46. Hunter

46

HUNTER

F rom the moment Dad called me for help on Melody Stormsong’s case, I could feel that desperation for vengeance. Her plea wasn't just about revenge; it was about reclaiming her life. After working the vengeance business with Dad for so long, I’d heard countless stories of betrayal and injustice, but hers struck a chord deep within me.

“She's only twenty,” I muttered, running a hand down my face.

“I know.” Dad winced, rummaging through a box of our things in the van. “We'll make sure she's free.”

Working with my dad has always been easy, like two parts of a whole. He taught me everything I know, not just about vengeance but about compassion, too. It was a strange thing, for vengeance demons to care about compassion, but my dad believed that vengeance must come from a place of justice, not blind fury. He was right.

It was the day of the mating ceremony for Melody, and we’d prepared our magic the entire day yesterday. Our van was parked outside Stormsong Manor, and our reserves were as filled as they could be for what we had to do.

We discussed Melody's targets in depth: Marlin Saltbloom, the man forcing that fucking matebond on her, and Seraphina, the sister who betrayed her in the worst ways. The plan was simple yet effective—intervene at the ceremony, stop the mating, and let the consequences of their actions unfold.

“She deserves a chance to find her fated mate,” I croaked as I slipped on a crystal pendant. It was my birthstone, Zircon, and it amplified my magic when I needed it. “No one should be forced into something so sacred.”

“I know.” Dad exhaled, opening the van door. “Trust me, I know.”

We shared a look of thick anticipation before he hopped out of the van. I joined him a second later and shut it behind me.

A shiver worked its way down my spine. “Let’s claim Melody’s vengeance.”

“She deserves it more than anyone I’ve met in a long time,” Dad muttered as we followed the trail that Melody had shown us yesterday that led to the cove behind her family’s manor.

The sun hung high in the sky, casting a warm glow over the ocean. The air was thick with the salty tang of the sea, mingling with the faint scent of jasmine from nearby blooms. The cove was hidden behind the manor, cradled by steep cliffs that rose like sentinels, their surfaces glistening with moisture from the mist.

Waves crashed against the rocks, providing a rhythmic backdrop. It was a haunting melody that echoed the turmoil of this ceremony.

Siren songs hit my ears as we snuck into the cove. This was where Melody’s vengeance would be claimed by those who had terribly wronged her.

There were far too many sirens present for something so vile to be happening. There was a couple that looked to be Marlin’s parents standing to the side. Melody’s father, Delmar Stormsong, stood in front with a woman that had to be Seraphina, Melody’s sister. They were humming a traditional siren tune that was used when parents would oversee their children’s mating.

It was a died-out tradition—obviously—but they clearly thought nothing was wrong with it. The Saltblooms at least had the decency to look away from the scene, but the Stormsongs looked on with a wicked sort of glee. It was fucking sick.

There was an altar, a natural formation of smooth stones, that was bathed in sunlight. It stood at the center of the cove, surrounded by a glowing circle of sea foam that danced like spirits.

I could see Melody lying on it, vulnerable and exposed. Her gaze was clouded, and she didn’t move. We’d been on time, but it was too late for my liking. They’d already stripped and drugged her.

My blood boiled.

"We need to act quickly," my father told me, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the scene.

“We can do it,” I said, feeling the surge of my vengeance magic awaken within me. It was a palpable energy, a fusion of anger and righteous intent, swirling in my chest.

“Ready, mate?” Marlin loomed over Melody, his green eyes twinkling with lust. He flashed a razor-toothed smile at her and ran his tongue over the tips. “You’re going to take my mark this time, yeah? If you don’t…I’m not responsible for how I may react.”

Seraphina giggled. “I’m surprised you managed not to rip her throat out last time. She does just kind of lay there like a dead fish.”

As if she had a fucking choice.

“Seraphina,” Delmar warned, but his tone was anything but serious.

A lone tear leaked from Melody’s eye and trickled down her cheek, and it shattered my resolve.

I screamed out as my vengeance magic exploded out of me, smashing into Dad’s and causing our vengeance to thicken the air.

Magic shimmered through the cove, and the ocean responded, waves crashing violently against the rocks as if the sea itself was joining our cause.

“What the Fates?” Delmar’s eyes widened as he saw us.

Marlin’s parents ran. They took one look at us and left the cove entirely. Our magic barely brushed them on the way out.

“Who are they?” Seraphina’s face scrunched up in confusion as she looked to her dad. “We didn’t invite anyone else.”

“We’re here for Melody’s vengeance,” I spat at them. “Sirens are known for their cruelty, but this is just fucking sick.”

