Page 24 of Shadow Bonds

I duck and move fast, striking him hard in the side before moving back a step, getting my balance before spinning and throwing a roundhouse kick directed at his head.

His body spins before slamming into the mat as he goes down with a groan.

A couple of whistles sound out, followed by, “Hell, yeah!” from the girls around me.

I inspect the fucker as he groans. His jaw and face are starting to look a little swollen already.

“Why the fuck is she thinking about another male right now?”

I jolt at the sound of Knox’s voice and spin around, trying to find him. But there’s no one there.

“Where are you?” I ask, glancing around trying to find where he’s hiding. But the other girls just frown at me.

“Who?” a girl with a short black bob asks.

I shake my head, laughing it off. “Nothing,” I tell her but frown when I still see no sign of Knox.

With the male still groaning on the floor, we decide class is over and start heading toward the locker room to change.

I spot a couple of glances from the girls on the way but think nothing of it until the girl with the black bob steps up to me.

“So… There’s a rumor going around that you’re a mate?”

I roll my eyes. “Unfortunately,” I mutter.

The girl flinches back. “Oh my god, it’s true?”

I nod. “Apparently.”

The girls inch closer to me, all wearing a myriad of emotions, from shock to intrigue, to awe and fear.

“My mother has books on this stuff,” a blonde with brown eyes says. “Apparently when a Shadow finds their mate, they can’t get it up for anyone else.”

I freeze, and the others all turn to look at her.

“Only she does it for them, inallways, if you know what I mean.” She wiggles her brows with a little smirk on her face, but instead of feeling amused like the others, all I feel is sick.

No wonder they’re pissed at me. I may be able to stop their madness, but it turns out now I’m also their cockblock.

Another girl groans. “Whereas I can’t even get a back rub from my Shadow.”

“Yeah, but here’s the kicker. Apparently, the female can do whatever the hell she wants.Withwhoever she wants.” She glances over at me with a wink, and the other girls giggle.

My mouth goes dry. The hostility and rage when they found out I was their mate makes a hell of a lot more sense.

If what she said is true, I get to pretty much do whatever I want, be with whoever I want. But all they’ve got is… me.

I ignore the girls chattering and get moving, needing some fresh air to clear my mind.

I’m past the main door and heading for the path through the forest when I hear it again.

“Where the hell is she going now?”

I freeze and glance around looking for Knox. He has to be close by. It sounded like he was right beside me.

“Where are you?” I call out.

“You heard me…”he says, his voice a little shocked.

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