Page 7 of Dark Bonds

He nods solemnly. “I know. You were supposed to be prepared, but circumstances… went awry. Valerie found you first, and she took advantage of your ignorance.”

Surprise flashes through me at the mention of her name.

He knew? Did they all know?

He has no idea what I went through at her hands.

I feel a surge of anger and betrayal that makes my vision blur. “So you kept me in the dark to protect me? That ignorance led me straight to her.” The accusation in my voice is a weapon, sharp and cutting, aimed directly at him.

No, there is no way they knew exactly what she did to me.If they did, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive them.

Dorian takes a step closer, his gaze intense. “We failed you, Frankie. I failed you. Now you know the truth, though, and we can move forward. This realm is where you’ll discover your true potential.”

I shake my head, still reeling. It isn’t that easy. “What if I don’t want this? What if I just want a normal life?”

His eyes soften, and he reaches out, brushing a wet strand of hair from my face. “Normal isn’t an option for us. Embrace who you are and harness your power. The shadow realm is dangerous, but it’s home.”

All this time.

“No.” I shake my head, the hurt and betrayal bubbling to the surface, raw and unchecked. “How did you even know about Valerie?” The emotions I’ve buried for so long surge up, threatening to drown me. “No, I can’t accept that you couldn’t tell me. You let me live in fear, in ignorance, while she…” My voice cracks as the weight of it all crushes down on me. “You left me to suffer alone.”

“Frankie.” Dorian sighs, his voice heavy with the weight of secrets long kept. “The shadow realm’s magic prevented us from telling you. It’s a protective measure meant to keep our worldhidden until you were ready to learn the truth. We could sense something was wrong, but we couldn’t… we couldn’t breach that magical barrier. It was like trying to speak through glass—we could see you struggling, but our words wouldn’t reach you.”

I grind my teeth, not ready to believe him. The explanation feels insufficient to justify years of secrecy and lies.

Panic begins to bubble within me. “Bishop, Matteo, and Leo?”

“We’re all shadow shifters at Shadow Locke,” he says slowly so I can grasp his words. “Frankie?—”

“No.” I shake my head, feeling tears burn behind my eyes. Betrayal simmers in my stomach.

“Valerie—”

“Don’t say her fucking name,” I snap, feeling everything I’ve kept buried for my entire life bubble to the surface and shoot out like a geyser. All the emotions that I couldn’t handle spill over and shatter me one breath at a time. “You have no idea what she did to me.”

Tears trickle down my cheeks, and I can’t look at Dorian. I don’t want him to see the pain inside me—the pain I kept buried for so long.

I sink into the water until it rushes over my head, and when I look up and open my eyes, the world is nothing but a blur of greens and blues.

I could die here.

I could inhale and allow the water to fill my lungs.

I hear it’s peaceful.

I sink lower.

How could they?How could they all allow me to exist beside them, keeping my home a secret?

I felt like an outcast, unwanted and unloved.

I’m still all those things because if anyone ever loved me, they would have told me.

I open my mouth, preparing to inhale, but I scream instead. Bubbles burst from my mouth, and I scream and scream until my lungs burn for air.

Just as I’m about to inhale, arms wrap around me and tug me to the surface. Before I can think, Dorian slams me against a rock, holding my wrists in one hand, and he wraps his other hand around my throat, shaking me.

“Breathe, you stubborn girl,” he demands, his voice raw with emotion. “Don’t you dare give up now. Not after everything you’ve survived.”

---