I take a deep breath, my mind racing as I devise a plan. We need to find Dani, get out of here, and regroup somewhere safe.
But first, we need to deal with this red-haired bastard and his goons.
Bloodbane takes another step toward Gideon, his eyes glittering with cruel amusement. "So why don't you be a good little sailor and tell me what I want to know?" he asks, with false sweetness. "Unless you'd rather see your precious crew decorating the bottom of the ocean."
I glance around, my heart sinking as I take in the sheer number of Bloodbane's men. There's at least twenty of the fuckers, all armed to the teeth and leering at us like we're their next meal. Compared to Gideon's handful of crew members, it's like pitting a pack of wolves against a couple of fucking lapdogs.
I repeat the mantra in my head, over and over, like a desperate prayer.
I can't lose control.
Don't lose control.
Don't fucking lose control.
I clench my fists, my nails digging into my palms hard enough to draw blood. I need to stay calm, need to keep my shit together. Because if I let go, if I unleash the beast inside me...
It won't be pretty.
My bad side, the part of me that revels in blood and violence and destruction... it's always there, lurking just beneath the surface. And right now, it's howling for release.
But I can't let it out—can't let it take control. Because if I do, if I give in to that primal, savage fury...
There's no telling what I'll do.
I might tear this whole fucking Tavern apart, might rip every last one of these pirates to shreds in my blind, unthinking rage.
No, I need to hold it together—I need to stay focused, stay sharp.
So I clench my jaw, take a deep, shuddering breath, and force myself to be still—to push down the beast, to lock it away behind a wall of iron will.
Gideon's face goes white with fury, his fists clenching at his sides. But he doesn't make a move, doesn't say a word. He knows he's outmatched here, knows that Bloodbane could cut through his men. "Yer breaking the code, Bloodbane. Ye know ye can'tdo—"
"Fuck the code. I will do whatever I damn well please." Bloodbane snarls.
I silently pray to any deity that might be listening, begging them to keep Dani away a bit longer.
Why she hasn't returned to the table is either a blessing or something happened to her, and now I'm all kinds of fucked up. But I don't sense her fear—I would know if she was in trouble.
Bloodbane is in our faces, his breath hot and rank against my skin. "Time's up, boys," he snarls, his hand closing around the hilt of his blade. "You can either come with me quietly, or I can drag you to the Sea Witch in pieces. Your choice."
"I think there's something else you bastards would prefer—something the Sea Witch would really want," Izabelle interrupts.
We all stare at her, confusion and suspicion written across our faces.
"Go on..." Bloodbane demands, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits.
"There's a female here. She's got some kind of power," Izabelle continues, a sly smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Don't—" Finn starts, but one of Bloodbane's goons stops him with a knife to his throat.
"Izabelle—" Gideon warns, his voice low and urgent. But before he can say anything else, Bloodbane is in his face, looming over him like a thundercloud.
"Go on, lass," Bloodbane growls, his attention fixed solely on Izabelle. "Tell me more about this... powerful female."
Izabelle smirks, a wicked gleam in her eye. "Curvy little brunette thing—I think you bastards would be much more interested in what she's got to offer."
She jerks her head towards the back of the tavern, where Dani disappeared moments ago. My heart clenches in my chest, and I feel a low, menacing growl building in the back of my throat.
