Page 117 of Shaped By Darkness

Looking down, I find the guys below. Blair and Pike are both helping us slowly lower the boulder while Storm and Sol get the people moving. Garrett is at the wall, and though I can’t hear him clearly, I don’t need to. His clipped tone rings out, and the look on his face tells me enough.

The people move, the streets slowly emptying as Serena helps them safely lower the boulder. Right before it touches the ground, another roar sounds; this time it’s loud enough that Serena whimpers in pain, her shadow wings flickering as she reaches up to cover her ears.

It’s impossible to miss the blood that drips from her left ear before she covers it. Reaching out, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her back into my chest, and though this isn’t the time, I can’t help but breathe in her scent; my beast all but melts at the contact, and I hate him even more. For as long as I can remember, he’s been feral, unpredictable, and untamable.

He hates me; he hates everyone. Yet here he is, purring for this woman in my arms.

A woman we don’t deserve.

The roar stops, and everything is quiet. So quiet that for a moment, I worry my hearing might have been affected.

“Thank you,” Serena whispers, looking up at me with a small smile before she winces, her ears no doubt hurting as they continue to bleed.

The three of us move toward the top of the outermost wall; the guys aren’t far behind. I feel them as they move through the tunnel to the stairs, which will bring them out not far from us. And not for the first time, I find myself thankful that Serena has more than just me. We might have had a rocky start, but with every day that passes, I find myself drawn to them, looking to them, and I’m more than a little shocked to realize they have become my friends.

Which is why it’s so hard to look down on the other side of the wall and see Lyle. I’ve yet to get to know him, but that doesn’t matter. Given the chance, we would have found a way to make it work for Serena, something I still hope is possible in the future, but I know this is tearing all of them apart.

I know the second Serena sees him and the state he’s in now. Her legs give out, and I hear the sob she attempts to hold back. Thankfully, Ryker’s arm is still wrapped around her so she doesn’t go down, but the pain I feel through the bond makes me wince, and I know it will only be worse as the others witness this change.

Lyle stands not ten feet from Draven. Behind them is a cage with something inside that I can’t make out with the way they are positioned in front of it. I didn’t think it was possible, but Lyle looks even more monstrous.

His fur is matted, his claws no longer those of his bear, but something with scales, large horns on his head, and blood dripping from teeth that are easily three sizes larger than they were before. The one thing that is the same is his eyes, those haunting white eyes of the chimeras that makes them appear soulless.

The guys don’t make a sound, but I feel their despair as they finally make their way to the top of the wall.

Draven watches us, his eyes moving over us before he nods, and I get the feeling he was waiting for us.

That can’t be good.

“I brought you a present, my shadow princess,” he says, the wind carrying his words to us despite how far away he is, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

He steps to the side, and Ryker has to hold Serena as she makes a move toward the edge of the wall.

What could he possibly have?

I let my eyes shift, calling on my wyvern to see across the distance… and then wish I hadn’t.

“Theo…” Serena breathes her name, eyes wide as she looks at the girl in the cage.

From here, it’s impossible to know if she’s alive or not, though I don’t dare say that aloud. The last thing we need is for Serena to try and go rushing into danger headfirst… again.

Tears well in her eyes as she looks from Theo to Lyle, and I feel her heart break through the bond. The urge to block her feelings is strong. I don’t love either of these people the way she does, but I do love her. It seems cruel to make her face this pain alone.

“We’ll figure something out,” I whisper, reaching up to rest my hand on her shoulder in hopes of offering her comfort.

She doesn’t take her eyes off Draven, but I know she hears me. I can feel the surge of determination through the bond.

“Serena, how about we make a deal? You come with me, and I’ll let Theo go. The attack on the kingdom will be forgotten.” A smile curves his lips, but there’s nothing happy about it. He looks deranged. “One life to save so many. Don’t you think that’s worth it?” He says it like it’s the most obvious answer, making it sound like we’d be stupid not to agree, and he’s right.

It is the obvious answer; it is what we should do in terms of keeping the kingdom safe. That’s my job as their future king, hers as their future queen… so why instead am I stopping her?

My fingers dig into her shoulder as she attempts to move away, unable to let that happen. I can’t watch her go to him.

She would never come back.

Serena whips around to face me, her blue ponytail almost smacking me in the face with how fast she moves, her eyes narrowed, her lips set in a firm line I’m all too familiar with.

“Let me save her. She needs me,” she practically begs, but even still, all I can do is shake my head.

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