He’s bluffing.
I can barely hear Nox’s words over the pounding of my heart in my chest, thumping so violently that I feel as though my ribs might crack.
I don’t think he is, Atlas replies through the mind link, and I risk looking over at him. His face is still completely unreadable, not showing any of the spiraling panic that I’m sure we’re all feeling, or maybe it’s just me. Maybe my own freakout is consuming me so goddamn much that I can’t sense any calm in the rest of my Bonded Group.
North replies, his voice full of steel and sharp edges, Of course he is. He stumbled on some document about Oli, and he is trying to use that information to get his Bonded out of the cells. Admirable enough, because at least he gives a fuck about her, but it’s not going to work.
Surprisingly, it’s Nox who finally addresses Jericho. “Tell me what you know about the god. Tell me everything, and tell it to me truthfully. Maybe we’ll spare your life.”
Atlas glances over at me, his eyes round with shock, but I focus on what Jericho’s answer is. Nox is the one who had spent hours and hours trawling through every history book he could get his hands on that referenced void-like eyes or gods living amongst us, so I’m not shocked that this has caught his attention.
I’m also very aware that Jericho only mentioned the god living in me and has not put together enough clues to know about the Draven brothers.
“I know that the breeding experiments were about making sure that the god was born into the Resistance. They were hoping for it to be born into one of the higher families. That’s why they chose the bloodlines very carefully. The Bassingers were hoping it would be born to one of them, but when the rumors started of a young Gifted girl who could kill people at will, with eyes that changed to black, they knew that they had failed and that it was born outside of our inner circles. When they approached her, the entire family ran. The Fallows knew what we were going to do.”
“And what exactly is that?” North cuts in, but Jericho keeps looking at Nox, his eyes sizing up the younger of the two Draven brothers. Maybe he sees something in my most damaged Bonded that makes him think he has a chance of convincing him.
“The god that lives inside her is not something that you can tame. Just because it’s playing along now, doesn’t mean it will forever. It always turns on its host and kills everyone around it.”
My blood chills in my veins, but my bond doesn’t come out to play or even to reassure me that it isn’t planning my demise right now as we listen to Jericho spout on and on about all of the things that it will do to us.
All of the things it has already done to my parents.
“Davies will stop at nothing to win. He truly believes that the only world worth living in is the one where the Resistance rules and the non-Gifted are wiped out. The attacks that have been taking place in the larger cities are just the beginning. Once they have the god back, they won’t be stopped. They’re going to offer it whatever it wants to get rid of the girl and work with them.”
They cannot offer me anything, my bond speaks up, and I try not to startle at the sound of it. I have my Bonded. I want nothing else.
Why do they think that you will kill me? Why is he so sure of this? I’m expecting it to brush me off, to say that Jericho is grasping at straws to get Aurelia out of here. I might even have believed it to be the truth, but my bond has always been nothing but truthful to me, even when it hurts.
Because I always have. Every last time, I have been forced to take over the vessel to get what I need. The other vessels were different. The other vessels were power-hungry or too stupid to speak to. You are different. You’re the vessel I was waiting for, and now we’re going to have it all.
I glance over only to find North staring directly at me, the first time his eyes have touched me since I had woken up in Nox’s bed. As he looks at me, I can see the bone chilling fear that he was speaking about written clearly on his features. Luckily, his back is turned to Jericho and our prisoner isn’t seeing the crisis.
My bond is speaking to me but letting the rest of them hear it, filtering all of this through our connection to him. I can feel all of their reactions to what it’s saying, but I can’t process any of it while I’m busy trying to figure out if I’m about to be murdered by my damn bond.
Gryphon takes over the interrogation seamlessly, not letting the whole new levels of what-the-fuck derail the interrogation and negotiation. “You’re not giving us anything that we don’t already know. You think that we’ve Bonded with Fallows and didn’t already know what was going on inside of her? We’re not some stupid Resistance grunts, just Bonding with whoever we’re told to.”
Jericho glances over his shoulder at Aurelia again, and the love there is absolutely the real deal. There’s no way to fake that sort of devotion. If he’s here to deceive us, it’s definitely not going to be at her expense. “Davies thinks that he’ll be able to get the god out of her. He thinks that the Gift of rending souls extends as far as the god being able to choose who it inhabits. He thinks that Oleander was either chosen by the god, or it’s just biding its time inside of her until it can find someone else, someone stronger.”
