Her smile twists into an ugly sneer. “Because you found him, and youreallyshouldn’t have found him.”
“Who?” Tommy? I—I don’t understand. If this isn’t about the Gallaghers, then what?Wait—“Ordus?”
“Yes,Ordus.” She spits his name. “Monsters.”
I gape at Deedee. How the fuck does she know what he is? Ordus didn’t recognize her, and she was acting strange from the moment she saw him.
“They feast on human flesh.Children. What type of sick monster are you for spreading your legs for him?” She places her manicured hands on her hips, dragging her scrutinizing eyes over me. “I thought you’d be smarter than to do something as stupid as go near his kind.”
“They’re not all bad,” I defend. Ordus is kind and gentle. Sure, he’s a bit crazy and unhinged, but that’s only because his culture is different to humans. “I’m his mate,” I tack on like it might mean something or explain how I got into this situation. “I won’t let you hurt him.”
“Cute. Like you’d be able to do anything,” she scoffs, looking down her nose at me like I’m the dumbest person she’s evermet. And maybe I am. “You’re a human, darling. Humans and krakens don’t go together. Tell me, why does he think you’re hismate?” she mocks. “Let me guess: he feels a pull to you? He justknowsor some stupid childish bullshit like that? Hmm?”
I shift in my chair, throwing nervous glances at the table full of torture equipment. Deedee is who the krakens are afraid of—the humans they’ve been told to steer clear of because they’re hated for their mere existence.
I continue wriggling my hands to undo the ties.
“Mates?” A maniacal smirk warps her face. “Hate to break it to you, girl. That’s because of me and the pretty little mark I left on your back.”
As if noticing the attention, the tattoo on my back prickles and sparks before catching fire. I roll my shoulders to unstick the fabric from it. “What does the tattoo have to do with any of this?”
I bare my teeth like an animal when she reaches over to tap my nose, like this is all some big fucking joke, and any second, she’s going to yell “just kidding.”“You know, it’s a good thing you haven’t let him sink his fangs into you, or else the Curse would’ve lifted, and I’d be very,veryupset.”
I jerk back. Deedee knows about that too? “Why wouldn’t you want to end the Curse? They have women, children, fucking newborn babies.”
“Ni Luh was just a child, and they killed her!” Her voice takes on a deep rumble. The dark browns of her eyes twist into the darkest shade of endless black. “Everyone in our village loved her, and his kind took her from me. She wasinnocent, and they tore her body to shreds. But you know what they did?” Her expression goes crazed. “They left us her head.”
The air crackles with electricity, the type of charged energy of a haunted house, or a cemetery when the moon is at its highest. It’s an unnatural shift ten times stronger than the subtle tingle down my spine when the sigils into the cave flow.
Her shoe slides along the bloodstained floor. “There are witches around the world, but none are as powerful as my mother. She was revered across the earth. My sister’s powers were manifesting to be just as formidable,” she explains, angry creases forming around her eyes.
My eyes drop to the bracelet she always wears. Hersister’sbracelet. Ni Luh.
“I was the only one in my family who could make sure the krakens suffered for what they did to my sister—long after my mother’s death.” The rope around my wrist loosens as she speaks. “We knew she wouldn’t survive casting the Curse, and the only way for it to continue was for me to act as its anchor and choose the brides so there will always be two bearing its weight. One destined to die, one destined to live.Balance. She gave me part of her life force so I could live long enough to watch each and every kraken be expunged for their sins.”
Holy shit, she’s fucking crazy.
Ordus can’t come here.
How the fuck am I meant to fight offandrun from a witch? A witch who’s apparently powerful enough to single-handedly continue the eradication of an entire species.
“I’m sorry your sister died, but an entire species shouldn’t pay for the actions of one?—”
“They’re monsters!”
“You’re killing children too. Do you think that makes you better?”
“Yes.” Deedee raises her chin. “It makes me stronger, because no other daughter or sister or brother will die by their hands.”
“It’s genocide.”
She smirks. “It’s justice.”
I shake my head. “You’re fucking sick. Go to a therapist and grieve like a normal person.”
“You do not understand my pain,” Deedee hisses. “I lost my sister and my mother.”
“Maybe not, but I’m not going around murdering babies because someone I care about dies after casting a curse to kill krakens and all sea life in the area.” She has to realize how fucked up this is. “It’s over. They’ve learned their lesson. They’ve suffered enough. This endsnow.”
