Page 51 of The Sea Witch’s Son (The Villains of Wolf Hollow #1)

Chapter 50

MARLIN

Two thieves stealing from the same power-hungry woman?

What an exciting turn of events.

“And you said this semester was going to be no fun.” Calista grins, settling deeper into her chair, “It would seem you’ve made a few too many assumptions lately, dear friend.”

“It would seem I have.”

Bemused does not begin to cover my current state. It is rare for a single person to get the drop on me, but two at the same time?

Clearly, my mind has not been well for quite some time.

I should feel ashamed of such blatant oversight, and yet I find myself feeling relieved. Mistakes are what it means to be human and sometimes I forget what that feels like.

At least I did until my little saint came along .

The thought of my favourite redhead has my mind going back to the first party of the semester. She is the obvious suspect with that brilliant mind of hers, but from what I remember, she was in my line of sight nearly the entire night.

Making it impossible for her to steal the drugs.

“Two thieves in one town.” I frown, reconstructing the party in my mind, “But one of them has an alibi.”

“You were quite occupied that night.” Calista gives me a pointed look, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you missed something.”

I mull over her words, thinking about the minuscule details that tend to get lost so easily.

“My little saint arrived with Freya, but do you know who she drove home with?”

The answer is on the tip of my tongue and I am waiting for Calista to catch it.

“Did you hear me? I asked who picked up Melody from the-

My words draw to a halt. Green eyes are staring at me with something I have not seen in a long time.

“You’re going to want to see this.”

She pushes the tablet across the table. Her eyes are locked on my face as I glance down at the video playing out on screen.

For one blissful moment, I do not register what is going on.

“When was this taken?”

Glass scrapes across my throat, ripping apart my vocal cords until they sound nothing like the voice I used to know.

“It’s a live feed. ”

I can’t find the strength to suck in the oxygen from the molecules around me. The darkness is closing in, the years of breathing control slipping away as I watch the video play out on screen.

I can’t fucking breathe.

“I’ll handle this.” Calista goes to grab the tablet, but I grab her arm.

“No.” My grip tightens until she winces, “This one’s mine.”

Rage unfurls inside of me, crashing waves of tumultuous emotion wreaking havoc on my nervous system. Nerve endings spark to life while my mental capacity begins to shut down.

I cannot see anything except the screen. I cannot feel anything except the fury bursting through my skin.

“I’m curious. What happens when someone touches Marlin Seaborn’s favourite pawn?”

My body is a live wire, my brain a useless socket. I stare at her, feeling my hands tremble when I reach inside her jacket sleeve and extract the hidden blade.

“Keep watching and you’ll find out.”

Her grin is the last thing I see before I start running.

Hold on, little saint. I’m coming.