He knows nothing, my bond says. Atlas’ hand squeezes my knee again, this time in reassurance. I couldn’t leave you any more than I could let one of my Bonded die, and I would rather raze this earth to nothing but ashes than let that man control any part of me or us.
I take a deep breath because I know that it’s telling me the truth, and Gryphon glances back at me with a small nod, reassurance that he doesn’t detect any lies either.
A year ago, if you would have told me that my bond confirming that it was staying with me forever would have filled me with such relief, I wouldn’t have believed you. Back then, I would have done anything to dig it out of me, but I’ve grown a lot.
“Of course. Davies is an idiot. Who could possibly be stronger than Oli?” Gabe says, and when I glance over at him, he grins at me with a wink.
Jericho levels him with a much harsher look, one that says that he thinks my Bonded is an idiot, but Gabe is smug and asshole-ish as he smirks back at him unrepentantly.
I think it’s likely my bond would take the powers with it if it left me, and I wouldn’t be so strong anymore, I say back full of sass, and Gabe shakes his head at me.
I’m not talking about tearing souls out, Bonded. I’m talking about the fact that you were strapped to a table by Davies and tortured and didn’t break once. I’m pretty sure I would have broken in the first week.
I smother a giggle, but Jericho notices it anyway and shakes his head at me, clearly pissed we’re not as somber and moody as he is.
“Davies is stronger than you think,” he says, his voice getting shrill, and Nox cocks his head at him in that very sarcastic way that he has.
“If Davies is so strong, then why did he have to kidnap a child and torture her? Why are all of his victims so young? He never takes anyone after their Gifts have fully formed. Is he attempting to get to them before they have fully formed self-identities? Or is he just trying to seem stronger than he really is?”
Jericho turns to look at me again, and Nox’s temper snaps, his hand snapping out to grab his hair and slam him face first into the table. Atlas jerks in his seat, and Gabe makes a grunting noise of shock, and maybe just a little bit of sympathy, as Jericho’s nose crunches and blood pools underneath it.
“Stop. Looking. At. Her.”
I freeze in my seat.
Nox has never really acted protective of me, not until he’d barricaded us both in his bedroom after the soul-bonding. To have it happen now, in front of our entire Bonded Group and some wheeling-dealing Resistance member, is jarring, to say the least.
Even Gryphon looks shocked.
Nox leans down to murmur quietly to Jericho, directly into his ear, though it’s quiet enough that I can hear him well enough.
“Keep your filthy Resistance eyes off of her. That’s the difference between you and I. Once we Bonded, there was nothing that was ever going to keep Oleander away from me… not the Resistance, not the god inside her, not even death itself. You came here to bargain, but you’ve given us nothing. Now you’re not getting your pathetic little Bassinger girl out of here, and you’ll both rot in our cells. You’ve lost.”
Atlas and Gabe escort me home after Kieran transports us back to the Sanctuary.
We’re quiet as we walk through the dark streets, the half-built houses all looming over us with patchy shadows, and my heart feels heavy that we’ve left the others behind.
North and Gryphon were still questioning Jericho, pulling apart all of the information he’d given us until they find something that might actually be useful, but Nox had stayed behind just to fuck with him. Not that he said that, he’d barely reacted when Gryphon had told Kieran to bring us home, but there’s a way that he holds himself that gives away his dark intent.
Jericho will probably be torn apart by shadows by the end of the night.
My chest still aches to leave them though, and I find myself unable to bear the silence any longer. “Do you think they’ll come home tonight?”
My voice is too thready for my liking, my emotions coming through a little too raw and weepy. Even though I know that these two Bonded would never call me out for it or make fun of me, it’s still too much for me to take.
Gabe runs a hand through his hair as he blows out a breath, his arm flexing beautifully and his shirt rising up a little to show a sliver of golden skin around his hips that I want to taste.
I swallow roughly and glance away, catching Atlas’ eye as I do, and he’s smirking at me. I guess I am sort of drooling at Gabe as though he’s a piece of meat right there in front of him.
At least he doesn’t look pissed off about it.
“I doubt they’ll be home tonight, Sweetness, but we can keep your mind off of them.”
He says it in a playfully innocent tone, the smirk still going strong on his face, and my cheeks heat up at the implication.
I’ve already had group sex.
