Page 121 of A Bond So Deadly

Wait. What? “But you said I was a threat. You made it sound like closing the fold was the most important thing. It’s why you wanted to execute me…” My words trail off as her lips twist into a wicked smile.

“Is it?” she questions, then she recites:

“Come, oh mistress, bonded to four

For you we will fight, so there’s pain no more

Listen, oh mistress, hear our plea

For only you can set us free.”

My heart stutters. How does she know that prophecy? As far as I know, she can’t talk to the zenali, can she?

“You see, pet,” she spits, “back in the beginning, the originals were all given their own individual prophecies. I was first, and instead of giving me a prophecy, the oracle recited that to me. I was the first human to be bestowed shadow powers, and I was the strongest of all the originals.” Her smile falls, her top lip curling. “So you can imagine my surprise when the oracle told me that was the prophecy sung by the zenali, and it spoke of a shadow goddess who would come and save us all. The oracle said my main purpose was to keep the Xalgrith at bay until this mistress would come and finish the job.” She scoffs. “Of course, that didn’t sit well with me. I already knew the oracle had an incredible power. I could sense it, but apparently that power was for her. This imposter who would supposedly come.”

She gestures with her head to my mates. “And then they told us their prophecy: When the time comes to close the fold, four must stand against the bitter cold. Only one can make you break, beware the bond of your beloved mate.” She smiles, and her shadows wind around her arms. “I think the oracle was trying to warn them with that last part. Perhaps the oracle hoped they’d keep their prophecy to themselves, but the moment I heard it, I suspected this so-called mate would be the same being who would take what was rightfully mine. And the oracle was right to tell them to beware, because I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for their mate to take my power. It wasn’t their mate that would break them, but their mate’s death.”

I swear I stop breathing.

“Anyway, it all worked in my favor. Your mates thought you were a danger to the war, the very thing their lives now revolved around, and that made it easier to keep you away.” She taps her chin with a manicured nail. “It was funny that Professor Yevar and the Xalgrith believed this prophecy meant you could be used as a weapon against them, when you are the one person who was destined to stop them.”

She paces before stopping in front of me again. “But then Knox found you anyway…I tried killing you once by attempting to place a death curse on you, but instead of killing you it erased your memory and sent you back to the human realm. Then you popped up in the academy, like a parasite I couldn’t cleanse. I couldn’t be sure you were their fated mate, but during the graduation games, that became obvious. It was only after the demon queen forced me not to kill you, that I realized having you alive could be useful after all. Who better to find the oracle’s power, than the one they wanted to gift it to?” She sighs. “But now… well, now I don’t need you at all.”

“You were supposed to protect this realm. That’s what the oracle was saying,” I rasp. My head is reeling from everything she’s told me. A goddess? Me? It sounds too ridiculous, but…I had found the oracle.

“You know it’s rather tragic, because now that I see you for what you are, I realize how pathetic you are,” she says, spitting more venom at me. “The oracle had clearly lost their mind, because it’s obvious you were never meant to be more than a blip in someone else’s story. The demon queen, well, if it weren’t for the oracle’s powers, I would have been worried, but you?” She laughs. “Even bonded to your mates, you’re weak, and the farthest thing from a hero and a goddess as you can get. Guilt leeches inside you, draining your power, and you don’t even realize it.” She sneers. “You’re so terrified of the past that you let that fear control you, even with that annoying sunny attitude you always seem to have.”

The past? I think of the message Xera told me earlier. Something about the oracle talking about the past? What was it?

Queen Krosia keeps talking. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you one last parting gift, goddess,” she taunts. “I’ll let you die with your mates and those you love. I can’t get any more merciful than that, can I? Who knows, maybe your souls will find each other after you die…though, I wouldn’t count on it.” She laughs cruelly, and the darkness spreads, invading my tiny patch of color. “I’ll even show you just why you’re no hero before you die. You were always unworthy, so let me remind you. Enjoy the show.”

I take one last look at everyone around me. My mates. Blake and her guys. Kenzie and the other students. The other originals. The zenali. One last look is all I get, and then Queen Krosia’s darkness swallows me too.

Chapter Forty-Seven

~ Shade ~

Ican’t fight it. My muscles lock into place as Queen Krosia’s darkness seeps into every part of me, diving into my nose and sinking into my skin. My hands become clammy as I realize what the shadow queen is going to do. She’s going to show me the memory that lies at the heart of my nightmares. The one I’ve been avoiding and subconsciously protecting myself from for a long time.

She’s going to show me what happened to the girl that died.

Dread and guilt pull me under, and I choke on it as the memory comes into view.

The world changes as a scene appears around me. I’m staring out of the eyes of a past version of me. There’s no alleyway, not yet. I’m in a diner, and I take off my apron, hanging it on a hook on the wall before grabbing my pack from the metal lockers to the side.

“All right, that’s me!” I call out as I slam the locker closed and swing the pack over my shoulder.

“Want me to walk you? I’ll be finished up soon,” a masculine voice replies.

I poke my head through the doorway to where a middle-aged man is busy counting the cash from the till. Gray strands are just starting to color his cropped sandy hair, and grease is smeared on his white shirt like he’s been to battle with the frier. He grunts as he finishes counting the notes and scribbles something on a small piece of paper. Andrew. That’s his name, I think as the memory slowly comes back to me. He was my boss.

“Thanks, but I’m a big girl. I think I can handle walking two blocks,” I reply. I remember that was the best part of working here. It was only two blocks away from my shitty apartment. Even better, the local library was a short train ride away.

Andrew looks up and concern lines his face. “You sure? You know I don’t like it when you’re out walking this late. It makes me worry.”

A smile pulls at my lips. I’ve only been working here for a few weeks, and Andrew already feels like the father I never had. It’s weird feeling like someone cares. I’m tempted to take him up on his offer, but I don’t. Knowing my track record, I have no idea how long I’ll be working here, and I don’t want to get used to having someone to rely on. “I’m sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I slip out the back exit, and stride into the alleyway.

Clouds are covering the moon tonight, and I stick close to the streetlamps, walking quickly. This area isn’t too bad during the day, but at night, it gets really creepy. Something clatters on the street behind me, and my heart thuds as I walk even faster.