I’m expecting Gabe and Atlas to have questions or some sort of reaction to my admission about my parents’ death, but both of them are more concerned with my reaction to North’s revelation than the news itself.
It’s both comforting to know that they really will love me no matter what and a little disconcerting, because they should be at least a little concerned for their own safety being around me, shouldn’t they?
“Didn’t North’s bond specifically tell you that none of us can hurt each other? Listen, I’m upset for you. That your parents died that way… it sounds horrific for you and them, and it’s such a heavy thing for you to have been carrying for so long. But if you think that I’m thinking of myself in this moment and not you, then clearly I have done something wrong so far in our relationship, Sweetness,” Atlas says to me as though I’m being incredibly dense.
Gabe is more quiet about it, but he still wraps me up in his arms tightly. When I move to pull away from him, he murmurs, “Don’t run away from me again. You promised.”
I have to swallow harshly against the lump in my throat, but I nod to him, turning away to swipe a hand over my eyes to banish any errant tears that might think about working their way out.
I still feel as though there should be more to this than just ‘you’re our Bonded and we love you’, but they both get up and get dressed to start our day, even if it is hours after we normally do.
“Am I getting dressed to work on houses or go back to the training center?” I mumble around my toothbrush as Gabe showers and Atlas brushes his teeth alongside me.
Gabe ducks his head under the water to rinse out the shampoo as he calls out, “Neither. We have a new wave of families joining the Sanctuary today. I was planning on going down to meet with them to help figure out where we’re putting them all. My uncle is coming along with them and his Bonded Group. A few of my cousins too. All of them are builders, so we might finally make some extra headway on the next batch of houses.”
My eyebrows slowly creep up my forehead as I finish up with my toothbrush. “You have family here and you weren’t planning on telling me? What is it with you guys and springing relatives on me?”
Gabe cuts the water as he chuckles, grabbing a towel and turning his back on us to wrap it around himself. I get a small peek at his gloriously tanned abs as he moves. Atlas scoffs at me, nudging me gently with his shoulder as though he’s teasing me for my reactions. At this point, I think they’re pretty standard.
They all know I find them hot.
“North and Gryphon have been behind in vetting people, so they’ve only just gotten the approval to come through. I didn’t realize my uncle’s family would be in this batch until North told me last night. You were at the dinner table when he told me, but I guess you were preoccupied.”
Preoccupied.
Freaking the hell out about what had North so on edge is what I was, but I guess that’s a pretty good way of saying it.
“Do you like this uncle, or do we have another General situation on our hands? Because I have to admit, there is only so much sassy Oli I can throw around before my bond comes out and deals with people itself.”
Gabe chuckles and walks over to me, dropping a kiss on the top of my head as he grabs his own toothbrush. “My uncle is great. He has a lot of opinions about my mom though, so you should probably prepare yourself to pick a side in that argument.”
I start brushing out my hair, watching Atlas pull on his boots as we finish up getting ready. His ass is also very biteable, and I enjoy all of the bending over that’s happening around here right now. It’s getting hard to focus on the conversation I’m supposed to be having.
“What’s the argument?”
Atlas glances up to me, smirking like a smug asshole at my wandering eyes as I take in the strong lines of his flexing arms. I wiggle my eyebrows back at him, not at all upset to be caught ogling him as well.
Maybe we could sneak in a super quick threesome before we leave. Is there any such thing as a ‘quick threesome’? We should try it out.
For science.
“He’s an uncle on my dad’s side of the family, so he believes that my mother is nothing but a useless wife who should be exiled from the community for practically abandoning me after my father died.”
My heart squeezes in my chest, all the fun flirting melting away from me as I focus back on Gabe. He says it all very matter of factly, as though it doesn’t really bother him to speak of his mother like that, but the tense lines of his shoulders say exactly how he truly feels. We’ve spoken little about his mother, only that she’s still alive, but Gabe has no interest in the two of us meeting.
I pushed it with him once, more out of my own insecurity because I thought he was trying to hide me. It was then that he admitted that his mother struggled to grasp what day of the week it was. The two of us meeting would only be distressing for him, rather than bring any sort of joy.
I’m not in the habit of traumatizing my Bonds any more than they already have been.
Not when I can help it at least.
I’m careful with how I word my question, my words coming out slow. “Where exactly in the argument do you stand? Because I’m pretty sure I’ll be at your side, no matter what.”
He shoots a grateful smile over his shoulder, though it’s a tired one, as though simply starting this conversation about his mother drains the life right out of him. “I’m at the place where I agree with my uncle that my mother made a lot of bad decisions about how she would cope with my father’s death… but I’m also her son and responsible for her, so I’m not just going to abandon my responsibilities to her because of something as small as my own feelings on the matter.”
