Page 112 of Dark Bonds

“Stop,” I interrupt, holding up a hand. The shadows around me pulse with my growing anger, tendrils of darkness reaching out as if to strangle the truth from her. “Just... stop. You expect me to believe that after years of grooming me, of... of selling me, you suddenly care about my well-being?”

Valerie flinches at my words but quickly composes herself. I watch the mask slide back into place, the familiar icy demeanor reasserting itself. “I know it’s hard to believe, Francesca, but I’ve always cared about you. Everything I did, I did to protect you and prepare you for your destiny.”

“My destiny?” I scoff, the word tasting like poison on my tongue. “You mean the destiny you and Blackwood cooked up for me? To be what, a weapon? A broodmare for your twisted plans?”

“No, that’s not—” Valerie starts, but I cut her off, my patience fraying like a rope about to snap.

“You knew, didn’t you?” I ask, realization dawning on me with horrifying clarity. The shadows around us writhe and dance, responding to the storm of emotions raging inside me.“You knew I was a shadow shifter all along. That’s why you kept injecting me with... whatever that was. You were trying to force my powers to manifest.”

Valerie’s silence is all the confirmation I need. I’m so angry, the shadows are going crazy, and the lights are flickering like they are scared of me or something.

“Francesca, please,” Valerie pleads, reaching out to me. Her fingers, once instruments of comfort and pain in equal measure, now look frail and desperate. “I know I made mistakes, terrible mistakes, but I’m trying to make it right. Blackwood is the real enemy here.”

I step back out of her reach, my skin crawling at the thought of her touch. “And what makes you any better? You used me, Valerie. You broke me down and rebuilt me into what you wanted. How is that any different from what Blackwood’s doing?”

“Because I’ve seen what Blackwood is truly capable of,” Valerie says, her voice cracking with genuine fear. “He isn’t just manipulating the shadow realm, Francesca. He’s trying to become a god, and he’ll destroy everything in his path to achieve it. I... I can’t let that happen, no matter what it costs me.”

I shake my head, torn between my anger and the urgency in Valerie’s voice. The rational part of my mind screams that this is a trap, another manipulation, but deep in my gut, in the place where my power lives, I sense a truth I don’t want to face.

“Even if what you’re saying is true,” I say slowly, each word carefully chosen, “then why come to me? Why not go to the council or the guardians?”

“Because they are compromised, and I trust you,” Valerie whispers, her eyes darting nervously around the empty hallway. “Blackwood has eyes and ears everywhere, and some of them... some of them aren’t even human anymore. He’s changing people, Francesca, turning them into something... else.”

“Trust?” I laugh bitterly, the sound echoing in the empty hallway. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

Valerie’s face falls, real pain etching lines around her eyes. For a moment, I see past the mask to the woman beneath—scared, desperate, and possibly sincere. “Look, I know you don’t trust me, I get it, but this isn’t just about us anymore. Think about your friends, your pack. Blackwood will eventually come for them too.”

Her words hit home and images flash through my mind—Leo’s goofy grin as he hands me yet another punny coffee mug, Matteo’s quiet presence as he stands guard nearby, the weight of Dorian’s ancient tome in my lap, and Bishop’s latest puzzle box sitting half solved on my desk. The thought of them in danger sends a fresh wave of determination through me.

Valerie’s smile is full of satisfaction, a predator sensing weakness in its prey. She believes she has me exactly where she wants me.

“What do you want from me?” I ask, my voice tight with suppressed emotion.

“Help me stop Blackwood,” Valerie says, her eyes gleaming with a fervor that’s equal parts exciting and terrifying. “Together, we might have a chance. I have inside knowledge of his plans. Combined with your power, we could end this before it’s too late.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, my chest heaving as I struggle to control my breathing. The fluorescent lights buzz overhead, the sound grating on my already frayed nerves. I can smell the lingering scent of cleaning products in the hallway, mixed with the faint trace of Valerie’s perfume. My mouth is dry, tasting of fear and old grudges. The shadows pulse against my skin, cool and comforting, reminding me that I’m not powerless anymore. My fists clench, my nails biting into my palms as I fight the urgeto lash out and make her feel even a fraction of the pain she caused me.

When I open my eyes, Valerie is watching me intently, hope and fear warring in her expression. She looks smaller somehow, less the larger-than-life monster of my nightmares and more a flesh-and-blood woman caught in a web of her own making.

The air between us crackles with unspoken tension, years of pain and manipulation hanging heavily in the silence. I can almost taste the bitterness on my tongue and see the regret etched in the lines around Valerie’s eyes.

“I don’t forgive you,” I say, my voice hard as steel. The shadows around me pulse in agreement, hungry for retribution. “I don’t know if I ever can.”

Every fiber of my being is screaming at me to run, to fight, to do anything but trust this woman who’s hurt me so deeply, but if she’s telling the truth about Blackwood... can I really turn my back on that? The weight of this decision feels like it might crush me.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “If what you’re saying about Blackwood is true, then we need to stop him, so for now, we’ll work together, but I swear, Valerie, if this is another one of your games...”

I let the threat hang in the air, shadows swirling around me in response to my emotions. The temperature in the hallway drops further.

Valerie nods, wearing a small, sad smile on her face. “I understand. Thank you for giving me a chance to make things right.”

I clench my fists, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside me. Working with Valerie feels wrong on every level, like willingly sticking my hand into a viper’s nest, but if she’s telling the truth about Blackwood...

“We’ll do this my way,” I say firmly, injecting every ounce of authority I can muster into my voice. “No more secrets, no more manipulation. You will tell me everything you know, and I’ll decide how we proceed. Understood?”

My mind races, piecing together a plan—trust nothing, verify everything. This game of shadows just got a lot more complicated.

Valerie nods quickly, almost eagerly. “Of course. Whatever you need.”

---