41. Bay
Bay
The drive felt long and exhausting, especially with that cold-hearted capo—soon-to-be “king”—behind the wheel.
I wish I could stretch my human legs for a bit, but Luca won’t let me out of the car until he gives the‘okay’.
His enemies are turning my mission into a real pain in the ass, and for the first time in months, I don’t feel a shred of guilt about killing these filthy humans.
“We need to walk a bit to the shore. I need to make sure they’re just following us and not planning anything else,” he explains, staring at his phone, looking for who knows what.
“I could just take control of them now,” I suggest. “It’s only a short walk, right?” I’m eager to get us moving. I’m already nervous about the huntresses supposedly waiting for us in the water.
“Wait. I need to know exactly who we’re dealing with so I can be prepared. I am still waiting for Abert.”
Why is he suddenly explaining himself? He was so impatient before, barely even answering my questions. Is he... scared?
“I told you; I have a way to keep you safe. There’s no need to worry,” I try to reassure him.
“I’m not worried!” he snaps.
“Clearly,” I say, dismissing his tantrum with an eye roll.
He grips the steering wheel tighter in frustration. “You’re lucky you’re family.”
“Wait.” Now he turns to look at me, tension clear in his eyes. “How exactly are you planning to keep me safe? It doesn’t involve me growing a tail too, does it?”
I laugh nervously. “No, you’re not getting a tail. But you might end up tossed into a tsunami by your dear wife…”
“Bay.” His voice is sharp with impatience.
“You’ll have to drink my blood… from my mouth,” I finally admit.
“I have to kiss you and drink your blood?” He doesn’t hide his shock as I nod.
“Our beloved, hormonal future queen isn’t going to like it—any more than I’m going to hate it—but it’ll keep you safe.”
Luca sighs heavily. “Let’s get it over with.” He leans over reluctantly.
“Whoa, hold on there, love-fish. We have to do this as close to the shore as possible,” I tell him, pressing my hand to his face to stop him from getting any closer.
He chuckles. “Believe me, I’m not going to enjoy this either. But I do like the idea of teasing my brother about it later…”
“This is the first time I’m seeing your childish side,” I roll my eyes, not letting it slide. “Your hormonal wife would love to hear how ‘joyful’ this was, so unless you want to make things worse, keep your mouth shut. It’s already uncomfortable enough.”
He flips me off, and I laugh. “You’re not so bad when you’re loosened up.”
He smirks, casting an unimpressed glance. “A five-hour drive with that creepy dragon magic and being followed by the Russians make your weirdness very normal.”
I laugh. “Maybe we should do this more often then.”
“In your dreams.”
A notification pings on Luca’s phone, drawing both our attention. Finally!
Luca picks up his phone, and a sly grin spreads across his face.
“Good news?” I ask, smiling, as if his good mood is contagious.
“Yeah. We don’t need to worry about them. But there are four men in the car. Are you sure the huntresses will just wait for you there?”
I nod. The Coral of Life needs these souls; the Guardian wouldn’t deceive me about that.
Luca loads his gun and signals for me to stay inside until he comes around. He steps out carefully, making sure the Russians don’t catch on, and swiftly moves to my door.
The sound of the door unlocking sends shivers down my spine, reminding me of where I’m headed next—a place I never thought I’d have to see again. I swallow hard.
“Ready?” he asks, not wasting any more time now that we’re out in the open.
I nod and jump out of the car onto the rocky path, where the ocean breeze hits me, trying to soothe my restless nerves.
“The second I give the word, you need to compel them. Got it?” he commands—the capo reemerges, sharp as ever at the first sign of danger.
“Let’s get it done,” I say, stepping forward, letting the ocean breeze lead the way. The calm before the storm—I should savor it as long as I can.
As we make our way through the rocks and bushes along the sandy trail, we hear them trailing us. Luca’s grip on his gun is so tight I half expect a bullet to slip out and cut the tension.
“They’re really bad at tailing, huh?” I whisper with a snort.
“We’re getting close,” Luca says, brushing off my remark and letting me know it’s almost my turn to act. I bite down hard on my lip, cursing as the taste of metal fills my mouth.
