52. Bay
Bay
The dragon’s deep growl vibrates through every part of my body, the searing pain in my chest making it hard to breathe. Tears burn my eyes. Stop it. Please. It’s burning. I find myself begging the dragon, who’s chosen the worst possible time to torment me. Please!
Your pathetic family isn’t doing a thing to protect us! His words lash at my chest—literally.
Alin is always calculated; she won’t let them leave here alive. Just stop! I scream inside my head, the touch of Pedro’s hand reminding me he’s here, but I can’t even open my eyes to grasp what’s happening in front of us.
Alin won’t get you out of here before they kill you all! His roar grows louder.
“What are you talking about?” I ask aloud, trying to drown out the thunderous voice in my head. Get out of my body already!
There are more humans hiding behind those rocks, heavily armed. If I do nothing, I’ll die in this weak body of yours!
What? My breath hitches in shock. How do you know?
Save your questions for later and stop fighting me. Let me handle this.
“There are more humans behind the rocks. They’re armed,” I finally manage to open my eyes, gasping for breath between the burning pain, informing Alin and Pedro of what the dragon just told me.
“What? How do you know?” Pedro asks, surprised.
“Just as I suspected,” Alin’s cold, calculating voice cuts through the tension. “They’re waiting for something... but the question is, what?”
Accept me already! Stop resisting the pain—you’re only making it worse, and we’re both suffering! the dragon growls again.
“Then tell me what you’re planning first!” I hiss back, still unable to fully trust the creature living inside me.
Another roar rumbles through my mind, and suddenly Pedro stands up, positioning himself in front of me, shielding my body sprawled on the sand, as a voice calls out from behind the rocks. We all turn towards the direction of the sound, noticing four more men emerging.
“We brought him,” one of them announces, shoving a man forward.
His clothes are torn, stained with blood, his right hand missing, and a black cloth covers his face.
He collapses onto the sand from the force of the push, and before I can process what’s happening, the armed man kicks him hard in the ribs. “Get up, you worthless creature!”
The injured man gasps from beneath the cloth, a wheezing sound cutting through the tension in the air.
“What do you want?” Pedro’s voice remains cold, though the sparks of electricity now dancing at his fingertips behind his back betray the storm raging inside him.
I told you to release me!
“Shut up!” I hiss through gritted teeth, trying to make sense of the situation unfolding before us.
“We’ve heard a lot about you, capo’s wife.” The man who kicked the captive smirks, his eyes settling on Alin. “Mariana didn’t hold back on the details.” He sneers, like he’s clearly aware of who we are. Is that why they came prepared? What do they know? How much they know?
“Mariana? The woman I sacrificed to the Coral of Life?” I ask, confused. She knew about us?
Pedro turns to Alin instantly. “Mariana was Stas’s woman,” he informs her. My gaze lifts to his wounded back before he asks, “Could he have told her what he knew?”
Alin’s carefully controlled expression morphs into anger, her brows furrowing. “How did I not catch that?”
“We all missed it. Believe me.” Pedro sighs, taking advantage of the fact that everyone is focused on Alinnow. He quickly bends forward, reaching into her bag and pulling out his gun.
Does Pedro really think his gun is going to help us right now?
It’ll only piss them off more. The man in front of us reaches for his right ear and pulls out the strange wax that covered it.
I quickly open my mouth to let out my screech, but he raises his hand toward me, as if predicting what’s about to happen—stopping me from taking my next move.
“You don’t want to make that mistake. One signal from me, and this man gets a bullet to the head.”
What’s he talking about? Who’s this guy?
“I’m not sure you understand how a threat works. Why would I care what happens to him?” I retort dismissively, unable to keep my mouth shut, but the burning in my chest intensifies, making me gasp right after.
“Chris, bring him here!” the man orders one of the others who came with him, raising his finger in a signal, and soon, two of them hoist the captive man from the sand, pulling off the black cloth covering his head.
I gasp in shock, my eyes darting to Alin—her gaze meets mine, startled.
“ Miguel ? What are you doing here?!”
“Run! They kn—” He tries to shout, but the man holding him shoves the black cloth into his mouth, silencing him. Now that Miguel has recognized us, he’s fighting back with everything he’s got left, but to no avail.
“Is that enough of a threat for you, Princess Bay?” The man’s voice drips with malice.
My body freezes in place. What in the actual hell does he know?
“Alin, what’s going on? How do these humans know about us?!” I can’t hide the shock, and the dragon inside me won’t stop tormenting my body. Please, stop torturing me! This is not the time!
