Page 29 of Shadebound (Dark Fantasy #1)

To my glee, he landed with a muffled groan, face half-buried in the grit. He didn’t get back up.

Maya stood still for a moment, catching her breath. She brushed her hands off, the edges of a smile tugging at her lips. I rather enjoyed the fact that she looked completely unfazed.

Eris blinked. “I didn’t realise Maya could fight.”

“She and Bells used to train together,” I swallowed hard. “They were in a stupid secret fight club. Both of them liked using their fists more than magic.”

I kept my tone even, but something tightened in my throat. Though I didn’t say anything else, the weight of my sister’s name pressed hard enough on its own.

Vadren nodded once. “Winners: Zayden and Maya.”

She scanned the crowd again as they high-fived each other and meandered back towards us. Unfortunately, that meant her eyes naturally followed them until—“Jinx. Step forward.”

It was hard not to roll my eyes. But I managed to refrain as I walked forward, every step heavy with dread. I didn’t want to do this. I knew I wasn’t very good at it. But saying no wasn’t an option. Not here. Not with all these eyes.

I preferred the idea of getting beaten whilst confident than laughed at whilst weak.

Vadren waved a hand toward a thin boy with hollow cheeks and nervous energy spilling from every limb. “Bran. You’re up.”

Bran joined me with a quick, apologetic glance. He looked like he’d never been in a fight that wasn’t accidental. From a single glance at the pentagram around his neck, I guessed he was a spirit witch or a seer. Neither of which was any good in combat.

I was hoping to beat him. I’d feel bad, but at least it might have been easy.

“The other two are... Alessandro and Tyler,” Vadren crossed her arms.

They stepped forward at the same time. Alessandro looked relaxed, even disinterested, as he adjusted the sleeves of his long black T-shirt and cracked his neck.

He didn’t smile, but his eyes slid to mine with quiet amusement.

I instantly braced myself for him to attack me, presuming he would make a beeline so he could make me bleed and feel like he had won something.

Tyler also looked like he wanted blood. His knuckles were flexing. His mouth was curled in a sneer. I watched the smoke curling from his nose as he wiped a hand over his orange hair and faced me.

“Begin,” Vadren said.

Bran darted forward first, a little too fast, a little too eager. Alessandro moved in a blur, not even needing real force—he kicked Bran’s ankle out from under him, then slammed his elbow into Bran’s chest as he fell. The smaller boy hit the ground with a breathless wheeze and didn’t get up again.

I barely had time to register it before Tyler was on me.

He grabbed at my waist. I twisted, breaking free.

He swung low and caught my ribs. The impact was jarring—pain blooming across my side like fire under skin.

I ducked under his next hit and tried to step back, but he followed fast. I raised my arms just in time to block a punch aimed at my face.

My forearms throbbed from the force of it.

I kicked, clipped his knee and sent pain radiating up my shin. He snarled , and I knew I was not in for a pleasant time.

I wasn’t sure when he pinned me to the ground or hit me properly for the first time. Only that it was like being smacked with a brick.

The impact sent my skull snapping sideways, the packed earth biting into my cheekbone as something split beneath the skin.

A strange silence bloomed in my ears, cotton-thick and humming, but it didn’t stop the sting of blood as it slipped from my nose and into my mouth.

The metallic tang clung to the back of my throat, enough to make me choke.

He didn’t give me a moment to find my breath.

His fists came again—faster now, more vicious.

One struck my ribs, and I heard the sound before pain erupted in my veins.

A dull, wet crunch, then a burst of heat that made my breath catch shallowly.

Another hit landed across my jaw, sharp enough to throw stars across my vision.

Above me, he moved like a machine built for violence.

There was nothing elegant or restrained with his skill.

Nor was it purely just for training. Tyler was just brute strength and a brutal smile that made me wonder what would have happened had it been he who had accosted me the night before, not Alessandro.

Tyler’s smile made my stomach turn.

There was pleasure in it. Not the gleeful kind, but something colder. As if this wasn’t about winning. It was about damage. About him getting to hurt me in the one place and time he actually could.

I swung at him out of instinct, my arm heavy and poorly aimed, but my knuckles grazed his jaw. Not enough to do real harm, but enough to turn his head.

He struck back twice as hard. My body crumpled beneath the weight of the hit, limbs slow to obey as I hit the ground again. Breath wouldn’t come easily. Every inhale was like knives dragging along my ribs.

Then the dark voice in my head whispered, He is just a man. You know how to make him suffer without magic .

I can’t . I thought. The pain is too much without my magic... it actually hurts . It doesn’t make me strong like normal.

Pain does not make you strong; anger does. Death replied firmly, so yes, you can hurt him. You hit him hard enough to stand.

For a second the images of my family woods entered my head. The softly frosted touch of Death hummed in my mind, as he showed me a memory.

Me, covered in blood, screaming and crying. Darkness erupting in the world around me as I slowly climbed to my feet.

You did it then. He whispered. This is nothing, compared to that.

I whimpered. Fucking whimpered . Like a child in distress, missing her mommy and wishing her daddy was there to make the monsters go away.

