Page 78 of A Bond So Deadly

I sit there in silence, his words sinking in. He reaches the door, then pauses, twisting to look back at me. “Oh, and embarrass me again, and I will not be so tolerant.” His fingers brush over my phoenix’s egg, and he exits the cell, closing the door behind him.

Chapter Thirty

~ Knox ~

“How the fuck do we kill this thing?” my brother shouts as we fight a hulking golem. The giant is made of white rock with veins of lava that run along the cracks of its body. The moment we stepped through the portal into a different part of the Xalgrith realm, it was ready to attack us. It’s almost like it had been sent to search for us, and we scramble to defeat it.

My shadows curl around the monster’s left leg and I pull on my power, but the beast only stumbles before lashing out with its massive arms and sending me flying.

Thane creates a downpour of acid rain, but it sizzles against the giant’s rocky exterior, doing nothing but creating clouds of steam.

Galen creates illusions of us, confusing the creature as we circle, and we try to discern a way out of this.

“Anyone else think this beast is a sign we’re gettin’ close?” Raith comments.

Skeletal trees dot the horizon, and there’s no sign of other life, but by the way this creature is targeting us, I have to agree.

“If we are close, we should travel on foot for a while,” Thane growls. “Who knows where the next portal will take us.”

This is the third time we’ve portaled in the Xalgrith realm, and we still haven’t been able to portal directly to our mate, but if we’re closer, then that’s progress.

“Agreed,” Raith says. “We just need to get rid of this fucker. Our blades are useless against this guy, so let’s try somethin’ else.”

My brother sends out his shadows, and they wind around the creature’s thick neck. The monster swipes wildly at the empty air, and for a moment, I think Raith has found our solution.

That is, until the monster grabs hold of my brother’s shadows.

It shouldn’t be able to do that. The creature’s rocky hands should have passed straight through his shadows, but it grips them tight taking Raith off guard, and it pulls, yanking my brother into the air and toward its gaping mouth.

“Fuck!” Raith shouts.

The rest of us send out our shadows to help, but the creature vomits lava and fire, spitting it out in all directions.

I dodge a fireball, rolling to the side, and I spring to my feet, still running.

Raith is almost at the creature’s mouth, and sweat drips from him, the heat radiating out at us.

“Let go, brother!” I yell.

“I fuckin’ can’t!” he shouts back. “I can’t control my shadows. It’s like it’s taken hold of them!”

It doesn’t make sense. The monster continues shooting out lava, and Galen, Thane, and I dodge the worst of it, trying to attack the creature and draw its attention.

It doesn’t take its focus from Raith, and it opens its mouth wider, revealing a tongue of flowing lava and rows of spiny teeth.

Raith struggles, taking on his monster form, but he’s dangling in the air. Kazer roars from a distance, but we refuse to let our animali get close to this.

The lava creature uses its free hand to reach out and grab my brother, and I act on instinct. I leap into the air, using my shadows to help propel me, and I knock Raith out of the way.

“No!” Thane cries as the creature’s hand wraps around me instead, and I’m trapped in its giant palm, its rocky fingers closing around me.

My shadows attack, trying to free me, but they can’t penetrate the rock. Fire burns my skin, and I hiss at the pain.

“Brother!” Raith shouts as the creature finally releases its grip on his shadows, and Raith falls to the ground.

The lava monster’s focus is solely on me now, and it lifts me toward its mouth.

Its swirling eyes of lava stare at me, and I stab my shadows into them, but they do nothing.