Chapter 51
Declan laughed as he grabbed my sweatshirt off the floor. “First she passes out because she comes so hard, and now, she knocks out the power in the entire building.”
“Shut up,” I grumbled, grabbing the sweatshirt from him. At least the lights were back on now.
“She has a gift, that’s for sure,” Ronan said with a smirk.
I started to pull my sweatshirt over my head, but Colt grabbed hold of my arm. “Holy shit. Your side.”
I glanced down, but there was nothing there other than unmarred skin.
“The bruises are completely gone,” he muttered.
I skimmed my fingers over my ribs. There was no sign that there was ever a bruise there at all.
Dash grinned as he moved closer to examine me. “Our bond is deepening.”
My brows flew up in question.
The corner of Trace’s mouth kicked up. “As our mate bond deepens, we’ll be able to heal each other.”
“That’s so cool.” I glanced down at my ribs and then back up. “What about the anchor bond?”
Colt pulled my sweatshirt over my head for me. “It’s already starting to take root. Your abilities are already growing. But once the ceremony takes place, you’ll be even more powerful. And we’ll all feel more grounded.”
“You mean we won’t go insane after we turn twenty-one?” I pressed.
“That, too.”
I worried the corner of my lip. “Shouldn’t we do it now? So that I can help fight the shadow demons?”
The room went silent, and the guys shared a look.
“What?” I growled.
Declan moved closer to me. “We don’t think you should fight.”
“Declan…” I growled.
He held up a hand. “We’ve been training our whole lives for this. You’ve just gotten your powers.”
A burn lit behind my eyes. “I’m not going to let you go into this battle alone. So just forget it.”
It killed me that they even wanted to.
“Little Bird…” Trace pulled me into his arms. “You’re everything to us. We’d do anything to protect you.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Don’t cut me out of this. It’s my fight, too. You maneuvering behind my back just makes me feel cut out of this bond.”
The guys all surrounded me in a sort of huddle hug.
“You’re the heartbeat of this bond, LeeLee,” Colt whispered. “It doesn’t exist without you.”
Ronan kissed the top of my head. “No more cutting you out. Promise.”
“Thank you,” I said softly.
We stayed like that for a few beats, and then they finally released me.
I let out a long breath. “What did Darius and Saoirse say about our options?”
Colt grimaced. “They’re gathering all the forces we have. Right now, we just have to figure out whether it makes more sense to wait or strike first.”
“Saoirse is trying to figure out where Patrick is housing the full army of dark ones,” Declan said. “But we don’t have any clues yet. Sam and her bond haven’t seen any sign of them on dragon lands.”
“Dark ones? That’s what you’re calling those injected with shadow demon venom?” I asked.
Dash nodded. “That’s what the journals call them. I just wish there was more information on how to fight them.”
I tugged on the corner of my lip. “Where do shadow demons get their power?”
“From the darkness,” Ronan said. “Both the physical lack of light and evil itself.”
I drummed my fingers along my thighs as I puzzled through that information. “So, they almost always attack at night, right?”
Trace nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a daylight attack unless it’s somewhere like the caves where we got jumped.”
Just thinking about that day had a sick feeling sweeping through me. But I fought it back, trying to keep my head in the game. “What would happen if we somehow exposed them to the light?”
Dash’s head snapped up. “I have to go.”
He took off out of the gym like his ass was on fire.
I glanced at Colt. “What was that about?”
He grinned. “You gave Dash an idea.”
I balanced the tray of snacks in my hands as Trace keyed in the code to Dash’s lab. A series of beeps sounded, and Trace opened the door, holding it for me. I stepped inside, the scents of countless flowers swirling around me.
We made our way through the conservatory portion of the lab to the workstations, where the rest of the guys were holed up. Dash had been at it for hours, oscillating between old journals, spell books, and some sort of equation he was working out.
I slid the tray onto an empty table. “We brought food.”
Colt sent me a tired smile. “I don’t think you’ll get him to stop. Not when he’s like this.”
I frowned at Dash. His glasses were off-kilter on his face, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were completely bloodshot.
“Dash.” My voice wasn’t soft or loud, but he didn’t react at all. He simply kept flipping through pages.
Ronan stood, coming behind me and massaging my shoulders. “You just have to let him work through it. If you stop him, he’ll just bite your head off.”
My frown deepened. “He could make himself sick.”
“He has too many times to count,” Trace muttered, grabbing a soda. “But he always bounces back.”
I hated the idea of that. But I also understood that Dash’s mind was unique, and I didn’t want to mess up his process. I took my own soda, forcing myself to drink and nibble on some crackers.
A second later, Dash dropped his pencil, his head lifting to stare out the window.
“He’s got something,” Ronan whispered.
“What is it, Dash?” Colt asked.
Slowly, Dash turned toward us. “Leighton was right. The key is light. The good and the physical brightness. It’s our fire that always kills them quickest. Dragon fire, spell fire, incubi fire. I needed to find a way to amplify that.”
Declan sat up straighter on his stool, hope brimming in his eyes. “Did you?”
Dash nodded, but the move was painfully slow, and he didn’t look all that happy about it. “I found a spell, but it needs fuel. Something to power it.”
Colt shifted on his feet. “Just tell us what you need.”
Dash’s gaze shifted to me, and my heart stopped. “If we were anchor bound, Leighton could power it.”
I set down my soda, grinning. “That’s great. What are we waiting for? Let’s do the little ceremony and get on with it.”
Dash shook his head, pain streaking across his expression. “It’s incredibly dangerous. Way too easy for you to give too much. And if you did, there would be no bringing you back this time. You’d be gone for good.”
“No,” Colt snapped. “It’s not even an option.”
“Just wait—” I began, but Ronan cut me off.
“It’s not even a question.”
A ringtone cut through the quiet, and Colt pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Yes?”
The single word was a snap.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he growled.
Everyone instantly went on alert, and Colt’s gaze lifted to us. “Connor’s here.”