Then Death’s voice got loud enough to drown out all the noise. Even my own disgust.

He might’ve beaten you, but he hasn’t broken you if you stand . And I know you are strong enough to stand.

With a snarl, I widened my eyes and saw the opening a second later.

Anger truly fuelled me as I reared back and drove my knee up between Tyler’s legs as hard as I could.

The sound he made was half gasp, half snarl.

For a second, I thought I hadn’t done enough.

That he was going to continue his reign of terror.

But then he dropped to his side, hands clutching himself, face twisting in shock and true pain.

Somewhere in the crowd, someone laughed. Maya whistled. Zayden said something encouraging I couldn’t make out.

Good girl. I knew you could do it . Came a voice in my head.

I almost smiled as I tried to pull myself upright. Then Tyler’s orange eyes found mine, and the air shifted. Even without my shadows, I could sense the danger leaking from his every pore.

I saw his every move before he did it and knew I was not finished experiencing true pain.

He lunged, and I tried to scramble back, but he caught my braids and yanked hard. I hit the sand on my hands and knees, disoriented, grit in my mouth. Before I could rise, his boot came down on my arm.

There was a snap.

Agony flooded my body. It was all-consuming, white-hot, invasive.

My stomach rolled. My vision blurred at the edges.

I bit down hard, swallowing any sound that tried to break free.

The shadows inside me surged despite their weakness.

Each one brushed along the edges of my mind—desperate to reach out and help me even though they couldn’t .

Vadren’s voice cut through the ringing in my ears. “Winners: Alessandro and Tyler.”

Zayden was already moving before her words finished. He shoved Tyler back with both hands, fury carved into every muscle as Maya and Eris hurried to my side, my brother following them.

“Don’t,” Vadren warned again as Draven appeared before me, lips moving with things my eyes blurred too much to make out. “Take your petulance outside of my arena or you will all be punished.”

Zayden turned from Tyler without a word and dropped to his knees beside me. He pulled me against him gently, his arms solid. Maya brushed sand from my face. Eris hovered on my other side, her eyes dark with concern.

My baby brother, in all his foolish, stubborn love, turned back to Tyler. His hands clenched into fists, and he stepped forward.

“Maya,” I warned, voice rough with agony.

She grabbed Draven’s arm, quickly forcing him out of the arena, Eris in tow. I could barely see their signs moving, with the burn of tears begging to shed.

I refused to let them. Refused to give up.

Tears meant giving up to me.

“Don’t move,” Zayden gently pulled my free arm, the one still wearing the cursed cuff I wanted to obliterate. “The cuff’ll heal you. Just give it a second. You’re gonna be just fine.”

I nodded once, my jaw clenched as I left my shattered arm hanging limply by my side. The pain was still raw, twisting through bone and blood and muscle like something alive. But I just did my best to ignore it and concentrate on the hatred festering in my gut instead.

“Wait till lights out and I’ll get him back for you, Heartache.” He whispered as he trailed a delicate finger over my cheekbone. “I’ll make him shift and cut his wings off.”

I looked up at him through my lashes, eager for his plan to come to life even though I knew I would have to shut it down. “He won’t be able to grow them back. You know there are certain things shifters can’t heal from, and I think Hightower would punish you for wasting a dragon soldier.”

Zayden just shrugged. “He’ll learn his lesson about hurting my—about hurting you . There was no need for him to be so violent. You’re a third of his size and don’t have your magic. Nor are you trained.”

“I presume it’s from lack of a cock.” My head leant against his chest, inhaling his woodsy scent instead of the pain. “Men with fragile egos are often the worst sorts of people. He probably thought beating me would make him feel better about the fact his parents don’t love him or something.”

The cuff activated before Zayden could reply. It hummed low against my wrist, and then an unnatural heat began to spread—slow and strange, like my body remembered what whole felt like and was putting itself back together one cell at a time. Every stage was vicious.

Bone fusing.

Skin knitting.

Muscle tightening back into place. It wasn’t gentle, but it was... it was oddly nice. In a hideous sort of way.

A minute later I tested my fingers. The pain was gone. Completely and utterly gone . Aside from the blood on my face and hands, you wouldn’t have known I’d been beaten within an inch of my life.

I pulled my head back and met Zayden’s eyes.

“All better?” He smiled softly.

I nodded, mouth opening before I could think about how hard it would be to learn. “Can you teach me how to fight? Without my magic.”

His brows twitched as he carefully helped me to my feet. “You want me to teach you?”

“Yes. You’re the only one I like touching me. I can handle it for training.” My hands lingered in his. Neither of us was in any rush to let go.

His mouth curled into a grin. “If I ever say no to you wanting to get sweaty and all over me, you have permission to put me down. One swift silver bullet to the brain.”

I laughed. The sound surprised me, and maybe him too.

Zayden looked pleased with himself.

He leant down, and his arm slid over my shoulders like it belonged there. As though holding me to his side was the most natural thing in the world.

“Let’s get this blood cleaned up and we can talk.” He said as he led me towards the bathrooms. “I reckon I can make you even more of a beautiful monster before the next full moon. Easy.”