There is a distinct change in the community after William’s memorial service.
I have no doubt that there are still many people who hate us all and think that we’re monsters, but there’s also a hell of a lot less whispering and gossiping about us in general. My shifts at the cafe become calm and uneventful, though there’s still always at least one of my Bonds around at all times.
My training with Gryphon kicks up a notch. The very first time that I manage to tackle him to the ground, I decide that I’m basically Super Woman now, and I don’t need any of my Bonds stalking me anymore because, clearly, I’m a badass who can take care of herself.
None of them agree with me.
Sharing beds with them all becomes surprisingly normal, though my refusal to sleep in North’s room goes down about as well as I’d expected.
Gryphon taking my side was a pleasant surprise.
I was expecting more of a fight about it, but when I’d woken up in my own bed with North wrapped around me, Atlas snoring on my floor after being kicked out of the bed overnight, and Gryphon waiting at the door for me to get a move on to head down to the gym with him, it sinks in that maybe this was one battle I’d managed to win.
Living my life with at least two sets of eyes on me at all times becomes normal. Annoying as fuck and incredibly suffocating, but normal.
Kieran or one of Gryphon’s other trusted TacTeam members gets assigned to be with me and my friends while we’re attending classes during the day. I’m surprised that Kieran, Gryphon’s second in command, would be assigned to Bond-sitting duty, but Gabe just looks at me like I’m an idiot when I mention it to him.
“Gryphon would be here doing it himself if it didn’t get too many of us in the same public space at the same time. It’s bad enough that there’s four Draven Bonds in Nox’s classes during the week. There have been talks about getting you to take them remotely.”
I scowl at him over the dining hall table, his plate of sadness is already empty but my mountain of spaghetti is still going strong in front of me. “Why should we be worried about that shit? There’s safety in numbers, shouldn’t we be happy to have four of us together if shit hits the fan around here?”
Sawyer scoffs at me, leaning over his sister to grab one of my abandoned breadsticks and shove it in his mouth. Gabe and Atlas both scowl at him over it but I wave them off.
I want pasta carbs right now, not bread carbs.
“It’s about the council thinking you guys are still a danger, remember? North and Gryphon are trying to keep you all together but not congregating in public where people remember how terrifying you all are. Honestly, I’m not taking my father’s seat on the council. Sage can have it, or we’ll just give it up because the mind games are fucked up.”
I didn’t know their father was even on the council. I turn and give Sage a questioning look and she shrugs. “Dad’s not on it, his brother is, but he’s Bondless and none of us ever see him ending up with an heir, so it’ll come to Sawyer and I. We’re the last of the Benson line, so if we both say no… it’ll go to someone else.”
Atlas nods along but Gabe groans and rubs a hand over his eyes. “It’ll end up going to someone shit, so one of you two better sack up and take it.”
Sage throws a balled up paper bag at him with her nose scrunched up. “‘Sack up’? You’re delightful, Ardern, no wonder Oli loves me the most.”
Atlas’ eyes narrow at her but it’s playful. “You mean after the creature, right? Don’t forget we’re all lower down the totem pole than the murderous wisps of smoke in her hair.”
Brutus doesn’t like being talked about and he sticks his nose out to snort soundlessly in Atlas’ direction, my hair fluttering at the motion. I lift a hand to give him a scratch behind the ear and he settles back down, licking at the crumbs on my fingers as though he can actually taste them.
Sawyer rolls his eyes at us all and cuts in, “Enough talk about the perks of Oli’s Bond group. Tell me that you’re all going to the party this weekend so I can crawl into Gray’s place on the way home this afternoon and plead with his parents. Oli, how open are you to bribery? I need you to convince North or Gryphon to back me up here. Suck one of them off for me, please.”
I roll my eyes back at him for being dramatic and stupid, but Atlas slings an arm over the back of my chair and levels him with a savage sort of glare. “I will cut your fucking tongue out if you talk to her like that again, Benson. I’m giving you a warning because I like Sage.”
It’s a lie, he also likes Sawyer and we all know it. Sawyer just pretends to look shocked and humbled at him but the sarcasm is dripping from his every movement.
