A part of me wonders if I should feel bad because my mates are guiding me, and I have an unfair advantage. But I rationalize that I was disadvantaged because I’m the new girl and have no animali, so really, this is simply evening out the playing field.
My gaze cuts across the amphitheater to where my mates are in the ceremonial box. They’re all rigid and leaning forward in their seats, like it’s taking all their willpower not to come for me. Using their whisper power, they argue over who will be the one to direct me this time, and it’s Thane who wins in the end.
“All right, sweetheart, first you need to get to the wall. Take a run up and don’t jump until the last second. You’ll need every inch the platform can afford you,”he rumbles.
There are a few feet between the platform I’m on and the base of the wall, and the distance seems doable, but once I reachthe wall, I need to land on the thin ledge there and grab hold, so I don’t fall.
Just thinking about it makes my stomach churn, and a cold sweat coats my skin.“You know what? Maybe I can negotiate with the queen, and she’ll take pity on me? It’s not like I want to be in the army anyway. I could offer to…shine her armor? Or you know, be her assistant or something?”
“I’d kill her before that happened,”Knox snarls.
Considering the queen is the most powerful shadow warrior in the realm, I doubt that, but I appreciate the sentiment.
“Get to the wall, mate,”Thane growls as the crowd begins to grow restless.
“Fine,”I huff, feigning indignation, because it’s way better than thinking about how terrified I really am.
“You can do this,”Thane coaxes, and his voice is softer this time.“Remember, you’re stronger than you know. Use your shadows.”
Swallowing hard, I move back a few paces, and then before I can let my mind spiral, I run at the wall.
When I jump, it feels like I’m in the air forever, but truthfully, it’s seconds later and I’m scrabbling to grab hold of the rocks as I slam into the wall, my boots slipping and sliding on the narrow ledge. My heart thunders in my ears, but I dig my fingers into the jagged rocks, using all my strength to hold on. My shadows shoot out, helping to stabilize me.Okay, Shade. Don’t look down. Don’t you dare look down.
“Excellent,”Thane praises.“Now climb. The more you hesitate, the harder it will be. Just listen to my voice.”
The climb is brutal. Sweat falls from me, and I breathe so hard I probably sound like a dying animal. My shadows act like extra hands, gripping the wall, but it’s taking all my energy not to let go.
I’m a third of the way up when the memories I’ve been trying to suppress, break free, images flashing in my mind. I see Raith’s grinning face and Knox’s dark smile as I lay on a bed, and the brothers prowl toward me in my dreams.
Distracted, my left hand slips from the rock I’m gripping, and it’s only because of my shadows that I don’t fall.“Crap!”I shake my head as if to dislodge the images, and I quickly swing my arm up, my muscles burning as I grab hold of the rock again.
“Focus,”Thane growls in my ear.
“I’m trying,”I hiss, continuing to follow his instructions and scale upward. But it’s not long until another memory slides to the forefront of my mind, and this is one I hadn’t remembered until now. I stop climbing as the images unravel in my head, like I’m watching an old movie.
It’s the night from years ago, after Knox told me he wouldn’t see me again. That night, when I close my eyes and slip into my dreams, I expect my nightmares to be back again. Instead, I’m surprised when a cloaked figure comes toward me, walking into my dream bedroom. I sit up, hope sparking in my chest, because he came. Even after he had told me that I’d never see him again.
“Knox?” I say, ready to fling myself into his arms, but as the figure moves closer, I realize I’m mistaken. The eyes under the hood are chilling and unfamiliar, and dread crawls over me as I get a horrible feeling.
“No, human,” the figure croaks, and as he speaks, the darkness in the room seems to close in on us.
“Oh. So, you’re another nightmare, then?” I say, already resigned to endure whatever this new nightmare is going to put me through.
I can’t see his face fully, but I notice there’s a strange tattoo on his arm that I can make out, where his sleeve has been pulledback. It almost looks like a decorative X, or maybe a cross if I tilt my head.
His thin lips curve into a sinister smile. “No, I’m not a nightmare. Professors Knox and Raith have sent me to bring you to them. I wouldn’t have been able to find you, otherwise.”
“Professors?” I frown in confusion. “Knox told me I’d never see them again,” I say, too focused on the hope that blooms in my chest.
“Yes, they thought they had to cut ties with you, but new agreements have been made. They’ve asked me to bring you to them, and then they will return you here.”
I hesitate. Knox had said his goodbyes, and it sounds too good to be true. I start wondering if this is simply an actual dream that I’ve fabricated with my mind.
“Unless, of course, you wish to reject your mates?” the figure continues when I don’t answer. “In which case, I shall relay your wishes, and you will never see them again.”
My heart races. Mate… That’s what Knox and Raith always called me, and it makes me think this must be real. I’d already thought I’d lost them, and I’ve felt like a hollow shell since. The cloaked figure turns to leave, and I can’t stand the thought that this could be it. That I’ll never see Knox or Raith again.
“Yes, please,” I blurt, jumping from the bed. “Will you take me to them?”
