Page 69 of Sworn to Revenge
“You secretly enjoy it,” I retort with a grin, though it’s hard to hide the frustration in my voice. Another person knowing the secret could mean more trouble for Bay.
“So, Pedro shoots electricity from his hands, and you... do water tricks?” Flavio asks sarcastically. “Are we a circus now?” He crosses his arms impatiently, and none of us know how to break the awkward silence that follows. What could we even say to him? That he’ll get used to it? He won’t. That it gets easier? Even I’d laugh if I managed to get that lie out.
He lets out a quiet sigh, and we all stare at him, lost. “Of course I won’t spill your secret. Especially one that isn’t mine to tell. But... does your capo know he’s married to a fish?”
I can’t keep a straight face, and my laugh cuts through the tense quiet of the training room. Mariano and Alin immediately join in.
“Not only does he know, but he’s about to get the title of ‘king.’ You’re looking at the heir to the throne right here, Princess Alin,” Mariano jokes, giving Alin a mock bow. She rolls her eyes in response but can’t hold back her laughter.
“I’m glad you all think this is funny. I’m not quite at the laughing stage yet,” Flavio says, placing a hand on his forehead in a display of exasperation. “So your mermaid cousin took off with Luca on some underwater mission?” He raises an eyebrow at Alin as the realization slowly dawns.
“Something like that,” she replies, her laughter subsiding as she gives him a warm, understanding smile.
“Should I be worried?” he presses on.
Alin shakes her head no, but I can see her lie from miles away. We have every reason to be worried.
“So, I’m going to turn a blind eye to everything that just happened here,” Flavio suddenly switches back to his usual capo demeanor. “We’ve got Will and a Russian man in the basement to deal with. When did we say Luca’s getting back?”
I rise from the bench and zip up Mariano’s suit pants, which I’ve hastily pulled on over my legs. “Soon,” I reply vaguely, heading toward the exit. “You coming? I’m starving. Let’s eat something before he gets back,” I call to them, feeling their eyes on my back, nudging them to move.
“I never say no to food,” Mariano follows behind me, and Flavio and Alin quickly fall in step. None of us really know what’s going on with Luca and Bay, when they’ll be back, or in what condition they’ll return.
Bay
“Luca,” I say, my voice trembling, “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” he asks, breathing heavily, his eyes locked on the full Hunters’ pod that’s been sent after us. At least thirty huntresses have arrived.
“You’re going to suffer because of me,” I explain in a shaky voice, already knowing what he’s about to go through if the huntresses decide to hunt him. The early morning light pierces through the sky, its rays slashing across the water like sharpened blades, highlighting each huntress’s head as they emerge from the waves, a silent army basked in the blood-orange glow of dawn.
“I can stay here, watch from a distance to make sure everything goes as planned.” He doesn’t realize it’s already too late.
I shake my head, my stomach sinking. “It’s too late. They’ve already seen us. There’s nowhere to run.”
His nostrils flare, his heavy breathing matching the fear reflected in my eyes. “I know what to expect. I’ll just try to keep the pain off my face—”
“No!” My voice rises, cutting him off. “If you suppress the pain, you’ll turn into prey.”
His gasp fills the air between us, the weight of his fear palpable. Our heartbeats thunder in sync, a frantic rhythm pulsing through the tension.
“You sent a whole hunting pod after me?” I accuse the stupid dragon, feeling a sharp sting in my arm right away, but there’s no response. “Answer me!” I fire back angrily.
“Bay, this is not the time to zone out,” Luca’s voice pulls me back to the harsh reality in front of us. This could be his last day alive, and because of me, the future king of Mal-El stands on the brink of death or hell of torture.
“The Guardian isn’t answering me. I don’t know what to do,” I say in frustration as tears start to sting the corners of my eyes, anxiety buzzing through every cell of my body.
“We’ll be fine. We can send all seven of them to the huntresses. At least you won’t have to swim all the way,” he suggests, but I shake my head no.
“I have to mark my prey, at least one of them, and send it to the Coral of Life. Otherwise, the Guardian will keep haunting me,” I explain to Luca.
“But he knows you are sending seven of them!” he shoots back, running a hand through his hair as he realizes the situation isn’t improving and we have no clue what’s going to happen once the ‘soul delivery’ arrives.
“Each huntress marks her prey on the forehead. That’s the huntress’s mark, and it shows that she’s hunted during the month, so she isn’t punished.” He looks at me now, his eyes lost as he understands what I need to do, and there’s nothing I can do to help him if they decide to add him to the catch.
“Luca, no matter what happens, you have to make sure you don’t push your pain down. You can’t deny it; that’s what keeps you alive. If, even for a second, you feel a relief from the pain, you’re as good as dead.” I grip his arm, trying to make him understand the consequences of suppressing pain. For what seems like the first time in his life, he’ll have to face the pain and accept it—he won’t be able to do a thing about it.
“I’m sorry…” I whisper quietly as footsteps sound behind us.
