Page 75 of The Lost Child

Alkdama’s eyes flashed. “The terms were that no blood witches would be harmed. She is a blood witch.”

My father laughed. “Half ‘o one, maybe. But you’re welcome to have her. Can’t be breaking our agreement, can we?” Him and his men laughed as the girls they held trembled in terror. “Bind the monsters. We should be able to make them walk if we threaten the female. Then it’s the high life at Tatra for us; we’ll be rewarded handsomely for having three drakens!” He smirked at Alkdama. “We’ll let the witch girls go as soon as your put that same blood curse doohickey on these drakens and make it so their mating don’t affect it none.”

Alkdama’s hands balled into fists at her sides. My brain raced furiously, trying to process everything I’d heard. Because one glaringly obvious thing stuck out to me. How had no one else put it together yet?

The agreement was that he couldn’t harm a blood witch. Right? Was that all that was stopping Alkdama from retaliating? I was a blood witch, and my father had even just admitted it, surrendering me to Alkdama. That meant …

“The bargain has been voided,” I announced suddenly. “Years ago.”

Everyone froze.

My father’s men stopped their progress, rope out as they were about to bind the drakens. The men groping the girl prisoners halted, eyes searching for command from their leader. My father even paused himself, his sword tip swinging toward me and confusion came over his face, mixing with a tinge of fear.

That’s when I knew when I was right.

I turned around and bared my naked back and buttocks to everyone assembled, displaying the scars from years of beatings and punishments from the pirate lord Cutthroat Craw, who unknowingly broke his agreement with the blood witches the day he first raised a hand to me.

I heard a few quiet gasps from the women, and then a low, quiet chuckle. It grew louder, the sound dark and so obscenely satisfied I had to turn and look.

Alkdama had a hand to her chest, nearly bent over in mirth. She straightened and wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye, pointing a menacing finger at my father.

“Magick knows. Magickspeaks.”

The spell holding the drakens released them, and the three fell to the ground, caught off guard when control of their bodies was quickly given back to them. Canavar roared in pain, clutching his missing ear as he kneeled on the ground, breaking from my grasp. Nasi and Kaida were quick to whirl on their attackers with Kaida delivering a perfect roundhouse kick to my father’s chest.

He dropped his cutlass and coughed, doubling over. Kaida reached down and took it, throwing it across the room to Alkdama, who caught it by the blade and did not flinch. Blood ran down her fingers and wrists as her eyes again went pure gold, then white.

The men holding her girls exploded in red mist, covering us all from head to toe. The one left ran for it, squealing like a frightened pig.

Nasi bound my father using his men’s rope, and Alkdama dropped his blade from his hands. I snatched it up, intent on ending this once and for all.

Naked and covered in Nasi’s blood, I stalked over to my father and pressed the tip lightly into his chest, right where I knew the heart to be.

“You won’t kill your own father,” he snarled. “You’re weak. You care for this horrific beast. There’s no way you’d kill me.”

I didn’t smirk. I didn’t gloat. Outwardly, I didn’t react at all. My lips moved before I could stop them.

“Count,” I ordered him. I made his blade sing through the air as confusion twisted his features, stretching out old scars.

He hissed in pain as I opened a new one across his nose, right where he’d tried to strike Canavar.

“Count,” I growled, staring him down.

He touched a few fingers to the blood running down his face, then stared at me.

“O-one,” he whispered with an almost defiant tone that hovered between anger and disbelief. The first one was always the worst.

SSSWACK.

The cutlass hissed through the air and slashed down again on his nose. I’d hit it until it fell off. I could easily take it in one swing, but I wanted to draw this out. He had tocount.

My father gurgled with pain, but didn’t otherwise jump. “Two,” he grit out through his teeth.

SSSWACK.

“Three.”

SSSWACK.

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