Read wrath of the Sea Queen Online
Authors: Cynthia Woods
Vin was so stunned
by what both
women
said
that
he
could not offer an
immediate
response
.
Rika
was
twist
ing
his words, confusing C
a
eli, and taking advantage of her grief and guilt.
Therefore, everything Vin said caused C
a
eli more distress.
Rika
was making the entire situation worse.
How long had she been doing this to C
a
eli
?
He suspected it had been going on since the crash; but decided the origin didn't matter.
He
intended
to put a stop to it
right
now
. C
a
eli needed to grieve without Rika's interference. Vin
did not know
exactly
how
to silence Rika
.
He needed
to find
something that Rika could
n
o
t use
against
C
a
eli
.
"
C
a
eli,
I know you.
You are my wife
and
my love
.
No one could ever replace you. I know you
a
re hurting
and
confused
, but
please
d
o
n
o
t listen to Rika.
She is misleading you.
I am
here with
you
now
, and I'm not going to leave
. You are safe.
C
a
eli, you know I
woul
d never lie to you.
"
"
Wouldn't he?
You saw the pictures.
Why didn't he tell you about the woman he was kissing?
And h
ow many times has he deceived you already
on this trip by using
drugs to keep you from hearing the truth?
" Rika persisted.
"
Trust me, C
a
eli.
I love you
. Please l
isten to me.
T
his is not your fault
, and
I don't blame you. I know you did everything that you could. You do not have to face any of this alone, especially not this. I will help you.
I won't leave you.
I know you. I know your heart
,
"
Vin offered
C
a
eli
the reassurance she needed
and meant every word of it
.
He hoped they were words that Rika could not
twist
.
"
He doesn't know you
; not like I do
.
I
ha
ve always known about your gift. I told you about it when you were young. Nobody else did that for you. When
Eyvindr
learned of your bloodline
months ago
, he did not encourage you to discover your true self because he did not want to share his
spotlight
with you.
"
"
That's not true, and
C
a
eli
knows it.
"
"
Then perhaps you can
explain
why you neglected to tell her about her grandfather
and
Deacon Antonius.
"
"
Stop this! That was not a lie.
S
ome
fact
s are better left
buried
,
" Vin countered.
"
Ah, you see. He does keep secrets from you. And m
ore than that, h
e doesn't know about your trip to the beach when you were young.
Eyvindr
d
oes not
know
how closely
and inseparably
our destinies are
bound
.
He has no idea what we
ha
ve been through together.
"
"
I don't believe you share a past or a future with
C
a
eli.
"
"
Then perhaps
you
should hear
her
secrets.
He does
not know
how
you killed his son. Shall I tell him?
"
"
Leave her alone, Rika!
"
That was the final straw.
Vin's grief
found a new outlet in his sudden
anger.
What was it going to take to get rid of this woman?
"
I cannot do that, Eyvindr. She needs to remember
the truth. She needs to know her place
.
"
"
C
a
eli has no need of
your twisted version of the truth,
" Vin countered.
"
You try my patience, boy.
I like
what you
bring to this relationship, Eyvindr
,
but
make no mistake
of your value
.
I
only need her. I do not
necessarily
have to entertain
you.
" Rika
threatened
Vin.
As Rika became irritated, Vin heard the
fury of the
storm outside increase. Vin gained a fleeting insight
into
Rika's true nature. Could she be
the
caus
e of the original
storm?
"
I don't care what you like or need. You are going to leave C
a
eli alone or I am going to make you regret the pain you are causing her.
"
"
Oh, this is not pain. You have not seen real pain.
"
"
Why don't you s
how yourself instead of hiding like a coward
.
I will introduce you to real pain,
" Vin replied with heated ire.
"
You offer such b
old word
s
! Let's see you back them up. Let's see if you can prevent me from doing anything
at all
.
"
C
a
eli
unexpectedly doubled over with a
sharp pain in her stomach
as bad as
any
pain
she had
felt before
, and Vin could feel the backlash through his connection to
her.
Rika was hurting her. This is what C
a
eli had been trying to explain previously. It was more than just the poison that she had been suffering. Now Vin understood. He held onto C
a
eli and attempted to sooth
e
her with his own gift; but his effort did nothing to diminish the amount of pain C
a
eli fel
t
.
"
Release her!
"
"
Or what? What will you do, boy?
" Rika's mocking laughter only made Vin that much angrier.