Page 19 of Sworn to Revenge
Before I can open my mouth again, a sharp blow sends my head sideways, and my body slams into the kitchen counter behind me. The pain follows quickly, throbbing in my jaw. The metallic taste fills my mouth. Damn it.
Luca stands close to me now, murder in his eyes. It’s clear he’s not in the mood for a conversation. This is my fault—I crossed the line with my capo.
I wipe the blood from my lips with the sleeve of my suit, ignoring thepain as I always do, and stand back up straight in front of him. Luca takes a step back. “Verbal warnings don’t seem to work on you. I’ll have to use physical force from now on,” he threatens through gritted teeth as we stare each other down, the tension between us ready to turn this kitchen into a battlefield at any moment. I won’t let him send Bay to her death, no matter how much he beats me.
“Both of you, stop it! You’re family, for God’s sake!” Alin steps between us, resting her hand on Luca’s chest. Her shout cutting through the tension and pulling me and my brother back to reality.
“Alin’s right. And Pedro, I know Alin, and by the look on her face, she has a plan. Don’t go throwing accusations around just because of your short temper,” Cora adds to the party. Great.
She said Alin has a plan?
I turn my gaze to Alin now, ignoring the furious capo standing in front of me—the only reason I’m not lying broken on the floor is because of his wife.
“You have a plan?” I ask, like the conversation up until now had been calm and civil. She exhales a quiet, long breath and lowers her hand from Luca’s chest, as if her fragile hand was the only thing holding back the menacing beast in front of me.
“Yes, Pedro, I have a plan. One you won’t like, but—”
“I’m on board with anything right now. Talk.” I cut her off with no hesitation.
“I’ve found a way for one of you to join her, but it’s a huge risk, Pedro,”she says, her turquoise gemstone-like eyes locking onto mine. The uncertainty is clear in her gaze, but I won’t let that deter me. I can help Bay.I can protect her.
“Just tell me already,” I repeat, my lips tightening with impatience. Luca takes another step toward me, but it seems even he’s curious now, his gaze fixed on her.
“I didn’t know something like this existed, but it’s our solution,” Alin says as she pulls a small glass vial from the tiny bag slung over her shoulder. The vial contains a strange, pinkish-purple liquid that looks like a witch brewed it straight out of my childhood nightmares. “This will give you a tail.”
Her announcement leaves us all staring at her in shock.What the fuck is she talking about?
“This can give me a tail like yours? I want it, Iwantit!” Cora exclaims, bouncing excitedly next to Alin, who laughs, scrunching her nose and hiding the vial behind her back as Cora tries to grab it.
“What. The. Hell. Are. You. Talking. About?” I ask, emphasizing each word in disbelief, placing my hand on her shoulder to get her attention back on me.
Her expression turns serious again as she finally explains, “This will give you a tail, gills, everything. The full package for twenty-four hours. It should be enough time for you two to get what you need and swim together to the Coral of Life to break the connection. But,” she pauses to take a deep breath, and I still can’t fully wrap my head around the situation, “if you’re even a second late, your tail will revert back to legs… in the depths of the ocean. Best case, you’ll drown. Worst case? A huntress will seize the chanceto take you as an early catch for the Coral of Life.”
Just great—nothing but cheerful news coming from my sister-in-law today. So now I have to grow gills and risk dying like Mariano and Luca’s mother did, in the depth of the ocean. I let out an exasperated laugh, running a hand over my forehead in frustration. This is my fault—I wanted to join. But I can’t send Bay there alone.
“Oh, and let’s not forget about the visit to Jocelyn, which is practically a death trap in itself. But if you go with Bay, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she says, a scheming smile now spreading across her face.I don’t like that smile…
“What do you mean?” Cora asks beside Alin, her eyes still darting to the vial in excited curiosity.
“If there’s one thing Jocelyn won’t refuse, it’s a request from a hot merman. Pedro will get the job done, he just needs to turn on his charm…” she replies to Cora, but one eyebrow arches mischievously in my direction.I’m screwed.
“Are there anymore ‘surprises’ I need to know about before I decide if I’m going through with this?” I ask with a sigh, dreading her answer.
“Yes,” she replies without a flinch.Wonderful, just wonderful.
“Bay will try to stop you from doing this. You’re too important to her. Just like she wouldn’t let me go, she’ll do everything she can to keep you from going with her, especially if it means you’ll be risking yourself twice as much. This is your first time with a tail, and you don’t know anything about our world,” she begins her explanation, but I get stuck on ‘you’re too important to her.’I want to choke my brother and his fucked up commands.
“Pedro, are you with me?” she asks, waving her hand in front of my face. My gaze is now fixed on a strange scratch on the kitchen wall behind her as my thoughts race.
“Yeah, I’m with you,” I confirm, refocusing on her.
“Good. What I’m trying to say is that until the very last minute, you don’t mention anything to Bay. She’ll only find out when we’re already in the water. I’ll swim with you both back to my city. From there, you’ll head to Jocelyn. By then, she won’t be able to send you back.” She wraps up the plan, and I take a deep breath, holding it in before releasing it along with my decision.
“Agreed. When do we start?”
Bay
Alright, I think I’ve packed everything.