“You need to drink it, quickly,” I urge, standing on my tiptoes to get my lips closer to his. Once he drinks, he’ll be protected from both me and the huntresses.
“Now?” he asks, as if I’d just threatened to kick him where it hurts.
“Quick! Drink it,” I push again, hearing the footsteps drawing closer.
He sighs and leans down to my lips, sucking on my lower lip hard and swallowing the blood that seeps into his mouth. I flinch as a burning sensation sears through both my lips and arm.
“That’s disgusting,” he grumbles, pulling back and clearly fighting to keep his stomach from revolting.
“As long as I get you back alive, you can curse to the end of time for all I care,” I try to sound like the responsible adult here, though I’m struggling to keep my own stomach content in place.
“What a fucking waste of time—trailing you all the way out here thinking we’d learn about your so-called ‘secret weapon,’ only to find you just came out here to screw around.” One of the Russians steps into view, chuckling in frustration.
“Alex, how nice of you to join us,” Luca says, slipping back into his cold, detached mask—this time, I’m grateful for it. Someone needs to manage this mess.
“The big, mighty capo even knows my name... too bad those will be your last words,” he grins, believing he’s already won. “Take them, leave the girl alive.” He commands, and three more men emerge from behind a large rock—just as Luca said, four of them in total.
“Now that you’re all here, let the hunt begin,” I dare to respond before Luca can, glancing quickly at him for approval—he nods.
Without waiting for their reaction, I unleash my huntress’s screech, and within seconds, they’re under my control.
I turn to Luca to show off my work like a four-year-old merling catching her first lobster, but my excitement turns to alarm when I see tears filling his eyes. I rush over to him in panic.
“Are you okay? ‘The Huntress’s Kiss’ is supposed to work…” I ask frantically.
“That was the worst thing I’ve ever felt in my life!” he breathes heavily, but I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. He’s not compelled.
“What do you mean?” I dare to ask now that I know he’s safe.
“It felt like something inside me was tearing out all the pain of my past, reminding me of every loss, every hurt, even things I didn’t know happened. It was like someone took my pain and turned it into a weapon against me.”
I swallow hard. Pain is the only thing that can break a compulsion—if someone’s strong enough to fight it.
“Go bring the three men from our car. Don’t kill or hurt them. Be quick,” I command the four, and they immediately turn and run back in the direction of Luca’s SUV.
“I didn’t know it would do that to you,” I say, turning to Luca once we’re alone. He’s still catching his breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside him. I can see the deep pain and horror in his eyes, as if it were my own. Pain—I know it too well.
“When you’re hunted, the huntress’s screech strips you of all your worries, pain, sadness—it’s the ultimate release, worse than any drug out there.
You’d never be able to handle your pain on your own if the hunters give it back to you—your heart would stop instantly.
That’s why, once you’re hunted, there’s no going back,” I explain, and his gaze finally meets mine.
“So the bloody kiss had the opposite effect and intensified my pain?” he asks, though I can tell he’s not looking for a history lesson right now.
“Yes. The more tightly you hold on to your pain, the less chance you’ll get hunted. But it’s almost impossible to control it yourself when you hear the screech—so my blood did it for you,” I say, realizing the power of ‘The Huntress’s Kiss’ myself.
I always knew you were something special, my dear huntress.
The familiar roar fills my head again, but this time, I’m not as scared.
“Fuck off.” I dare to respond aloud, and the disturbing, rusty laughter echoes through every corner of my mind before fading away just as quickly.
“He’s not leaving you alone, huh?” Luca’s voice sounds so vulnerable now. I don’t want to know what made him feel that bad.
“Yeah, he’s annoying as hell. But we’ve got more important things to do—we’re close to the shore. Come on,” I urge him, and this time I take off running.
“What about the men?” he yells behind me, easily catching up.
“They’ll come to me. They’ll follow—the prey always knows where its master is,” I inform him.
“And here I thought we humans had it tough...” he chuckles.
“Here we go,” I say, stopping as soon as my eyes catch the blue line of the water, scanning for any sign of the huntresses.
“The Guardian could’ve sent flowers if he wanted to be romantic, not a full-blown Hunters’ pod,” Luca retorts, and I follow his gaze behind me.
What. The. Actual. Fuck?!