I don’t feel like his feelings are a small thing at all. But he continues as he pulls a shirt on over his head. “I wasn’t alone, either. I had the rest of my Bonded Group. Gryphon and the Draven brothers didn’t just welcome me with open arms… they filled in any gaps in my life that my mother might have left behind for me. When I graduated high school, all three of them came. North signed all the paperwork for my college acceptance with me. Gryphon took me car shopping and did his best to talk me out of the motorcycle because he thought he was supposed to be steering me towards a safer option, even though he test drove it with me and bought one for himself as well. When I started struggling with my classes after Gryphon found you and brought you back, Nox stayed up with me and got me back to where I needed to be to stay on the football team. I just… I stopped going home for dinner and just went to the Draven mansion for years, because they were my family now. It could have been a lot worse, and I need to extend that goodwill to my mother. She had just lost her chances of ever having a family in the same way that mine was being built in those moments. I can hate my experience as much as I want, but I’m not going to let that dictate how I respond.”
I duck forward to wrap my arms around Gabe’s waist, pressing my face into his back between his shoulder blades and inhaling the clean smell of him. My lungs fill up with the scent of my own shampoo mixed with his, the mishmash that they all now share thanks to the one bathroom situation we’re all still holding on to despite other options.
“You’re a good man, Gabe. Better than I deserve.”
“Definitely better than the rest of us,” Atlas gripes, and Gabe scoffs at him, shoving him with his free arm as the other comes to lay against my own as he holds me there against his back.
“That’s not hard, Bassinger.”
The small town center is bustling with bodies when we get down there, not all of them are newcomers. There are a lot of people volunteering to help move groups and families into houses, everyone coming together to welcome more Gifted into the Sanctuary and into the relative safety we have found here. My heart clenches in my chest as I watch families being reunited, people calling out to siblings or aunties and uncles, even some Bonded Groups coming back together now that the vetting process has been completed and we’re able to move more people in.
Gabe walks with my hand in his, smiling and chatting to people happily, like the little social butterfly he’s always been. Atlas scoffs at him from my other side. His arm is tight around my shoulder as we work our way through to the center where the rest of our Bonded Group is waiting for us, minus Nox, who is still on his research binge.
I make a mental note to grab him some lunch and take it up to him later.
Gabe only releases my hand when we reach the others, and he moves forward to hug a man that I assume is his uncle.
The man has a kind-sounding voice and seems to be genuinely happy to have his arms full of his nephew. “Have you gotten taller, Gabriel? I didn’t think that was possible! You were already a beast of a boy when I last saw you.”
When Gabe pulls back, he slaps at his uncle’s shoulder with a grin. “No, Jeremy, just wider, thanks to a city needing to be built. I’m definitely glad to have some more experienced hands on deck.”
Jeremy nods and jerks his head at the two teenage boys behind him. “We’re here, and we’re ready. We’re glad to be out of harm’s way. Things were getting pretty bad out there.”
Gabe frowns a little and nods, slapping his shoulder again. “Sorry it took so long. I’m glad you’re all here safe now. I can see that you’ve already met North and Gryphon. Let me introduce you to Oli, my Bonded, and Atlas, the last of our Bonded Group. Nox is busy with his books.”
I step forward and reach out my hand to shake Jeremy’s, his grasp firm but friendly, dropping away the moment that I release his hand, and he smiles warmly at me.
This is probably the closest I’ll come to meeting Gabe’s parents, so I do my best to sound friendly and not at all like a monstrous Soul Render here to destroy the Gifted Community for shits and giggles. “It’s good to finally meet you. I’m glad to hear that Gabriel finally has someone keeping him in line.”
Gryphon scoffs a little, smiling warmly enough at Jeremy that it tells me a lot about the man’s character. Gryphon is the harshest judge, especially when it involves someone in the Bonded Group. “I’m not sure Oli keeps him out of trouble, it’s more that she finds herself in it enough to keep the rest of us distracted and busy.”
My jaw drops playfully, and I shoot Jeremy a mock scandalized look. “I would never throw myself into trouble. It’s not my fault it’s attracted to me.”
Atlas smirks and presses a kiss into my temple. “Who wouldn’t be?”
I bump him gently with my hip, happy to be standing around flirting with them all as though we’re just a normal Bonded Group. Jeremy looks warmly at us all, not concerned with the rumors of who, and what, we are.
He gestures at the teenage boys standing slightly awkwardly behind him. “These are my sons, Arlo and Ezra. Their moms are already at the house we’ve been assigned. They wanted to get my little girl settled before the crowd got too overwhelming for her; she gets overstimulated pretty easily.”
