Page 108 of A Bond So Deadly

It’s only when I’m in my bedroom surrounded by my mates that my muscles relax, and I can finally breathe deeply again.

“We’ve done all we can,” Thane says as he traces his fingers over my bare skin. “So now we wait.”

I sigh, leaning against his chest. “The students are terrified,” I murmur. “Not that I can blame them.”

“And so they fuckin’ should be,” Raith rumbles. “None of this is goin’ to be a walk in the park. Most of them are the walkin’ dead.”

My stomach plummets, and there’s an ‘oof’ as Thane surprises Raith with a fist to the stomach, sending him off the bed.

“What?” Raith replies with an innocent expression as he climbs back onto the mattress. “I’m just bein’ a realist. The students know it, too.”

I don’t hear much after that. Closing my eyes, I snuggle up to Thane’s hard chest as they continue their chatter, and I fall into my dreams.

The alleyway I’ve dreamt about before comes into view around me, but this time there’s no man on the ground. Instead, there’s a young woman around my age sitting against a brick wall. I’m on my knees, squeezing her hand, and blood trickles from her head.

There’s so much blood…

I strain my mind as I try to remember. What did I do? Did I stab her?

Tears stream down my cheeks, and my mouth opens as I hear myself say, “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

Blood leaks from the side of the girl’s mouth, and a wave of guilt and dread slams into me. Suddenly, I feel like I’m drowning under the weight of it. It’s as if the darkness is going to swallow me whole.

My mind pushes against the memory, like it doesn’t want me to see it.

All. My. Fault.

Those words sound over and over in my mind. I still don’t know exactly what happened, but somehow, I know this girl is going to die. And I know it’s all my fault.

Chapter Forty-Two

~ Shade ~

“They’re here, bonded,” Emorie’s voice calls, rousing me.

My eyes snap open, and at first, I don’t realize where I am. Galen is leaning over me, and he’s staring at me with concern. “It’s all right, treasure. It was just a dream.”

Reality sinks in, and it’s only then that I notice I’m shaking, and Galen is stroking my hair. At some point while I was sleeping, he must have swapped places with Thane.

“I’m here,” my mate tells me soothingly, staying there until my body calms.

I’m about to tell him that it wasn’t just a dream, but instead, a horrible memory that my mind has been suppressing, but then I remember Emorie’s warning.

My gaze flicks to where Galen has created a shadow dome around my bed. Thane and the others aren’t anywhere around us, and I quickly sit up. “What’s going on?”

“I wanted to give you time to wake up properly,” he tells me.

“Galen,” I prompt, my panic rising.

“It’s the Xalgrith,” he says delicately. “They’re already here.”

“What?” I jump out of bed, nearly stumbling over my own feet.

By the time I’m standing, Galen is up as well, and he dresses in his battle armor. His silky white hair is pulled back into a high bun, and shadows swirl around him as he conjures various weapons that strap to his body.

My shadows reach out, dissipating the shadow dome, and I wince when a high-pitched wailing sound assaults my ears. It’s nothing like the haunting melody that usually summons us for mealtimes. No, this is like listening to a howling creature that’s wounded and crying out for help. “It’s Knox’s alarm, isn’t it? How long has it been going?”

“Not long. Minutes at most,” Galen replies. “Our animali detected the approach of the Xalgrith army before the alarm went off.”