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“I found the blood drinker when we had nothing left to offer,” Lena went on. “I did not want my love to find aid anywhere else. To keep him, I hunted the seas, and the gods blessed me greatly. I took the blood drinker for my love to live. But all my clan saw was darkness. Said a beast like her was from the hells, not the gods. They turned on my love. I had to protect my place as a queen amongst children of the gods.”

“You’re mad,” Mira said with a touch of disgust. “What did you do to Eeva’s clan? To her? She doesn’t realize how you’ve used her. You made her into this…being that she is not.”

Lena sneered at the princess. “Better to hide her truth. She is too weak to embrace the blood call on her own. As soon as I knew what her blood would grow, I knew she was the one to take. I discovered to be the one to control her would make it so my love had to bring me into his kingdom.”

Bleeding hells, she’d positioned herself in a way Djur could never be rid of her, not if he wanted to keep Eeva’s ability. Her confession proved something else—there were more Veri Ikuinen.

I yanked Lena’s head back, forcing her to look at me. “Where is the Veri clan?”

Her smile was cruel, vengeful. The sea witch did not respond, merely spat at my feet.

“It’s over, Lena,” Mira said. “Surrender to our folk, release Tait from his vow, and you might live another day.”

Lena’s sharp eyes burned in hatred. “How can I live without my king? My god.”

With a fierce yank, Lena tore her hair free of my grip, then twisted her body away from me before scrambling to her feet. The sea witch rushed at Mira. Her longer arms encircled my Vicious in the next heartbeat.

“Mira!”

Lena had Mira’s back flat on the path and pushed beneath her chin, like she wanted to snap Mira’s head off her spine.

Rage, hot and blinding, blotted out any rational thought.

Somehow I tore the witch off Mira’s body. We landed in a heap. Lena wasted no time and clawed at my face. Her knees rammed into my ribs, attempting to strike my cock. In the frenzy, she caught hold of the hilt of the blade I’d taken from the mortal. I gripped the guard.

She screamed in my face, wrenching at the sword. The guard slipped. One of my palms sliced over the edge of the steel. I cursed her and rolled aside before she could fling the sword against me again.

“Tait!” Mira coughed, clutching her throat near the edge.

Lena glanced at her, then pinned me in a wretched, violent sneer. “You will know the same pain as you’ve caused me.”

Sword lifted, the sea witch made a beeline for Mira. I ran after her, willing my legs to move faster, faster.

With a cry of rage, Lena readied to bring the cutting edge against Mira’s body. With both my palms, I shoved against her spine. The woman flung forward over the path, falling face down. Her head landed on a stone with a sick crack.

I pierced the front of Lena’s head with the sharp point, and the sea witch did not move again.

Even with the icy rush of the vow fading from my blood, I had no plans to risk her rising again. Better to be certain.

I struck the edge of the sword against the back of Lena’s neck. Again. Again. I hacked at the woman’s shoulders and throat until the final cut sliced through the thick column of her spine.

Lena’s body fell away from the stone; her head remained pinned to the jagged point.

Harsh inhales burned the back of my throat. Sticky blood that wasn’t my own dripped over my lips, my chin. I dropped the blade with a thud, then curled my fingers through Lena’s matted hair. Bone scraped over rock when I plucked her severed head free.

Slowly, I turned and strode three paces to where Mira lay on the ground, propped on one elbow and silently watching my every move.

I dropped to my knees in front of her and placed Lena’s bloody head between us.

Through heavy lids, I peered up at my Vicious. “For your revenge.”

Mira didn’t look at the dead sea witch. Her chin trembled. On the next breath, she wrapped her arms around me. Mira tucked her face against my neck, unbothered by the dirt, sweat, and blood soaking my skin.

I held the back of her head and pressed soft kisses to the side of her face.

Over. The word reeled in my head. It was over.

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