Dark Bonds by Elle Lincoln

Author:Elle Lincoln [Lincoln, Elle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chaos Publishing
Published: 2024-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Frankie

I’m not paying attention. That’s my first and only problem, but it’s a big one.

With my head buried in my notebook, I trudge toward the library when I’m suddenly airborne. My books scatter across the concrete as my knees slam into the sidewalk, rattling my teeth. My palms slap the ground, and little shards of sidewalk bite into my flesh. For a moment, all I can do is focus on the pain, lassoing it and burying it deep down.

I lean back on my heels, forcing myself to take in my surroundings, but it’s the two figures before me that steal my attention, their shadows stretching unnaturally long in the weak winter sunlight.

Amanda and Chloe. Great.

Amanda’s new haircut makes her look sharper and more dangerous, and her smile is all teeth and no warmth, reminding me of a shark circling its prey. Her school uniform, a mockery of modesty in the biting January air, clings to her form like a second skin. Her bare legs defy the elements, her pale flesh pebbled with goosebumps, while her button-down shirt strains against her bra, creating a makeshift crop top that screams of desperation and misplaced confidence.

Beside her, Chloe stands like a living shadow, the evil doppelganger to Jessica Rabbit’s crimson allure. Her uniform, worn with deceptive propriety, only serves to accentuate the dangerous curves beneath. She is a study in contradictions—alluring yet repellent, beautiful yet terrifying. In her, I see the truth of nature’s most beguiling predators, such as a coral snake’s hypnotic patterns. These two are beautiful, sure, but in the way a Venus flytrap is beautiful. Get too close, and you’re lunch.

I grind my teeth, breathing through my nose as I focus on their cruel smiles. Malice practically swirls around them like an aura, and for all I know, it might be.

“Ah yes, the Kardashians of Shadow Locke,” I drawl, not even glancing at my scattered belongings. These two are the real danger here. “Pray tell, to what do I owe the pleasure of the wannabe Housewives of Shadow Locke?”

As I speak, I feel the shadows at my feet stirring, responding to the surge of anger and fear I’m trying to keep in check. This confrontation is about to get interesting, and probably not in a good way.

Amanda’s lips curl into a sneer. “Cute, Frankie, real cute, but we’re not here for your Dollar Store wit.”

“No?” I ask, slowly getting to my feet. My knees throb, but I ignore the pain. Show no weakness. “Then why don’t you enlighten me?”

Chloe steps forward, her eyes glittering with malice. “It’s simple, really. We’re here to give you a friendly warning.”

I can’t help but snort. “Friendly? From you two? That’s rich.”

Chloe continues as if I hadn’t spoken. “You see, we couldn’t help but notice how cozy you’ve been getting with Leo and Matteo lately.”

A chill runs down my spine that has nothing to do with the January air, and Blackwood’s words from class echo in my mind. Some ambitious females have been known to eliminate rivals for the powerful males they’ve chosen, not for their own position.

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