Just release me already! What’s not clear?!
I don’t know what you’re planning! I won’t let you hurt my family just to save both our skins! I snap back, laying the truth bare. I don’t trust him to save all of us—he’s too selfish.
I don’t think you’ve realized yet. Your pain is my pain now. I’m trying to save all of you. His voice now... is it pleading? That’s new.
“What do you want?” Alin asks through gritted teeth. Pedro doesn’t bother hiding the electricity now flowing around his hand. The crackling current wraps around his right arm like a loaded weapon, just waiting to be unleashed. Can he control his powers now? What have I missed while I was away?
“Well, I’ll admit, I didn’t see that coming,” the man in front of us chuckles as his gaze meets Pedro’s arm.
“The capo’s brother is a freak too? Looks like the bastard didn’t tell us everything after all.
..” He sneers at Miguel, delivering a sharp kick to his thigh, causing him to collapse onto his knees in the sand.
“What do you want?” Alin repeats, her voice louder, more forceful.“If you think that’s going to save you, you’re wrong. I hope you’ve got a better bargaining chip,” she taunts. Does she have a plan? Or is she trying to draw information from him?
Within seconds, all the men behind him are gasping for air, collapsing to the ground as their guns fall into the sand. They clutch their throats, struggling to breathe. I can’t help but smirk with pride.
Told you, you could trust Alin.
The burning in my chest eases slightly, the dragon’s rage subsiding for now. But the reprieve is short-lived.
“You think I didn’t come prepared? I may not be a freak like you, but I’m not letting you have the last laugh. I’m here to get Mariana back. Where is she?” he demands impatiently, unfazed by Alin’s display of power.
Alin’s laughter rings out, sharp and mocking.“Seems like she’s got something magical between her legs, with all these men chasing after her lately.”
Pedro chuckles at her. “Looks like our family’s really rubbed off on you with that mouth of yours.”
“No, she’s always been like that,” I chime in with a laugh, and Alin waves us off dismissively, her free hand still holding the men at the brink of unconsciousness.
Something’s wrong. The dragon’s voice returns, burning through me.
“Something’s wrong,” I repeat,my heart races now. Maybe they really did come with a plan?
My heart pounds in my ears. My skin feels too tight. The air grows heavy, oppressive, as though it knows what’s coming.
“Where’s Mariana?” The man’s voice rises, snapping like a whip. “I won’t ask again!”
Alin doesn’t flinch. Her triumphant smirk only deepens as she reaches out, yanking Miguel’s limp body toward us with a flick of her wrist. The force sends the men holding him crashing face-first into the sand.
“Bay, take care of him,” she commands, placing Miguel’s body gently next to me on the sand.
My hands tremble as I tug the black cloth from his mouth, my breath catching when I see the extent of his injuries. Blood seeps into the sand beneath him, stark against the pale grains.
“I have to get you into the water,” I tell him. He won’t survive much longer if I don’t.
Miguel’s eyes, dull with pain, meet mine. Tears glisten on his cheeks. “I don’t deserve it,” he whispers hoarsely. “I told them everything, Bay. They—they got it out of me. I’m sorry.”
A lump rises in my throat. The memories flood in—us as young merlings, getting into trouble, laughing until we couldn’t hold our tails. How did it come to this?
“Shut up,” I choke out, my voice shaking. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, you need to—”
The familiar burn flares in my chest, searing and relentless. I gasp, clutching at the mark as the dragon’s growl reverberates through me.
There are more people. A lot more people. We’re surrounded. The dragon’s growl warns me, and I immediately raise my gaze to scan the area around us. I can’t see anything between the rocks from this position. How many people? Are they advancing toward us?
“Alin, be careful. He really does have a plan,” I tell her, and she raises an eyebrow at me in question. The men who had their weapons aimed at us are already unconscious on the sand.
“Listen to your precious cousin. At least one of you has a brain,” the man sneers at Alin. “Don’t test me. Where’s Mariana?”
“She’s long gone, but I’ll make sure you join her. Oh, wait…” Alin tilts her head, a mocking grin playing on her lips. “My dear cousin here made sure her soul wouldn’t even make it to the afterlife. Sorry—looks like you’ll have to go alone.”
Alin, this isn’t the time! I feel the pressure of the dragon in my chest, and I know something is very wrong.
She reaches out toward the four men still standing in front of us, and within moments, they’re gasping for air just like the others were.