Page 11 of Shadow Bonds

But one vicious look from him gets them all moving.

I frown at Robin but follow them too without vocalizing my pain.

Each breath feels like swallowing flames by the time I’m done, my legs trembling like Jell-O.

Dane is gracious enough to give us a minute to get a drink of water—Robin shares hers with me—and then stands in front of us with a big smile that makes me feel nervous.

“Now that we’re all nice and warmed up, let’s get down to somerealwork.”

Realwork… I frown at Robin.

Dane turns, and we follow him past the field to what looks like a large obstacle course.

It’s a huge, long strip that coils back around with at least twenty obstacles. There’s a rope ladder, a double beam, trip wire nets, tunnels, stepping-stones, a sloping wall with rope, a two-meter-deep pit, a high wall, zigzag balance beams, crawling nets, and more…

I’m hurting just looking at it. Robin shares a look, commiserating with me.

“This is the assault course. You will be using it to train on until you can pass it in under ten minutes,” Instructor Dane says with glee in his voice.

My eyes widen. How the hell are we supposed to finish that in ten minutes?

“Get started,” he says. “There are small red arrows directing where you should go.”

When none of us moves, he glares at us all. “Get moving,” he shouts, spurring us into action.

We head straight for the start of the obstacle course, pairing in groups of two. Before the first girl starts, Dane calls out to us, and we all turn to him.

“Oh, and you can only leave if you each finish in twenty minutes. And until you do, you’ll redo it again and again.” He gives us all a savage smile, promising pain. And the look in his eyes makes my skin crawl.

“He’s a sadist,” someone whispers.

And I have to agree with her. This is going to be torture after exhausting ourselves running already. And that’s without having to pass it in twenty minutes.

Something that feels impossible in this moment.

We get moving through the obstacles, all of us sluggish and taking far longer than we should.

It’s safe to say that I don’t pass it the first or second time in under twenty minutes. It takes another three times before I’m able to scrape under the time to pass. And that’s by sheer luck and possibly a blessing from the gods.

My entire body trembles, my stomach cramping with hunger as I wave Robin off and head back toward that gray house on the other side of the forest, all while hoping the four dickheads haven’t locked the doors for the night. Again.

It takes me twice as long to get there with every ache and pain in my body making itself known.

I’m about a yard away from the house when I spot them walking from the forest behind the back of the house.

They freeze when they spot me, their expressions turning murderous as they veer in my direction and head straight for me.

“Where have you been?” Hazel Eyes demands.

Too exhausted to have a verbal spar with them, I answer him. “Class, then training.”

It’s not like they can’t smell the stench of me from here. I can, and I want to get away from me. Ireallyneed a shower and change of clothes.

“Where did you sleep?” Dimples asks with his fists clenched by his side.

But I don’t know why he’s angry.They’rethe ones who locked me out. What did they expect me to do? Beg to be let in?

“We don’t give a shit.” Platinum Blonde cracks his neck and looks everywhere but me.

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