Page 19 of Sworn to Consume
Well…mostly.
Being anchored to each other keeps things stable, but it’s a double-edged sword. One slip, one flare of power, and the destruction doesn’t just hit me—it hits both of us. Control is everything. Balance is everything.
On one side, there are the bearers—what Myko calls himself and my mom—that have the power to completely block their anchors.
Being the anchor has its perks, though. When I push, I can reach into Mom’s power and shape water like it’s an extensionof my own body. Bay can tap into Myko’s abilities too, though he hides them behind riddles and smug grins, as if saving our skins isn’t urgent at all.
So far, I know she can vanish into thin air, conjure a black mist that burns everything it touches to the core, and turn her body into an unbreakable shield. Everyone in the family fears her. Everyone but me.
Me and Mom? We can’t speak freely in our heads like Bay and Myko, thankfully. But I can sense her emotions, a pulse of warning or anger. She responds the same. It’s… enough.
“Took you long enough,” Bay swims toward me as I pass through the city gates. “I had to entertain this annoying new guard who wouldn’t stop asking me questions about Myko.” Her gills flare open and shut with irritation, eyes rolling.
I grin, shaking my head. Some things never change.
“Keep complaining, and next time we come here, I’ll stay overnight. You’re gonna have to start entering your city eventually,” I jab back with a smirk, pushing her buttons.
“It’s notmycity—”
“Cut that ‘I don’t belong’ shit. Myko updated you?” I cut in before she launches into the speech again.
She still holds grudges like no one I know, even after two decades of everything changing because of us.
Her eyes flash wide at my sharp tone, but she gets herself together fast, shakes her head, and answers, “Yes.”
“Good. We need to go to Sur-El. I have no idea what’s happening, but we need answers before we lose another pod.”
I pause. Let it sink in. “But not before we consume the next hunt.”
“Your tone’s starting to sound like your mom’s,” she mutters, jabbing a finger into my chest—right where a few silver scales shimmer.
“And here I thoughtIraised you…”
She swims back toward the guard at the entrance before I can hit her with my tail.
I snort as she ducks behind the poor merguard, playing the helpless princess again.
The guard looks at me, then at her, clearly confused. “You want me to fight the Coral of Life?” he asks, eyebrows raised. “Are you insane?”
Then he drops the act and chuckles, stepping aside with a bow. “She’s all yours,” he says, gesturing for me to pass.
I can’t help but laugh. “You see? Entering the city comes with perks like this. You should reconsider,” I tease, my mouth quirking into a mischievous grin.
She flips me off.
That right there? She got it from Uncle Pedro. Alessio’s even worse.
“You really need to feed quickly,” she snaps. “You and Myko are getting on my nerveswaytoo often lately.”
Roran
Another night in Konfetki. The music booms against my skull, the bass vibrating through my chest like a warning pulse. Colored lights sweep across the room—red, purple, and gold—casting fleeting shadows over glittering surfaces. The scent of spiced alcohol and perfume mingles, heavy and clinging, a haze I’ve learned to navigate without flinching.
Bodies sway around me, moving with the rhythm, some lost in their own worlds, others watching, calculating. Glasses clink. Laughter and shouts slice through the beats. Even the floors seem to hum underfoot, sticky in spots, cool and slick in others.
I’ll take it any day. All of it. Every sensory assault keeps me and Diana out of father's direct sight, giving us the slight reprieve we can’t find anywhere else.He knows I’m the best at running this shithole. As much as the men here are the lowest scum on earth, none of them would dare mess with me. Especially not when staying on my good side means better girls, same low prices, and extra perks.
They get what they want.
