Page 134 of The Secrets of Jane: Reborn

I’m in shock.

Not only with Anya, but that Jane is a fucking match for them. I’m not surprised she is… just surprised at howuselessI feel standing here. She’s battling them, all on her own. Anya tried to help her; I know it. That’s what I had to have felt.

Glancing down, Anya’s expressionless face pushes me further into the jaws of revenge. She died for Jane. My desert rose single-handedly fucked with an entire empire;that’s right, love. You are incredible. You ruined them all, you beautiful woman.

“And to answeryou,” Melona says, nodding to Bones. “It was Jesper who stabbed her. And then Blackwell slit her throat.”

“Jesper ismine,” Ritter growls, the Scorpion in his full glory with thedeaththat emanates from him. “I’ll kill you for that. His order killed my wife and now, he has my fucking daughter. He. Is.Mine.”

Bones’s nose is red, but no tears are shed. “Fine, old man,” he glances up at him. “But Idowant to cut off his cock. I get to maim apartof him.”

“Only his hands,” Melona says. “We like to keep the rest intact for what we use them for. And I have a feeling Charles might want to deliver Jesper to us.”

The Scorpion grunts in approval.

The energy of this beach is far too messy, too chaotic. There’s no order to the violence that isbrimmingfrom our bodies.

We need to channel our focus.

Melona looks at Bones, who is like a viper everyone is afraid will attack, but just lies there; there’s something more unnerving about the stillness. “She is at peace, Bones. I can feel it. Not a trace of her soul lingers, which means she was ready.”

“You can feel that,” Bones states, mockingly more than with hope.

She raises a brow. “Yes, we can.”

The smallest sound escapes Bones, his hands slightly shaking. But I know the mad man, and I know his heart; he’s like a hellhound who smells meat in the air and needs toripat the flesh; he needs todestroypeople for this.

He’s becoming inaccessible in there.

I squat down and reach for Anya’s hand, holding it up to see the bruises around her wrists. “A part of her has been dead for a long time, Dane.” Everything within Bones stills, and I swear even his fucking heartbeat. I don’t remember the last time I used hisrealname, but he needs to hear me. I need his savage chaos to pull this off, which means he can’t lose himself to unsuppressed rage. “I felt it leave her when Amy did. Anya has been waiting for the right time, the right death. That’s the only solace we can have, which means she’ll have died wantingusto rip themallapart for her. But we can’t lose ourselves, or her murder will be wasted. We owe her our steadiness.”

I bring her hand to my lips and kiss the frigid skin, sighing with disappointment. “I hope you reveled in your death, Anya. Fly high and free.” I lower it back to rest in the sand, some of the water rolling up to gently wash over the fingers. “I’m sorry.”

I will properly mourn her later.

I know her enough to be aware she’d come back from the dead, just to stab me if I don’t fucking figure this out by sunset.

And Jane needs me.

When I stand with a numbed heart, I face Melona. “How did Jane possibly free you?” I ask, refocusing myself. Anya’s death willnotbe in vain. “Janehasto be under lock and key.”

Melona wipes her arms in salt water, and then along her gills as if applying oils. “She risked alotto get to us. They wereveryrough with her for it.”

They have no idea how fortunate they are I was not nearby to gut them all. I’d make their deathshurt. Touching Jane as if I’m not fucking right behind her.

“We need your help to reach the castle,” I say, staring at the waves that separate me from her. This is the first time in a while I’ve beenafraid. It will break me if it’s Jane next?—

I can’t even fucking think of it.

Not when I can feel her.

“What do you have planned?” Melona asks, her smooth voice starting to crack as if she’s parched. “You have our support. Theybrandedus,” she hisses, rotating her shoulder to reveal a shark burn mark on her arm, the ocean water rolling in to wash over her tail.

Blackwell.

“We’re going to sail Storm’s Fury close to the coasts, stopping just as the tip of the volcano is within view. We then plan to jump into the waters and have the sirens swim us to shore. There’s one spot in particular that is the least guarded. Preferably reaching it in the middle of the night.”

Her eyes widen with understanding. “You want to use marrowkelp,” she says, her gaze roaming all over. “That will require alotof it… but they won’t see you coming. I encountered Morvock, very briefly. He is so very weakened. He’s spent too much time away from his lands.” She looks at me with something predatory in her eyes. “He’s nervous, too. I can feel it when he’s near.”