Page 24 of A Bond So Deadly

“You’re givin’ Krosia too much credit,” Raith rumbles. “She won’t wait that long. Not when we’ve spent centuries fightin’ this war. At most, I’m guessin’ she’ll wait until the demons leave the academy. She’s likely hoping your friend is bluffin’, and that if she kills you, the demons wouldn’t actually go to war over it.”

Shade lets out a nervous laugh. “Then she doesn’t know Blake very well.”

That makes my lips twitch. I might not particularly like the demon queen, but anyone who’ll unleash their army to fight for my mate has my respect.

Shade snuggles back into Thane’s chest, burrowing her face into his shirt and relaxing. My heart warms. I had dreamed of this, once. In the days when I’d first found my mate, I’d dreamed of introducing her to Thane. I’d fantasized about Thane and me worshipping our mate together. But now…it all feels too fragile.

Fear slides into my thoughts, because I can’t help wondering… How long will this last?

“I agree that Krosia won’t try anything while the demons are here,” Galen comments. “So for now, we can work on locating the oracle.”

“Don’t forget her training,” Thane adds. “We should focus on making Shade stronger.”

Our mate groans. “Can’t I just hide out now that I’m a prisoner? No amount of training is going to help me against the power of the shadow queen.” Despite her complaint, her cheeks are flushed, and her distracted gaze keeps straying to where Thane’s hand rests on her thigh. The scent of her arousal fills the air, and I know I’m not the only one affected. I’ve always been able to scent her, but since the graduation games it’s as though everything is heightened. It’s driving the rest of us mad.

“You need to train, sunshine,” Raith says, speaking like he’s the bearer of bad news. “Besides, it might not only be the shadow queen you need to fight.”

Shade presses her lips together and grumbles something under her breath, but she doesn’t protest again. “You know, I still don’t understand why the oracle would just disappear,” she says instead. “Wouldn’t he have wanted to see you all fighting the Xalgrith? To make sure the prophecies are coming true?”

Galen leans back on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. “From what we could gather, the oracle is a solitary creature. I suppose after he helped us gain our immortality, he believed his job was done and he no longer wished to be disturbed.”

“Who fuckin’ knows,” Raith adds.

A beat of silence follows, and my rage starts simmering again. “When the time comes, Krosia is mine,” I say, my voice like ice. I’m all too ready to end the shadow queen, and my fingers twitch as I think about wrapping my shadows around her neck and watching the life drain from her eyes. In a strange twist of fate, the queen may have saved Shade from Yevar’s clutches all those years ago, but as far as I see it, she’s tried to kill Shade twice now. I think of the shadow blade again, and I let out a steadying breath. The moment I get my hands on it, Krosia’s time will be up.

As always, Thane is the voice of reason. “What about the other originals and all those loyal to the shadow queen?” he says. “Killing Krosia won’t secure Shade’s safety. Now that everyone knows she’s our fated mate, even without Krosia there are plenty of others who may still try to dispense of Shade because of the threat she poses.”

“Then we’ll dispatch of them as well,” I snarl without hesitation. Because I would. I will do whatever it takes to keep my mate safe. I won’t lose her again.

“No,” Shade says, shaking her head. “I won’t let you kill countless warriors for me. Besides, what if they’re right? What if I am the one who’ll make us lose?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I reply quickly.

“It does,” she counters. “It matters to me. I don’t want to be the one that lets the Xalgrith snuff out the light.” Her beautiful brown eyes are wide and serious. “We need to find the oracle. We need to know for sure what the future holds. I need to know…”

Thane lifts his large hand, gently cradling our mate’s chin and making her look up at him. “If the oracle is out there, we’ll find him.”

Her chest relaxes a little. “And what about Professor Yevar?” she asks. “And all the abducted students?”

“We’ll do everything we can to find them, too,” Thane assures her. My friend doesn’t say anything about saving them. We all know they’re likely already dead. The Xalgrith don’t play around, and this will most likely be a recovery mission.

“But for now, we could all use some rest,” Thane growls, holding her gaze.

~ Shade ~

I should be terrified.

The entire time the guys are talking, I know I should be scared. I should be stressing about the missing students, about a potential demon war, and about being trapped here and having my life in danger, but…while I do feel all those things, I struggle to focus on them. Pain builds in my stomach, and when Thane’s hand moves to my thigh it’s an effort to continue engaging in the conversation.

I need them.

All four of them, and every time I mentally tell myself that being with them all at once is impossible because we can’t risk bonding, the pain increases. I want to crawl into a ball and bury myself in Thane’s chest. To never resurface and just hide there, but instead, I focus on breathing and on remembering how to speak through the pain. Training? Ha! I’ve been foolishly thinking that by surviving the graduation games it meant I wouldn’t have to train anymore. I’m powerful now…aren’t I? And yet, I’ll be lucky if I survive the night…

Okay, so I know I’m being dramatic, but the pain has reached my ribs now, and I’m starting to wonder if I might be dying. This pain isn’t like the throbbing ache I used to get in my head when I was cursed. No, this is something different. Did I eat something bad? I recall what I ate for dinner, but I know the pain isn’t from the cake. Hold on, when is the last time I ate a vegetable? I shake the thought away. No, it’s not that. I think of when I’d last been with Raith and Galen, and my throat goes dry. I’d told myself I was wrong. That the pain was nothing. That it couldn’t at all be related to my mates, but a surge of agony hits me, and I can’t stop the whimper that slips out.

Instantly, all four of my mates go still.

Thane runs his probing fingers along my body. “What’s wrong, mate?”