Page 22 of Shadow Bonds

“Yes,” I answer, trying to keep as much information to myself as possible.

He frowns. “Well, that’s unfortunate. But you’ve been settling in well?”

I glance at Sloane, wondering if he’s going to get to the point. “I have.”

“Good.” He finally glances up at me. “I want to apologize for the attack. We were testing the shield, and one came down. Unfortunately, those terrigons slipped past while it happened.” He works his face into what I’m guessing is compassion but everything about it is wrong, fake and overly exaggerated. “It won’t happen again.”

I feign a smile, playing along with whatever this is with the hope I can get out of here quickly. “Good to know.” Also nice to know that there’s a way for the shield to come down. Maybe I can work with that.

“Now onto the most obvious,” he says with a sigh. “You called on one of your companion’s weapons.”

“I didn’t mean to.” I glance between him and Sloane, wondering if that’s why I’m here and if I’m in trouble because of it.

Sloane steps forward. “It means you’re not a companion; you’re their mate.”

Ice fills my veins as I glance between them both. “I don’t understand.”

“A companion is a human female that is compatible with a male Shadow. They have a very small percentage of Shadow DNA. And although they can help ease the pull to the dark, they will never be able to fully help rid them of it,” she says. “Whereas a mate can. Once fully bonded, a Shadow never needs to worry about the madness ever again.”

I shake my head, still not understanding what she’s trying to tell me. Because it sure as hell can’t be what I’m thinking.

Her expression grows gentle and patient. “A mate is another part of you. A part of your soul.”

Everything inside me freezes. “Wait. You’re saying those four…” I stop myself from saying assholes, getting way too used to the word when it comes to them. “You’re saying that they’re my soul… mates?”

I swallow hard, trying to wrap my mind around it. It was bad enough being stuck with those four until I figured a way out of here. But having them be my soul mates takes on a whole other problem.

“We haven’t seen one in nearly two decades.” She shares a look with Talos before glancing back at me. “And with four Elite is…extremelyrare.”

“We will check in with you from time to time,” Talos says. “This is all very new to us too. So, we will figure it out as we go along.”

He waits for me to look at him before continuing his little spiel.

‘This is good thing, Sena,” he says as if trying to convince me. “For us all. Mates only make us stronger.”

Mates makethemstronger. Now I’m not just a relaxer but a damn steroid.

I nod, holding back my biting words. “Can I go now?”

Talos smiles that fake smile again. But this times there’s an edge to it. A warning.

“Of course. You must want to get back to your mates. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about it.”

“Yes. Lots.” I mirror his smile with my own warning, ensuring he knows I’m not going to be playing by his rules anytime soon.

His smile only grows.

Walking toward the house feels like I’m walking to the gallows. Each step gets slower, more dragged out.

I should be angry. Furious that I have four dicks for soulmates.

How is this even possible? I’m not even a Shadow…

A memory of the attack in the forest and the light from my hands flashes across my memory, making me pause.

What was that?I glance down at my hands trying to find anything different, but they look the same as they have these past weeks.

Feeling stupid for standing here looking at my hands, I get moving and hope I can deal with whatever all this is after some sleep.

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