Page 29 of Sworn to Revenge
“Focus!” she orders, and I straighten up, swallowing my grin and waiting for her to continue. Now’s not the time to push her buttons further.
“I’ve never met Jocelyn face-to-face, and I don’t know any merfolk who’ve goneintoher lair and lived to tell about it,” she throws the harsh truth at me, and now I’m horrified. We have no idea what we’re walking into—she doesn’t know the witch’s weaknesses, and she has no clue what the place even looks like. This mission is off to a terrible start.
“But,” she says, as if sensing the storm of worries brewing in my head, “one thing every merfolk knows is that she never breaks her side of a deal. If we can strike a bargain with her, there’s a chance we’ll come out of there with Morlay’s heart and our lives intact,” she adds, as if optimism is her middle name and victory is guaranteed.
“We have no idea what she wants, what her lair looks like, if there’s any way out, or what her powers are, and you want to trust her word?” I snap, voicing all the fears racing through my mind as she quickly swims over and places a hand over my mouth, her eyes wide with fear.
“Be quiet! We’re close to her lair. Every fish, plant, and rock here couldbe her eyes and ears. Do you want to die before we even get there?” she whispers anxiously in my ear, and my eyes lock onto hers in disbelief. Did she just say we can’t even talk?
She glances around frantically, keeping her hand firmly over my mouth. I place my hand on hers, gently pulling it away, but I don’t let go.
“So how are we supposed to talk? Telepathy?” I whisper with a frustrated chuckle, but she quickly turns to me, her eyes wide with fear as she presses a finger to her lips. “Shhhhh!”
Suddenly, I spot a massive shadow approaching on the ocean floor. “What the hell—?” I snap, but she cuts me off.
“Shut up already! Do you want to die here?” she hisses angrily, pulling me behind a large black rock to our right.
Her back is pressed tightly against the rock, and I’m so close to her now that my scales bristle once more. Her neck is just inches from my lips as she turns to the side, trying to see what’s happening on the other side. I have to summon all my self-control to resist the urge to press my lips against the pulse in her neck, which seems to be calling out for me to soothe it. The smooth, scaled curve of her chest brushes against mine.
“We need to—” she begins to say, turning her face toward me, but she freezes when our lips meet. My heart pounds in my chest, and I can’t hold back any longer. I’m breaking the capo’s command, but my body no longer belongs to me; it’s acting on its own.
I seize the back of her neck with both hands, my fingers digging into the soft, heated skin as I pull her close, crashing my lips to hers in a kiss that’s raw, desperate—a release of all the frustration I’ve been holding back.She melts into me, her mouth parting like she’s surrendering to the storm, her tail brushing against mine in a maddening, heated twist. My whole body tightens, every nerve lighting up at the electric contact.Damn, why does this feel so good?
A small moan escapes her lips, and I take her tongue into my mouth, tangling it with mine.She tastes so damn sweet.
“Pedro, stop!” she pushes me away abruptly.
“I’m sorry, I lost control when you were so close...” I admit honestly, trying to calm my racing heart.
“No, Pedro, he found us,” she says, her voice trembling with fear, no longer whispering. I glance down at the ocean floor, where the enormous shadow I saw earlier now looms directly above us. I look up in terror. “What the fuck is that thing?” I gasp, pressing the back of her head to the rock with my body, shielding her. My heart is racing.What in the merhell am I supposed to do against something so huge?
“Judging by the look of it, that’s Psycho, Jocelyn’s pet shark...” she whispers, her voice shaking as she clings to my back. ‘Psycho’ is about damn right.
“That’s a fucking shark? Apetyou said? It’s bigger than our building!” I reply, horrified, my eyes fixed on the massive creature as I track its every movement, swallowing hard.
“Shit!” I curse as the burning sensation flares in my hand again, the glow of the crescent moon mark intensifying, sending out small sparks.
“Now the damn moon on my hand is lighting up. How the hell am I supposed to deal with a shark, Bay?” I ask, hoping she knows what to do andcame prepared, as I’d hoped.
“You’re not going to like what I’m about to say,” she starts, and I already hate everything about this twisted mission. “But if he’s here, she knows we’re here. You need to let him take us to her.”
“And by ‘let him take us to her,’ you mean...?” I glance back at her, my brows furrowed in accusation. Her tone suggests I’m definitely not going to like this plan.
“I mean, he’s going to take us to her… inside his mouth,” she clings to my waist like a frightened child, closing her eyes as if bracing herself for what’s about to happen, not wanting to see it.
“You’re saying I’m about to become fish food—” I begin to turn toward her, but my body stiffens as a powerful current hits my back like a whirlpool, and suddenly everything goes dark.
I can’t see a thing as the water swirls around us, tossing me and Bay in all directions, but I refuse to let go of her arm. With all the strength I can muster, I pull her toward me, finally managing to hold her close.
“Don’t let go of me, I’m scared,” she whispers, her nails digging into my back, and my heart pounds harder, this time from her admission. It makes the chaos around us seem insignificant compared to my need to protect her at all costs.She needs me.
I wrap my arms around her tightly, pulling her closer against my body. “I’ll never let go of you. I’ll protect you with my life if I have to,” I vow, and she buries her head in my chest.
She’s getting out of here alive, even if it’s the last thing I do.
Bay
The whirlpools surrounding us in Psycho’s mouth churn with relentless force, and I can barely think through the fear as my nails dig deeper into Pedro’s skin. I silently thank Alin for sending him with me—he’s not from our world, and can’t do much to help, so why do I feel this overwhelming sense of safety in his arms?