Gabe’s hand slips onto my knee to squeeze it under the table, reassurance that I don’t need but am grateful for anyway, and I drawl at Sawyer, “I couldn’t even get myself into a party right now with those two watching my every move. What makes you think I can do shit for Gray if he’s in his confinement?”
“It’s the end of year party! My parents have spent weeks working with North and the other council members to make sure we could still have it, no one is going to stop you from attending! We have to go,” Sage says, popping a breadstick dipped in sauce into her mouth. I don’t understand how she keeps her perfect figure, she eats more than Sawyer and I combined.
There’s a huff behind us and we all look over to see Kieran hovering like a mother hen over us all. He’s pulled down his neck gaiter and removed his helmet for the first time in weeks. The full riot gear they’re all in is a little bit extreme and terrifying for the halls of the college.
Sage raises an eyebrow at him, mouthier by the day at my scowling and grumpy Bond-guard. “Am I wrong? We’ve all been told it’s going to happen. You might have to get that stick outta your ass about it.”
My eyes widen at her sass and I hold out a fist to her, this new and improved Sage, the one dating outside of her asshole Bond and living life on her own goddamn terms, she’s the best possible version of my best friend.
I’m so fucking proud of her.
Kieran stares us down and then takes the seat next to Sage, looking down his nose at us all. “The party is on, but there’ll be a strong TacTeam presence there. You can all drink and be stupid, we’ll keep an eye on you all.”
Gabe drinks his water and then chuckles back at him, “When are we stupid? I’m always on my best behavior at these things.”
Kieran points at him with his comms. “The last one you went to, you punched David’s son in the face.”
“He insulted my Bond, leered at her in a bathing suit, and then implied he wanted to touch her. He’s lucky he’s still breathing.”
Atlas slowly leans back in his chair and looks around the dining hall. “And which asshole is David’s son? Just for curiosity’s sake.”
I shake my head at him but Sage smirks at them both. “Martinez. He also tried to catch Oli in the maze to feed her to the pond bitch, so feel free to ruin that dickhead.”
Atlas’ eyebrows damn near hit his hairline. “He tried to feed my Bond to the pond bitch? Ardern, we’re going to talk about why the fuck he’s still breathing a bit later, but Sage, dear, please point this asshole out to me right the fuck now.”
Sage giggles and starts to look around but Kieran shoots her a look as he snaps, “His family holds a seat on the council, you can’t—”
“Oh, you’d be surprised at what I can and will do, Black. You should probably run off and let that piece of shit know that he’s on my shit list and, fuck, does he not want to be. I play nice here because I don’t want to add stress to Oli’s plate, but I’m not going to let that shit go.”
Gabe’s hand squeezes my knee again and I grin at him while I lean into Atlas’ side. “It would probably also add stress to my plate if you go after that little asshole now, so maybe we should just add him to the TT revenge list.”
He doesn’t want to agree with that at all, but with a little eyelash batting, he eases up a bit.
Sage cackles at the entire move and says, “So, outfits? Let’s wear more than bikinis this time around now that we know Atlas is going to wage war on your behalf.”
MY OUTFIT IS ABSOLUTELY on point.
Months of training with my Bonds mean that my legs are freaking perfect, shapely and toned, and so I pick out a playsuit that definitely shows off a little of my ass and more than a little of my tits. I try on three pairs of my new heels and stick with a pair of simple black pumps, sexy without being too flashy.
I convince Sage and the rest of our friends to spend the night at the manor so we can all get ready together and come home together. Gryphon likes this plan a lot because it means that we’re all together for his TacTeam to protect. Even though he’s not attending the party, he knows absolutely everything that is being planned for the night, from the amount of students attending to the amount of alcohol that’s being snuck in.
Sage and I lock ourselves in my bathroom to get ready without all the guys breathing down our necks, a great plan because between my Bonds, her brother, and their boyfriends, there is a hell of a lot of testosterone in the building.
I can barely breathe with it all.
The white minidress Sage chooses for the night has me cackling over the thought of Felix’s face when he sees it, and when she’s done curling her hair and applying her makeup, I decide that maybe she’s getting laid tonight.
She almost dies when I say this.
“We’re not— I’m not— oh hell, I haven’t done that yet. I’m happy dating, and Felix is perfect but… I still have a lot of shit in my head about how Bonds are supposed to be and my heart hurts about Riley, no matter how hard I keep trying to get him out of my head. I— I don’t know how to let that life go fully yet.”
