There are a lot of rumors about who actually created the Hail Mary, but there’s one thing I know for sure; whoever it was, they were fucking crazy.
All of this is vital information for Oli, who doesn’t even remember Kieran using the building to get them both out of Davies’ hands and Oli’s bond out to take out the camp, but it isn’t as easy as sitting her down and explaining to her that our community has access to a building that’s basically Pandora’s box, but on a much bigger scale.
The building itself is made out of six-foot-thick concrete on all sides, with no windows or even a clearly defined door to get in. On the inside, it’s a maze of booby traps, sinkholes, holes, and security cameras that cover every inch of the cursed place. It’s the safest place on earth, because there’s no power in the Gifted or non-Gifted world that can force its way inside.
You have to be invited.
“So, what, it’s like the rule of vampires or something?” my Bonded snarks out as she dresses in her Tac gear.
I’m glad her snarkiness has come back with a vengeance now that Sage has been let out of the cells and some of the shock of the last few days has worn off a bit. I’m fully aware that the sass is also a coping mechanism for her, a deflection from the way that she truly feels about things, but it still has felt as though we’d lost a piece of her.
“No, not even vampires could get into this place.”
She huffs and rolls her eyes at me, pulling her shirt over her head. “Of course not, vampires are notoriously shit at getting in anywhere. Learn your vampire lore, Shore, before you end up as someone’s walking blood bag.”
I quirk an eyebrow at her and pull my own shirt over my head, enjoying the way her eyes darken as she looks at the wide expanse of my chest. Every second of my time spent in training for my community is worth the effort with the way it makes her weak in the knees.
“And how do you know so much about vampire lore? When exactly did you squeeze in the study time?”
She scoffs. “Romance novels. I read a lot while I was traveling. I know everything there is to know about vampires… and vampire dick.”
I turn to face her fully and find her rolling the protective suit up her body to cover the lacy red bra she’s wearing. I get distracted before I can tease her or get more details about these books of hers, and my eyes stay glued on her chest, craving the silky smooth skin and the taste of her that echoes in my mind every time I look at my fucking perfect Bonded.
When she realizes she has my full attention, she puts a little more effort into her shimmy. Joke’s on her; teasing me is just going to get her fucked against the wall here with everyone outside listening. I know that she gets shy about that sort of thing, but only after she’s come down from the highs I get her to.
For the record, I’d enjoy every second of it and there’d be nothing but smug satisfaction out of me.
She clears her throat and breaks me out of my fantasies. “I wasn’t expecting to be heading out on a mission when I got dressed this morning. I would have found something a little more appropriate if I did.”
With all of the sass in the world, her lips quirk up in that way that only hers do, and my dick gets hard at the whole fucking package that is my Bonded.
I reach for her and grab her around the waist, pulling her into my chest and enjoying the feel of that racy, soft lace against my skin. I’m not enjoying it as much as I would enjoy her creamy skin or pert nipples, of course, but it does push the curves of her tits up invitingly until they’re begging me to sink my teeth in.
We’re leaving in three minutes, stop fucking around.
All I can think as his words ring in my head is how badly I want to murder North Draven.
I’m smart enough to keep it to myself. Oli’s bond has probably had enough of that sort of talk for one day, but the guy sure knows how to cockblock.
I’ll remember it too.
I press my forehead against hers and murmur to her, “You’re going to be a distraction to me because every time I look at you, I’m going to think about this lying underneath, waiting for us to get home.”
She grins and shimmies again, this time in my arms so that really all she’s doing is grinding against me. “Is it your turn? Or are you going to steal me away from someone else tonight? I’ve lost track.”
I reach down and grab a handful of her ass, hoisting her up into my arms until she squeals and wraps her legs around my waist. “I think we’re past the taking turns portion of our bonding, don’t you think?”
She makes a squeaking sort of giggle sound, burying her face in my neck and nipping at the skin there until I am having to talk myself out of the plan for the quick fuck against the wall.
