We’re met at the door by one of the maids, who hands me a pair of yoga pants with her eyes on the ground, as though looking at my bare legs is a sentence worse than death. I’m insulted about it for half a second, until I see North’s face.
He’s staring at her like she’s a threat to me.
I’m reminded that his uncle was just murdered in his bed by one of his staff, a message left in his blood, and okay, yeah, I can see why he’s being a little extra about this.
I also feel sorry for the poor woman, she looks like she’s trying not to keel over from a heart attack right now.
“Thank you! I should really learn to take an extra set with me while out moonlighting with North. He was such a brute with my last pair, don’t let the suits fool you,” I say with a smirk, and Sage slaps a hand over her mouth, desperately trying to keep her giggles in at the withering stare North directs my way.
“I was unprepared for what a friendship with you would look like. I’m not sure I want it.”
I smirk back at him, this shit is like fuel to the fire for my sass. “Liar, you love it. You’d have me ‘chained in the basement’ by now if you didn’t. And, well, if she is a plant from the Resistance, they’ll get some great information about how connected and unified we are.”
He grimaces at the reminder of his threat to me and I enjoy the hell out of seeing it; a point to me finally. I’m going to wipe the floor with this man by the time I’m done proving myself to him and the rest of my Bonds.
I think— I think maybe I want to keep them all, and that’s the most terrifying thing I’ve admitted to myself in a very long time.
To hope to figure out a way to have them all without my gift detonating like a freaking bomb and destroying everyone and everything in my path seems like too much and yet… I’m really thinking about it.
Fuck, it’s all I can think about right now.
I don’t even know if that’s possible but, fuck, I need to try it.
As soon as I have the yoga pants on, North leads us through the manor in a direction I’ve never been before. I’m expecting to arrive at his office or a conference room, something very formal and prestigious for the debrief he’s going to give us and the others before he leaves on the mission, and I’m shocked when we get to a huge theatre room instead.
It’s like a whole goddamn cinema in his house.
The lights are still on and there’s nothing on the massive projection screen that covers one whole wall, but all of my remaining Bonds, Sawyer, and Felix are all sitting around with varying degrees of worry on their faces. It’s kind of cute to think about them all sitting around waiting for us, and when we walk in, their heads all snap our way.
The second Sage sets eyes on Felix, who looks incredibly frazzled, she bursts into tears and throws herself at him.
I instantly feel better about my own messy reactions to, like, everything Bond related over the last few months. It’s good to see that the crazy hormones and crying over freaking nothing was actually my bond’s fault and not just because I was going insane. Fuck, am I glad to be back to normal… almost.
Sawyer takes one look at her and then turns his glare on North. “What the fuck did you say to her that has her crying? I don’t give a fuck about your nightmare creatures, I’ll kill you.”
I step in front of North and point to Sawyer with my own frosty glare. “He got up in the middle of the night to chauffeur a rescue mission, didn’t nark on her, and then bought her coffee on the way back. So simmer the fuck down, Benson, before I decide to take a chunk out of you, no precious puppies required.”
Gabe’s eyebrows hit his hairline and a ghost of a smile crosses over his face before he smothers it, coming over to me to throw an arm over my shoulders and stare Sawyer down with me. North huffs at us both, like it’s incredibly insulting for the two of us to be protecting him like this, but we ignore him.
Sawyer looks between us and then throws his hands into the air. “Well, someone tell me what the fuck is going on then! Felix told me there was an emergency and now Sage is crying. I’m getting really fucking sick of watching people make her cry.”
Jesus.
How do I tell him anything without saying too much, with this many big opinions in the room?
Gryphon cocks his head in my direction and then his words filter into mine, don’t say anything to him, Bonded. Just wait until we get back and we’ll sort it out together.
What, so I’m supposed to just stand here awkwardly in this heated silence? That sounds like torture and when Sawyer swings around to scowl at Sage, I can’t help myself.
Gryphon should know better than to try to stop me from diving in front of Sage when she’s threatened.
I aim for a soothing tone and probably fail miserably at it. “There was a very small incident. Sage called me because she knew I’d come save her without chewing her out like you would, and North came to use his name to smooth things over.”
North scoffs at my use of the word ‘incident’ again but doesn’t interrupt, and Sawyer doesn’t call me out for my bullshit.
Thankfully, Gryphon comes to our rescue. “We have two hours until we roll out. We can debrief properly when we’re back.”
