The pirate staggers back, his eyes wide with shock and agony. But I'm not finished with him yet. I grab him by the throat, my fingers digging into his flesh as I yank him close and sink my fangs into his neck. The coppery tang of his blood floods my mouth, hot and thick and pulsing with life. I drink deep, feeling the rush of power as it courses through my veins, making me stronger, faster, more deadly.
Behind me, I hear the ring of Erik's sword as he takes on three pirates at once, his blade flashing in a blur of silver. A head flies, bouncing across the deck in a spray of blood and brains. But the other two keep coming, their eyes wild with bloodlust and fury.
My focus wavers for a split second as movement catches my eye, drawing my gaze up to the helm. There, locked in a fierce duel with a female pirate, is Captain Sterling. The woman is a fucking force to be reckoned with, her blade flashing in a blur of silver as she matches the captain blow for blow.
She's good, damn good. Better than any pirate I've ever seen. Her movements are fluid and graceful, her sword an extension of her arm as she parries and thrusts with deadly precision.
Suddenly, she drops low, sweeping her leg out in a lightning-fast kick that takes the captain's feet out from under him. He goes down hard, his back slamming against the deck with a sickening crack.
But before the woman can press her advantage, Izabelle is there, materializing out of nowhere like a fucking ghost. Her cutlass is in her hands, the blade flashing in the sunlight as she hurls herself at the female pirate.
The two women clash in a whirlwind of steel and fury as they dance back and forth across the deck. Izabelle is a blur of motion, her cutlass slashing and swiping with deadly precision as she tries to drive the other woman back to protect her fallen captain.
But the female pirate is just as fast, just as skilled. She meets Izabelle's attacks with incredible, calculated grace, her sword darting in and out like a serpent's tongue as she probes for weaknesses, for openings to exploit.
"Sterling! You will not win this one. You are outnumbered, and ye will yield." the Serpent Skull woman yells. She must be the Captain Gideon spoke of—Captain Thalassia Viper.
A shot rings out, the crack of a pistol splitting the air. I feel the impact of the bullet slamming into my chest, the searing pain of it tearing through muscle and bone. I snarl in rage and pain, my vision going red around the edges as I charge forward, moving faster than the eye can follow.
I'm on the shooter in an instant, my hand closing around his throat like a vice. I feel the pop and snap of tendons and cartilage as I rip his throat out, the hot gush of blood splattering my face and chest. His body crumples to the deck, his eyes staring sightlessly at the sky.
Our ship shudders beneath my feet as another volley of cannon fire rips through the hull, its force sending shockwaves through the deck. I can feel the ship listing heavily to one side, the timbers groaning and creaking as they strain under the onslaught.
We can't take much more of this. We're being torn apart, piece by fucking piece.
I throw my head back and roar at the sky, my voice raw with anger and desperation. And then, deep inside me, I feel it. That raw, primal energy that's always been there,waiting just beneath the surface of my skin. I dig deep, reaching for it with every fiber of my being, every last shred of my will.
And it answers.
With a snarl, I thrust my palms out toward one of the enemy ships, channeling all my rage and power into a devastating blast. A pulse of telekinetic energy blasts from my hands, slamming into the side of the nearest enemy ship with the force of a wrecking ball.
The hull explodes inward, the wood splintering and cracking like an eggshell. Water gushes through the gaping hole, the ship listing heavily to one side as it begins to sink beneath the waves.
Fuck yes. A savage grin splits my face from ear to ear.It's on now, you bastards.
I blur to the other side of the ship, my hands already outstretched. Another blast of energy, another ship capsizing in a spray of shattered wood and churning foam.
I do it again and again, my body moving on pure instinct and adrenaline as I rain down destruction on our enemies like the fucking wrath of the gods. Ships sink and capsize all around us, the screams of dying men mingling with the roar of the waves and the boom of cannon fire.
Even as the enemy fleet crumbles beneath my onslaught, the deck of our ship is still swarming with Serpent Skull pirates, their blades flashing and their eyes wild.
I rush through them like a goddamn whirlwind, my hands a blur of motion as I snap necks and tear out throats, rip beating hearts from chests, and crush skulls like overripe fruit. The rage is a living thing inside me now, a beast that won't be sated until every last one of these fuckers is dead at my feet.
Because I'm done with this shit. I'm done with these pirate fucks and their games, done with the endless cycle of violence and death. All I want is my Angel, safe and sound in my arms once more.
And I'll tear the whole fucking world apart to make that happen if that's what it takes.
The battle had been long and brutal, a seemingly endless slog of blood, steel, and screaming fury. But finally, after what feels like an eternity of hacking, slashing, and spilling guts across the deck, we have them beaten. Captain Thalassia Viper, the bitch who led the attack, is jumping ship with the handful of pirates who managed to survive our onslaught. They pile into a rickety dinghy, their faces twisted with fear and defeat as they row frantically away from the carnage.
I stand here on the deck, my chest heaving and my sword dripping with blood, as I scan the chaos for any sign of my mate. Danica had been fighting alongside me, her blade flashing in a blur of silver as she cut down pirate after pirate with a fierce, feral grace. But now, as the smoke clears and the screams die away, I realize with a sinking feeling that she is nowhere to be seen.
"Danica!" my voice raw and hoarse from the hours of battle.
But there is no answer, no flash of chestnut hair or gleam of honey-gold eyes amidst the carnage.
Lucian's nowhere to be seen either. I reach out for him through our mental link, but it's like shouting into a fucking void. Nothing.
What the fuck? She was right here, fighting by my side. But in the heat of battle, with the blood pounding in my ears and the adrenaline surging through my veins, I lost track of her.
