Page 12 of Sworn to Revenge
“Now you’re kicking me out of my own apartment? Brother, control your wife!” I snap without a second thought. I need to be here, to watch over her.
Luca’s hand grabs my collar, his grip tight, and for a moment, I choke slightly. But I hold my gaze steady, refusing to back down.
“She’s unconscious. What could possibly happen to me?” I plead.
“You heard my wife loud and clear. You’ll do as she says,” he commands, releasing my collar with a frustrated shove that nearly makes me lose my balance. He’s the capo, and I have to keep my anger in check. I force myself to nod, biting back the words I want to say.
“Pedro,” Alin’s tone softens as she tries to reach me, “if she wakes up in this state and starts using her voice, you’ll be trapped in a dangerous loop, unable to break free until… whoever’s controlling her lets you go.”
I let out a heavy breath, every instinct fighting this decision. “Fine. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Bay
“What’s happening?” I gasp, my eyes snapping open, only to be met with total darkness. The sound of my own voice echoes endlessly, sharp and grating in my ears, stretching out into the void. Where the hell am I?
“It’s time to hunt, my dear huntress,” a familiar voice emerges from behind me.
No, no, no, no! I escaped him! I got my freedom back!
“I’m wearing the pendant of the Mal-El royal house, I’ve regained my freedom and my affiliation mark!” I scream into the void, realizing the Guardian of the Great Coral of Life didn’t get the memo.
“You can’t escape your destiny. You belong to me,” he growls, his voice echoing with power, vibrating through every inch of my body. The sheer force of it shakes me to my core, every muscle tensing, every nerve screaming in terror. Panic floods me, spreading like wildfire through my chest.
“Get out of my head! Let me go!” I keep screaming, clutching my head tightly.Focus, Bay, focus! You have to push him out of your mind.
His roar booms on, loud and unrelenting, a harsh noise that twists inside my skull. I press my hands to my ears, tears already stinging my eyes, burning from the sheer volume. The pain in my head intensifies, a sharp, stabbing ache that makes my vision blur. Warm blood trickles from my ears—what’s happening?
“Fine, FINE! I’ll go hunt!” I suddenly shout into the piercing voice still reverberating in the darkness, silencing him instantly.
“As I thought, my huntress. You belong to me... Go on your way,” he whispers, his voice now hoarse with satisfaction.Why me? Why is the Guardian haunting me? That old, shitty water dragon.
“Release me from your hold now, and I’ll go hunt,” I plead quietly now, desperate to escape the darkness that surrounds me in his grip, filling me with loneliness and coldness I thought I’d never have to feel again.
My eyes snap open, and I immediately recognize Pedro’s room.He’s released me. I’m okay.A tear slips down my cheek, and I glance over to Pedro’s side.Where is he?
I get out of bed, searching for someone to comfort me. My heart feels cold as ice, it hurts to be alone.
I grab the door handle and am surprised to find it locked. I pull it down and up several times with a bit of force, as if that will somehow unlock the door, and a frustrated sigh echoes from my lips into the room.
Why am I locked up? When he’s holding me, I can’t control anything.Maybe I hurt Pedro?!
Panic floods me again as I rush to the bedside table, searching for my phone, relieved to find it lying in the drawer. It’s 5 AM, and I press Alin’s name without a second thought.
“Who is it?” she answers in a sleepy voice after two rings.
“Alin, what’s going on?” I whisper hesitantly, not wanting to know what he made me do this time.
“Bay! Are you okay? Have you come to your senses?”
Alin’s voice immediately wakes with concern, proving to me that I did do something.
“What did I do, Alin? I didn’t hurt Pedro, did I?” My voice trembles with uncertainty, terrified of hearing the rest of the story.
“I’m coming down to you now, wait for me,” she quickly says and hangs up, leaving me on edge. I feel my heart pounding harder as I try to imagine all the things I could have done to him. He’s a man, a human who was close to me when the Guardian called me. How can I go hunt for him again? I don’t want to hunt anymore.
Another tear slips down my cheek, which suddenly feels so heavy. I try to take deep breaths to calm down, inhale through the nose, exhale through my mouth—just like Alin taught me humans do. But the hole in my chest only feels deeper now.
The sound of a key being inserted into the door’s lock echoes in my ears, slicing through the searing silence in the room.
