Page 53 of Sworn to Revenge
“And what exactly do I want?” I ask with frustrated laughter.
“Your bloodline alive after the mistake you made,”he growls in response, his answer cutting through my disinterest, and my body stiffens.
“And how exactly would releasing you save them?” I try to hide the curiosity in my voice, maybe he’ll at least give me some useful information.
“I love my huntress’s innocence…”His voice is low and raspy, almost as if he’s trying to seduce me.Disgusting. A perv dragon. I swallow the bile rising in my throat.“Once I mark you, you’ll become Black Blooded.”
I hold my breath.Black Blooded?
Pedro
I’m holding onto every ounce of self-control not to kill Flavio’s nephew, but at least I’m satisfied I left a lasting impression.
Flavio shoots me a grateful look, fully aware that I could’ve done far worse if I’d wanted to, but we’ve got enough problems already. Luca seems pleased too—did I just catch a glimmer of pride in his eyes? I’m not proud of it, though. From the moment my eyes landed on Bay’s bloodied wound, I’ve been digging my nails into my palm, fighting the sparks threatening to escape, knowing they’d raise questions none of us are ready to answer.
We need to leave. Now. They found Mariana—at least I’ll have a chance to unleash my anger there.
Suddenly, Bay’s body stiffens against my chest, her hands flying to cover her ears.Shit. Is this what I think it is?
I dart a glance at Alin, who meets my gaze with instant understanding. Gathering Bay into my arms, I rush her toward the office, Alin’s sharpfootsteps close behind.
Inside, I lay Bay down on the office couch while Alin locks the door behind us. Finally, I can breathe, now that it’s just the three of us.
“What the hell?” I snap. “Didn’t you say we had a month?”
“I don’t know what’s happening either. Maybe the Coral of Life is weakening and needs more souls,” she guesses. I don’t like all the uncertainty around Bay’s situation. Anxiety builds in my chest as Bay’s empty gaze locks onto me. I reach into my pocket to grab the earplugs I’ve gotten used to carrying everywhere, but Alin stops me.
“No need. You’re a merman now, remember? She only hunts humans,” she explains, and I pull my hand back out of my pocket. Great, at least there’s one upside to this tail curse—I can stay by her side without worrying I’ll be the next meal for the Coral of Life.
I kneel in front of her, staring at her face, but something feels off. She’s definitely not with us, but it’s not the usual look of fighting whatever’s going on in her head—she looks calm, like she’s actuallyacceptingit. What’s happening?
“Something’s wrong,” I say, unable to hide the concern in my voice as I keep my eyes locked on Bay’s lifeless stare. “There’s something different in her expression this time.”
“You’re learning to notice these things, that’s good,” Alin’s heels click closer as she places a hand on my shoulder from behind. Is she complimenting me in this situation? “It doesn’t look like she is fighting him this time, and she is not hunting either—which means she is communicating with him.”
“Communicating with him? What the hell do they even have to talk about?” I ask angrily. I know exactly what his plans for her are, and I am fucking not okay with these ‘intimate’ conversations. “Can he control her emotions?”
“Oh, come on, Pedro. This isn’t the time for Spallo family jealousy fits,” she sighs in frustration and sits beside Bay. “He can’t control her emotions, but if she keeps defying him, he can drive her to madness. He’ll torture her mentally until she breaks.”
I’m going to kill that fucking scum.
“Remind me why we don’t just go there and kill him?” I ask through clenched teeth, struggling to hold back, my fingers digging into the couch.
“Because without the Guardian to contain it, the Coral of Life’s wild magic will spread everywhere—the balance will be broken,” she explains, and I furrow my brow in confusion. Wild magic? Balance? None of this makes any sense to me, but Bay’s life is more important than all this bullshit.
“In simple terms—apocalypse,” she clarifies before I can ask, and now I understand why it wasn’t part of the initial plan. We’ll have to stick to the original, even if I hate it. I sigh loudly, leaning back and sitting on the floor, staying close to Bay.
“Don’t worry, the plan will work. I’m sure he’ll want Morlay’s heart more than he wants Bay,” she tries to reassure me, though it doesn’t do much. “He’ll prefer to wait a few more centuries for a new bond rather than miss his chance at revenge.”
Now, with the way she explains it, I’d probably go for revenge too. Aflicker of hope rises in my chest.
“Pedro?” Bay’s weak voice cuts through all my thoughts, and I immediately sit up beside her. “Where are we?”
“We’re in the casino offices. We were afraid you’d turn the casino into a buffet for the Coral of Life, so we brought you here quickly,” I tell her with a chuckle, though it’s hard to hide the worry in my voice.
She sits up, a half-smile stretching across her lips as her eyes meet Alin’s. “You’re exactly who I need right now,” she says, and Alin raises an eyebrow in question.
“I think there is a way to save the bloodline,” she announces the good news, but her eyes don’t reflect the excitement that should come with it. “But none of you are going to like it.”
