Page 79 of A Bond So Deadly

I stop struggling, assessing the creature. Every beast has a weakness. That’s something Raith has told me in the past. The world quietens, and I notice that in every place where our shadows get close to the creature’s rocky exterior, the cracks of lava stop swirling. I think of everything I know about fire, and an idea forms.

“We need to encase it in shadows,” I whisper to my friends, not wanting the creature to hear.

I’m only inches from the beast’s mouth now, and Bonfang is howling in my mind. He wants to save me, but I won’t let him get close. Not when this beast could kill him.

Galen is the first to understand. “Yes! It’s made of fire. We could suffocate it.”

“That’s the hope,” I reply.

Now that we finally have a plan, the four of us work together encasing the creature in shadows. It bucks and tries to flee, but we work quickly before it can stop us. In seconds, almost its whole body is covered.

It roars, dropping me, and I use my shadows to soften my landing before sealing the last of the shadow trap, completely cutting off the creature’s oxygen.

It thrashes, fighting against our shadows, and we strain to hold it captive.

“Fucking die!” Raith shouts as the beast pushes against our power.

Thane moves beside me, adding extra strength because the pain has left me weaker, and just when I think the creature is going to break free, it collapses with a thundering crash and falls still.

We hold our shadows in place for a while longer, before pulling them away.

Bonfang is at my side in an instant, and I lean on him before slumping to the ground.

The skin has peeled away from me in patches from where the lava monster touched me, and the side of my face is charred, but already I feel my magic working to heal me.

Raith crouches in front of me. “You’re a fuckin’ asshole, you know that? You should have let me burn instead of taking my place.”

I peer up at him. “And hear you complaining about it for the foreseeable future? I wouldn’t let the others endure that.”

Raith grins, but his smile fades as he scans my body, taking in the full extent of the damage. We might be immortal, but we can still burn, and this will fucking hurt until I’m healed. He runs a hand through his hair. “Thank you, brother,” he rumbles.

That’s the first time he’s called me ‘brother’ in years. He hasn’t said that word since we thought our mate had died. He had held me personally responsible for helping Queen Krosia with the curse, and it had strained our relationship. Something cold inside me begins to thaw at his words.

I nod. “Anytime, brother.”

Chapter Thirty-One

~ Shade ~

The pain is agonizing, but my magic works slowly to heal me. It’s just getting to the point where I think it’s somewhat bearable, when a searing pain blooms in my stomach. I slap my hand to the wall, hissing as the wave of agony spreads.

“Ouchie,” I rasp in a panic to the shadows. “It hurts.”

Elgen is sitting on my shoulder, and she studies my face. “Yes, I would assume so considering the beating you received.”

“No, not that,” I reply. “I’ve been away from my mates for too long. If they don’t find me soon, I don’t know what will happen.”

The shadow must note the panic on my face, because she doesn’t retort with a sarcastic reply.

“Hopefully soon, child,” Tarlaz replies soothingly, but I know the shadows don’t understand the gravity of the situation. My mates have always been there to help me erase the pain, and I don’t know how to stop it on my own.

I start panting as sweat coats my skin, and I close my eyes, trying my best to fall asleep in the hopes it’ll dull the pain. It feels like it takes forever, but eventually, sleep takes me, and I fall straight into a nightmare. A memory.

Blood coats my shaking hands, and I stare ahead at where a person lies motionless on the street. This time I can make out more of their form. The man has tattoos inked on his bald head, and his eyes are glassy as he stares forward. His clothes are rumpled and soaked with blood, and just the sight of him has fear invading my senses. Because even though I don’t remember who he is, I know where I’ve seen him before. When Professor Yevar kidnapped me the first time, the professor had shown me this man’s image.

My boot taps the knife at my feet, and somehow, I know this is the man that I murdered...

More pain stabs into my stomach, and I cry out in my dreams, a ripple of power flowing out from me.