Page 123 of Dark Bonds

Dorian, who’s been silent until now, speaks up. His voice is rough with emotion. “So he knows.”

She gives a slow, curt nod.

“How?” Leo questions.

Valerie’s eyes dart nervously between us. “He has eyes everywhere—cameras, spies, even some of the faculty are in his pocket. When you broke into the lab, he knew almost immediately.”

A chill runs down my spine. We thought we’d been so careful, but Blackwood had been one step ahead the whole time.

“We did set off multiple alarms.” Dorian rests a hand on my shoulder that instantly calms me.

He’s right.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what I’m about to do. The air feels charged, as if the shadows are holding their breath, waiting for my decision. I feel Dorian’s hand brush against mine, a subtle gesture of support that sends a jolt through me. Our eyes meet for a brief moment, and I see a mix of concern and something deeper, something that makes my heart skip a beat.Focus, Frankie, I remind myself, but God, it’s hard when he looks at me like that.

“Fine,” I say, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. “Come in. But one wrong move, and you’re out.”

As Valerie steps inside, I’m struck by the complexity of emotions that surge through me. There is hatred, fear, and anger, but also a grudging respect for her courage in coming here. It’s a maelstrom that threatens to overwhelm me, but I force it down, focusing on the task at hand.

We gather in the living room, Valerie perched uncomfortably on the edge of an armchair while the rest of us form a loose semicircle around her. The tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife.

“Talk,” I command, my voice harder than I’ve ever heard it.

Valerie nods, her eyes never leaving mine. “Blackwood’s main facility is located in a pocket dimension within the shadow realm. It’s where he conducts his most dangerous experiments,including his attempts to control the eredar beasts through the ley lines.”

“And how do you know all this?” Bishop asks, his tone skeptical. His eyes flick to me, a knowing look passing between us. He knew about the ley lines, I realize with a start.

Another secret, another betrayal.

“Because I helped him set it up,” Valerie admits, her shoulders slumping. For a moment, she looks older, worn down by the weight of her actions. “I’m not proud of it, but I thought... I thought we were working toward something important. It wasn’t until I saw the extent of his experiments that I realized how wrong I was.”

Her voice drops to a whisper, a practiced mix of urgency and feigned vulnerability. “The things I’ve seen are beyond imagination. Every shadow holds a key to power you can’t comprehend.”

As she speaks, memories of my time under Valerie’scareflood back—the injections, the pain, the manipulation. My shadows surge within me, a tempest of darkness echoing my anger. I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and look up to see Leo, his eyes filled with concern.

“You okay?” he whispers, his breath warm against my ear.

I nod, grateful for his support. Turning back to Valerie, I ask, “Why should we trust you now? How do we know this isn’t another one of your manipulations?”

Valerie’s eyes gleam with something that could be mistaken for remorse, but there’s a calculating edge behind it. “I know I’ve given you no reason to trust me, Francesca, but what I’m telling you now is crucial. Blackwood’s plans are more complex than you realize. If he succeeds in harnessing the eredar beasts, he’ll reshape both our world and the shadow realm. The balance will shift irrevocably.”

The gravity of her words settles over us, but I can’t shake the feeling that she’s holding something back.

“The shadow realm is dying. Tell me if he knows why,” I order.

Valerie’s eyes widen, a flicker of surprise crossing her face before she quickly composes herself. She leans forward, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper. “How much do you know?”

I exchange glances with my pack, a silent agreement passing between us. We’ve come too far to hold back now. “We know the shadow realm is fading,” I say carefully, watching her reaction. “And we know the beasts are connected to the ley lines somehow. What we don’t know is why.”

Valerie nods slowly, her expression a mask of concern that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re right. The shadow realm is changing, and Blackwood... He thinks he can control its transformation, but he’s missing crucial pieces of the puzzle.”

“How?” Matteo demands, his voice tight with barely contained anger.

“The eredar beasts,” Valerie explains, her voice taking on an almost reverent quality. “They are not just monsters. They are conduits of pure shadow energy, ancient beings that once maintained the balance between our world and the shadow realm.” She pauses, glancing at Bishop, who nods grimly.

Bishop picks up the thread. “The old texts speak of them as guardians, Frankie. They are tied to the ley lines—rivers of shadow energy that crisscross both realms—but as the shadow realm weakens, the eredar are becoming unstable and dangerous.”

“And Blackwood thinks he can control them,” I finish, the pieces clicking into place.

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