I hate this freaking course.
Gabe knows it too. The moment the door opens and everyone else starts sprinting, he stays back with me without a word as I set the pace at a slow jog. Sage stays close to my side, her eyes just a little too wide as she stares out at the artificial woodlands we’re being funneled through, and Atlas walks on her other side, looking relaxed but alert.
“If this is a race, shouldn’t we be trying to get ahead of everyone else?” Sage mutters to me, but I shake my head back at her.
Gabe glances behind us as he answers her, “You have to survive the woods first. If you go too fast, you miss the warning signs.”
Sage glances over at me, but when I just give her a lopsided grin, she mutters, “Why does this feel like a horror movie intro? I guess the positive here is that we’re both all-natural so we’re not prime bait.”
I cackle at her but my answer is swallowed up by the screaming and yelling that starts up further down the path from us.
The first batch of students to fall.
“Uhm, I need to know exactly what I’m about to run into because I’m feeling a little panicky and my gift wants to set fire to the woods right now to escape this,” Sage gasps, and I slow our pace even more.
“Okay, the aim is to get through first, but this entire place is basically one giant booby trap. They change too, so it’s not like Gabe and I can just lead you guys through it. Basically, the trees all have ears and eyes, so don’t trust them—“
“Ears and eyes?! Oli, what the fuck?!” Sage screeches, and that’s when I learn she’s a little squeamish about that kind of thing. I don’t blame her, it’s a fucked up thought.
“Not like that, I mean that they’re– I mean, the course knows what we’re saying and doing, so it’ll change to mess with us in the worst ways.”
Atlas’ eyes get even more shrewd as they take everything in, and Gabe clears his throat roughly. “The first time I did the course, I broke my arm in three places. I got taken out by one of the rolling logs towards the end, I missed out on three weeks of football thanks to it. Oli has breezed through it.”
My bond preens in my chest over the compliment, but there’s also an uncontrollable urge to check him over for scars or any signs of those injuries, as if there’s some chance that he still feels an ache over it that I could fix for him.
Atlas moves Sage out of his way and snaps at Gabe, “Stop talking about being injured, Ardern. Take a breath, Sweetness.”
Shit.
I’m glowing.
Gabe curses under his breath and then murmurs, “No pressure, Oli, but Gryphon reviews the tapes of TT to look for TacTeam candidates, so if you don’t want them all knowing about your… Bond haze teething issues, then you need to keep it together.”
I grit my teeth. “You’re the one who talked about being hurt. Clearly, I’m not good at hearing about that stuff. I need all of you to just wrap up in cotton wool for a little while, okay?”
He grins back at me, gloating like a motherfucker, but then it slides right off of his face as we make it to the clearing.
There’s bodies everywhere.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Atlas mutters, slowing down to a brisk walk. I nod in agreement, because it looks like a bloodbath.
Okay, they’re all still breathing and only two people are unconscious, but there’s definitely some severe injuries here.
“How is this allowed to happen? It’s a college class for gym credits, for fuck’s sake!” Sage hisses, a little more mouthy today; I’m loving it.
Gabe walks over to one of his football teammates, the same one who’d attempted to give him shit earlier, and drops down into a crouch to get a good look at him. “How many times do you have to get demolished in here before you learn that running through it isn’t the way to go?”
The guy, Matt, coughs and splutters, “Like you can talk, you’re only lagging behind for your Bond. Is Hanna okay? She was with me when the swinging log fell.”
God, the swinging logs. They’re the worst thing in this course, and when I start searching through the mud for Hanna, I make sure to look out for the next wave of them. They’re hard to spot but the creaking of the wood and the whistling of them flying through the air is unmistakable.
We just have to hear them over the screaming and groaning of the injured.
“I got her! Hanna, can you hear me?” Sage says from where she was searching the other side. I rush over to her, quick to drop down to my knees in the mud and help get the girl conscious again.
I remember her straight away, the girl who’d accidentally shoved me away from herself with her gift while we’d sparred against each other. She’s taller than Sage and I, broader, and with an athlete’s physique, she’s definitely the type of girl who belongs on a TacTeam.
She’s also bleeding from her temple.
Her arm band is the same color as ours, we’re on the same team here, and so there’s no point for us to continue without her. We lose if we’re not all across the line.