I perch my ass on the bathroom countertop to watch her layer on her jewelry, lots of beautiful necklaces and pendants, and shrug at her. “So what? You don’t have to have a reason to want to take things slow, if you don’t want to, then just… don’t.”
She huffs at me and bumps my leg with her hip. “You make it sound so easy, like you haven’t spent months trying to fix your Bonds’ expectations because they all want to Bond. I just— I feel guilty for needing time because Felix is perfect. Completely, heartbreakingly perfect.”
I nod and think of my own perfect Bonds just outside of the door, that I can hear talking shit and laughing with our friends. “The perfect man will wait. The perfect man won’t do something that would hurt you, no matter how badly they want to. Felix has put himself out there for you, over and over again. I don’t see him disappearing over you needing some time to figure your head out a bit. Fuck, Riley and Giovanna better not show up tonight, I will fucking destroy them both.”
Sage huffs and laughs at me. “You and Sawyer both. Giovanna called my parents for help last week. My dad has finally decided to take my side over this, and when he told her to get lost, she said he was ‘disrespecting’ his daughter’s Bond and needed to help her. Can you imagine? My dad is beyond angry about it, he’s ready to spill some blood himself.”
I’m still not the biggest fan of the Bensons— it should not take your kid being abducted by the Resistance to treat them nicely— but I will absolutely take this as the win it is.
The more people wanting Riley and Giovanna in the ground, the better, as far as I’m concerned.
I jump down from the countertop and give myself one last look over, making sure the tape is keeping everything in place nicely, and mutter, “What the hell did that bitch want from your parents? Fuck, can you imagine having the nerve to pull that shit? I need a drink. I need to burn this rage out somehow so I don’t set Brutus on her.”
Sage snorts at me, zipping her makeup bag up and posing with me for one last photo of the two of us together. We’re planning on drinking enough to test out the strength of this tape holding my tits in place, so a before picture is absolutely crucial.
She tucks her phone away as she drawls, “She wants an internship at his company over the summer. She’s barely passing her classes, like… by the skin of her teeth, and wants a coveted spot at his genetics laboratory. Even Sawyer had to jump through a million hoops to get his spot, there’s no way my dad would give it to her, even if our Bond wasn’t… completely dysfunctional.”
What a fucking bitch.
I’m opening my mouth to snark some more when there’s a booming knock at the door and Sawyer yells, “We’re out of pre-drinks and Gabe is too scared of the Draven wrath to go get more, so we’ve gotta get moving or I’ll lose my buzz. If you both want me to play nicely tonight, get your asses out here.”
Sage rolls her eyes and flings the door open, leveling a glare at him. “You spent two hours manscaping before we came here, Sawyer. Don’t freaking start on us! Oli had to use half a roll of duct tape to make sure she didn’t flash her goods and cause mass destruction at the party via Atlas and Gabe’s tantrums over it.”
He doesn’t back down, he never does. “I did that for dick, Sage! There is no other reason to spend an hour in the bathroom, except for trimming your pubes. Maybe Oli should’ve just gone with a bra— holy shit, Fallows. No. You can’t wear that. Gabe’s gonna bust a nut.”
I do a full twirl so that he can see the back of the outfit as well, and he shakes his head emphatically. “Nope. No wearing that. Oli, I’m bi, not gay, I can tell you right now that this playsuit is in the ‘no’ basket. Atlas! Come tell her!”
I laugh, grabbing my clutch to check that I have everything I need in there, and then I hear a groan from the doorway.
“Nope, not a fucking chance. New outfit, Bond.”
I turn to find Gabe staring at my ass, or rather scowling at it like it’s the best and worst thing to ever happen to him, and the shot of adrenaline that runs through me has me giggling like a madwoman.
“No man, Bond or otherwise, will ever tell me what to wear, Gabriel Ardern. So you better change your tune, and quickly,” I say, waving a finger at him mockingly, but the look he gives me back has my heart stuttering in my chest.
I almost forget that all of our friends are standing around watching our exchange. I almost walk over to him and climb up that impressive body of his until I can get his lips on mine, my hands in his hair, tugging and pulling until I’m directing him down my body and getting those lips elsewhere because he needs to—
He groans again and grinds his palms into his eyes. “Stop it. You’re not playing fair, and Sawyer’s already giving me enough shit tonight without me pitching a fucking tent at whatever is making your bond hum like that.”
