Page 37 of All Your Deadly Truths (The Filthy Duet #2)

Kairhyse

I ’m on my feet, one step up, ready to jump just as Brice hits the water after her. Something big slams into us, and I lurch, leaning over the side. Neither the Werewolf nor Sydni have surfaced. I’m bracing to jump when the back of the boat dips sharply.

Before I move, I tuck Xeraphine against the edge, wedging her between the floorboard and the wall for safety. Then I sprint around the stairway toward the source of the shift.

That’s when I see him.

Tall and bulky, with bright blue eyes, cropped black hair, and dark skin, he’s radiating fury. His snarl carves his pissed-off expression deeper into his face. “Where is she?” he growls.

Anger surges through me, and in one step, I’m in front of him, slamming my fist into his jaw. He stumbles but recovers quickly, grabbing my wrist before I can pull away. The force of his grip snaps it like a twig, and the deck splinters beneath my knees as I collapse.

Through gritted teeth, I rip free from his grip and spring back just as his fist crashes into the space where my face had been seconds before.

Before I can react further, Niyla rushes past me, leaping high and driving her fists down onto his head. He doesn’t even flinch. Instead, he reaches out, grabs her by the neck, and tosses her effortlessly into the sea as if she’s nothing more than an insect.

“Tiresome. Give me the girl, and I’ll be gone.”

I roll my head around on my shoulders. “Over my dead body.” As he steps toward me, I’m already in his face, landing another punch square to his jaw. He counters with a wide swing, but I’m ready, dodging easily. He’s strong—no question—but slow. At least that’s something I can use.

“Rhys!” Sydni’s scream cuts through the chaos. She’s still off the side of the boat, but I can’t afford to look her way. My focus stays locked on him as I weave side to side, narrowly avoiding his heavy swings.

When his fist comes right for my chest, I grab it and direct it outward. My forehead meets his, and a swift kick to his shin sends him down to his opposite knee with a groan.

Looking up at me, he roars out, “There is no fucking point in this! She will get what she wants, regardless if it’s now or in a hundred years!”

I throw another punch straight at his face, but he jerks back, diving right off the swim deck. My eyes widen in shock as I rush to the side of the boat. “Syd?!” I shout, scanning the water frantically. When I don’t see them, panic surges, and I dart to the opposite side of the boat.

That’s when I spot them—circling around toward the back, right where that Shifter had disappeared into the water.

“Be careful! He’s back in the water!”

Brice looks up at me; he has his hands on Sydni, and she looks disheveled. Her arms are flapping around like a fish out of water and it dawns on me.

Oh my Gods, can she not swim?!

I don’t see a shark—or its Mundane form—but just as Brice pulls Sydni to the back of the boat, a cascade of water crashes across the deck.

Before I can react, a force like a speeding semi slams into my side, crushing me against the boat’s railing.

The impact is so brutal that I’m embedded into the hollow structure, shards of it piercing deep into my shoulder.

I hiss in pain, but there’s no time to process it. Half a goddamn shark looms above me, its massive jaws stretching wide, ready to snap shut. Instinct kicks in. My hands shoot up, catching both sets of its jaws just as they’re about to clamp down over my head.

“NO! KAIRHYSE!” Sydni screams.

Its teeth pierce right through my hands, and I try to kick at its legs, but the sleek floor against my bare skin makes it difficult to get a good grip on my position.

“Alaric, where are you?!” Brice bellows, and the sound of feet crossing the deck are light—definitely not that of the Fallen. They are gentle, bare, and move with haste.

Just as my hand begins to tear and his jaw prepares to snap shut, the pressure suddenly stops.

“Get…” Her voice cuts through the bedlam. A chill rolls over me, and strength surges through my arms. “Off of him.”

The Shifter staggers back, his massive great white form rippling as it begins to shift into his Mundane body. My gaze snaps to the right, where Xera stands. Her eyes are completely blacked out, locked unrelentingly on the male.

“Xeraphine.” He releases a heavy sigh. “You’ll just piss her off more.”

My girl drops her head to the side, the upturn of her lip as she snarls at him makes my body heat rise. “Good.” When she steps to him, he recoils. “Don’t run, because if I catch you a second time, I’ll make your death slow. So… agonizingly slow… so do us both a favor… and die quickly now.”

I can’t tear my eyes away from her. The Amoro around her pulses with an intensity I’ve never seen before. It’s like a cloud of black smoke, thick and alive, swirling in an orbit around her body.

“Chase…” Her voice sharpens as she raises her hand, and I hear him let out a low, pained groan. “Get on your knees.” Her tone drops as the aura around her stretches out, crawling through the air toward the Shifter.

