Page 62 of Sworn to Revenge
He turns his gaze to me, “Mr. ‘I am the big scary Capo’? I hear some disrespect in your tone?” He smirks and returns his gaze to the road ahead. “You definitely have zero sense of self-preservation.”
I roll my eyes, but he immediately continues.
“We’ll add a few more humans to your hunt. You can control a large group like Alin does, right?”
Now I understand where he’s going with this. “The swim to the Coral of Life is very long, and the hunter’s mark drains a lot of my energy. I don’t think I’ll be able to continue far with a big hunt alone—even three people is a lot.” I update him, but maybe a big hunt is exactly what will silence the Guardian for a longer time. Or at least until we solve this mess.
“Hunter’s mark?” He raises an eyebrow at me in question but doesn’t take his eyes off the road.
“The huntress marks her prey. You can think of it like the affiliation marks of the pods,” I explain. “It’s what keeps them alive until the moment the Coral of Life consumes their souls.”
“And you can’t just mark them all, just this once?” He asks, seems like he tries to think of a solution.
“It will be hard for me to swim all those hours to the Coral of Life and keep them alive. If I lose my strength, the hunter’s mark will also start to fade,” I clarify that this can’t happen. But maybe there is another option...
“I have another idea, though it’s a bit crazy,” I turn to look at him. “And maybe a bit dangerous...”
His gaze bores into me, clearly impatient. “Just say it already. I don’t have time for mumbling.”
“Wow, what a gentleman,” I tease, sighing as he shoots me that icy, threatening look.
“If I can reach out to the Guardian again, maybe he’ll send more huntresses from nearby,” I explain my idea. “But you’ll have to let me go back to the water alone—you can’t get out of the car. It’ll be too dangerous for you, surrounded by few more hungry huntresses,” I make sure to warn him about the risks involved.
“I’m not letting you roam around on land for even a minute without protection. Not happening. Especially not with the Russians right on our tail; they could shoot you before you even have the chance to open yourmouth,” he clarifies, leaving no room for argument. And he’s right—the Russians are sticking to us close behind.
“I’ll stay out of their line of sight the moment they show up,” he promises. “I’ve got a wife at home who’s not going to let me off easy if I don’t make sure you get safely into the water,” he admits, not hiding the concern in his voice. I can’t help but laugh. Even he’s started to fear Alin.
And rightly so.
“Let me try to reach him. I still don’t know how our connection works, or if it’s even a two-way street,” I ask for silence, closing my eyes. What am I even supposed to do?
Guardian of the Coral of Life, can you hear me? I need you.
I try calling out to him in my thoughts, but there’s no response. I can’t feel his presence at all.
I need you. It’s urgent.
I try again, and this time, I feel a faint burning on my arm. I open my eyes to see that the mark on my arm is glowing in deep purple light. What’s going on?Fucking stupid dragon.
“I don’t appreciate being called names, but I’ll let it slide since it’s the first time you’ve reached out to me,” his roar booms in my ears, followed by a short growl that sounds like… laughter?Is he enjoying this?
“You dirtydragon, what did you do to me?” I ask in fear. It’s the first time I’ve seen purple light pouring from my arm, burning my skin.
“I didn’t do anything—you did. You strengthened our bond when you tried to reach out to me. Finally,myhuntress is getting closer…” His voice is raspy, satisfied. Ugh. My stomach churns.
“I’m notyourhuntress. But I do have a pretty big hunt for you,” I quickly change the subject before I throw up.
“That’s exactly how I like you,myprecious huntress. Now, what is it you need from me?” His voice is curious now.
I bite down on my lip at his nauseating possessiveness, trying to ignore his words.
“There are too many humans to bring to the Coral of Life. I need at least two more huntresses to help. Can you send them to me?” I ask, hoping he’ll assist, since we share the same goal.
“You underestimate my abilities if that’s really come as a question. I’ll send huntresses your way,” he roars, a hint of offense in his voice, and I feel his presence starting to fade.
“Wait!” I shout. “Do you know where to send them?” I ask quickly before his voice vanishes completely from my mind.
“You keep underestimating me, I see. We’ll work on that. They’re on their way to you,” he adds before his presence vanishes from my mind.What the hell just happened?
