Page 85 of Shadow Bonds

I frown at him. “I don’t know what you’re referring to?”

“Arabella told me she was attacked. She said you and two male Shadows helped. If you tell me the name of the two Shadows, I’ll make sure this little incident doesn’t go near you,” he says with a smile.

Arabella… that bitch. Instead of just ratting me out, she’s trying to drag down those males that won’t give her the time of day. And I can tell from the look in General Reed’s eyes that they’re dead once I name them.

“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe this Arabella simply slipped and fell,” I tell him giving him a deadpan look.

He narrows his eyes on me, losing his little fake pleasant expression.

“She had two broken wrists and a broken nose. I don’t care about the little spat between females, just give me the names of the Shadows involved, and I’ll let this slide,” he promises.

I stare at him, letting him see how much I fucking despise him. “For the third time, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

His entire expression changes, his eyes narrowing to slits. “Take her to isolation. Maybe a couple of days without food and water will jog your memory.”

I didn’t even hear the other two male Shadows come in. But I definitely feel them when they yank and shove me through a portal and close it behind me.

Glancing around I try not to panic at the small dark space, the only light coming from above. But it looks so far away that it barely touches me.

I glance around the space, trying to take note of anything I can use. But it’s like someone dug a hole in the sand deep enough that no would be able to escape and changed the walls to a hard slippery form to ensure it.

Unless I grow wings and fly, there’s no way I’m getting out of this.

Wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead, I pause when I realize how warm I am. I sit down and try not to think of this overheated tight space but hiss when I lean back and a burn of flames slices up my back reminding me of my wound.

Shit. Two days without food and water would be doable if not for that.

It’s probably infected. Which makes sense now why I’m starting to feel like I’m burning from the inside out.

Taking off a couple of layers, I use them to sit on and glance up at the sliver of light as I focus on Malakai.

Slipping into the bond, I jolt when a huge beast tries to swipe at my face.

Malakai’sface. He doesn’t sense me, too busy attacking every beast he comes across. He turns, and I spot the othersall fighting dozens of beasts too. They look exhausted but keep fighting.

There’s no way I can tell them about this. Technically I’m safe. At least from the terrigons. Whereas they’re fighting for their lives. And a chance at something they’ve worked years for.

I pull back from the connection and block them all out, hoping they’ll be out of there soon.

Moving so my side is at the wall instead of my back, I close my eyes, hoping sleep will come soon. And hopefully last at least a couple of days.

CHAPTER 26

MALAKAI

We finish off the last of the dark beasts after what feels like days of fighting them.

“Let’s get out of here,” Theon says. “I want to get back to her. Something doesn’t feel right,” he says with a frown.

We move out of the edge of the black zone where the second test was. General Reed meets us halfway, a wide fake smile on his face.

“Congratulations, boys. I knew you wouldn’t let me down. Only four teams made it, but I have a feeling you’ll be the ones to bring us victory this year.”

“How many hours were we out there?” Knox ask, ignoring his attempt at kissing our asses. “It felt longer than usual.”

“Time works a little different on the edge. You were there 12 hours, so just over two days our time.”

Fuck. I share a worried look with the others.

---