Atlas walks around the groups of groaning students, then over to the quiet one, and calls out, “They’re all the other team. Is there a flare to send up for Vivian, or do we just leave them?”
It sounds awful, but it’s also the whole point of the course. “We leave them. Vivian will step in if they need it, the whole course is monitored.”
He nods and continues walking around the clearing, looking over all of the signs of what happened here. There are deep gouges in the dirt and broken branches littered everywhere. It’s shocking that this is only the first stop, that there’s still more to come for us to get through.
“Hanna? Matt, can you heal her a little? Just enough to wake her up, and then Oli and I can help her through the rest of the course,” Sage says, and I’m proud of her for jumping straight into it.
Matt nods and groans as he pushes himself up onto all fours, crawling over to us, even with his leg dragging a little.
“Healer?” I mumble, and Sage shakes her head.
“He’s her Central. He should be able to get her awake. They’re Bonded.”
Ah, even better. Gabe grabs my hand to help me up, pulling me into his body instinctively. I move into him without hesitation, enjoying the smell of him even with all of the mud and sweat clinging to us both.
Matt leans over her and I watch as he starts to glow, his eyes turning white as his bond flows through him and into Hanna. It’s cool to watch, to see the process that I keep accidentally doing over the tiniest things.
Hanna’s eyes flutter open right as I hear the sound.
The groaning, whistling sound of our doom.
I don’t know whether to drop to my knees to avoid it or to run, but Gabe immediately catches my waist and drags me backwards. I want to fight him off but he’s stronger than I am, and he’s also got Sage’s elbow to drag her away too, so at least we’re all going together.
Except for Atlas. I frantically look for him as time slows around us all. I find him standing in front of Matt and Hanna, watching as the log swings on the chains towards them, the length of a semi and weighing more than a freaking elephant. He’s going to die if he doesn’t move. He needs to move, why isn’t he—
Atlas catches it with one hand.
The wood groans and splinters in parts, bark falling all around him as it comes to an immediate halt. He doesn’t so much as grunt as he takes the force of it, his feet shifting back a little, but no signs of strain or pain at the insanely difficult act he’s just done.
I’ve never been so turned on in my life.
“Indestructible and strong. I can see the appeal,” Gabe mutters into my ear, and I shiver at the sound of it and the feel of his breath down my neck while I’m already worked up.
Atlas looks over at us and grins. “We should get moving before I have to save your asses all over again.”
I scoff but my legs are still like jelly with the leftover adrenaline, so Gabe keeps me braced against him while we walk back over to Matt and Hanna.
They’re both staring at Atlas like he’s a god.
My bond isn’t such a fan of that, but I help Hanna to her feet, ducking under her arm while Sage does the same on her other side. Gabe gets Matt walking and we start back down the path to get out of this stupid place.
By the time we cross the finish line, Atlas has a student slung over each of his shoulders, walking as though their weight means nothing to him, while Sage and I struggle to keep Hanna up between us. Gabe and Matt were faring a little better until we found Martinez knocked out cold, so they literally had to drag him the last mile.
But we do it and, for the first time since I joined the class, my team wins.
I’M lucky that I didn’t get injured during TT because I work at the cafe straight after the class, with only enough time for the quickest, and coldest, shower in the changing rooms in-between.
The afternoon rush is the busiest time according to Gloria, and I have no doubt that if she added dinner to her menu, she’d be packed out all night as well. Her baked goods are to die for and the coffee is the best on campus, only rivaled by Gryphon’s sister’s cafe.
I try not to think about it too much.
Atlas drives me over to work while Gabe goes to football training, groaning the whole way over there. I’m expecting Atlas to leave me here but he walks me in, orders a mountain of pie and coffee, and then takes up a booth with his laptop and the assignments he needs to catch up on.
I’m expecting to feel awkward about him being here while I’m busy serving people, but he basically ignores me the whole time and I just get on with it. Every time his coffee cup empties, he orders a new one, and when Gloria raises an eyebrow at me over him, I cringe a little.
“I can ask him to leave,” I say as I rinse dishes and load the dishwasher.
She shakes her head at me. “I’m surprised they’re not all here taking up space after what happened last time. It’s no problem, he’s ordering and keeping to himself, I don’t mind losing a table for the shift if he’s respectful about it.”