He sounds miserable and I do actually feel a little bad about it. I can’t help that he’s fucking gorgeous, built and pretty as hell, and standing there in a pair of jeans and a tight white tee that bunches up around his biceps, he’s just fucking—
“I’m out. Atlas, you need to walk her out. I’ll meet you guys at the door,” he mutters and spins on his heel, ignoring the way Sawyer and Gray both start heckling him.
It’s easy for them, they’re Unbonded and happy to just enjoy each other until they find out where they’re supposed to be. The rest of us are in agony over here.
Atlas finally steps out of my walk-in closet and turns to see what all of the fuss is about. I give him a sheepish grin and he just looks me over slowly, his eyes dragging over every inch of me.
“You look perfect, Sweetness, but I’m killing any man who looks at you for longer than half a second,” he says with a quirk of his lips, and the grin that grows there is wolfish and perfect.
I bounce over to him, testing out the tape a little, and I’m pleasantly surprised when nothing moves. “Deal. I just wanted to look and feel good tonight. I hope it’s not too much.”
He catches me in his arms and gives me the lightest peck on the lips, barely grazing me so he doesn’t ruin my lipstick. “You could go there naked and I would still worship you… everyone else would just have to die. A sacrifice I’m prepared to make.”
I shiver and my bond purrs in my chest again, always happy to hear about them craving death in my honor, spilling blood as an offering to the Bond we share.
I want more.
He leans down again, his eyes fixed on mine, and the grin on his face stretches even wider. “Oh, my girl likes that? You want me to kill everyone who dares to look at you? I will. I’m not a good man, not like the rest of your Bonds. I’m good for you, and fuck the rest of them. If you want blood, Sweetness, I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
I swallow roughly and try to find my voice again but it comes out like a croak, “You can’t talk like that to my bond. It’s bloodthirsty and selfish, it’ll take it all. It would take everything.”
Atlas pulls me in tight to his chest again, the world narrowing to just the two of us. “Good because I’m going to give it everything and more. The second you’re ready… everything, and that’s a promise, Sweetness.”
I swallow again and try to calm my racing heart down from where it’s trying to beat right out of my chest. When Atlas pecks my cheek and pulls away, only to tuck me back into his side, I see that the room has emptied out while we were talking. I didn’t hear the door open or shut, and that’s a little embarrassing, but I glue a smile onto my face.
“Let’s get this stupid party over with then, huh?”
Atlas chuckles at the dry tone I’m throwing his way and walks us both over to the door, opening it like he’s about to usher me through, but we find Gryphon waiting there for me, his arms crossed over his chest, looking pissed the hell off as his eyes lock onto mine.
I cringe. “What’s happened now? Is our night over already?”
He doesn’t so much as glance in Atlas’ direction as he snaps at him, “I need to talk to my Bond. I’ll walk her downstairs when we’re done.”
It’s the sternest dismissal I’ve heard out of him in months, but even though Atlas stiffens at the tone, he kisses me again on the crown of my head and then leaves us both.
I’m a little scared about what’s about to happen here but I also know I haven’t done anything wrong… not unless he’s finally hunted down some background information on me and he’s about to tell me he hates me now. Maybe he knows about all of the death and destruction.
Maybe—
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, going out tonight dressed like that? Over my dead fucking body—”
The relief that was quick to flood me is short-lived. “It’s a freaking playsuit, and I’m not going to be told what I can and can’t wear by a bunch of men—”
His body hits mine like a freight train. One second, he’s across the hallway and then the next, he’s pressing me back into the door, his hands clutching at my bare thighs like he’s still not sure he’s actually seeing the real thing.
“You think you’re the only one fighting your bond? This is all mine. Know that before you walk out of here because Bonded or Unbonded, you’re mine.”
I try to breathe but he’s pressing into me so much that I can’t. “I know. It’s just a cute outfit, I’m not trying to… I’m not unhappy with my Bonds. I can change, if it’s that much of a problem.”
He eases up a fraction and then steps back. “No. You’re in my bed tonight, you can come to me exactly like that.”
