Page 83 of Dark Bonds

My heart is racing, and I can’t tell if I’m scared out of my mind or weirdly excited. I swear I can taste adrenaline on my tongue, bitter and addicting.

Matteo’s voice is low and soothing as he guides me. “Focus on your shadow, Frankie. It’s your gateway, your personal door to the shadow realm. Think of it as an extension of yourself, not just a dark shape on the ground.”

I concentrate, trying to feel the edges of my own shadow, but it’s like grasping at smoke—every time I think I have it, it slips away.

“I can’t,” I growl, my frustration building. “It’s not working.”

“Patience,” Matteo urges, his calm demeanor a counterpoint to my growing agitation. “Try again. Visualize your shadow expanding and becoming a portal. It’s not just about seeing it, but feeling it.”

I grit my teeth, trying once more, but the more I push, the more elusive it becomes. My hands clench into fists at my sides.

“This is pointless!” I snap, my eyes flying open.

Before I can say more, Leo is there, his hand cupping my cheek. Without warning, he leans in and captures my lips with his own. The kiss is soft and unexpected, tasting of rich coffee and something uniquely Leo. For a moment, all thoughts of shadows and realms disappear.

When he pulls back, there’s a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Just thought you needed a breather,” he says with an easy grin. “Sometimes you have to step back to move forward, you know?”

I blink, my brain short-circuiting for a second. “Did you just... What the hell, Leo?”

Matteo clears his throat, a mix of amusement and exasperation on his face. “Shall we try again?” he asks, his tone dry but not unkind. “Or should we wait for Leo to finish his impromptu kissing lessons?”

Cheeks flushed, I nod then close my eyes once more. This time, as I reach out with my senses, I feel... something—a coolness, a depth to my shadow that wasn’t there before. I’m close, so close...

“That’s it,” Matteo encourages, a hint of excitement creeping into his usually composed voice. “You’re almost there. Push a little further. The shadow is a part of you. Let it embrace you.”

I concentrate harder, feeling sweat bead on my forehead. The shadow seems to pulse and breathe, but at the last moment, it slips away again. I release a frustrated groan.

“One more time,” Leo says softly, his usual joking manner set aside. “You’ve got this, Frankie. Trust yourself, trust the shadows.”

Taking a deep breath, I make one final attempt. I visualize my shadow as a pool of darkness—the same thing I did when I pushed all the men who hurt me through. It was easy then, because it came instinctual. As I focus, I feel a shift, a sudden vertigo. The ground seems to tilt beneath my feet.

With a startled gasp, I stumble forward, and instead of hitting the shed’s wooden floor, I fall through into endless twilight. The air presses against my skin, thick with potential. Shadows dance at the edges of my vision, whispering secrets I can almost understand.

I did it. I’m in the shadow realm.

My eyes widen as I take in the otherworldly landscape. “Leo? Matteo?” I call out, my voice echoing with an eerie resonance.

“We’re right here,” comes Matteo’s reassuring voice from behind me. I turn to see both of them stepping through their own shadows, pride evident in their expressions.

“You did it.” Leo grins, reaching for my hand. “Welcome to the shadow realm, Frankie. First time’s always a trip, huh?”

I survey the ever-changing darkness and dynamic landscapes. The shed is almost the same as before, but instead of sun beams, there are shadow beams, and instead of dust motes, little flecks of glowing light dance in the air.

I turn to the door, my heart pounding with excitement at what I may find beyond it, then I look at the guys.

“Go on,” Leo encourages me.

I burst from the shed, my heart pounding so hard I swear the guys can hear it. The world outside... It’s like someone took reality and twisted it sideways. The campus is there, but not quite right. Everything’s bathed in this weird twilight, and the students are like ghosts, all blurry and distant.

Part of me wants to run back into the shed and hide. This is too much, too weird, but another part... It’s like I’m finally seeing clearly for the first time, like I’ve been walking around with blinders on my whole life and someone just ripped them off. It’s terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

“It’s... different,” I murmur, trying to wrap my head around what I’m seeing. The colors are all muted, like someone turned down the saturation on the world, but the shadows are something else entirely. They stretch and move in ways that don’t make sense, almost like they are breathing. “Everything feels alive,” I say, reaching out to touch a nearby shadow. It’s cool and sort of tingly, like touching static electricity. “Is it always like this? How do you guys not get distracted by... well, everything?”

Leo grins, his teeth weirdly bright in this twilight world. “You get used to it, but it never stops being awesome. Just wait until you see what happens when you try to eat something here. It’s a trip. Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet. Watch this,” he says, stepping away from us.

In one fluid motion, he shifts. One second, Leo’s there, and the next, there’s this huge black lion. It’s so dark, it’s like it’s sucking in all the light around it. The shadow lion throws its head back and roars, the sound reverberating through the air with a strange, echoing quality that sends shivers down my spine.

My mouth hangs open. Holy crap. That’s insane, and yeah, I’m a little jealous. Okay, a lot jealous. “Leo, that’s... incredible,” I murmur, reaching out to touch his shadowy mane. It’s cool and... weird, solid but kind of fluid, like touching really thick water or something.

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