Page 53 of Shadow Bonds

He grows quiet.“I know we’re assholes. But none of us would ever put you in danger like that.”

I scoff.“You left me in a pit in the rain.”

“The mud wouldn’t have killed you,”he points out.“You were safe. And you got us back with the Vims.”

True. But I never got them back for the forest incident.“You left me in the forest with the terrigons. You knew I was exhausted and still?—”

“We didn’t know there were terrigons there,”he sighs, sounding as exhausted as I feel.“We wouldneverhave left you alone if we had of known.”

“I don’t know if I believe you,”I tell him, honestly.

“I know…”he sighs, a sadness to his tone.“The rain has stopped. We’re nearly there.”

Dark shadows slide across my vision, and I glance up, finding the four guys around me.

“Sena what is this?” Cyrus asks inspecting the shield. He touches it but it doesn’t let him past it.

“I don’t know,” I tell him. “Are you sure none of you created it?”

Cyrus shakes his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Malakai bends down and frowns at it. “Can you dissolve it?”

“I didn’t even know I could create it,” I tell him.

His eyes find mine. “You created it so you can undo it. Focus and bring it down.”

I narrow my eyes on his little demand but focus on the shield and think of how I no longer need it, while trying to calm my mind and remind myself over and over that I’m safe.

After a couple of minutes, I feel a wave of energy, and the shield slowly becomes translucent before disappearing completely.

Malakai snarls at the rope before ripping it apart. Once I’m free, he lifts me up and starts walking, healing me as we move.

“I can walk.” I try to get down, but his grip tightens on me.

“You nearly died,” he glares at me. “I don’t fucking care what you think you can do right now.”

I roll my eyes at him but give in and let him carry me, too exhausted right now to fight him on it.

We head back to the camps in silence, but the entire way back, their eyes are on me, watching me as if I’m about to disappear in front of them.

Once we’re inside the tent, Malakai places me gently on my bed and then shares a look with the others.

Cyrus nods, agreeing to whatever silent command he’s giving them. “I’ll stay with her.” The other three head out without another word.

“Cyrus?” I ask and glance at the guys’ retreating backs.

“I didn’t know,” he says, and I pause to look at him. He takes my hand in his and stares into my eyes. “I didn’t know. None of us did. But I promise you, they will pay.”

“Who will—” Screams of terror sound out from outside. I get up and quickly head out of the tent with Cyrus right behind me. But stop short when I see the scene in front of me.

In a matter of minutes, Theon, Malakai, and Knox have ripped through the camp, destroying it and anyone who looks to have gotten in their way.

Theon has a mass of thick shadows coiling from his body, spreading out to anyone that gets near him or the others. A Shadow male attempts to catch him off guard, and Theon’s long dark shadows whip out and curls around his arm. The minute his shadows touch him, the male drops to the ground, screaming out in agony, begging and pleading to make the pain stop. The rest of the male Shadows back away after that.

“Found them,” Knox says with glee in his voice.

I glance over to find him dragging the two males that brought me and the other girls to the Wasteland out by his own dark shadows.

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