Page 120 of Dark Bonds

For a moment, we’re frozen, our faces inches apart. I can see the conflict in his eyes and feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Part of me wants to close that gap and seek comfort in his embrace, but now isn’t the time.

I nod and reluctantly step back. As we turn to leave, I catch Leo watching us with an unreadable expression on his face. Our eyes meet, and he gives me a small, reassuring smile that makes my heart skip a beat.

God, when did this all get so complicated?

With a heavy heart, I nod and snatch a handful of documents from the nearby desk. The paper is rough against my suddenly sensitive fingertips, each touch a reminder of the lives at stake. As I follow the others out of the lab, my mind spins with everything we discovered.

We burst out of the lab, the alarms still blaring behind us. The cool night air hits like a wall after the sterile atmosphere inside.

“This way!” Bishop hisses, leading us toward a patch of deeper shadows near the building’s edge.

My heart pounds as we sprint across the open ground. Matteo brings up the rear, his eyes scanning for pursuers. Leo is at my side, his usual grin replaced by grim determination.

Just as we reach the tree line, a shout rings out behind us. “There! Stop them!”

“Shit,” Dorian mutters, his shadows writhing beneath his skin.

Without thinking, I reach out with my own powers, drawing the darkness around us like a cloak. It’s not perfect, since I’m still learning, but it’s enough to blur our outlines as we plunge into the forest.

We don’t stop running until the shouts fade into the distance, replaced by the sound of our ragged breathing and the whisper of wind through leaves.

Only then do we pause, all of us panting and on high alert. The sudden silence is almost as deafening as the alarms, broken only by our ragged breathing.

We look at each other, the reality of what we just witnessed sinking in. Without a word, Leo pulls me into a hug. I feel Matteo’s hand on my back as Dorian’s fingers intertwine with mine. Even Bishop steps closer, his presence a silent comfort.

For a moment, we just stand there, drawing strength from each other. We’re more than just a pack now—we’re a family bound by secrets and shadows.

“Well…” Leo finally breaks the silence, his voice rough with emotion. “I guess game night is cancelled, huh?”

A surprised laugh bubbles out of me, echoed by the others. Leave it to Leo to find humor even now. As we pull apart, I feelstronger and more determined. Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together.

“What now?”Leo asks, looking around at our ragged group. Leo’s face is pale in the moonlight, tension written in every line. For once, there’s no hint of a joke in his voice.

I suck in a lungful of air, willing my pulse to slow. The night air is a blessed relief after the chemical-laden atmosphere of the lab, but it does little to ease the knot of dread in my stomach.

As I run my hand through my hair, I realize I’m still clutching a crumpled paper from the lab. Smoothing it out, I see a scrawled note in Blackwood’s handwriting. “Project Phoenix—merge shadow and light. Key to saving both realms?”

My breath catches. Saving the realms? What the hell is Blackwood really up to? I show the note to the others, watching as confusion and concern flicker across their faces.

“Looks like this goes deeper than we thought,” Bishop murmurs, his eyes dark with worry.

“Okay,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “We need to think this through. We can’t just charge back in there.” An idea starts to form, hazy at first but quickly sharpening.

Matteo nods, his eyes dark with determination. “We gather more evidence, build a case against him, then we take it to the council.”

“And what about the test subjects?” Dorian asks, voicing the question that’s been gnawing at me. Dorian’s voice is thick with something that sounds a lot like guilt. “We can’t just leave them there.”

A heavy silence falls over the group. I glance around at the others. Leo is bouncing on his toes, eager for action, Matteo’s brow is furrowed in thought, Bishop looks conflicted, and Dorian... Dorian just looks haunted. We all know the risksof going back, but the thought of abandoning those people to Blackwood’s experiments is unbearable.

Finally, I speak up, my voice steady despite the fear churning in my gut. “We’ll go back tomorrow night. We’ll free as many as we can and gather whatever evidence we find along the way.”

“It’s dangerous,” Bishop warns, but I can see the resolve in his eyes. He knows as well as I do that we have no other choice.

“Then we’ll be careful,” I reply, squaring my shoulders. “What could go right?”

“What could go right?” Leo mutters, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “Maybe we’ll find out this is all just some elaborate prank. Or maybe discover he’s actually been working on a cure for cancer this whole time.”

Despite the gravity of the situation, I can’t help but crack a small smile. Leave it to Leo to find levity even in our darkest moments.

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