Page 20 of Shadow Bonds

“Don’t cut yourself, and aim for that.” He points at the thick tree trunk with a red target drawn onto it. “If you?—”

I flip the dagger in my hand, aim, and throw it, hitting the target dead center. I glance at Theon to find his mouth open and his eyes wide with shock.

The darkness beside us shutters out, revealing Cyrus, Knox, and a human Malakai fully clothed, all are wearing similar shocked expressions.

“How the fuck did you manage that?” Malakai asks.

Knox is the first to drop his shocked expression and scoffs. “It was a lucky shot.”

Biting my tongue, I take the second dagger in Theon’s hand and move farther back before throwing it, all while imaging Knox’s head at the center.

I hit him right between the eyes.

“What the actual fuck?!” Malakai frowns, glancing from me to the target while Cyrus moves closer to me.

“Where did you learn how to do that?” he asks.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I tell him.

“Maybe we can—” Cyrus starts, but Malakai cuts him off.

“Let’s keep going.” He glances over at Theon. “Switch it up and challenge her. She looks like she needs it.”

I groan, realizing my mistake. I should’ve faked it for a while at least.

Theon has me practicing the shot over and over, moving as I hit it and getting me to throw the dagger from every angle until my eyes blur and the target starts to look like two inside of one.

I start missing more shots, and they all go out of their way to let me know about it.

The sun starts to set, and I realize how long I’ve been doing this. As soon as I stop, the exhaustion sets in on every bone, joint, and muscle in my body.

“I’m done,” I tell them, and they actually agree with me.

I start making my way back the way we came—already regretting my life choices—when they practically zoom past me in a mass of shadows, chuckling.

They’re gone in seconds, leaving me here in the middle of nowhere while the night sets in.

What did I expect? Really, I only have myself to blame. Besides this isn’t that bad. I was going to have to walk back anyway.

I keep moving, hoping I’m heading in the right direction. But I get to a point where I don’t recognize anything and curse myself for paying too much attention to that apple instead of my surroundings on my way here.

My stomach growls loudly, reminding me I haven’t eaten much today either. I rub it and keep moving, planning to pig out in the canteen tomorrow no matter who’s staring at me.

A twig snaps from somewhere to the left of me, and I pause, trying to listen out for anyone.

“Hello?” I call out, but nothing but silence greets me.

It’s probably one of the guys playing a trick. That or a wild animal.

Not wanting to meet either, I try to quicken my pace and head in a direction I hope is the location of the house.

But after another few minutes, another twig snaps and another until I hear something following me and moving closer to me from behind.

I whip around ready to call out whoever it is trying to scare me when I freeze.

It’s not one of the guys or a wild animal. It’s a terrigon.

A huge alien-like creature on all fours with black metal-like skin covering its entire body, a thick snout, razor sharp teeth, and two sets of eyes, and I know I’m in trouble.

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