North checks his watch and sighs, brushing past me and letting his hand graze mine as he passes. It’s such a tiny movement, the smallest brush of our skin, but it feels like a promise.
A promise we’ve made to each other if I can just find something to prove that he was wrong about me.
Gryphon bumps Nox’s shoulder with his own as they follow North out of the room, murmuring to each other quietly, and I try not to stare longingly after them. Mostly at the loss of my Bonded, but also at the obvious closeness between them and the easy way Nox interacts with Gryphon.
I’ll never have that.
From across the room, Atlas finally looks at me, and I finally feel as though I’m not about to have a breakdown over him because he looks at me with the same open expression as he always has.
I smile at him and he stalks over, taking my hand and murmuring to me, “Come sleep between Ardern and me while the others are getting ready to leave. You should get some rest in before we have to face the real world again.”
I nod and lean forward to press my face into his chest, breathing easy for the first time in days.
Sawyer grunts unhappily and stretches out on one of the recliners, eyeing Felix as he stretches out on another one next to him with Sage pressed against his chest.
I already know that he’s starting to put things together.
There’s no way we’re going to be able to keep this from all of our friends.
Atlas leads me over to the pallet-style seats at the back, up on the platforms, with a perfect view of the screen, where Gabe is already waiting for us with blankets for me. I duck down to give him a kiss, a small peck on the lips, and he’s careful about wrapping me up and tucking me into his chest. Atlas slides in behind me, throwing one of the blankets over himself as well and then pulling my hips back so my ass is rubbing against him in a very suggestive way.
I sigh, content to be squeezed between the two of them, and let my eyes drift shut.
I’m woken up by Gryphon’s hand stroking over my cheek, his face close to mine as he murmurs quietly to me, “Wake up and kiss me goodbye, Bonded.”
I feel groggy and disoriented, like my brain is swimming in my skull and bouncing around a little too much, and when I pull myself to sit up, Atlas grunts unhappily at me.
Gryphon scowls at him from where he’s crouched down next to me but by the time his eyes swing back to mine, he just looks calm again. “I spoke to my sister. She’s been looking for some help at her cafe and she says she’ll give you a trial there. Forget about Gloria. We have a plan for that old bitch, no need for it to be upsetting you.”
I nod and lean forward to kiss him, my tongue moving against his in a very PDA moment, but my bond demands it. He doesn’t seem to mind it either, his hand coming up to cup the side of my neck and squeeze just a little.
Possessive Bonded is quickly becoming my favorite type.
I feel a little dazed when he pulls away, my hand clutching at his shirt like a lifeline. He watches my glazed eyes with a very smug male air about him, the type I’m starting to get used to seeing on him.
I glance away from him, the smolder in his eyes too much for me to handle right now, and I find North and Nox waiting by the door, dressed and ready to leave. Neither of them notice me looking their way, thanks to the quietly intense conversation between them, which I’m grateful for because my jaw drops.
Good goddamn.
I’ve been brainwashed into thinking the Tac gear is hot, thanks to Gryphon, but there’s something else entirely about the Draven boys decked out in the protective wear.
Fuck me.
Men.
Because there’s nothing boy-ish about either of them. If North is sexy in a suit, he is fucking devastating in a bulletproof vest and a neck gaiter. My God, the gloves kind of fit his personality.
Is that too dirty?
Probably.
I’m absolutely, without a doubt, objectifying them both in my head right now and if Gryphon can read my mind about it, I will never live this down.
If you’re a good girl, I won’t tell them, his words filter into my head as he kisses me one last time before he pushes away from me.
Then I watch as my Bonds walk away from me and pray that they all come back to me, no matter how fraught our relationships might be.
ATLAS IS extra attentive over the next morning.
I’m wedged between him and Gabe in the dining room with Sage, Felix, and Sawyer facing us on the other side of the table as we talk over the extravagant food that the chef has put together for our late breakfast.
It takes me too long to figure out what the hell I want to eat and when I grumble under my breath about my Bonds being gone, Gabe cackles at my shitty attitude.
He drawls, “You mean you miss North serving you? I can’t believe you hadn’t figured out what he was doing, old-school tricks to endear him to you.”
I shoot him a look and Atlas leans in closer to me, his hand warm over my knee as he gives it a squeeze, a small show of support and affection that calms my bond. He doesn’t get pissed at Gabe’s little jab and that settles me even more.
