Sworn to Consume (Sworn #3)

Prologue

Malec

“Malec,” Mom’s voice floats down the stairs. “It’s time to sleep. Myko’s waiting too.”

I hate it.

Every night, Myko—my guardian, like Mom always says—has to come and pull that weird glow out of my body. Like it’s poison.

Like I’m poison.

I hate being the weird one. I hate that I can’t go outside like my cousin Alessio. Even Chris—she just turned one and Auntie Cora already takes her out in the stroller three times a day.

But me? I’m the one who has to stay inside, like I’ll break something. Or someone.

“Malec, where are you?” Mom calls again.

I duck behind the big sofa on the first floor, pressing my back to the cushions. I don’t want to go to bed. I don’t want to be the boy they all whisper about when they think I’m not listening. But I hear them.

Lately, something new started happening. I can see it now—the colors of people’s souls. They glow. They move. They vibrate.

I didn’t tell anyone. Not even Mom.

But I think Myko knows. He always knows. When I ask him about it, he just says, “It’s not the right time,” or “You’re too young.”

But I’m five. I can handle things! I’ve already handled all the whispers. I’ve already cried enough at night.

Tonight… I followed one of the soul-colors. It was stronger than the others. Brighter. It led me here—to the first floor. To the locked room. I can’t let Mom see me.

“Malec,” she sighs. “Please. My belly is so heavy and I’m exhausted. Don’t make it harder on Mommy, okay? Let’s go to bed together. I’ll tell you more sea monster stories.”

Dad says my brother or sister will come soon. He says I need to help Mommy and be the man of the house.

I crawl lower, keeping quiet as I peek from behind the couch. She’s at the bottom of the stairs, wearing her pink pajamas—the same kind she always matches with Auntie Cora. Her hands are holding her big belly as she breathes out slowly.

With a belly that big… maybe my brother or sister will come out bigger than me.

I should eat all my food like Bon said. She’s our new mercook. She told me I’ll grow bigger and stronger if I finish my fish, even the ones with the bones. I believe her.

Mom scans the floor one more time, eyes soft and tired, before turning back up the stairs.

“Malec, please...” Her voice trails off as her footsteps fade upstairs.

I exhale quietly. She’s gone.

I rise onto my tiptoes, eyes fixed on that door. Dad’s office. The one he always locks. He says one day I’ll be old enough to spend hours in there with him—but not yet. “No need to rush things,” he always says.

But today...

Today I followed Uncle Mariano down here, and when he left, he forgot to lock the door. The door is open now, and that glow I’m chasing? The soul whisper? It’s in there.

I don’t have long. Uncle Mariano will come back soon. I rush to the door, standing tall as I can to reach the handle, and push it open with all my strength.

The light’s still on. He’s definitely coming back.

I take a step inside—and the tingling starts again. My forehead buzzes with warmth where the crescent moon mark is glowing. I don’t even need a mirror. I know it’s shining. I’m used to it by now.

“My baby boy...”

The whisper hums again, soft and sweet, but it gives me a weird feeling in my belly. I should be scared.

I am scared. But I don’t think I need to be.

“My Luca...”

I freeze. That name. That’s my dad’s name.

I turn slowly toward the sound and notice a glass case. Big. Wide. Almost glowing.

My heart pounds faster in my chest; I can hear it.

“I’m scared, Myko.” The words form in my head before I even know I’m calling him.

“Malec... What did you do?” Myko’s scolding growl booms inside my head, grounding me. Reminding me I’m never alone. I swallow hard. I’m a big boy. I’m not going to cry.

I take a deep breath and stare at the glass box in the middle of my dad’s office.

“What is this?” I ask Myko in my mind. He knows where I am—he always knows.

“Malec, stay away from that. We’re coming.”

He always says stuff like that. Like I’m some little kid who doesn’t understand anything.

I’m not stupid.

I huff and take another step closer to the glass case, and only then do I see her—a woman lying inside.

She’s not moving.

I’m not tall enough to see her whole face, but her soul... something’s wrong with it. It’s there—a deep, glowing black—but it’s flickering. Souls are meant to shift and shimmer, pulsing with life. But hers... It’s vibrating in place. Like it’s locked. Frozen.

“My little prince came to see me?”

The whisper coils through the room, brushing against my ears and spine.

“I missed you so much...”

It’s her. It’s her soul speaking, but why can’t I see her clearly?

I squint hard, and then I finally see it—golden threads. Thin, shimmering lines wrap her black soul, holding it tight to her body like a net.

It’s not like the other souls I’ve seen—not like my family’s, or the men Dad brings here sometimes.

This one... it’s calling me. The threads hum, like a song in my bones, like they want me to reach out—just one touch—

“MALEC!”

My mom’s scream carries through the room. I jump and fall hard onto the floor. My eyes sting. I fight not to cry. I promised Dad I wouldn’t cry. Men don’t show weakness.

Mom runs to me, kneeling despite her big belly. Her hands search my face.

She sees the glow on my forehead—and freezes. For a second. Then she breathes, long and shaking, and pulls me into her arms.

“Please don’t scare me like that. Ever,” she whispers, holding me close. “You can’t just wander into Dad’s office.”

I can’t help it—I start crying. I think she’s crying too.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper into her shirt. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She strokes my hair, soft and slow. And I know—I’ve disappointed my father, because my sobs come harder.

Auntie Bay, Dad, and Uncle Mariano rush in a moment later. I hear their voices—low, urgent, shocked. I can feel their souls vibrating.

Dad’s the first to crouch next to us. I hold my breath, hiding my face in Mom’s arms.

I don’t want him to see me like this. I don’t want him to think I’m weak. I promised him I’d be like him one day.

“Hey there, my little monster,” Dad says, and his voice is gentle. He laughs softly, ruffling my hair. “You definitely got your curiosity from me.”

I peek up at him, surprised, sniffling. “You’re not… mad?” I whisper, staring at the floor.

“I did worse when I was younger,” he chuckles. “But you’ve gotta be careful in here. This room isn’t safe for you. Not yet. Understand?”

I nod slowly, then point to the glass case.

“She called me here,” I say, my voice small. “I think her soul is trapped.”

Everything goes quiet. Gasps echo around the room, sharp and stunned.

“She called me Luca,” I add. I don’t hide it from them. Mom and Dad exchange a look I don’t understand—but I know it’s important. They both turn back to me.

“He really does look a lot like you did at his age,” Mom says, her voice tight and strange.

Dad swallows hard. “You said you can talk to her?” he asks, as if I just grew gills in my human form.

I shake my head. “I can’t talk to her... I think. But I can hear her.”

He glances at Mom again, and she quickly nods.

Then he looks at me carefully, and his voice turns softer.

“That’s your grandmother.”