My Bonded deserves better but, fuck, is it tempting.
Her voice is all breathy seduction as she says, “I did notice that you’re all completely fine with the giant bed situation. Though, I’m not sure how I feel about more than two of you at once. I can’t even think about that without feeling… overwhelmed.”
I almost feel sorry for my Bonded, knowing that she has five Bonds to keep satisfied. But with one of them almost permanently out of commission, and the others far more than willing to figure out a system, I don’t feel bad for long.
“If I drag you into your room by yourself and lock the door, you don’t have to worry about sharing with anyone. Promise me that you’re mine tonight when we get home.”
She licks her lips as she looks up at me, her eyes flicking down to my own as she nods. ”I’ve missed you. You work too much. You work more than North does these days, and that just seems wildly unfair.”
I swoop down to kiss her, swiping my tongue over hers to taste her words, but I don’t need my ability to know that she’s telling the truth. I have had to take over all of Kieran’s responsibilities with him locked up, and it’s a relief that he has now been let out again, just so that he can help shoulder some of the burdens of our community’s safety once again.
Having Vivian in the training center again, now that he has been able to move his Bonded Group into the Sanctuary, has also lightened some of the load. Unser had been called away with the first wave of Resistance attacks, and Vivian had been unwilling to move Adella, their Central Bonded, into the Sanctuary until Unser had gotten back.
I understand their reasoning completely.
The three of them are some of our greatest allies, the most powerful and trustworthy people that I know, and I, for one, am fucking relieved to have them all home.
I set Oli back down on her feet with one last kiss before turning away from her and pulling the rest of my Tac gear on. It’s easier to get it done when I’m not looking at her, and by the time I turn around again, I find her fully clothed and ready to go.
When we step out of the changing room together, we find Kieran already suited up and ready for us, a determined look on his face and a steely set to his jaw.
This is now very personal for him.
They went after his Bonded, and now he has a motivation to get this information that rivals my own. Almost, but not quite, because while he’s trying to avenge what happened to Sage and ensure it never happens again, I’m coming to terms with the fact that half of my Bonded Group has beings literally living inside of them that could take over at any time.
I can’t believe that there are more of these bonds out there, that there are more of these things that are living inside people that could change the course of the war against the Resistance.
It brings up so many more questions than it answers. How many of them are there? Why are they so powerful? And how do they keep reincarnating into people? How are they different from my own bond and what does this mean for my Bonded, long term? Is she going to end up time-sharing her body with something else? Because that does not sit right with me at all. The thought of anyone using her, let alone something that we can’t get out of her… it’s fucking horrifying.
Would she even want it out of her?
Oli might, but I doubt North or Nox would be willing to give up their Gifts, especially since they have used them to shield our communities and each other so heavily.
We need those books, and we need some answers.
Nox steps out of the elevator followed by North, both of them dressed in Tac gear as we all prepare to head out to the Hail Mary together. I’d tried to talk North into staying home, but he had insisted on coming because of his bond. Apparently, he had made an agreement with it for more ‘transparency’ once we find these books.
Gabe and Atlas are staying behind to keep an eye on things within the community. With their mind connections now with Oli, it means that we would be notified immediately if something were to happen.
Gabe is focusing on finishing the house and, with enough supervision, Atlas can actually help him with that. They had both railed against the decision, wanting to be helpful in figuring this mess out, but like North had said, there has to always be someone from our Bonded Group in the Sanctuary.
The house is also a priority for us because of Oli’s security, nothing about that has changed.
“We’re getting in, getting the items, and getting out. This is not a school excursion. We’re not going so that you can all say that you have gotten into the Hail Mary and made it out safely. We stick together and get home as fast as possible. I don’t like moving resources. If this wasn’t urgent, we wouldn’t be doing it,” Kieran says to the small team of personnel that are traveling with us.