We’re finding our way through this together, as a complete Bond group. I just need to figure some shit out first.
Wait.
“What the fuck does ‘old-school tricks’ mean? Why didn’t you say something about it sooner?”
Gabe just laughs harder at me and shakes his head like I’m an idiot, which I don’t appreciate. Atlas murmurs to me, “You might hate it, but your bond? All it sees is that you’re having your needs taken care of by your Bond. I would’ve told you, I thought you knew. It’s a sign of respect… it was one of the reasons I backed off a bit about them all.”
Huh.
What a freaking asshole.
The fact that he finds sneaky, manipulative ways to show my bond respect without showing it to me? I want to poke at my bond and tell it not to be swayed so easily, but it’s also been my best judge of character. The thing has gotten me out of every shitty situation I’ve ever found myself in, so there’s a part of me that warms at the knowledge that he’s been doing that.
Dammit.
Sneaky, manipulative freaking Bonds.
I get back to my food and silence falls over the table. Sage eats like she’s been starving to death, just shoveling protein and carbs into her mouth at an alarming rate.
Setting buildings on fire takes serious amounts of power.
Gabe and Atlas struggle to keep their hands away from me the entire time they eat, a hand on each of my thighs and their bodies leaning into mine as they basically turn me into a sandwich. I’m not sure what prompted the change but I’m into it.
Sawyer’s eyes work their way around the room, flicking from me and my Bonds and then over to where Felix and Sage are wrapped up in each other, suspicion darkening his gaze.
I’ve already come to terms with the fact that we’re not going to be able to keep last night a secret from our friends. There’s no way that Sawyer is going to let it drop, and I already know that Atlas will be all over me for answers the moment we’re alone again.
I just don’t know how to do it without throwing Sage under the bus or gossiping about her business, which I would never do.
Like always, Sawyer forces our hand, waiting until his plate is clear before he leans back and drawls, “Are you guys going to tell us what the fuck went down last night, or am I dragging Sage home to pick apart everyone and everything possible until she cracks and tells me? Because we all know she will eventually.”
Felix turns to give Atlas a look and I’m reminded that he is actually also a football player that enjoys tackling people into the dirt. He’s built like the rest of them, a little smaller than Gabe but wider than Sawyer is, but his gift as a Healer always makes me think he’s… above that brawling kind of thing.
Obviously, I’m wrong about that.
Sage can tell he’s about to go off about her brother’s sass and so she just blurts out, “Felix and I had sex and we Bonded. I set the Med Hall on fire. North is covering it up for me because Oli charged down there like it was her ass on the line and rescued me. Felix had to lie and cover up about a million things for me so I could have a panic attack in the bathroom without the fire warden breaking in the door. Oli walked into a burning building with two nightmare creatures to get me to calm down and get out of there. She also gave me her pants and walked out basically bare from the waist down, then argued with North about how best to clean all of this up without Mom, Dad, and the Parental Bonds finding out, so if you could please give us all a break, that would be fucking great. We’re all running on no sleep and all-consuming anxiety right now… or at least I am.”
Gabe and Atlas both turn to stone next to me and I have to assume they get exactly what Sage isn’t saying right now.
Sawyer’s face does about a million different things to show all of the emotions and thoughts running through his head. He finally lands on his default, cheeky bullshit. “You mean to tell me that Davenport’s dick was so good that you almost killed his entire dorm? I kinda want to high five him but that seems… wrong.”
Sage groans, her cheeks flushing, and I roll my eyes, gesturing to him like he’s the idiot he’s looking like right now. “I don’t think you’re getting it, Sawyer. Why would North and Gryphon tell us to keep quiet about a normal loss of control? Don’t be dense, it doesn’t suit you.”
He scowls at me and then, hesitantly, glances back to Sage. “A power jump can only happen with Bonds… that’s impossible.”
She blushes even more and ducks her head. “I don’t understand how it could happen if I’m not a Central Bond, but it did. I’m not stupid. I know that Riley is my Central, he’s the one who’s my Bond and Giovanna’s. The bloodwork showed it but… I can’t think of another explanation.”
Except, as she’s speaking, I do because…the bloodwork.
At the lab.
That Giovanna is desperate to get an internship at.
