Page 34 of Shadow Bonds

I raise a brow. “Because I’m your personal Xanax?” I ask, and they all frown, probably wondering what the hell I’m talking about.

Sighing to myself, I shake my head, too exhausted for this. “Look, I’m tired. Can we do this—whatever it is—another time?” I don’t wait for their answer and step around Theon before heading upstairs to my room. Knox said I only need to beclose.

Thankfully no one follows me.

I take a quick shower, washing away the dried blood before getting changed and into bed.

Slowly drifting off to sleep, my mind replays their reaction to seeing me. They didn’t look angryatme for once. Instead, they looked angryforme.

It makes me think that maybe somewhere deep,deepdown, that they do care.

Then I realize I don’t live in a damn fairytale and remember they’re all still assholes and force myself to go asleep.

CHAPTER 12

Darkness surrounds me, trying to snuff me out. But for some reason I’m not afraid of the dark.

It’s the monsters that I know are hiding inside it that frighten me.

A flicker of light reveals a long hall that opens up around me.

I move down it but pause when a growl echoes from somewhere behind me.

Avoiding looking over my shoulder, I run into another hall and find a door to the side. Making my way toward it, I head inside and try to listen out for any sound.

I move a step back but my foot hits something. Turning, I glance down and gasp.

Dozens of bodies lay on the floor, bleeding out. All of their eyes are open, revealing their last moments were full of fear and horror.

I don’t recognize any of these people, but grief hits me like a punch to the chest, and pain and sadness rush through me seeing them. Seeing their empty eyes that will no longer see the light again.

I rub my chest trying to ease the pain when a low growl vibrates through the door. I whip around just as a dark beast crashes into the room and heads straight for me.

Stumbling backward, I fall straight onto the bodies. A strangled choke slips from my lips as my gaze meets a pair of eyes almost familiar.

I scramble away but not quickly enough as a sharp burn slices down my thigh, making me gasp.

My entire body trembles as I try to get away, but I can no longer move. I close my eyes and hear the growl right in front of me.

“You’re safe,” a familiar voice says, and hands wrap around me from behind while the growl slowly disappears.

“You’re safe. I have you,” Cyrus says. “Now…Wakeup!” he orders.

I jolt up in bed with a gasp. My eyes immediately find Cyrus’ deep indigo blue eyes and the worry in them.

Placing my hand on my chest, I try to take deep breaths and calm my thundering heart. It starts to slow after a minute, and I realize Cyrus and I are not the only ones in my room.

Malakai, Knox, and Theon all stand at the end of my bed, all wearing the same worried expression as Cyrus.

“She had a nightmare,” Cyrus says to the others with a frown. “But I’ve never felt anything like it.” He searches my face for something. “It didn’t feel like a dream.”

Finally starting to feel less panicked, I focus on Cyrus and try to understand what he’s talking about. “You were really in my dream?”

He nods. “I can dream-walk. It’s an unusual ability for a Shadow to have. But none of the four of us have usual Shadow abilities.”

I glance over to the others, but they’re now glaring at Cyrus as if he’s just revealed something they would rather have kept to themselves.

But I’ve already seen Malakai shift. It’s not like it changes anything.

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