Page 94 of Sworn to Revenge
The ocean raged against the hatred and bloodshed his revenge brought, sending a sea whirlpool to kill him. His body was slashed open by a massive coral, and his blood turned black, absorbing into it. When his five sons tried to save him and touched the Coral, a purple light erupted from it, burning the symbols of their lineage into their skin. From that moment, the powers of the royal lines were limited to the control of the Coral of Life. Black Blooded were too dangerous and unpredictable.
I nearly miss the last stair to level minus three as I gasp, quickly grabbing the black iron railing beside me. We really know nothing about ‘Black Blooded.’We were created from Black Blood! We were created as a punishment!
Now you’re starting to understand...I can feel his grin stretching in my mind, but I have no desire to enjoy the truth right now.
Bay
The sight that greets me when I open the heavy door to the training room stops the storm in my mind in its tracks. I hold my breath as a bolt of lightning shoots directly toward Alin’s face.
“Watch ou—!” I warn, but a large wave materializes in front of her, acting as a shield from the near-fatal strike. I exhale in relief as the water evaporates from the heat of the friction, and the remaining droplets splash onto the floor in front of her. She wipes the sweat from her forehead with her hand and grins in satisfaction. “You did it!”
My gaze follows hers to the other side of the room, and I spot Pedro, dressed in a black tank top and shorts that leave little to the imagination. His muscles are on full display, his body drenched in sweat. I bite my lip at the familiar hunger sparking inside me, remembering what he did to me last night.
Hormones... and it’s not even mating season.Myko sighs in my head, but I ignore him and walk toward Pedro, who flashes me a proud smile as soonas he notices me.
“Did you see that?” he laughs, his grin wide.
“It was so sharp and fast, even I was scared for my cousin’s life for a second,” I admit honestly.
“I managed to create electricity by myself!” he exclaims, uncharacteristic childishly excited, still trying to catch his breath.
Before I can step any closer to fulfill the fantasies now running wild in my mind, Alin approaches from behind us, calling my name and scanning my outfit.
“I see Cora even set you up with workout outfits,” she laughs, turning to Pedro before I can find a sarcastic reply. “That was your third strike today. You’re starting to control your powers properly. That’s all for today.” She announces, walking tiredly toward a bench—or is it a training device? Her belly is starting to show a bit, and it’s clear she isn’t enjoying it as she tugs her tank top down as far as it will go.
I wonder if she knows about our true history. If she does, that means Aunt Lora knew too…For the first time, I turn to Myko calmly in my mind, but before I can get a response from him, the familiar hands I love wrap around my waist from behind. Pedro bends down and rests his chin on my shoulder.
“What’s on the other side that’s more interesting than me?” he teases, whispering huskily.
I grin, pressing a quick kiss to his sweat-dampened cheek. “You don’t want to know…” I chuckle and wipe my lips with my hand. It’s not a lie.
“Now that you say it like that, Ireallydo,” he smirks, straightening up and stepping in front of me. “Any new information? Is the dragon still talking to you?”
I nod in confirmation but turn my head to glance at Alin, who’s busy on her phone behind him. “I need Alin to hear this too.”
Pedro raises an eyebrow in curiosity, clearly waiting for me to continue, but I grab his hand and lead him over to the bench. I sit beside Alin, while Pedro stays standing in front of us, glancing between the two of us as Alin gives me a questioning look.
“Bay, you’re freaking me out. Why are you staring at me like that?” She finally sets her phone down on the bench beside her, impatience dripping from her voice.
“Do you remember the first five royal bloodlines?” I surprise her with an unexpected question.
She nods after scanning my face to see if I’m just playing around. “How could I forget? Especially when our bloodline is one of them, directly connected to the oldest son. Mal-El, Sur-El, Aquan, Trey—”
“I don’t need a history lesson,” I cut her off as she counts them on her fingers. “Do you know how they became royal bloodlines?” I ask, hoping she knows as much as I do.
“You’re acting strange. What’s going on with you today?” she asks, but I ignore it, narrowing my eyes in impatience, silently urging her to answer my question.
She sighs loudly. “Galienos wanted to maintain peace in the ocean andhad his five sons touch the Coral of Life given to them, and that’s how the first royal bloodlines were marked.”
Relief floods my chest as I realize she didn’t know either.
“That’s your origin story? It sounds like something straight out of a Disney movie,” Pedro chimes in with a laugh, now sitting at the corner of the bench beside me, his curiosity clear in his eyes.
“It turns out itisa fairy tale…” I mutter in frustration, mostly to myself. “There’s something you both need to hear.” I announce clearly now.
Pedro and Alin both look at me, ready to hear more. I’m about to shatter Alin’s entire belief in the corrupt system her parents raised us to believe in. “Let’s start with the fact that there were six sons.”
Pedro
