ve never seen a human drink a potion to become a merman either,” Bay adds, her voice tense, reigniting the panic that had barely settled in my chest.
I amnota freaking fish!
That familiar burn creeps up my hand again as small sparks of electricity shoot from it. I’m starting to realize that if I don’t figure out how to control this, I’m going to fry all of us here. It doesn’t seem like this is going away anytime soon.
“Drag yourself back with your arms, I’ll help you get your legs back again,” she commands after what feels like an eternity, clearly avoiding telling me about the storm that’s brewing in her head—probably for the best. I don’t need to know what’s going on in there. I just want a solution!
“If it’s permanent, I’ll have to teach you to do it yourself.”
Hell you will.
I’m not about to add ‘shifting between legs and tail’ to my list of worries.
I slowly pull myself backward, inching across the sand until I reach a dry spot. Without wasting any time, she bends down toward my tail, running her hand over it in a few long strokes until my legs finally return.
“And what am I supposed to do about these ripped pants?” I ask as she curses again at the sight of my bare body, quickly turning her gaze away.
She slips off her long summer dress and tosses it at me. “Wear this!” she orders, clearly losing patience.
I quickly look away from her now-naked body, cursing under my breath as I stifle a disbelieving laugh.
“You want me to wear this thin, pink dress? You’ve got to be joking,” Iscoff in frustration, wiping the sand from my hand onto my chest.
Bay’s laugh cuts through the air, but she quickly swallows it down when I glare at her in warning, clearing her throat.
“Unless you want to walk around naked with your... situation popping up every time you glance at Bay, this is your only option,” Alin taunts, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “And you better decide quickly because Abert is almost here to pick us up.”
I sigh heavily, realizing I clearly didn’t hide it as well as I thought, and reluctantly slip into her damn dress. I pull it over my head, hearing some seams pop as I stretch it down over my chest.
She’s lucky she’s family.
I take a deep breath through my nose and release it slowly through my mouth. A few more threads snap as I do, but I clear my head and finally stand up.
The sound of Bay and Alin’s laughter pierces the air instantly, and tears of amusement gleam at the edges of Bay’s amethyst eyes.
“I can’t breathe! Where’s your phone? Wehaveto get a picture of this,” Bay manages between fits of laughter. I close the distance between us in an instant, lifting her chin to meet my gaze, making it very clear that’s not going to happen. Her giggles taper off into small chuckles when she looks at my tightened lips, and I can’t help but stretch them to a smile at that look. She has control over every cell in my body, even my thoughts.
“I’m man enough to pull this off,” I declare confidently, bringing her face close to mine, my nose grazing hers. She swallows, her eyes shimmering in the sunlight, silently pleading for more.Fuck. I can’t. Not before I talk to Luca.
I fake a satisfied smile at her, one that makes my point clear, and gently release her chin when our eyes meet.