Fuck, I knew she was a slimy, manipulative bitch! I look at Sage across the room and I can see when it all comes together in her head too. All of the pieces we have are nowhere near enough for the full picture but, fuck, it’s a start.
I clear my throat. “Giovanna’s gift is Telekinesis, right? What if she’s the one messing with your Bond? What if you’re the Central and she’s been fucking with Riley to hide the fact that he’s not?”
Felix curses under his breath and squeezes Sage a little tighter.
“Oli… Riley’s mom called me last week. She told me he’s been getting migraines and bloody noses, she was worried that it’s because we hadn’t Bonded. What if— prolonged usage of mind control can deteriorate brain mass,” Sage croaks, and I groan back.
“I don’t want to think about saving that asshole,” Sawyer snaps.
Felix cuts him off. “But if she’s messing with his head, then he’s not an asshole. He’s a victim. I fucking hate to say this but… Gabe, you remember, back me up. He was obsessed with Sage, the same as I always have been. He protected her and did everything with her. We all knew that they’d end up together… just like I thought I would. His change was instant, and it was the second Giovanna showed up.”
Sage bursts into tears.
Felix scoops her into his chest, pressing her face into his neck, and I’m jealous for a second that she’s all wrapped up in her Bonded scents right now while Gryphon is off dealing with the Resistance camps.
Gabe lets out a groan, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration. “How the fuck are they watching us all so closely? How are they finding their way into our families and fucking with our Bonds? We’re fighting a losing fucking game here until we figure that out.”
Atlas’ jaw clenches and releases as he grinds his teeth and then says carefully, “We need to figure out how deep this goes. Giovanna has a sister on the council, right? What else doesn’t make sense? Who is suspicious there? What doesn’t add up? Those are the places we start.”
There’s a moment of silence and then Sawyer pipes up, “You mean something like the signal from Oli’s GPS chip going to the East Coast?”
Silence.
Dead fucking silence for half a second before all hell breaks loose.
Atlas turns to Gabe with a glare. “What the fuck is he talking about?”
Gabe’s lip curls and he snaps, “And you didn’t think to say something about it before now? What the fuck is wrong with you?!”
I butt in before they can continue screaming at him from across the table, “What the hell are you talking about? How could you know something like that?”
Sawyer holds his hand up and a spark of electricity jumps between his fingers. “I’m a Technokenetic. When we first met, I could feel the chip in your spine, it felt wrong to me. I hated Sage being around you because that sort of tech shouldn’t be inside someone… Then, once I got to know you, I realized it wasn’t your fault, and I got over it. I thought… I thought you all knew.”
“This is vital fucking information, Benson. It’s not that hard to mention it to one of us!” Atlas snarls, and I throw myself in his direction to stop the bloodshed that I think is about to happen.
I also can tell how fragile Sage is right now because she doesn’t move away from Felix even with the threat of violence to her brother, but her face does crumple a little. More reasons to calm the hell down about how messed up I’ve been.
Sawyer throws his hands in the air. “You were on the East Coast and I assumed you were keeping an eye on her too! Then I just… I forgot about it. It just became the weird aura around Oli. I’m sorry! Fuck, if I’d have known, I would’ve said something!”
This is all irrelevant. “If you’re a Techno, you can manipulate it, right? You can stop it from blowing my brains out if I take it out… right?”
“Blow your brains out?! What the fuck are you talking about?” Gabe shouts, and I glance up to see him looking very green.
“That’s what they told me when they put it in. They said it would trigger a small explosion, just enough to kill me, if I tried to take it out.”
“I’m going to fucking puke,” Gabe says, as he pushes away from the table, grabbing his phone out, probably to call North and chew him out.
Except…
Atlas says it before I can. “You can’t call him. You can’t tell anyone. We need to get it out, without killing Oli, and then we need a list of everyone who was involved in getting it put in her in the first place. We need a game plan to clean house. There’s a reason North is losing the battle against the Resistance and it’s because the poison has already taken root here.”
“You have a med pack in this place somewhere, right? Let’s get it out now,” Felix says, standing up and walking through to the kitchen without hesitation as Gabe jumps up to find what he’s asking for.
I stare after Felix in shock as the door swings shut, and I see him scrubbing down his hands like he’s a freaking surgeon about to crack me open and take a look inside and… Well, how badly do I want this chip out?
Really, really fucking badly.
I take a deep breath. “Fuck it, let’s do this.”