All of them nod decisively and even Rockelle manages to keep his mouth shut. The events of the last few days have worn him out, and the harsh policy of locking up even our most trusted friends has definitely been noticed by the personnel around us.
Some of them have voiced disgust and concern over it, but the majority have only felt respect for the decision. Having leadership that doesn’t prioritize their own feelings and friendships over the good of the community is never a bad thing. Dara was important to us all, and North and I had been very careful about what we had done in response to her senseless death.
We’d also been very careful about how we had explained Sage and her Bonded being released. Everybody knew that we were going to get Giovanna and Riley for more information, and they had been made aware of the leak in our security.
Not that we’ve told anyone about the void eyes yet.
There’s no need for mass panic, and North’s meeting at the summit with the non-Gifted community has made him even more careful about what information we share with people. We don’t want anything getting out to the wrong crowd right now.
Kieran holds out his arm and Oli grabs it without hesitation. I grab his wrist and then wait until North and Nox also have a good grip on him, and then with a pop, we disappear, on our way to the most terrifyingly secure place on earth.
We arrive at the Hail Mary and my boots land directly in a giant puddle of water, the rain is pouring down on us, and I slip my hand onto Oli’s neck to ease her travel sickness without a word.
I let my Gift out to assess if there’s anyone here who shouldn’t be. I’m on high alert just in case Davies left behind some scouts of his own. Shadow creatures stream from Nox like smoke billowing from a chimney, and they spread out around the building to do the same. The TacTeam personnel have been trained not to interfere with the creatures, and they all stand deathly still as the various forms of canines dart around them all, their jaws full of razor-sharp teeth that are desperate to devour fully grown men.
Once I know that Oli is feeling better, I step towards North where everyone can see and signal that we’re moving forward. It’s easier to just talk to him directly, but we need silent communication, not private communication here.
We had already contacted the keeper to let him know that we were on our way, so it isn’t hard to gain access to the building. I can’t imagine locking myself in this place willingly for a lifetime as that man has, but after Alistair had lost his entire Bonded Group in the riots back in the seventies, he’d chosen to dedicate his life to protecting this place.
I’d contacted him after Kieran had told us that he sent Silas Davies here, but the sadistic Resistance asshole hadn’t made it through the concrete, just as we’d all known he wouldn’t.
It had been a very smart move from Kieran.
Oli walks behind me as we move forward, her footsteps even quieter than the last mission to the lake house as we move through the giant steel and concrete opening that Alistair has unlocked for us.
We end up in the first of four vaults that seal you in one at a time, confirming that there are only friendly faces inside before the next one will open.
The first two chambers are cold, the concrete soaking in the wet and frosty weather from outside, but the deeper into the Hail Mary we get, the warmer it is. The sheer density of the walls is holding in the heat, and I can feel the wariness in my Bonded grow the further into the building we get.
By the time we’re stepping out of the fourth vault, her eyes have shifted to black. Her face still has expression though, and I know that she’s still in there because I can hear her thoughts. She’s called on her bond to see better and to keep it close to the surface because of how nervous this is making her. If we didn’t have so many TacTeam personnel around us, I would reach out and hold her hand, but I don’t want any of them to question her or her ability right now. Instead, I send directly through to her, If you need a minute, just tell me, and I’ll figure something out.
She glances over at me and I take a second to marvel at the depths of the black voids of her eyes. It had never really occurred to me that the voids might be a threat to her, but now I see just how naive I was being.
I’m okay. I just didn’t realize how different it would feel in here, and it is making me panic a little.
I nod and give her little space, trying not to crowd her and make the claustrophobic feeling any worse. Nox is watching her very carefully now that he’s seen that her eyes have shifted, but there’s something different about him around her now. It didn’t make sense to me before, but I’ve figured it out.
His bond is getting impatient with the distance between them.
There is no way in hell that Nox would have chosen to stay in the tent with Oli a few months ago. No way in hell. He would have found a tree to sleep under and had his shadow creatures keep watch for us all. But I’d seen the momentary look of panic on his face when he stepped into the tent. His bond wouldn’t let him leave.
