Page 9

C ombat training in the gym with the other girls is not what I expected. I thought they didn’t want weak females but from the way they’re attempting to train us, I’m starting to think they just want someone they can control.

There’s no real technique to the moves they’re showing us. Nothing that would help us actually defend ourselves against an attack.

They show some spins and kicks that try to make it seem they have skill, but it’s nothing but flashy moves that will hinder more than help.

Realizing I’m not going to learn anything new from them, I zone out and think back to this morning.

My so-called mates ignored me from the moment I walked downstairs. Something I immensely enjoyed as I headed to the canteen and then ignored everything and everyone around me as I ate like a pig. And enjoyed every damn minute of it.

They can ignore me for the rest of my stay here for all I care.

I now know it’s possible for that damn shield to come down, thanks to Commander Talos informing me of his little tests. Which means I might be able to leave here sooner than the year I thought I’d have to stay.

A crack sounds out, and my head whips to the girl now coughing and gasping on the mat while the male stands over her with a savage smirk.

“That’s what happens when you leave yourself open,” he gloats, happy to see her injured.

From the way the girl is holding her side, I have a feeling he went much harder than he should have and all to prove how much stronger he is in comparison.

Dick… I guess no one told him, the bigger you are, the harder you fall.

An excited thrum rushes through me as I step in front of him for my turn. He looks at me and then glances away, already assuming that I will be an easy takedown.

It only makes this so much more fun.

He bounces on his toes from side to side trying to make this a damn show.

I focus on him and see his foot change right before he lunges. But I’ve already seen this move play out a hundred times.

I duck and move fast, striking him hard in the side before moving back a step, getting my balance before spinning and throwing a roundhouse kick directed at his head.

His body spins before slamming into the mat as he goes down with a groan.

A couple of whistles sound out, followed by, “Hell, yeah!” from the girls around me.

I inspect the fucker as he groans. His jaw and face are starting to look a little swollen already.

“Why the fuck is she thinking about another male right now?”

I jolt at the sound of Knox’s voice and spin around, trying to find him. But there’s no one there.

“Where are you?” I ask, glancing around trying to find where he’s hiding. But the other girls just frown at me.

“Who?” a girl with a short black bob asks.

I shake my head, laughing it off. “Nothing,” I tell her but frown when I still see no sign of Knox.

With the male still groaning on the floor, we decide class is over and start heading toward the locker room to change.

I spot a couple of glances from the girls on the way but think nothing of it until the girl with the black bob steps up to me.

“So… There’s a rumor going around that you’re a mate?”

I roll my eyes. “Unfortunately,” I mutter.

The girl flinches back. “Oh my god, it’s true?”

I nod. “Apparently.”

The girls inch closer to me, all wearing a myriad of emotions, from shock to intrigue, to awe and fear.

“My mother has books on this stuff,” a blonde with brown eyes says. “Apparently when a Shadow finds their mate, they can’t get it up for anyone else.”

I freeze, and the others all turn to look at her.

“Only she does it for them, in all ways, if you know what I mean.” She wiggles her brows with a little smirk on her face, but instead of feeling amused like the others, all I feel is sick.

No wonder they’re pissed at me. I may be able to stop their madness, but it turns out now I’m also their cockblock.

Another girl groans. “Whereas I can’t even get a back rub from my Shadow.”

“Yeah, but here’s the kicker. Apparently, the female can do whatever the hell she wants. With whoever she wants.” She glances over at me with a wink, and the other girls giggle.

My mouth goes dry. The hostility and rage when they found out I was their mate makes a hell of a lot more sense.

If what she said is true, I get to pretty much do whatever I want, be with whoever I want. But all they’ve got is… me.

I ignore the girls chattering and get moving, needing some fresh air to clear my mind.

I’m past the main door and heading for the path through the forest when I hear it again.

“Where the hell is she going now?”

I freeze and glance around looking for Knox. He has to be close by. It sounded like he was right beside me.

“Where are you?” I call out.

“You heard me…” he says, his voice a little shocked.

But I freeze realizing where the sound of his voice is coming from.

My head. He’s speaking to me in my fucking mind.

“What. The. Fuck?” I say out loud and hear him bark out a laugh in my mind.

“Hello, Princess,” he purrs, and I almost feel the smug smile slide across his face. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun.”

Fuck my life.

T aking a deep breath, I walk into the house and stop short when I spot all four men waiting in the lounge.

They all seem a hell of a lot more relaxed than this morning, and it instantly has my guard up.

Theon smirks. “She’s nervous.”

I narrow my eyes on him while trying to lock down any facial expression that makes me look even the slightest bit nervous.

“She hurt her arm earlier,” Cyrus says before dragging his eyes down the rest of my body as if inspecting it.

My right arm has been a little sore since my fight with that Shadow male, but how did he know?

“Probably when she took down that stupid fuck,” Malakai says with a nod. “Nice kick by the way.”

I freeze and frown at them all, wondering if they have cameras following me now. “What the hell is going on?”

Malakai smiles. A smile I wouldn’t trust if you paid me to. “The mate bond seems to have given us a little… surprise .”

My frown deepens, and they relax further, all wearing satisfied smirks.

“Now you can’t hide anything from us. You try and we’ll know,” Malakai says.

“What are you talking about?” I ask again, getting more frustrated by the minute.

“I know you heard me,” Knox says and taps his head, and I freeze.

“That was real?” I was hoping I was just overtired. But… “You talked to me? In my mind?” I ask.

“Not only that. It’s looks like we all got something a little different.” He tilts his head to the others. “Malakai can see what you can.”

My eyes find Malakai’s and the savage smile he wears. So that’s how he knew about the fight with the other male.

“Theon can sense your emotions,” Knox says, and my eyes find Theon’s.

The cool look in them is no different than it always is, but there’s something I almost catch. Something darker. It’s there and gone before I know it.

“And Cyrus can feel you physically.”

My gaze draws to Cyrus but he’s already watching me. Always watching me it seems. He’s a lot less vocal about his hate toward me, but it’s there. Just beneath the surface.

Knox chuckles and moves away from the others to step in front of me. “Guess our little mate is about to learn a thing or two.”

I step forward, meeting him toe for toe. “I also learned a thing or two about this bond of ours. Apparently, you all now have little problem getting it up for anyone else.” I raise a brow and glance at each of them, watching as each of their smirks quickly drop.

I nod. “I can take it from your expression that it is, in fact, true. While I get to do whatever the hell I want.”

Their expressions quickly darken along with the atmosphere in the room.

I stand my ground as Malakai gets up from his seat and moves a step closer. “You’re forgetting what we just told you. I can see wherever you are. Meaning if I see someone that’s getting a little too close for my liking, you can bet they are going to find themselves at the end of my blade.”

He tilts his head to Theon. “Theon will sense any type of… pleasure you may feel. And we can promise you that it won’t finish with a happy ending.”

Knox glances down at me with a smug smile. “And once I figure out how this really works, you can bet any little secrets you have, will be mine.”

A bolt of panic rushes through me at finding out what happened, and I catch Theon narrow his eyes on me.

I take a step back from them and try to think of something else. Something that won’t reveal my every worry and fear.

Malakai cross his arms. “So, try as you will. But if we’re stuck in this hell. So are you.”

“Well see,” I tell them while giving them a wicked smile, making them lose a little bit of their confidence while I feel absolutely none.

I turn and head to my room, trying to lock down and contain my panic while I think of a way to block them all out. For good.