Page 99 of Shadow Bonds

“May I enquirewhotold you this?” Talos snarls.

Levington smiles. It’s not a nice smile and probably one as vicious as many others I’ve come across. But there’s something in his eyes. Something soft and protective that almost makes me want to trust him.

“I’ll keep that information to myself for now,” he replies.

“Of course you would,” Talos grits out.

“Sena?”

I jolt, realizing they’re talking to me, and glance up at Talos. He smiles at me probably trying to come across as pleasant in some way, but it comes out all wrong and fake. “Can you explain?”

I glance down at my hands. “I didn’t know…” I swallow hard. “I didn’t know about the wings. They just... popped out,” I tell them while keeping the tidbit of my fake brother throwing some sparkly water on me to reveal them to myself.

I catch Levington frown. “We haven’t had a female Alita since before the war. It’s possible she had some recessive gene that awakened with her bond.”

“If that’s the case, there could be others,” Talos says with a far-off look.

Lexington’s eyes flicker to his and narrow. “Sena? Dakson will show you how to retract your wings. I’d like to discuss something with the…commanderif you wouldn’t mind taking it to the other side of the room.”

Dakson tilts his head in the direction we should go while watching the commander and Levington with a worried look.

Once we’re on the other side of the room and Levington and Talos are attempting to be civil, Dakson focuses on me, giving me a questioning look.

“Sena…”

“Just show me how to make them go away…” I glance at him. “Please.” I don’t want to talk or think about anything else. And he must see that on my face as he sighs but nods.

“Try and relax first,” he says.

I narrow my eyes on him, and he smiles. “Close your eyes, drown everything around you out.”

“Easy for you to say,” I huff. “You didn’t just pop out wings in front of everyone.”

“I was seven when mine came in. Right in the middle of my first kiss. She was human too and had never met a Shadow before.” He squints. “I think I may have scarred her for life.”

I frown. “Why would you think?—”

“Can you imagine it? Black wings appearing from nowhere. Me growling out in pain…” He shakes his head with a smallsmile. I guess he wasn’t too hurt by it. “She probably thought I was a demon or death.”

I smile, and he glances at me, his eyes softening. “Close your eyes. Breathe.”

Realizing what he’s done, I give him a grateful look before closing my eyes and try to block out everything. My mates and their anger. My fears and worries. Talos and Lexington’s harsh murmurs and instead focus on each breathe.

In. Out. In. Out.

The thump, thump of my heart slows down and everything starts to fade away.

“Now imagine your wings slowly drawing back into to the center of you,” Dakson whispers. “Imagine them disappearing completely.”

I focus, and after a minute, I start feeling a tug, but it disappears as soon as it came.

“Good,” he says, and I open my eyes and glance over my shoulder, my eyes widening when I see they’ve disappeared.

“That’s it?” I ask, feeling shocked that it was as simple as that.

Dakson smiles at me. “Keep practicing, and it will get easier and easier.”

“But if you can retract them so easily then why did you all have them out in the War Camps?” I ask.

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