Page 41 of Sworn to Revenge
“If I remember correctly, from what Alin told me before, it has something to do with gems?” Mariano turns his gaze toward Bay, seeking confirmation, and she nods.
“She’s a literal walking ATM!” I blurt out, still amazed by that.
“What’s an ATM again?” Bay asks, and Mariano chuckles. Cora, on the other hand, is frowning in confusion—Bay really does have a lot to learn about the human world.
“I’ll explain later. But first, could you show them what you can do?” I quickly ask her, eager to share her abilities with them.
She smiles and nods as I grab a water bottle from Luca’s desk, open the lid, and hand it to her.
Bay performs the same trick she did in the ocean before, gently swirling her finger. A small amount of water rises from the bottle, and within seconds, a perfectly cut, shining pink gem drops into her lap.
“Oh my God, this is the most brilliant gem I’ve ever seen!” Cora exclaims in excitement, immediately snatching it up. “Can I keep it?”
“Of course, I can make as many as you want,” Bay replies warmly, sending Cora one of those innocent smiles that I damn well wish she’d save just for me.
Cora stares at the gem in awe, but Bay looks back at me, her brow furrowing. “Now… what’s an ATM?”
Bay
“How is Luca?” I ask Alin as she walks into the playroom in Cora and Mariano’s apartment. Cora is sitting next to me on the couch, excitedly counting the new colorful gems I made for her.
“I don’t know. He’s shut down, even with me. I told him everything, and he insisted on seeing her,” she replies in a tired voice. Her red eyes betray the fact she must have cried a lot. I know anything I say now will probably trigger more tears, especially with her crazy pregnancy hormones, but I have to ask.
“Are you going to take him?” I raise an eyebrow at her suspiciously, hoping she doesn’t have another potion up her sleeve that will cause more damage than we’ve already done.
“If you’re asking if I’ll get him tangled in this like we did with Pedro, then no,” she responds, and anger immediately rises in my chest. She can gamble with Pedro’s life, but she’d never let her husband do the same?
Cora seems to sense my outburst brewing and places a hand on mythigh, signaling with a nod that now isn’t the time.
I sigh heavily, “So what’s your plan?” I’m used to the fact that if I don’t ask the right questions, I won’t get relevant answers from her. Lately, she’s been keeping too much to herself.
Alin sits down next to Cora on the couch, contemplating before she speaks. “She is his mother… We’ll have to find a way. I’m not sure if we can bring her he—”
“How can you even consider bringing her here?” I can’t hold back and cut off her next insane idea. I’ve had enough of those for one lifetime. “She glows like a streetlamp from her forehead, lying unconscious in a glass case. Even if we manage it, you have no idea if this will affect the Coral of Life.”
I take a deep breath, trying to calm the frustration building up inside me when I see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. I did it again. “I’m sorry. I’m on edge with everything happening around us.”
“The three of us need to calm down. We’re not going to find a solution when you’re both this tense,” Cora says soothingly, turning her head toward her playroom entrance.
“Oh, here it com—” Alin signals, but Cora cuts her off.
“Maria!” Cora calls out, and less than a minute later, as if she had been waiting, Cora and Mariano’s cook stands in the doorway, wearing that strange thing humans wear when cooking to avoid getting dirty—an apron, was it?
“Yes, she has done it,” Alin throws her hands up in mock surrender, and I can’t help it but laugh.
“Oh, shut up,” Cora waves her off playfully and turns back to Maria. “Could you make me and Bay a strong cocktail, please? And for Alin, one without alcohol. Also, a big fruit platter with chocolate—it’s going to be a long night,” she requests, and Maria nods with a smile, wasting no time heading back to the kitchen.
“Good luck with the alcohol, Bay. I’ve had enough days of Cora’s drunken antics,” Alin teases, and a small smile finally breaks through her tired expression.
“You see the power of cocktails and dessert? Alin’s back to herself, and Maria hasn’t even returned yet,” Cora says with a knowing smile, placing her hand on my thigh and laughing. I smile back at her, deciding to let the topic rest for now.
“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything without telling you,” Alin looks at me, her eyes apologetic, and now guilt gnaws at me from the inside.
I nod at her in acknowledgment. “I think I can handle Cora’s drunken antics,” I tease Alin, trying to shift the mood to something lighter.
“You only think so… That’ll change once you see how much she actually drinks,” Alin laughs, a genuine, tired laugh, as if releasing all the weight resting on her narrow shoulders.
“I’m up for the challenge!” I announce, raising a fist in mock determination.
