Page 13

D arkness surrounds me, trying to snuff me out. But for some reason I’m not afraid of the dark.

It’s the monsters that I know are hiding inside it that frighten me.

A flicker of light reveals a long hall that opens up around me.

I move down it but pause when a growl echoes from somewhere behind me.

Avoiding looking over my shoulder, I run into another hall and find a door to the side. Making my way toward it, I head inside and try to listen out for any sound.

I move a step back but my foot hits something. Turning, I glance down and gasp.

Dozens of bodies lay on the floor, bleeding out. All of their eyes are open, revealing their last moments were full of fear and horror.

I don’t recognize any of these people, but grief hits me like a punch to the chest, and pain and sadness rush through me seeing them. Seeing their empty eyes that will no longer see the light again.

I rub my chest trying to ease the pain when a low growl vibrates through the door. I whip around just as a dark beast crashes into the room and heads straight for me.

Stumbling backward, I fall straight onto the bodies. A strangled choke slips from my lips as my gaze meets a pair of eyes almost familiar.

I scramble away but not quickly enough as a sharp burn slices down my thigh, making me gasp.

My entire body trembles as I try to get away, but I can no longer move. I close my eyes and hear the growl right in front of me.

“You’re safe,” a familiar voice says, and hands wrap around me from behind while the growl slowly disappears.

“You’re safe. I have you,” Cyrus says. “Now… Wake up !” he orders.

I jolt up in bed with a gasp. My eyes immediately find Cyrus’ deep indigo blue eyes and the worry in them.

Placing my hand on my chest, I try to take deep breaths and calm my thundering heart. It starts to slow after a minute, and I realize Cyrus and I are not the only ones in my room.

Malakai, Knox, and Theon all stand at the end of my bed, all wearing the same worried expression as Cyrus.

“She had a nightmare,” Cyrus says to the others with a frown. “But I’ve never felt anything like it.” He searches my face for something. “It didn’t feel like a dream.”

Finally starting to feel less panicked, I focus on Cyrus and try to understand what he’s talking about. “You were really in my dream?”

He nods. “I can dream-walk. It’s an unusual ability for a Shadow to have. But none of the four of us have usual Shadow abilities.”

I glance over to the others, but they’re now glaring at Cyrus as if he’s just revealed something they would rather have kept to themselves.

But I’ve already seen Malakai shift. It’s not like it changes anything.

“What was the dream about?” Knox asks.

“Nothing,” I reply.

Knox clenches his jaw. “You were screaming in pain. Like you were fucking terrified.”

“It was just a dream. I’m fine.” I move to get up and hiss when a sharp fiery burn slides down my thigh.

Cyrus is beside me before I move another inch, whipping the blanket off me to reveal three long claw marks down my thigh and a pool of blood around it.

“What the fuck?” Knox says while my eyes find Cyrus’.

“How is that possible? It was just a dream.” Wasn’t it?

“If you hadn’t blocked us out, we would’ve known you were badly injured,” Theon grits out.

“That wasn’t from earlier,” Cyrus says, and they all look at him with a questioning look.

“In her dream, something attacked her.” His eyes find my thigh. “And it had claws.”

Malakai frowns. “Maybe the bond allowed her to be dragged into your dream?”

“No,” Cyrus replies. “That was definitely hers. But maybe something else got in.”

I blanch, not even thinking that could be a thing. “What if it happens again?”

Malakai drags a hand down his face with a sigh. “Someone needs to stay with her.”

I open my mouth to cut that asinine idea off when Cyrus replies to him.

“I will,” he says, and I turn to look at him. There’s a look in his eyes that I don’t understand. But the worry in them is unmistakable.

“I’ll be able to watch her dreams too,” he says, but doesn’t look away from me.

I drag my gaze away from him to look at the others. “I don’t think?—”

“It’s not up for discussion,” Malakai says, cutting me off.

Knox groans. “Someone just get her to the healing center so I can go back to bed.”

