Page 127 of Shaped By Discovery

He rears back as though I hit him, looking at me as though I grew another head.

“Did you not hear what he just said?” He demands in a whispered shout.

I open my mouth to tell him I don’t care, but Draven’s voice booms around the village again, too loud for me to be heard.

“What a waste that would have been. Throwing away all her alpha mates and our not so, little princess. No, letting her grow up was a much better idea.” His words cut through me, chilling me to the bone.

There’s no way he meant what I think he did, right?

No, I must have taken it the wrong way, though the way Ryker’s arms pull me tighter makes me think I didn’t.

I hear the guys’ beasts as they growl and hiss at his words as well.

“Imagine what I could do with her power. Only a child, and she was able to not only control the shadows but also take out my creations in the blink of an eye. I’d spent years building that army, and she wiped it out in minutes!”

I watch in horror as the chimeras unfreeze, moving toward the center of the town at a slow, almost lazy pace.

“Imagine what she will be capable of now! Imagine the army I could make with her by my side.”

Despite my better judgment, I do just that. I've always had a good imagination, but right now, I wish I didn't. The future he's working toward flashes in my mind: thousands of chimeras, green forests dead and dark like the ones I first found myself in. Death and destruction, and through it all, me by his side, my eyes just as white and hollow as those of the beasts that haunt my nightmares.

“Unfortunately, my son took after his useless whore of a mother, but I was able to fix him. With my help, he has access to the shadows. I’ve made him stronger, better, faster, and deadlier than he ever could have hoped to be on his own. With her power over the shadows, I could make not only an army of chimeras, but we could equip Salona with the means to fight back and win our freedom.” His words are almost hysterical as he explains his plan, and there’s no mistaking what he meant this time.

The vision in my mind was bad enough already, but this…

“All I need is her. So do us both a favor and tell me where you’re hiding her. If you do that, I’ll leave. Nobody has to die today.”

None of them so much as move. The guys keep rank around Garrett as he continues to pour his magic into Sol, keeping an eye on their surroundings and watching for an attack.

“Serena! Come out, my shadow princess. Let me make you a shadow queen!” My name on his lips has me breaking out in a cold sweat as my breathing becomes erratic. I know I’m spiraling toward a panic attack, but I can’t stop it.

“Shh, deep breaths, Rena, I won’t let him hurt you.” Ryker’s words sound like they’re being said from down a long tunnel, but they’re just enough for me to focus on.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” I choke out, unsure if he will even be able to understand me or my question.

He stiffens, and I hear him suck in a breath through clenched teeth.

Even without words, I have my answer, but somehow I’m not surprised. I’m still not afraid of him.

My eyes catch on movement below, and without thinking, I lunge forward, only to be stopped by Ryker’s arms that still hold me tight. Apparently, he learned his lesson earlier and wasn’t going to let up just because I’d stopped fighting. His arms are the only thing that once again keeps me from tumbling off the side of the cliff, but this time, I’m not grateful the way I was before.

No, I would have rather fallen to my death.

“I won’t hurt you, Serena. You have to believe me,” he pleads, misunderstanding my sudden movement as an attempt to escape him when, in fact, I’m trying to warn the guys.

I watch in slow motion as Draven materializes as if out of thin air, the same way Ryker did that night in the forest. He stands on one of the few buildings that were somehow left intact, just across from where the guys are huddled together. The guys are focused on the ground and the chimeras who continue toward them, and I realize too late that was the point, they’re a diversion.

Draven moves, and I see something fly through the air. I have no idea what it is from this far away, but I know it’s going to hit Garrett.

I have to warn him!

“Garrett!” I scream at the top of my lungs, putting everything into the bond, hoping and praying to get his attention and save him.

I can’t watch someone I love die; I only just got him back!

My scream is drowned out by a roar so loud that I cover my ears in fear that my eardrums might rupture.

Losing him will kill her.

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