I sigh in relief and shoot her a grateful smile, pushing myself to work even harder in thanks for her understanding. Kitty is still a nightmare as she takes orders, but I get better about both dodging her and working around her.
When I feel one of my Bonds arrive seconds before the bell rings over the door, I feel a flutter of nerves that maybe it’s Nox here again and he’s going to have another showdown with Atlas over being here.
I sigh in relief when Gabe walks in with Sage, Sawyer, and Felix; all of them looking exhausted but laughing and joking. They greet me and order drinks, sliding into the booth with Atlas and taking over his study space without an argument.
Gabe orders two of the triple choc muffins, one for now and one to go, and I grin at him when I deliver them to the table. “If that one isn’t for me, you might need to make some quick life decisions, Ardern.”
He smirks back at me for the sass, and Sawyer gags at us dramatically. “I knew you’d be boning in no time, just get it over with so the rest of us don’t have to choke on all of this sexual tension.”
Sage stomps on his foot under the table and shoots him a savage look. “Stop gossiping and being dramatic just because you’re pissed about Gray. People are allowed to exist and be happy, you know, Sawyer.”
Hold up. “What happened to Gray? Shit, is he okay?”
The cheeky facade melts away from Sawyer and he suddenly looks devastated. “He’s fine, he’s just been pulled out of school and locked up by his parents. They’re jumpy, thanks to the abductions, and they’re holding his trust fund over his head to keep him out of public for a while.”
Jesus Christ. “Is it really that bad? I thought things had died down since… the last time.”
Sawyer scoffs and pegs me with a look. “You mean when my sister was taken and you walked into a camp and brought her home like it was nothing? Not everyone has a bestie with brain melting powers to watch their backs. His parents have already lost two kids, so they’re not fucking around when it comes to him and Briony.”
I blink a little at him because that’s a lot of information all at once. I’m still trying to come to terms with the fact that he’s not pissed at me, because his tone seems like he is.
Gabe thinks so too. “Don’t speak to her like that, man. I get that you’re pissed, but you just said it yourself, she saved Sage. I was there, I saw exactly what she did for your sister. I also saw her threaten Black when he tried to use Sage against her. Oli isn’t the problem here.”
I look around and do a quick check of the room to make sure that there’s no new customers or tables for me to clear off before I clear my throat. “I’m in this for the long haul with all of you. I don’t need to know Gray to know that I’d run after him too. I… haven’t been able to have friends before. I’m not going to ruin my chance to have them now. All in, Sawyer, even with your Ice Hockey Hottie.”
He blinks at me a little and then clears his own throat, grabbing his coffee to hide behind it as he takes a sip.
BY SOME MIRACLE, Gabe gets me an exemption from North to go to the mall with our friends.
Okay, so we have to be escorted by a TacTeam and Gabe has to be within arm’s reach of me at all times, but we’re allowed to go. Atlas is pissed that North has openly stated that he doesn’t trust him not to take me and run, but I’m not surprised in the least.
All I care about is new jeans and maybe some cute shirts, and maybe another pair of sandals or sneakers, if I can stretch my first paycheck that far.
We have to take three cars because everyone comes, including Gracie because Felix wasn’t quick enough to think of a good excuse to leave her behind. He’s a good brother, but he’s also very aware that his sister is trying to bone at least one of my Bonds.
She also looks at Atlas just a little too fondly for my liking.
The second we arrive, Sage pulls her aside to let her know that drooling over Atlas or Gabe is both a despicable and, most importantly, life-threatening act and that she needs to get her shit together fast. She takes it better than I expect and, while she doesn’t attempt to apologize to me for drooling at my Bonds, she does pull her head in.
We stop and grab a bubble tea first to drink as we shop, and I’m surprised that the guys are all so relaxed about spending hours walking through every clothing store in this place just so I can update my wardrobe.
I make it my mission to shop until I drop and with Atlas’ arm slung around my shoulders, and both him and Gabe willing to carry all of my bags, I make a good run of it.
Sage helps to judge everything I try on, vetoing the guys when they say yes to everything just because I’m wearing it, and when we stop for an ice cream coma lunch, I check my bank account to see that I’m almost tapped out of funds already.
