Page 51 of Shadow Bonds

SENA

“SENA!!”

I wince, blinking awake with a groan, hearing Knox scream my name in my mind.

“God, do you have to be so loud,”I tell him as my head throbs in pain.

“Fuck…”Knox says with a hint of relief in his voice.“What the hell are you doing in the red zone?”he bites out, making me wince at his sharp, cutting tone.

I blink and clear the blurriness from my eyes and glance around to see nothing but sand and rock. How the hell did I end up here?

“What’s the red zone?”I ask him.

“It’s an inhabitable area. Every couple of hours, the weather shifts and solar rain burns everything in touches. Get out of there. Now!”

Panic shutters though me. I try to move but realize my hands are practically numb. I glance down to find them tied together with thick black rope. It’s looped and nailed with a thick metal bar into the ground.

I start pulling, trying to loosen it. But it’s like pulling against a steel ton. The metal bar must be dug in a lot deeper than it looks.

I try loosening the rope, pulling it against the bar at different angles. Getting on my knees, I use my body weight to pull harder and harder, pulling until the skin on my hands and wrists are red and raw and starting to bleed.

But nothing works.

Panting, I glance back up at the sky as the clouds start growing gray.

“I can’t,”I finally admit to Knox, realizing just how bad this is.

“If you don’t get moving, I’m going to?—”

“I think it’s going to rain soon,”I tell him and almost feel his panic. But it’s quickly overshadowed by my own.

“Sena. This isn’t fucking funny?—”

“I’m tied up... I can’t get out.”I swallow hard trying to think of something else.

“Stop blocking us and let us in,”Knox says, a little quieter this time, like he knows I’m panicking and needs to be the one that’s calm and patient for once.

Swallowing my pride, I drop the rest of my barriers and instantly feel Theon’s shock and anger.

“Look around and show us where you are,”Knox says, and I slowly glance around at the sand and rocks before looking up at the darkening sky and down at my tied hands.

“I’m going to gut whoever did this.”The vehemence in Knox’s shocks me silent.“Cyrus says you’re in pain.”

I glance down at the ropes and pull again with no luck.“I tried loosening the ropes, but they’re too tight, and I think whoever dragged me out here hit me in the head. I don’t remember even being knocked out.”

A low rumble groans from above quickly followed by a crackle.

The rain.

Fuck.“Knox… I think?—”

“No. We’re not going there. Keep looking around you for anything. We’re already on our way.”

I start pulling at the rope again, harder and harder, but nothing I do makes it budge. If only I had a blade or something sharp. I glance around for a rock,anything. But there’s nothing but sand, and the only rocks I can see are too far to reach. They’re way too big to use to break the rope anyway.

I squeeze my eyes shut and try calling on one of their weapons, but I must be too far away or too panicked for it to work because nothing happens.

“I need you to keep talking to me,”Knox says, his tone sounding almost vulnerable.

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