Then I’d heard the exchange between the two bonds as they had spoken and, though I’ve chosen not to tell anyone yet, they’re both right on the edge of taking matters into their own hands.
I don’t want that for Oli.
I don’t want the choice to be taken away from her, but I have to admit that the idea of the Bond Group being complete and everyone having that connection is incredibly important to us all. Oli being strong enough to protect herself from Silas Davies when he eventually comes calling for her is also a huge push for me to want them to bond, I just don’t know if he’s capable of it.
I don’t know if she would survive the fallout either.
North turns to face me and uses hand signals to start directing the TacTeam to where they all need to be, taking over because I was too busy fussing over Oli. Rather than calling me out on it, he’s done what’s best for his Bonded and assumed the leadership position.
Oli swallows as though she’s trying not to vomit, and I speak to her directly again, I’m going with Nox to the library. It’s a bigger room, if you’d like to come with the two of us instead of going with North like you were supposed to. It might help you to breathe and get the panic under control.
North’s eyes flick towards her and he replies before she can, Go with them, Oli. Kieran and I will keep watch here. And I’m more than happy to let my bond assume some control to get a better assessment of the situation.
She looks surprised that he is willing to do this, and it’s pretty obvious that she still hasn’t come to terms with just how much North Draven would be willing to sacrifice for his Bonded.
I’m already fully aware, so it’s not a shock to me.
We follow Nox down the sloping hallway of old cobblestones and uneven concrete to the library. After the summer he’d spent here with North when things got out of hand back home, he knows the place like the back of his hand.
His shadow creatures walk alongside us, their eyes shining unnaturally in the darkness, an anomaly because they’re also voids. Oli is flanked by Brutus and August as she keeps pace with us by breaking into an almost-jog. She’s a little taller than the average woman, but we’re both tall, and her legs are definitely nowhere near as long as ours. I’d feel bad for her, but I also like being able to pick her up and haul her around with ease.
Mind out of the gutter, Shore.
She’d kept up with our hiking through the woods to the lake house beautifully and without complaint, and she makes me proud to be her Bonded every time we go out on one of these missions.
When we get to the library, Nox heads straight to Alistair, who is waiting with a large ring of keys in his hands, incredibly old-fashioned but exactly what I was expecting for this place, and a stack of books already waiting for us on the desk in front of him.
“It’s good to see you again, Mr. Draven,” Alistair says, and Nox dips his head a little in greeting.
“Sorry that you had to dig these out for us. I know there are some very unpleasant things up there hidden in the stacks.”
Alistair shrugs and waves his hand. “If it helps with the messy situation, then they’re all yours. We appreciate everything that you do for the community.”
He keeps saying ‘we’, which is a little confusing, but then he glances over at me and waves behind his back as though beckoning someone over. A young boy who can’t be much older than nine or ten slinks over to us, his eyes a little sunken in his skull, with dark circles underneath them and a sickly look to his skin.
Nox frowns at him, calling his shadow creatures away and to heel so that they don’t scare the boy anymore, but his eyes stay glued to the very damaged-looking child.
“This is my nephew, Joseph. His parents were both taken in the last wave, and even though his mother’s Bonded moved to the Sanctuary, Joseph chose to move here instead. It’s safer for him here.”
My eyes flick back to Nox. He is definitely having some feelings about this kid, feelings that he will not want anyone to know about. I need to defuse this situation, and quickly.
I take a step forward, dodging the snarling jaws of the creatures, and reach out to take the stack of books from Alistair’s desk with a polite smile. “Thank you again for grabbing these. We will get out of your hair quickly, before we bring any trouble to your doorstep.”
Alistair smiles, his eyes crinkling as he pats the bare concrete wall beside him. “Doesn’t matter what you bring to my door. No one’s getting through it.”
And then we hear the explosion.