I’ve never been tempted to use Gryphon’s card before but, God, would it be nice to just keep spending right now. I won’t, obviously, but I might be spending all my paychecks on clothes for the foreseeable future.
The guys all get real food, scoffing at Sage and me for indulging in our treats, and even Kieran grabs a coffee to sit with us and drink. He hasn’t said a word to any of us all day, except to tell Gracie to back off, but he’s still attempting to be more civil with me. It’s a win.
Sawyer takes a video call from Gray and immediately turns the screen around to introduce us, ignoring the fact that I have a mouthful of chocolatey-goodness. “Gray, this is Oli. She’s a badass, and if we’re all taken off of the street today, my vote is on her to get us out.”
The guy on the screen laughs, his eyes twinkling at Sawyer, and I’m instantly furious at the Resistance for keeping them apart. I wave at him like a child, a stupid grin on my face that I’m sure is inspiring all sorts of confidence in my ability to hold my own in Gifted warfare.
Gray waves back and rolls his eyes a little. “No one is going to be taken with that many TacTeam guys around you. My family is just stupid about this shit, I can take care of myself.”
Sage shoves a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and then speaks around it, “Like I can when I was taken? Yeah, maybe you should cut your mom some slack. Maybe we should introduce her to Oli, if she gets a look at Brutus she might ease up a little… knowing you’re hanging out with a Draven Bond and all.”
Atlas huffs quietly under his breath and I slip my hand into his. I already know he’s pissed that we’ve been dubbed that by the community, taking on the most influential name of our Bond, but I’m happy to take it if it helps my friends stay together and happy.
“What the fuck is a Brutus? If that’s your nickname, Oli, I’m going to be worried for Gabe.” Gray scoffs, and I share a look with Kieran. He does not look impressed. Fuck it, what’s the worst that could happen?
If his TacTeam are afraid of a smoke puppy, that’s their own issues.
I hold my hand out and Brutus scampers down my arm to sit on my palm, balancing there unnaturally and making me look far more impressive than I am. Sage giggles at the looks they all give me, but I’m proud to say that all of our friends react far better than the trained and armed people Gryphon works with.
I’m not sure if that’s a good thing though.
“You mean to tell me I’ve been walking around all day with a Draven nightmare and I had no fucking clue? We need to find a bar, I need some shots,” Sawyer says, his voice a little hoarse.
I forgot about all of the history with these creatures and immediately I want to protect Brutus, to shield him from them all thinking bad things about him. He’s cute and little and I love him.
I love him.
I lift him back up onto my shoulder and he blends in with my hair, disappearing into the silvery strands.
“Don’t call him a nightmare. He’s adorable and I would kill for him.”
Even Gabe blinks at me like I’m stupid, it’s a little insulting. “That’s a nightmare creature, Oli. That’s literally what they’re called. I don’t care if it looks like a puppy, it will eat you if it’s commanded to.”
I pull a face at him. “Brutus would never. You maybe, but he loves me. I know it.”
Atlas squeezes my fingers and doesn’t argue, bless him, but Gabe doesn’t let it go. “He’s literally a part of Nox, do you really trust Nox that much? Because I was under the impression that you hate him. You cringe when he walks into rooms, you duck behind Atlas and me if we run into him at Draven, you haven’t once given a shit about him bringing girls to dinner. Am I mis-reading all of that?”
Ugh. “He’s not… my favorite.”
I don’t want to say I hate him, not to everyone here, and certainly not with Gracie and Kieran present.
Atlas smirks and says with complete confidence, “I am. Tell them I’m your favorite.”
I grin back at him and point at my hair. “Nice try, but Brutus is my favorite, followed closely by Sage.”
She giggles at me and clutches at her chest. “I’ve been replaced by a smoke puppy? I guess that’s fair, he’s pretty cute.”
Sawyer rubs a hand over his face. “Don’t you start, it’s a fucking creature. No calling it cute!”
He pointedly doesn’t call him a nightmare but it’s hanging in the air around us. I’m not sure why it bothers me so much, but these words— monster, nightmare, cursed— I don’t like them. I don’t want them pointed at my Bond in any way, not even the little puffs of smoke that I’m very aware are deadly. If Brutus keeps Nox alive, keeps all of us alive at Nox’s command, then he deserves respect.
And I’ll be damned if he doesn’t get it.