I follow its path, watching as his knees begin to tremble—just as Brice charges at him. The Shifter barely flinches, catching the Werewolf with a swift elbow to the nose. Blood sprays as he stumbles back from the hit.

Without hesitation, Chase pivots on his heel and hurls himself overboard.

I jerk my gaze back to Xeraphine. She’s staring down at her trembling hands, then out toward the water where the Shifter disappeared.

There’s a pause—a beat where her intentions are as clear as the fury in her eyes.

She’s going to go after him. It’s what she does.

A hunter, just like me. Driven by vengeance.

Groaning, I shut my eyes and press a hand to my knee. I’m healing, but far slower than I would’ve weeks ago. Pain radiates through me, and just as I steady myself, preparing to follow her, warm hands cup my face.

My girl is now kneeling in front of me, fingers trembling as they shift across my face. “Kai?”

Releasing a breath, I move my hand to the side of her neck. “Little demon.”

Tears stream down her face as she throws herself against me, her lips crashing into mine with desperate force.

Her broken sob vibrates against my mouth, and I tighten my arm around her waist, holding her as close as possible.

I don’t care about the shards of this damn ship still lodged in my back.

I don’t want to move. I don’t want to stop feeling her body meld into mine, like we’re becoming one.

The world around us fades, and I couldn’t care less who’s watching. Her frantic kisses crash into mine, equally as fierce as my own.

The sound of approaching, quick and gentle, footsteps yank my focus. Without a doubt it’s Sydni. My chest aches with the thought of letting my girl go, but I will for her best friend.

Xera pulls away just as dark blue hair fills my vision. Sydni slams into her arms, trembling with raw emotion. Xera’s arm wraps around her princess, holding her tight as Sydni’s sobs intensify, filling the space between us.

“Get us moving,” Brice barks out. “What the fuck happened to your godsdamn arm, Alaric?!”

Nothing else matters in this moment. Not the Fallen, not his missing arm—none of it. All that exists is right here. Her . I lean back into my girls, pulling them tighter to me and burying my face into Xera’s neck.

“Oh, Phiny—oh my Gods.” Sydni’s wailing is so raw it makes her choke, followed by violent coughing. She trembles so hard I’m surprised the boat doesn’t shake in response to her grief.

Xera takes a shaky breath, and my hand moves instinctively to her neck, gripping tightly enough to make her look at me.

Slowly, her lips part, and I catch the stark contrast of her bright white teeth against the darkness consuming her.

Her eyes—those eyes, once so vivid—are now completely void of color, yet they hold more emotion than I’ve ever seen in her.

After a moment, I lean in and brush my lips against hers, feeling them quiver as I do. “Shh, you’re here. I’ve got you.”

“I’m sorry…” she murmurs. “I’m so sorry.”

Pushing my forehead against hers, I shake my head. “Never apologize for something that you had no control over, Xera.”

When she swallows, I know she won’t protest any further.

We’ll both apologize for far too long, each blaming ourselves.

I’ve failed her too many times, and she’ll carry the weight of it, believing this is somehow her fault.

But none of this is on her. She deserves nothing less than a life full of love—the kind I want to give her, in every way she needs.

She slowly leans back, and as Sydni lifts her gaze, I’m reminded that we have another battle about to start.

Xera releases me and grabs hold of her princess, her voice thick and almost demonic as she hisses, “What the fuck happened to your eyes?!”

Terror flashes in Sydni’s gaze, and when she glances at me from the corners of her eyes, my little demon shoots daggers straight at me.

But as much as that look is directed my way, it’s not anger towards me.

It’s something else—a subtle ripple of thought that brushes against the back of my mind, like I can almost hear her words without her speaking them.

“I won’t actually kill you, Kai. You know that, right?”

Still doesn’t mean that look of hers isn’t terrifying.

When she turns her head back to Sydni, she demands, “Who did this to you?”

“I did.” Niyla’s voice is steady, almost defiant.

She’s barely recovered from swimming back onto the boat, yet she stands tall as if she could take on my girl.

That Shifter had grabbed her like a toy, tossing her off the boat like she was nothing but an inconvenience.

Xeraphine sent him running, tail tucked between his thighs and all.

It’s not defiance she has, it’s stupidity for attempting to be brave.

Just as Xera moves to stand, Sydni grabs her arm. “Wait.”

Her eyes stare straight up at Niyla. “You… turned… her?!” The anger in her voice isn’t the only thing that’s rising. It begins to pull that black aura from her skin again, swirling around her like a storm ready to break.

Do I stop her?

“Phiny-bear, listen to me, I was dying. I wouldn’t have survived.”

It doesn’t matter that the boat is moving now. Time seems to stand still as we all watch Xeraphine. And in this moment, I remember my place.

I let her go, giving her space to be who she is.

It’s who I fell in love with—every psychotic, perfect inch of her.