Page 83 of Sworn to Revenge
“You’ll have to wait till we get back home,” he mimics, throwing my earlier words back at me with a smirk so infuriatingly smug that I want tostrangle him—and kiss him again, all at once.
Damn him. He won this round.
Pedro
“Are you doing this on purpose?” I ask Alin in frustration as she gets dressed, completely ignoring the fact that I’m still stuck on the sand with my tail, waiting like an annoyed child. Bay is hopping around beside me, naked and definitely not helping the situation.
“Did anyone bring me clothes?” she laughs, running a hand through her hair in embarrassment.
Alin’s sudden laughter catches us both off guard. She’s usually scolding anyone who doesn’t plan ahead. Maybe she’s finally coming back to her senses.
I sigh. “Wear my shirt,” I toss at Bay, then fix my impatient gaze on Alin. “When will Her Royal Highness finally grace me with her precious time to give me my legs back?” I mutter sarcastically, giving her a mock bow only with my head.
“Maybe it’s time you learned to do it yourself,” she says, smirking as sheenjoys her little revenge.
“Last time didn’t go so well, remember?” I remind her, but I place my hand on my tail anyway, closing my eyes and trying again. I focus on visualizing my legs, feeling them. I connect with my power, trusting it to guide me. Taking a deep breath, I concentrate on the energy building in my chest, sending it down through my body, like I’m simply letting it do what it needs to. The familiar tingling sensation runs through me, and suddenly the awful feeling of sand crammed between my... well, everything, forces my eyes open.
Did I finally do it?
I grin, seeing my right leg on the soft sand, but my smile falters as my eyes land on my left leg.
“What the…?” I gasp. “This better be fixable!” I roar, my heart pounding in shock. Bay and Alin’s laughter doesn’t help calm my nerves down, and I mutter a string of curses under my breath. “A little help here? I can’t walk around with half my leg covered in blue scales! And what’s this fin doing on my calf?” I reach down, poking at the strange fish leg stuck where my human leg should be. Controlling this shit is way harder than I thought.
“Hey, it’s progress,” Alin teases, her laughter still bubbling as she runs her hand over the freakish leg. In seconds, my leg shifts back to normal, and I let go a heavy sigh—not hiding the relief in my voice as I shoot her a quick, “Thanks.” I’m tired of her waiting outside my shower to bring my legs back, so at least I did make a progress.
Bay squats beside me, her toes digging into the sand as she leans closer, her mischievous smile telling me exactly what’s running through her mind right now. I chuckle at her. Seems like all this mertail nonsense mightactually be her kink. She bites her lip, her eyes dropping to take in all of me—very clearly interested in certain exposed parts.
“You sure we need to wait until we get home?” she teases, raising her eyebrow at me.Her hair is falling on her chest—covering that filthy dragon mark.
I grip her chin, pulling her face closer to mine before planting a kiss on her small, now crunched nose. “If you keep looking at me like that, I might reconsider...” I growl against her lips.
“For the love of God, I’m going to puke, and I don’t think it’s the pregnancy,” Alin groans, standing up and faking an exaggerated gag reflex as I pull away from Bay.
There’s no hiding my very clear intentions, though. Fuck. My cock is so hard every time she is so close. Bay flashes me a wicked grin. “I could take care of that for you...” her voice drops, her sparkling eyes making me feel like I might explode any second now.
“No! Bay! Absolutely not! What is wrong with you two?” Alin’s voice drips with exasperation, and then a pair of pants land on my head from behind. “Put those on already. God, I’ve created a monster.”
I quickly press a kiss to Bay’s lips and stand up to pull my pants on, zipping them up as I glance at Alin, buttoning the waistband. “Do I need to remind you of the lack of tact you and my brother have, or is that privilege reserved only for you two?” I quip, a smug grin spreading across my face as she curses under her breath, throwing her bag over her shoulder and, as usual, dialing Luca.
Before she can step away, I grab the shirt from her bag and gently slideit over Bay’s shoulders. Her eyes peek out from beneath the collar, wide and innocent, and for a fleeting moment, I smile at the image—one I’ve come to love more than anything.”I think from now on, you’re going to wear only—”
The words die in my throat as a deafening gunshot cracks through the air, followed by Bay’s scream.
Pain explodes in my back, sharp and searing. It knocks the wind out of me, and I stagger, biting down hard on my lip to stifle the curses clawing their way up my throat. My body screams in protest as I turn, forcing myself to push Bay behind me.
What’s happening?!
Through the haze of pain, I see them—ten armed men emerging from behind the jagged rocks on the beach, their faces cold and unrecognizable. My mind races. Who the hell are they? How did they find us?
“Luca,” Alin’s voice comes through, cool and composed, like this is just another day for her. “Pedro got shot. I’ll handle the idiots and call you back.”
She says it like it’s nothing—like my blood isn’t already soaking into the sand. I manage a hollow laugh despite the burning in my back. Even God can’t help whoever crossed us today.
“Pedro!” Bay’s voice trembles behind me, laced with panic. “You’re bleeding. Badly.”
Her fear cuts through me, sharper than any bullet. I can feel the blood, warm and sticky, but the pain is somehow manageable—more manageable than it should be. My powers? Or adrenaline? Either way, I push the question aside.
“I’m fine,” I lie, glancing back at her. “Stay behind me.”
