Page 9 of Dark Bonds

Don’t look down.

I look down.

Bile creeps up my throat, and I squeeze my eyes shut. When Dorian initially shifted, he didn’t give me any time to process what was happening before he scooped me up in his claw and held me against his chest like treasure. Peeking through one eye, I stare at his inky black chest and reach out a shaky hand. His cold scales ripple beneath my fingertips, and I swear Dorian makes a gruff noise. It sounds like it’s for pleasure, but that might just be me projecting.

As he slowly descends toward the ground, my stomach does a strange little dip until he lands with a grace that suits him. Ever so slowly, he lowers me to the ground right in front of Tori’s house.

I’m still mad at him—at everyone, really—and yet, I can’t help the awe that rushes through me as the beast slowly backs away from me. His scales don’t just absorb light, they seem to devour it. It’s terrifying and beautiful all at once, like staring into the heart of a black hole. I can’t look away.

He changes, shrinking down to the man I know as Dorian Gray, which I suspect is no coincidental name. How was I so blind?

A very naked Dorian stands before me. I should look away.

I don’t.

My eyes trace the contours of his swimmer’s build, remembering the feeling of his lips on mine and the desperate intensity of our kiss. The conflicting emotions—anger, attraction, betrayal, and need—swirl within me, making it hard to breathe.

“Eyes up here, Francesca,” Dorian says, straining for his usual clipped tone, but there’s a crack in his facade, a flicker of vulnerability that makes my breath catch. His jaw clenches, and for a moment, I see the man behind the mask. His voice wavers slightly, as if the very act of standing before me, naked and exposed, is costing him more than he’d ever admit. For the first time, I see past the arrogance and cold detachment, and I catch a glimpse of the real Dorian.

I take my damn good time rolling my eyes back up his body to meet his gaze. I blink lazily at him and press my fingertips to my lips, remembering his kiss. I don’t forgive him, but I want to hate fuck him to within an inch of my life.

“Good night, Dorian.” I turn on a heel and face the bright red door that is the Vale household.

“Frankie,” Dorian calls out. I pause, my heart pounding, but I don’t look back. Instead, I breathe slowly, waiting for him to speak. “After the break, there is something I’d like to show you.”

Curiosity provokes me to look at him, and I note the sincerity in his gaze. “What is it?” I ask, unable to hide my interest despite my lingering anger.

Dorian’s expression softens, his usual guarded demeanor slipping away to reveal a level of concern that catches me off guard. His eyes, usually cold and distant, warm with something that feels almost like… regret. “It’s about your parents, Frankie,” he says, his voice gentler. “I… found some information, something that might explain why you were left in the human world.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. My breath catches, and my vision narrows as the mention of my parents stirs up emotions I thought I’d buried deep. Longing, resentment, and anger rise to the surface, threatening to overwhelm me. For years, I’ve lived without knowing why they left me or why I was abandoned. Now, Dorian is offering me answers, but at what cost?

I give him a curt nod, trying to mask the tumult of emotions his words stirred up. “Fine. After the break.”

I watch him back away before he shifts once again into a dragon and takes off into the night sky. The whoosh of his wings blows a cool breeze across my skin, raising goosebumps along my arms.

The eclipse ended hours ago, and Morrow Bay is silent in the middle of the night. The full moon shines brightly over our little fishing town. Though I’m no longer in the shadow realm, a strange part of me wants nothing more than to go back and search the world I was apparently born into.

“Frankie,” a voice calls.

Whipping my head around, I see a sleepy Tori standing at the door. Her long blond hair in a knot on top of her head, and she’s rubbing sleep from her eyes, wearing what can only be described as a muumuu. I almost crack a joke, except hurt washes over me all over again, and all I can do is stand there and stare at her, my heart pounding and weary.

I don’t know what to say to her. Victoria wasn’t even my first friend or even my first bully, but she was the first person to look at me and tell me why she treated me the way she did. Tears prickle behind my eyes, because I want my friend more than anything in this world right now.

I swallow my pride and step toward her, my mouth dry and my tongue thick and heavy. No one else means as much to me right now as Tori. The guys? We weren’t anything. Not really. We were just beginning something that may or may not be amazing.

But Tori? I let Tori in, and I don’t let people in.

I can’t.

“Want some hot chocolate?” she asks as she wrings her hands and chews on her lip. This can’t be easy on her. Hell, it isn’t easy on me.

“I’d like that.” The words come out as a cracked whisper, and I slowly walk forward. The closer I get, the wider her eyes become, and her mouth parts.

“What the fuck happened to you?” she blurts out, grabbing my sweater with multiple claw marks in it. I grab her wrists and hold them still, giving her a partial smile.

“Chloe and Amanda happened.” Her whole body freezes, and she looks up at me. She isn’t sure how to take my words.

I prompt her to get moving. “Hot chocolate.”

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