Page 43 of Dark Bonds

“Whoa.” I’m so stunned, all I can do is stand there, rooted to the spot. Gathered between the rugby field and the tower dorm, Frankie and Tori face off against Amanda and Chloe, the air thick with hostility. The shield lingers for a long moment before it dissipates, leaving behind a charged silence.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those, and my girl created it. Hell yeah. Fuck, that’s hot.

“Are you girls alright?” Matteo asks, his gaze flitting between Frankie and Tori, who’s slowly pulling herself off the ground, her eyes wide with shock.

“We… We’re fine,” Frankie stammers. She doesn’t look fine. In fact, she looks like she might pass out at any moment, her face pale and drawn.

A deep, composed voice cuts through the air, steady and authoritative. It sends a shiver down my spine, a mixture of fear and respect. “Everyone, let’s take a step back. Frankie, Tori, come with us. We’ll sort this out,” Bishop says, his dark eyes assessing the situation with a coldness that makes me shiver.

Oh man, why does he have to show up and be the party pooper? Even as I think it, I know we need him. This situation is spiraling out of control faster than we can handle.

I step toward my girl, but naturally, I need to make sure these two bullies know I don’t want them. “Hey now, Chloe,” I say, “if you wanted my attention, you could’ve just asked. No need to go all feline fury on my friends.” I give them a wink for good measure before stepping close to Frankie, positioning myself between her and potential danger.

Amanda and Chloe, clearly flustered, mutter something under their breath and disappear to probably torture someone else, but I know this isn’t over. In our world, nothing ever is.

Matteo just shares a look with Bishop, a silent conversation I’m not a part of. A pang of jealousy, sharp and unexpected, rips through me as I watch Matteo lean in and whisper something in Bishop’s ear. My fists clench at my sides, and I force myself to look away, hating the darkness that rises within me at the sight.

“We were just coming to find you two,” Matteo says, his voice steady but his eyes betraying his concern.

We were trying to have a moment, but that’s good too. The bitterness in my thoughts surprises me, and I push it down, focusing on what matters—Frankie.

“What was that?” I ask, stepping closer. I am inching my way toward Frankie, drawn to her like a moth to flame, even knowing I might get burned.

Frankie looks around, her eyes unseeing, lost in some internal struggle. Yeah, something isn’t okay with her. “I… I don’t know. I just… felt a surge of energy and then…” Her voice trails off, and her usually haunted eyes appear more sunken in, like she saw something that shook her to her core.

“It was a shield,” Matteo says quietly, his gaze thoughtful. “A powerful one. You protected yourselves without even realizing it.”

“What does it mean?” Frankie whispers, and I see her waver a little, her strength failing her.

“Easy there,” I tell her, reaching out to steady her, my heart in my throat.

The color drains from Frankie’s face, leaving it ashen white. Her eyes flutter closed, and a tremor runs through her body. Before I can react, her knees buckle, and she crumples to the ground. My heart lurches, and a strangled cry escapes my lips as I lunge forward and catch her just before she hits the ground, sweeping her up into my arms. Her head lolls against my shoulder, her eyes closed and face as pale as death.

“We need to get her somewhere safe,” I say urgently, looking up at Matteo and Bishop. They exchange a glance before Bishop nods. “Nurse?”

We have an infirmary. But I don’t know if anyone is in there. And something tells me this is beyond the scope of normal medical care.

“Bring her this way,” he says, already turning on his heel and striding off without checking if we’re following. Matteo falls into step beside me as I hurry after Bishop. Frankie is a limp weight in my arms and terrifyingly still.

“The infirmary.” Tori jogs to keep up with our long-legged strides. I want to leave her behind, but Frankie wouldn’t forgive me for that, and right now, Frankie’s wishes are all that matter.

“No.” Bishop doesn’t even spare her a glance as he answers, his tone brooking no argument.

“Matteo,” I call. “Tori.”

He doubles back and scoops up Tori, Bishop barely waiting for us to catch up. The urgency in the air is thick enough to choke on.

We wind through campus, the music from the party fading into the distance, replaced by an eerie silence. Bishop takes us to this ancient-looking dorm, sneaking us in through a side door.The place is dead silent, our footsteps echoing like we’re in some creepy haunted house movie as we climb the stairs.

At the end of a long corridor, Bishop unlocks a heavy wooden door engraved with strange symbols that seem to writhe and shift in the low light. Inside is a cozy study with walls lined with books, a crackling fireplace, and worn leather furniture. I gently lay Frankie on the sofa, brushing her dark hair back from her face. She looks small and fragile, her chest barely rising with each shallow breath. My heart clenches at the sight, fear and love warring within me.

“What happened to her?” I ask Bishop as he closes the door behind us. The air feels heavy with some unseen energy that raises the hair on my arms and makes my shadow shifter restless beneath my skin.

“Manifesting that shield took more power than she realized,” Bishop says, crossing his arms as he gazes down at Frankie’s unconscious form, his expression unreadable.

I kneel next to Frankie, taking her cold hand in mine. Her skin’s so cold it makes me flinch. God, she feels like she’s been dunked in ice water. Butterflies erupt in my stomach, their frantic fluttering making it hard to breathe.

“Will she be okay?” I ask Bishop, hating how vulnerable I sound.

---