I stop myself from making my way to him and slapping him upside his head and instead get to my feet, hiding my wince. “I didn’t ask any of you to come in here. I don’t need any one of you to bring me anywhere. And I also don’t need a damn watchdog. Get out!”

Knox’s eyes narrow on me. He opens his mouth to say something, but his gaze drops to something on my side, and he pales.

“What the fuck are they?” he asks as his eyes grow wider by the second.

The others move around the bed and all quickly freeze with the same look of shock and horror on their faces just like Knox.

Haven’t they seen a little cut before? I glance down at my thigh but freeze when I realize it’s not the cut they’re looking at. It’s the long black tattoo on my upper thigh.

I pull up my top and gasp when I find it runs right up to my side. But it’s not the only one.

There’s another long swirling tattoo on the other side, but this one starts at my rib and stops at my hip.

“Someone want to explain to me why I now suddenly have two huge tattoos on my sides?” I ask. They’re stunning but also something I never asked for.

“Four,” Theon grits out, and I glance over at him, finding his hands clenched at his sides and his entire demeanor hostile.

“What?” I ask.

“ Four tattoos,” he says, talking to me like I’m a two-year-old. “Two on each side.”

I ignore his shitty attitude and glance back at the tattoos to really look at them. There’s a small break between each of the intricate swirls, but they blend so well you would never notice it.

“Explain,” I demand. They obviously know what’s going on. They might not be happy about it. But I deserve to know when I’m the one involved. “I have a right to know. It’s my body.” Technically.

“They’re ours.” Malakai releases a harsh sigh before lifting his top and revealing a mirror image of half of the tattoo on my right side. “It means you’re our…” he pauses as if finding it hard to say it, “our true mate.”

I frown. “ True mate? I don’t understand. Is that different from a mate?” I glance between them, but none of the others look at me, instead finding my room and their clothes much more interesting. I glance back at Malakai and cut him a look, demanding he answer me.

He rolls his eyes at me. “It’s old ancient bond between mates that is extinct.” He frowns. “Was…”

Knox glances between the others. “We can’t tell anyone. If they find out she’s our…” He pauses as if unable to say it anymore, and all of their eyes veer to me and their faces pale.

“If you’re worried about me announcing I’m somehow more connected to you four than I want to be, then think again.” I never wanted to be connected to them in the first place.

“How? How is she…” Knox glances from Malakai to Cyrus looking for an answer. “How is she our fucking true mate! Off all people. Her ?!”

I’m two seconds away from punching him in the face when he, Malakai, and Theon all send glares my way before stomping out of the room like children having a temper tantrum. All annoyed at me again for something completely out of my control.

So fucking dramatic.

Something brushes against my side, and I jolt, forgetting Cyrus is still in the room.

“Do you want me to take you to the healing center?” he asks with a soft look on his face.

“I’ll be fine. You can leave.” I turn to move toward the bathroom when he stops me.

“No, I can’t. You don’t realize how bad this is. Dreams don’t do what yours did unless someone makes them. They could kill you.”

I flinch back, but he drags me closer and runs his hands down my arms.

Warmth seeps into my body and every pain and ache slowly disappears. I glance down at my thigh to find no claw marks or even a scar, just dried blood from where it once was. All my bruises and cuts are also gone from the fight with Instructor Dick. And my sprained ankle is completely healed.

I glance up at him. “How?—”

Cyrus’ shocked expression finds mine. “I was told that true mates can heal one another. But I didn’t know if I could do it, I just hoped I could.”

His eyes search mine, and there’s something that draws me to him. But he can’t be here. Not when I’m feeling this… fragile.

“Thank you for healing me.” I clear my throat and take a step back. “But you should go.”

“You’re vulnerable,” Cyrus says as if reading my thoughts. “And until we figure out who’s attacking you in your sleep or how we can stop it, one of us will have to stay with you until then.”

“How do we even know you can stop them from happening?” I ask while trying to come up with a way to get him to leave.

He shrugs. “Call it a hunch. But true mates are…” he searches my face for something and sighs, “they’re special.”

