Bonds that bind us (The Alpha’s Contract P2)



Brax

We watch Indy as she stands at the edge of the cove. Water laps around her ankles as she inhales.

"I can't do this. I wasn't made to do this."

"Try and concentrate," Klaus mutters while frowning at Xavi.

"I know you mean well, but telling someone to concentrate really does not help them concentrate." She curls her

hands up into fists and stares out at the water. "Are you even sure it was me?"

"It only slowed when you were standing in the window. It didn't do that for anyone else."

"And it rose to catch you," Klaus adds.

"It did?" She sounded sceptical.

"Indy, you can do this. Just like when the walls were going to crush us."

"No pressure." She blows out her cheeks. "You want the sea to retreat, right?"

*Just enough so we can get around the side of the cliff."

She holds out a hand and beckons for me to come forward. 'Maybe the bond will help.' She links me.

Stepping into the water, I grab her outstretched hand. Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes. Nothing happens at first. As the minutes passed, I wondered if I had been wrong; maybe she hadn't stopped the crashing waves, but that would mean someone else had.

I was about to drop her hand when the sea began to retreat from around my ankles, pulling back on itself as though it was being sucked out.

Looking at Indy, I see that her golden eyes are wide with a slight glaze present. Her brow creased up in concentration. Her soul is incredibly bright to look at, as though someone had just switched on their Christmas lights.

Souls were becoming more and more unpredictable.

The water continues to pull back until there is a gap of a couple of metres around the edge of the cliff.

"We need to move," Klaus mutters as he steps onto the wet sand.

Xavi glances at Indy as he trots past. Orion stares at her in frustration but follows the others.

'Keep doing what you are doing.' I mutter to Indy, 'I will guide you out of here.'

Tugging her forward, her footsteps are heavy, and she sways a little as though she is drunk.

We hurry along the sand, keeping as close to the cliff as possible. Looking back, I already see the water is starting to break free, smashing up against the cliff as though it was angrier than before.

"Indy, we have to move."

She doesn't respond and appears to be completely zoned out.

The water was coming in faster and faster. If we didn't move, we were going to be stranded. Pulling her on my shoulder, she hangs there like a rag doll as I quicken my pace and finally, I see our way out.

Climbing up the sand bank, I put Indy on her feet, steadying her just as the waves completely break free, crashing around the edge of the cliffs and sending a spray over us.

"I did it?" Indy asks as she rubs her eyes. "We are free?"

"Not yet. We still need to make it to Black Shadow."

She nods and looks around. "Where are the others?"

"Good question."

We were alone, standing at the bottom of the cliff that leads up to the Witch. Thalia must be pissed, or she was confident we didn't survive. I can't wait to see her face when she sees we are fine.

Indy's hand tightens around my wrist as a van approaches.

"It's okay, Klaus is driving."

Her grip on me loosens as she sighs. "Good, because I'm not going back to that Witch ever again."

"You may not, but she is coming for us."

"Are you certain?"

"We just royally fucked her off. The moment she realises that we are alive, she is going to come looking for us."

She glances up at the cliff top. "I wish we could have helped Amy."

I cock a brow at her, "She pushed you, and you still want to help her?"

"She was confused and angry. We don't know when she last got to see someone that wasn't Thalia. You saw what Thalia did to all those people. You've seen what she has done to Silas. All the crap has probably made Amy be like this."

"How can you be so forgiving?"

"If I believed everyone was as bad as you make them out to be, it wouldn't be worth living. I have to have some hope." She gives me a smile as the van stops a few metres from us. "Otherwise, the world is just dark."

Orion slides back the door and holds a hand out for Indy. He hadn't looked at her the same since he had learned what she was capable of. She thanks him and takes a seat, "Coming?"

I climb in after her, and she shuffles over, making room for me.

"Let's go." Klaus snaps, tuming the van around and speeding us away from the madhouse.

Indy sleeps a lot on the way to Black Shadow while Orion, Klaus and I take turns driving. Xavi watches Indy with interest. It wasn't quite the same look as before. He was more relaxed, and now, it appeared he was curious.

"He's confused," Klaus tells me when Xavi finally switches off.

"Because of the Witch thing?"

"He's a lot like you. Act first, think later." He smirks, "But he was also raised like you. He is a Witch Hunter, his job is to snuff out Witches. Every single one he has come across has been like Thalia, and Indy is different from what he is used to."

"I get it. It's the equivalent of me accepting some Lycans."

"Exactly. Give him a break. He has been stuck in Wolf form for a long time. His hatred has grown over that time." "What about you? You haven't exactly had good experiences with Witches." I ask

"I grew up not knowing what I was, never understanding why I didn't fit in. But I guess that helped me look at the good and bad in people. People like Thalia and Cooper are just dark all the way through. However, there are others that fight between doing the right thing for others or the right thing for themselves."

"Point taken."

"And Indy has done the right thing over and over."

I glance over my shoulder at her. She has curled herself up into a ball as Orion drapes a blanket over her.

"Her soul is bright. Like the brightest I have seen in a long time. But when she was focussed, the brightness became like nothing I have ever seen." I tell Brax.

"There were no clouds." He mutters

"What?"

"Magic leaves behind a trail, well, that's what Xavi told me. I learned to see it. The river outside White Cliffs could be crossed, but you had to find the remnants of magic. Amy's prison cell was cloaked in it. Above White Cliffs, it

was dark."

"Okay."

"Indy doesn't have that. There were no traces of magic left with the sea. There were no traces when she ripped a hole in the stone wall."

"What does that mean?"

He shrugs at me. "I'm still trying to figure it out."

"Maybe now that we are all in one place. We can figure it out together. We are here."

"Where?" Indy mumbles sleepily.

"Black Shadow."