“This isn’t your fucking business!” Delmar screamed at us, but our magic grew stronger.

“It is now,” Dad matched his scream with one of his own.

Marlin’s eyes widened before his head snapped toward Melody. His reaction was what surprised me. “You fucking tease!” He lunged forward, grabbing Melody’s legs roughly, parting them as he went to push himself into her.

But he was too fucking late. We would never let him do that to her again.

A wave of our magic surged forth. It struck Marlin, knocking him to the side, away from Melody before he could violate her anymore than he already had.

I desperately wanted to kill them all, but that wasn’t what Melody wanted. It was her choice. Not ours. I didn’t want to take her decision away, but vengeance was out of our control, now.

We did everything we could to prepare our magic to claim vengeance for her how she wanted, but sometimes…our magic went a little off the rails. It demanded justice for the sweet siren.

The ground beneath Seraphina’s feet trembled, and she screamed as she stumbled back, caught off guard by the force of our magic. “Dad!”

Delmar just barely caught his favorite daughter. “I’ve got you, Sera. It’ll be fine.”

Visions of what they watched Marlin do to Melody during the last ceremony circled her and her father, revealing their own selfishness and the pain they had caused her. But their hearts didn’t falter, and there was no guilt creeping in as their actions were put on display for them.

They didn’t care that Melody suffered. If anything, they enjoyed watching her cry for help. I wanted to kill them for it.

Our magic pulsed around the cove, and the stone altar Melody was lying on glowed with an otherworldly light, illuminating Melody’s figure as she slowly sat up. Her hand rested on her head, and she blinked, taking in the scene before her. The drug’s reaction seemed to fade from her all together as the Fates themselves intervened.

I’d never felt such raw power course through me before, and as I glanced to Dad, our eyes were both glowing a pure white. He had to be feeling the Fates’ magic the same as I did.

A potent blend of justice and retribution swirled, and a blinding white light enveloped Marlin and Seraphina. The altar broke down the middle with a resounding crack.

“What’s happening?” Seraphina screeched.

“I don’t know!” Delmar stumbled back from her as our magic pushed him away.

The cove continued to tremble with the intensity of our magic amplified by the Fates.

My magic struck Delmar where he stood, and he fell onto his ass, knocked unconscious with one blow. It was rather disappointing for a headmaster of a magical academy.

Pride rippled through me at what my power had done on its own—it had made the bastard impotent.

Our magic continued to swell with the Fates, and Melody’s vengeance was finally claimed the way she wanted.

A white tether formed between Marlin and Seraphina, a forced matebond bestowed to them by not just us—but by the Fates themselves.

The air cleared as our magic simmered to a halt, leaving profound silence in its wake. Even the ocean had calmed.

Dad and I rushed to Melody’s side, and we helped her to her feet carefully.

“Is it…over?” Her oil slick hair covered most of her, but Dad shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her to cover her completely. She didn’t deserve any of this.

“It’s over. You’re okay,” he assured her.

“Thank you doesn’t seem like enough, but…” Her wide blue eyes filled with tears and gratitude as she looked at us. “Thank you so much.”

“This vengeance was blessed by the Fates. I’ve never felt anything like it,” Dad assured her. “Marlin and your sister are now facing their own consequences. The Fates gave them a completed matebond. Our magic just helped seal it.”

“Your life is yours again,” I whispered. “You deserve to be happy, Melody. Don’t stay here.”

She whipped her head toward her sister and Marlin, and a small smile curved her lips. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me, but I can’t leave. I owe it to my mom to persevere. She gave me something priceless, and I can’t let it fall into their hands.”

Dad and I shared a look but nodded.

This was her choice, and while it was frustrating to know that she had to put up with these horrible sirens, we had to let her. It was her life, not ours.

“If you need anything at all, call us,” Dad offered.

“Don’t hesitate,” I added as exhaustion swept through me. “We don’t want you to go through something like this again. Melody, I’ve never heard of the Fates intervening like this. Protect yourself from here on out.”

“I will,” she promised. “Thank you both for everything you’ve done today. I’ll never forget it.”

“Check in with us every now and then, yeah?” Dad patted her shoulder, and she nodded in agreement.

“Find who the Fates chose for you. I pray they bless you with more love than you know what to do with,” I murmured, thinking of Pandora.

Melody’s abyssal blue eyes shone with tears as she smiled. “I pray the same.”

We had not only avenged Melody, but now, her soul was free to bond with who the Fates decided.

Dad and I made it as far as locking the van shut behind us before magical over—exertion hit, and we passed out.