Page 44 of Sworn to Revenge
Elyr’s body lies crumpled in the center of the Cage, surrounded by the roaring cheers of the huntresses. The dark mist hovers over her, pulling the life out of her with every passing second. Her screams are weakening, fading into a horrifying silence, and my chest feels like it’s going to burst with helpless pain, knowing there’s nothing I can do.
She’s trapped inside, and we’re bound by an oath you can’t break—unless you want to die yourself. I bite down hard, praying she’ll pull through. Just stay strong, please. I have your pink pearls, the ones you love. I’ll make you a necklace when you’re out. Just get out.
“What’s that dumb merbitch doing?” Riel’s voice cuts through the cheers, and I glance in her direction. My heart stops. Elyr is clawing at her own throat, nails digging in deep. What is she doing? No.
“Elyr, it’s an illusion! Fight it!” I scream, my voice raw and desperate. She’s going to kill herself. “Wake up!”
A powerful tail slams into me, and I’m thrown back against the stone wall. Sonia’s face sneers down at me. “You’re not allowed to help her. If she dies, that’s her choice.”
“You vile bitch! She’s sixteen! How could you do this?” My voice shakes as I stand, clutching the pink pearls in my fist—the pearls she loved, the ones she was accused of stealing but never touched. They were hers.
Sonia smirks, her eyes glinting with cruelty. “Age doesn’t matter in the Cage, only experience.” Her smirk grates on my nerves. “And it looks like she won’t be gaining any more of that,” she taunts, pointing back toward Elyr. I follow her gaze, my heart pounding with dread.
My stomach drops. No. I choke on a gasp.
“She’s dead.”
I force my eyes open, blinking against the ceiling in my room as I struggle to breathe, my heart still racing. And then I hear footsteps beside me.
“Alin?” I catch a glimpse of her white silk pajamas as she enters the room, and I sit up. My head is pounding so hard.
“I told you not to start a drinking contest with Cora,” Alin sighs, handing me a strange white oval pearl-like thingy and a glass of water. “It’s a remedy humans use for headaches, or in your case, a hangover,” she explains, seeing the confusion on my face.
“So this is what the so-called hangover feels like,” I mutter under my breath as Alin pulls open the curtains covering the large glass wall in my guest room. I should’ve listened to her warnings—this is definitely not something I’d call fun. “Remind me not to drink again.”
Her laugh cuts through the pounding in my head, offering no relief. “Good luck with that.”
I raise an eyebrow at her as she moves closer, sitting on the edge of the bed next to me. “Here, you put this on your tongue and swallow it with the water,” she explains, and I follow her instructions.
“Ugh. What is this awful taste?” I grimace, sticking out my tongue in disgust. Why do humans like to suffer when they’re already suffering?
She laughs again. “Yeah, if you don’t swallow it fast, it gets bitter. You’ve got to down it in one go.”
“Thanks, Dr. Alin. Do you laugh at all your patients like this?” I playfully nudge her and get out of bed.Wait, something feels off.
“How are you awake before me?” I can’t hide the shock in my voice. “What time is it?”
Alin rolls her eyes at me, as if my surprise is misplaced and she is the ‘perfect morning person.’ “Two in the afternoon, but that makes sense considering how late you stayed up, with all your nonsense with Pedro.”
Did she say two in the afternoon?
Damn.
I’ve never slept that long.Wait.“Did you say Pedro?” My eyes widen in shock. What the hell did I do last night? “I can’t remember a thing.”
“Yup, another funny side effect of their alcohol—you forget just how ‘fun’ you had the day before,” she says, standing in front of me. “I’ll take careof your Pedro problem. You go shower, pull yourself together, and come down to the kitchen. There are pancakes.”
My Pedro problem? What is she talking about? “Do I even want to know what happened yesterday?” I ask, anxiety starting to build in my chest.
“Nope. Now go get ready,” she says, pushing me towards the guest bathroom. “And don’t forget about your tail again—your morning tumbles are stressing out the cleaner.”
She’s out of sight before I can even respond, and only after a delayed beat do I shout after her excitedly, “Wait! Did you say pancakes?”
Pedro
The pressure in my chest eases slightly as I step into Luca’s office, where he’s briefing Abert and two other men on the latest intel about the woman we’re hunting. Mateo’s digging has already tied her to Stas, just as I suspected. I’m still waiting on confirmation of her identity before updating Luca, but it’s clear her revenge quest is turning into a one-way ticket straight to hell—to Stas, where she belongs.
Luca’s expression has shifted back to the sharp, commanding presence of the capo. Composed. Focused. He doesn’t let our problems or chaos distract him from the family’s goals. As expected from a capo.