One by one, four out of five of my Bonded Group had fucked me until my legs had shaken and my pussy throbbed, but it hadn’t been so… planned out. I didn’t have to think about it or wrap my head around the logistics of more than one man in my bed, it had just sort of happened. Even the threesome with North and Gryphon had been spur of the moment, on my behalf, at least.
There’s too much time for my own head to get in the way here.
As we get to the front steps of our house, Gabe gives me a sidelong look when I haven’t immediately replied to Atlas’ offer, checking in with my hesitance. When he opens his mouth, Atlas cuts him off. “What part of us distracting you is freaking you out, Bonded? If Nox has—”
I can’t bear any Nox hate tonight. “He hasn’t done anything. It’s just— I’m still getting my head around some aspects of the bonding and… part of me still thinks you guys are going to get jealous or pissed off or that I’ll do something if we’re all together that will ruin things. Bonding doesn’t just magically make the insecurities disappear. Real life doesn’t work like that.”
I don’t know who I’m trying to convince here.
We’re thankfully ducking into the house and kicking off our shoes at the door in a haphazard pile that will absolutely piss North off when he does eventually make it home, so I’m saved from hearing Atlas’ answer to my mini meltdown. I turn to head off to my room, happy enough to just let it all go and watch some trashy TV in bed, when a hand clamps down on the back of my neck and stops me.
My bond always did like it when they act possessive and just a little brutish and, sure enough, it hums happily in my chest at the move.
Atlas tugs me closer to the heat of his body, his free hand twisting around my waist until I’m trapped in his arms, his lips hot against my neck as he murmurs, “I’m not jealous of any of the other Bonded. I might still loathe the ground Nox fucking Draven walks on, I probably will forever, but I’m not jealous of him. There’s nothing that you’re going to do with Gabe that’s going to ruin anything between us, Sweetness. So just get that shit out of your head. Better yet, get those pants off so that I can get to taking care of my Bonded.”
I don’t need to be asked twice.
There’s still a flutter of nervousness in my belly as I fling my clothes from my body, the heat of both of their eyes like a physical thing on my body. The moment I shimmy out of my lacy lingerie, Gabe groans and catches my bra mid-air as he starts towards me.
“That one is my favorite, don’t throw it away. What are you trying to do to me here, Bonded?”
It melts some of my worries away, just enough that I can spin on the spot and skip off towards my bedroom with a shake of my naked ass at them both. Gabe groans again, stomping after me. When I look back at him, I find him leaving his own trail of clothes behind. That’ll be a fun find for the others when they make it home, but then the last of my nervousness disappears when Atlas laughs at us, stalking after us both.
Maybe this can just be fun.
I’m two steps away from the bed when Gabe catches me, his hands firm on my waist as he spins me up into his arms with the sort of casual ease that he has. It’s very smooth and, if I didn’t know better, I’d think he’d had just a little too much practice at swinging girls around.
I like that he hasn’t.
The playing field is a little more even between us both.
He ducks down to catch my lips in a blisteringly hot kiss, his naked body plastered against my own and his hands clutching at me in a hot demand. I wrap my legs around his waist, hitching myself more securely to him and trying not to wriggle down to impale myself onto his cock like I so desperately want to.
A girl needs to be wooed first.
Well, at least I should be thinking like that, but when his lips move against mine in another scorching kiss, I find myself less interested in the teasing dance, the push-and-pull of our foreplay so far, and instead I want them both naked and worshiping me.
Is that a little too greedy? Maybe. Do I care? Nope. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it just as much as I will.
A second set of hands press against my back as Atlas directs us both to the bed. Gabe is happy enough to take the direction without breaking away from our kiss, especially when Atlas tugs my legs until he can crawl in-between them, and all sorts of happy noises claw their way out of my throat until I’m moaning into Gabe’s lips.
One of his hands drops from my cheek to stroke at my neck, working slowly down my soft skin until he’s groaning as he tweaks and pinches at my pert nipples. I’m on fire for them, reacting to every stroke of Atlas’ tongue and every tease of pleasure Gabe gives me as I lose myself in them both.
“What do you want, Sweetness? I could stay here and eat you out all night if that’s what you want.”
Yes. No. Fuck. I don’t know what I really want right now, especially not when he gets right back to work with his tongue.
I could do this all night… except there’s nothing quite like being stretched open wide by my Bonded’s cock, and the idea of missing out on that tonight doesn’t sit well with me.
