Page 18 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
The rage boiled over then, my piercing screams cutting off Theon’s monologue. This time, when I charged him, I did not hit the bars before me. One moment a cage separated me from the Shifter, and the next I was tackling him to the ground. I did not give myself time to think. Did not so much as take in a deep breath before I silenced my own screams by bringing my bared teeth to Theon’s throat and biting down. His cries were met by my jaw closing even tighter. And then, with enough force to rip the universe itself apart, I tore out Theon’s jugular. The taste of iron spilled into my throat like a vengeful river, and the beast below me—or perhaps I was the beast—convulsed. His screams became gurgles as his face returned to his own, but it was not enough.
Sterling’s shouts behind me were met with the fleshy thud of my fists raining the Underworld down upon Theon. Each time my knuckles collided with his face my battle cry grew louder,until nothing could be heard over it. Again and again I hit him, his head quickly becoming a bloody scene of gore and revenge.
Only when he was completely unrecognizable did I slow, coming to a stop and catching my breath.
Silence coated the death-tainted air. That was, until claps sounded from my right. My head swung towards the source. I caught sight of Mia just as she walked into the light, a new gown and fresh cosmetics making her look a queen once more.
“There is my daughter—my heir. Feral is the scorned, after all.” She chuckled, a dainty little laugh. I gasped, using the lifeless body below me to push myself back onto my feet. Briefly, I considered what it meant that I had moved through—past?—the bars of my cage. But I had no time to realize what I was before Mia spoke again. “He deserved it, Asher. He hurt you. He insulted you. He belittled you. No one who does that should live. You gave him the end he earned.”
Wobbling on my feet, I scoffed at her, bunching my aching fists once more in preparation for another fight. “Then perhaps you—who has hurt me worse than any other—deserve my wrath most of all.”
Slowly but surely, my magic invaded my veins once more, both Sterling’s shock and Mia’s pride faintly registering in the back of my mind. The Manipulator within me urged me to end her—to show her an even worse fate than Theon met.
“No, my flower, I have loved you,” she whispered, flicking her wrist. Suddenly, something hard hit the back of my head like a boulder. I collapsed to the ground in a heap of bloody limbs and pulsing magic. Just as my eyes closed, Mia’s haunting voice sounded once more. “Now we shall see that love mold you back into what you were always meant to be.”
Chapter Nine
Bellamy
Of course they knew who I was. A fae with pointed ears wielding shadows was not only rare, it was a singular case. Me.
“I see my reputation precedes me,” I taunted, leaning forward to bow but never letting my eyes leave the captain’s. She was wholly unimpressed, but I could tell she was intrigued by the why of it all. Why was the Prince of Eoforhild so far out into the Ibidem Sea? Why was he on a ship with no supplies other than gold? Why did he know her name?
If Asher were here, she would have come up with a better plan. Then again, if Asher were still with me, I would not need to beg at the feet of pirates.
“I believe you can help me with resc—“ Pain, far worse than before, barreled into my mind. It crawled its way through every thought and memory and emotion like a spider weaving a web. Whatever Asher did with her magic had left a poison burrowed so deeply within my brain that it might just rot me into nothing. My back gave out, leaving me hunched over and gasping for air as the bow clattered to the ground.
“What is wrong with you?” Another female asked. The sound of heels meeting the wooden deck came closer, and then a pair of brown leather boots came into my line of sight.
Standing straight once more, I swallowed my words. So no planning her rescue, got it.
“I need your help, but unfortunately I cannot be the one to plot and plan with you.” My hand gripped my hair, trying to rip out the ache from where it festered.
“She wants to know why.”
“Well, if you must know, you nosy little pirate, the love of my life stripped me of my free will and forced me to leave her for dead. So now I am, quite honestly, in so much pain over the mere thought of aiding her that I am considering murdering you all and simply burning the entire fucking world to dust just so I can find some peace.”
“She said down puppy.” I balked, letting my eyes move between the two annoyingly smug females before me.
“Did she truly?”
“Yes,” the blonde answered, “she also said that you need to find a new female to piss on and claim because she isn’t helping your old one.”
Rage left my toes curling and my fists bunching. What I would not give to—
“Well, well, if you all do not look like the tastiest little treats,” the siren said, cutting off my failing conversation with the captain. Irritated and far beyond my wits end, I ripped waterfrom the sea below, willing it over the ship and raining it down upon us all. Screams erupted from those aboard, and I took the opportunity to portal to my Trusted, lighting a circle of black fire around us.
“I care little for what your captain thinks of me, though, if you think you will be walking away from this ship alive without your vow to aid me, then you are surely mistaken. You may be formidable, but there are few things in this world as dangerous as I, my lost love being one of them.” With a flick of my wrist, I shredded through the beam of light that wrapped around my Trusted. They remained casually grouped together, none of them looking so much as unsettled by the pirates around us.
Captain Harlihold approached, gesturing sharply as she did. Her face was pinched in rage, staring at me like I was a rancid meal she’d like to dispose of. Who I wagered was her quartermaster, seeing as the very blonde had been the one to translate earlier, followed closely behind, eyes trained on her captain’s hands. When Harligold stopped mere feet from me, the blonde spoke.
“Captain Perdita Harligold is the most notorious pirate to walk Alemthian. She does not fear pampered princes and weak threats. We have faced far worse and come out alive, so you best consider what you are willing to lose in order to gain support you shall not have.”
Just then, I caught sight of the captain’s gesture to the siren. My anger was an erupting volcano in that moment, and I felt my magic leak from me like lava.
The crew members all attacked at once, but I was faster than even their captain. Harligold’s shadows were not even halfway to me before her siren collapsed to the deck, my blazing shadows still burning at her flesh where they sliced right through her.
A gargled noise left the captain’s lips just as her crew members descended upon us. I met the enraged blonde head-on,crafting a sword of shadow and fire to stop hers. Ice hit air as a female with bronze skin and cascading navy hair attacked Lian, who fought the exceptionally talented Water off.