His eyes find mine, and I spot the hard glint in them. “I won’t let anything happened to you,” he promises, stunning me silent.

What am I supposed to say to that?

He searches my eyes again for something and nods to himself when he seems to have found what he’s looking for. “Wash the blood off and get changed. I’ll sort out the bedding.”

Realizing I’m not going to get him to leave, at least not tonight, I nod and give in, too tired to fight him on it.

One night. It’s just one night.

Exhaustion sets in, feeling like I haven’t slept in days. Grabbing a fresh tee and shorts, I head toward the bathroom have one of the quickest showers I’ve ever had before getting dressed and heading to bed.

Cyrus has already changed the sheets and bedding and is lying on the left side waiting for me.

“Just get into bed. I promise not to touch you.” He pauses. “If that’s what you want.”

It isn’t. The thought shocks me, making me freeze.

“Sena?”

I clear my throat and get into bed, all while trying to ignore the questioning look he’s giving me.

“Talk to me?” he pleads, and something about the tone of his voice makes me want to answer him truthfully.

“I don’t understand any of this. You all hate me. So why are you trying to be so nice now? I don’t want to play anymore of your games. I’m tired,” I admit, and he sighs.

“We’re adjusting,” he says, and I feel him shift beside me. “We’re trying to understand this new version of you and if it’s real.”

I turn on my side to look at him. He’s already turned my way and watching me.

“Yes, we’re assholes for the tricks we played on you. But you used to play games on us that were much worse.”

I wince. “It was that bad?”

“Worse,” he says without any humor in his tone. Just sadness and heartbreak, making my own heart break a little.

“I’m sorry—” I start, but he shakes his head, moving closer to me.

I see his indigo blue eyes up close and almost get lost in them.

“Let’s talk about something else,” he asks while reaching out and tucking a piece of stray hair behind my ear.

I ignore the warm tingle it brings and try to think of something. “What’s the difference between a mate and true mate?” None of the others explained before stomping off like little children, and I was too stubborn to ask.

“A mate is supposed to have a deeper connection than others. A soul bond that’s forged between two or more.” His eyes flicker to mine. “But a true mate is one soul shared between all. A bond so deep that none of us are whole without the other.”

He smiles with a far-off look as if remembering a fond memory.

“I remember meeting each one of the guys when I was just a child. Remember finally feeling like I had come home. Like I belonged somewhere.” His soft gaze finds mine once more.

“It all makes sense now. We were all pieces of a puzzle. But we were just missing one. You.”

Me. Or the old Sena.

The thought makes me flinch back, and he frowns and tenses up. But all I can think about now is how the other Sena might actually be their mate and I’m just along for the ride.

But then my mind starts trying to think logically on how that would that be possible. I’m in this body which must mean my soul is too…

They also said they met her before. So, they would have known beforehand if she was their mate. Wouldn’t they?

I can’t voice my worries and fears. So instead, I do what I do best and shove them to the back of my mind for now.

“What now?” I ask him, wondering where we stand now that things have shifted again.

He sighs and his body starts relaxing once more.

“The bond will grow, eventually making us stronger over time. Stronger in ways none of us can imagine.” He frowns and a sliver of worry seeps into his eyes.

“We’re already stronger than most. But if people found out what we are, they would want to control us. ”

“I know you don’t trust me,” I tell him, and he opens his mouth to probably try to deny it when we both know the truth.

“I won’t tell anyone,” I promise him before turning back over and trying to force myself to sleep. But my mind has already decided to wake up and ruminate on everything that has just happened.

It takes a few minutes, but slowly, my mind starts drifting off, making each worry and fear disappear for now.

On the brink of sleep, I hear Cyrus whisper my name.

“Hmm?”

He sighs. “I need you to know… We’re all truly connected now. There is no out for any of us. Including you.”

My eyes blink open as sleep quickly abandons me. “What do you mean?” I ask while my stomach churns with fear.

I hear him as he swallows hard. “It’s means that after we bond, we truly become one. Meaning if you die, we all die too.”