Gabe nods and helps direct Jeremy through the crowd, the rest of us trailing behind him. I let my hand slip into North’s as the councilman smile stays fixed on his mouth.
He greets everybody politely as we walk through the Gifted, those who had been here for months all greet him back just as warmly, but the newcomers seem a little nervous around him. It creeps down my spine like an irritating itch, but I have to remind myself that the rumors about the Dravens are extensive, and most of these people will have nothing but those stories to go on. It’s natural for them to be a little hesitant about a man who has been portrayed by everybody in his community to be nothing more than a mindless monster with shadow nightmares that are poised and ready to rip them apart at a moment’s notice.
None of them know the North Draven who has spent his entire life breaking his own back to support his community, who has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into this city, if not billions, for no reason other than his own integrity and morals. None of them know all of the things he sacrificed for them, because he’s not just a good person, he’s the best of the best.
“If you keep giving me those eyes in public, we’re going to disgrace ourselves, Bonded.”
North’s words don’t stop me from staring at him in adoration. If anything, they make it worse. He’s still smiling and greeting everyone around us, but there’s a warmth in him, a relaxed sort of ease that says how happy he is within himself.
It bleeds out and soaks into me as well until I feel almost giddy around him.
We break away from the town center and the concentration of bodies as we walk towards the unfinished section of the town, the next development that North and Gabe have been working on. Gabe starts pointing out to Jeremy and his cousins all of the work that he has been doing, the areas that need more supplies, and the various stages of incompletion. There’s at least twenty houses that are at the lock-up stage at a standstill while they wait for the right skilled workers to be able to go in there and complete things such as plumbing and electricity. There’s forty more houses that are waiting for the glaziers to finish putting in the windows and fourteen more that are still having walls and roofs put up.
“Is this enough to house the Bonded Groups that are here?” Jeremy asks as he looks around, and North nods.
“If we are able to put two Bonded Groups in each house, then yes. Long term, we would like everybody to have their own residence if they want to.”
Jeremy nods and looks further out. “How much land do you have here?”
North follows his gaze and his fingers flex in mine a little. “The entire valley and a significant portion around it. We’re hoping to be able to move another wave of Gifted in in the next month or so as well, so as much as you can get done as quickly and as safely as possible is what we’re aiming for here, because Gabe is going to be pulled away for other work soon.”
Jeremy glances at his nephew and then back to North. “Other work that’s more important than this?”
He’s not questioning him exactly, more like he’s trying to get a read of the situation, and Gabe leaves it to North to decide how much we are willing to say.
But my Bonded always has an answer for everything.
“I’m sure you’ve already heard about the differences our Bonded Group has to others. It’s safer if we’re all together, and we can’t just run and hide from the Resistance forever. The best way to keep people safe is to stop them from being hunted in the first place, so we would appreciate all of your help in getting these houses finished for the people taking refuge here, but we are also going to be on the offensive.”
Jeremy nods, squaring himself up and rolling his shoulders back as though he’s preparing himself for a fight, but he’s busy looking at the buildings. The war he is preparing to wage is the one that he is most skilled in.
“There’s nothing to worry about, Councilman Draven. We’ll have these houses finished in no time. A lot of my workers also came through in this portion of the move in, and we’re all happy to pull our own weight in this community. There isn’t a single person who made the move who isn’t aware of what you’re doing for everyone. I, for one, appreciate my kids being safe because of you. The more people we can get out of the Resistance’s path, the better.”
Aside from Kyrie, this man has cemented himself as my favorite family member of the Bonded Group, and I shoot Gabe a grin, happy to see how proud and relieved he looks at his uncle’s words.
Jeremy looks around again before nodding. “Building houses on the fly isn’t easy, and you’ve all done an incredible job for the community.”
North holds out a hand to shake Jeremy’s as though they’re sealing a deal. The moment he lets go, Jeremy starts walking towards the houses with his sons, speaking to them about what they’re going to tackle and how best to go about getting everything done.
Gabe lets out a breath and rubs his hands over his eyes. “Thank fuck, it’s not all on me anymore.”
North nods and slaps his shoulder. “You should be proud of getting it this far, Gabe. You really did an excellent job, and Bassinger too.”
Atlas shrugs and kicks his feet against the dusty path like he’s feeling uncomfortable taking the praise. “I mostly lifted things. Oli’s the one who learned how to tile like a pro.”
He’s trying to shift the focus, so I help him out, laughing and pretending to flex my muscles. “I carried things too! There was also that one time that you saved Gabe from being squashed by a bathtub, that was pretty impressive.”
Gabe groans. “Don’t remind me. He’s still giving me shit about not securing it properly in the first place, but he would have never figured out about his power growing if I hadn’t, so silver linings and all that.”