I reach down to run my fingers through his hair, waiting until his eyes meet mine. “I want more. I need you to fuck me.”
He doesn’t need to be asked twice.
I find myself being lifted and flipped over, a quick kiss from Atlas before he gets me on my knees in front of him, and a hand running down my ass as he enjoys the view.
I look over my shoulder at him with a grin that slides off my face and tumbles into a moan as he lines himself up, pushing in as his eyes squeeze shut.
“So fucking tight, Sweetness. This pussy was made for me.”
I flush with pleasure, but his words only remind me that I have another Bonded here with us, splayed out and leaning against the headboard as he watches Atlas take me.
I want them both.
“You can fuck my face if you want to,” I say with a grin, enjoying the way Gabe smirks back at me with a light in his eyes at the thought of getting his dick sucked.
It’s still such a novel thing for him.
It makes me lightheaded, just a little giddy at the thought of all of the things that we get to experience together, all of the things that will only belong to the two of us and no one else.
Atlas catches my chin in his hand, turning my face so he can kiss me one last time before I drop down onto my hands, glancing up at Gabe through my lashes as I open my mouth for him.
He doesn’t waste time.
Gabe groans and thrusts deep into my throat, all the way down until I’m fighting my reflexes so that I don’t choke on the length of him. I love it, love the burn of it, love the way that tears spring into my eyes and run down my cheeks as he mutters and moans under his breath about how perfect my mouth feels around his cock.
More.
I want to ignore it. I want to ignore the dark whispers of my bond in my mind so badly because this moment should just belong to me and my Bonded, but there’s a part of me that knows that we’ll always be sharing these moments. Also the allegiance that my bond had shown to me when Jericho had talked about it killing me had sort of changed things a little as well.
I think I trust it more now.
I’m also completely aware that it could’ve been lying, and I might be a naive idiot about to be killed off by the god that shares my body… the damned vessel.
Gabe’s fingers curl around my chin as his hips pull away from me, tilting my head up as he wipes the tears away from my cheeks with a scowl. “What’s happened, Bonded? What’s going on in that head of yours?”
His fingers are soft as they stroke over my cheek and my eyes flutter shut at his gentle care. There’s a quiet possessiveness in the way he’s handling me, no hesitation as he pulls me back up so that I’m kneeling, Atlas’ cock still hot and hard as he pumps slowly, lazily into my body, and then he catches my lips once again. He can’t stop touching me, his hands running over my body as he memorizes every little freckle and scar there as though we haven’t already spent hours doing it alone together. He’s just as obsessed with me as I am with him, and it only makes my bond purr with happiness in my chest.
Atlas’ fingers bite into the soft skin of my hips, his movements speeding up as we both race towards our peaks, ready to tumble over the edge together. When it becomes clear that I’m too distracted to really keep up with his kiss, Gabe pushes me back down onto my hands with a firm but gentle hand.
I open my mouth back up wide for his cock to slip back into my mouth and down my throat, groaning as the salty taste of his precum slips over my tastebuds. The only thing my bond wants more than to have my Bonded coming down my throat is them filling my pussy up, and there’s no way I could fit two of them in me at once.
Not that I can think of that right now with them both inside of me like this.
When it’s clear that Atlas is getting close, one of his hands slips down to where we’re joined, his fingers running through my juices as they gush down my thighs before he rubs my clit, pushing me to follow him over the edge. My whimpers are muffled thanks to Gabe’s cock, and my arms begin to shake as I attempt to keep myself upright even as my body turns into liquid.
A few more pumps and Gabe comes with a groan, his hips stuttering as he pushes in deeper, and I have to swallow around the girth of him so that I don’t choke, listening to Gabe’s groans turn into moans at the sensations as my throat works him over.
I glance up in time to see Gabe’s eyes flash to amber, but they’re different this time.
They’re darker.
Definitely not voids, there’s no extra being living under his skin, but the warm honey color has deepened into a burnished brass. Something is changing in him, our Bonding has shifted some part of his Gift, and now he’s becoming more than he once was.
More than the other Gifted will ever be.
A shiver runs down my spine at the sound of my bond in my head, the words rattling around in the space that feels emptied out thanks to the ripples of pleasure still working their way down to my toes.
I probably should take more notice of what it said, the puzzle pieces clicking together, but with two naked Bonded in my bed gearing up for round two already, I don’t have time for that.
Not tonight.
