Page 102 of Sworn to Revenge
“No… no…” I whisper, my voice shaking, desperate. My heart pounds in my chest, the weight of grief crushing me. I bolt toward her, ignoring Myko and Jocelyn behind me, calling her name, but she doesn’t respond. Her mouth glows faintly with the intense blue light of the Coral of Life—no. This can’t be! Please, someone—any god out there—hear me!
I tear her mouth open, dreading what I’ll find. And there it is—confirmed. The pod’s mark shines in her mouth, the same as Luca’s mother. She’snotcoming back. It feels as though my own soul has been ripped from me, leaving me breathless. My body trembles violently as I clutch her lifeless form, a silent scream breaking from my lips, merging with Myko’s thunderous roar behind me.
I glance at Myko through blurred vision as my breath hitches, feeling the overwhelming weight of grief settle in—like the ocean itself is crushing me. And that’s when I notice—the Coral of Life has fallen. It’s sinking toward the ocean floor, its light flickering weakly, like something shattered beyond repair.
Before I can fully process it, Myko moves swiftly, seizing Jocelyn in his claws. A black mist begins to form in his mouth, directed straight at her. The moment the mist touches her skin, she lets out a tortured, agonizing scream—a sound so loud and haunting it reverberates through the water. The mist devours her flesh slowly, tearing her apart. I’ve never felt so utterly consumed by satisfaction, by vengeance.
“Kill her. Make her feel every second of it,” I demand, my voice filledwith venom.
Myko’s eyes glow an even deeper purple as her screams fade to silence, her body slowly disintegrating to nothingness. As she vanishes, Pedro’s bubble dissolves, and he swims straight to me, pulling me tightly into his arms as if I might disappear too and the heaviness in my chest making me dizzy.Elyr. Miguel. Alin… All gone.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry!” he says, burying his face in my neck, his voice breaking.
“It can’t be real. I can’t accept it.” I whisper against his skin, feeling the empty ache inside me widen. “We’ll go back to land. We can’t take Alin’s body from Luca too; it only means we’ll have to find an answer to this faster.” I say dryly more to myself, I can’t break now.
She’s not dead!I scream in my mind.
I hear you, my huntress. She’s not dead.Myko’s form now swirls behind us, his voice steadying me, anchoring me from despair. He makes me feel as though I haven’t completely lost my mind. I can’t lose it—not now. I’m going to fix this.
“Myko, I need you to do me a favor.”
Bay
I never thought I’d see this place again, and so soon—the city that cast me out, the bloodline that turned its back on me. But this time, I’ve returned stronger. Prepared. This isn’t my home, nor my family, but I will take what I came for—whether they like it or not.
I feel it rising in me—the fury, the hunger for revenge—spurring me forward.
Are you ready?I ask Myko as the city’s guards line up before me, their spears pointed, their eyes shadowed with fear. They know what it means to face someone ‘Black Blooded.’
Always ready.Myko’s voice hums in my mind, steady and unwavering. The familiar purple light flares from my chest, blinding the guards as Myko bursts into form above me, swirling protectively, a menacing presence that causes the water to ripple beneath his figure.
One of the guards falters, his confidence breaking. He stumbles backward, eyes wide in panic, but those in front—those who’ve been trained to resist—still dare to keep their spears raised.
They won’t back down. They won’t run. But neither will I.
I swim forward, and with every inch I gain, my pulse quickens, each beat resonating with the weight of my return. I feel the adrenaline surging through my veins, mingling with the burning need for vengeance. I won’t be denied again. Not this time.
The city may have once turned away from me, but now? They will feel what it truly means to cross someone like me—someone who has nothing left to lose. I’m a force they never should have underestimated. Now, they either follow my lead or fall.Let them come.
“Call Queen Lora,” I demand, my voice cold. They hesitate, so I signal to Myko. He growls, baring his teeth, and they recoil, but before they can react, a voice rings out—the one I’ve been waiting for.
“I’m here,” she announces. As I turn, I see my aunt isn’t alone; my uncle, King Clarion, stands beside her.
“Are you so afraid of me that you brought King Clarion along?” I taunt, barely concealing my disbelief.
“We were already near the gates; handling matters in the market. Don’t take it personally,” she says, though her eyes betray distrust I’d never seen before. But this isn’t my fight, and it’s not my home. I let it go.
“I’m here for the marked woman,” I say without preamble.
“Bay, you can’t take her from our pod. She is bound by our line—”
“I don’t care what binds her. I’m finding a solution, and I need her as a test subject,” I lie bluntly for the reason, though her expression tells me she’s not convinced.
“Would it matter if I told you this is the only way to save your heir’s life?” I add, impatience breaking through. Her eyes widen in shock.
“What’s happened to my daughter?” she demands, rage flooding her as she surges toward me, currents of water swirling around her. But before I can even flinch, Myko lashes out, knocking her back with his tail into my uncle’s arms, then coils around me like an immense shield, growling.
“I would never harm you, but my dragon won’t hesitate if you touch me,” I say with a smirk. My aunt tried to hurt me. I take a deep breath, steadying myself—I need Luca’s mother’s body.
