Gryphon’s father looks a lot like you would imagine a man who is nicknamed ‘the General’ would look like.
I’ve seen him before, thanks to the framed photo of him in Gryphon’s room back at the Draven mansion, the family shot of Gryphon, Kyrie, and his parents smiling and looking so happy in it, but there’s none of that smiling man sitting in front of me right now.
North had insisted on wedging me between himself and Gryphon, and for once, Atlas doesn’t argue with him at all about it. It occurs to me that he is playing into the same game that the rest of my Bonded Group always do, showing nothing but a united front in front of anyone who might use any weaknesses against us, and for a second, I feel a little bad for Gryphon that we’re treating his family this way.
One look at the General tells me that he would definitely use any weaknesses to harm some of my Bonded Group.
His face is impassive and a lot like Gryphon’s when he looks at his son, that blank slate that is almost impossible to read as he assesses the situation, but the moment he looks at Nox or North, there is a loathing there that he doesn’t even attempt to mask or hide.
No wonder they both struggle to act civilly with him.
The moment we’d walked in, he had blanked Gabe out as though he wasn’t even important enough to acknowledge, something that had set my teeth on edge. The look of disgust that he gives Atlas is the final nail in the coffin, as far as I’m concerned.
Thank God I’d spoken to my bond before we had entered this room.
If it hadn’t gone to sleep in my chest, continuing the recovery process it needs after so much power expended, we would probably be cleaning intestines off of the walls or something, because I doubt it would have even made it a clean, soul-tearing sort of demise for this man.
No, it would’ve called Azrael and August out of our Bonded and asked them sweetly to deal with this problem for it. They would’ve done it with their sweetest, toothiest grins on their little shadowy faces too. I know it.
“Another Death Dealer,” the General mutters loudly enough that we all know he’s trying to piss us off.
It’s probably a test for me to see how my temper handles his assholeness, but I don’t rise to the bait. Instead, I look at the two women sitting on that side of the table with him, trying to figure out which one is Gryphon’s mother, though it’s pretty easy to guess. She has the same eyes as Gryphon and Kyrie, and there’s a maternal warmth in her gaze as she stares at her son as though he’s the only person sitting in this room.
The other woman gives him a quick assessing glance before she stares back at me as though I am dirt beneath her shoe.
It’s going to be a long day.
North acts as though the General never spoke and shuffles some papers in front of him. “Is there anything else you need to report?”
He glances between us and then his eyes fall on his son, dismissing North’s question. “Just because they are your Bonded Group doesn’t mean they have clearance for this sort of information. I’m not going to just hand over our intel, that we lost so many good men to get, in front of a Bassinger just because he showed up in a blood test.”
I don’t need to look at Atlas to know how this will be pissing him off, but Gryphon doesn’t give him the opportunity to lose his temper. “Every person in this room has the same level of clearance. If you don’t think that our screening processes are rigorous enough, then you’ll need to discuss that with the council.”
“Luckily, we have a representative in the room,” Nox tacks onto the end, and he leans forward in his chair to gesture to North. “Go right ahead and make your case.”
The General doesn’t react to his words, just continues staring at his son as though the rest of us don’t exist. I find it fascinating how a man could have loved his son so deeply but loathed the people he loves most like this, because it’s clear to me that he is hurting Gryphon. He might not show it on the outside, and I don’t have the ability to read his emotions or his mind the way that he can with the rest of us, but I’m his Bonded, and I know it just as well as I know how much it’s pissing me off.
“Funny you should bring up the blood tests,” North starts, leaning back in his chair and smoothing a hand down the front of his suit in a very leisurely way that I’m sure sets the General’s teeth on edge.
He looks as though he is a playboy sort of councilman when he does it, the type who doesn’t have any skin in the game and couldn’t really care less about those underneath him, the exact opposite of who I know North Draven to be, another weapon he is wielding against this man.
“While you’re here, you should stop by the medical office and have your bloods redone.”
All three of them frown at us, and Gryphon’s mom is the one to reply, “What’s that supposed to mean? Why would we need to do something like that?”
Gryphon clears his throat and looks between the three of them. “We have recently uncovered a Resistance plot to break up the strongest Bond Groups.”
The General rolls his eyes and waves a hand. “Of course they are, that’s what they’ve always done.”
Gryphon nods and speaks through gritted teeth, barely holding onto his own temper. “Yes, but we found out their long game. They’ve been messing with the blood testing and the Bonded Groups, specifically. We uncovered that they had specifically miscategorized a Central Bond and had one of her Bonds assaulted by a Resistance member and had him thinking that she was his Bond.”
There’s a moment of silence in the room and then the General smirks. “Have you all had your bloods retested? Am I finally going to get my son back?”
I would like to kill this man.
I clench both of my hands into fists underneath the table where no one can see it except Gryphon, who glances down at them and then sends through our mind connection, We can leave if you need to, Bonded. We don’t have to sit through this.
I’m surprised when it’s North who loses his temper first, and the way that he does is, I’m sure, the worst way that he could possibly think of.
The small band of smoke that circles his wrist grows until August appears at his side in his largest form, the rows of sharp teeth in his jaws bared as he smiles at Gryphon’s family.
I don’t want anyone to panic or get into an argument about this, so I hold out my hand and beckon the shadow pup until I get his attention. It’s not easy, because he would very much like to eat the General, but I get him over to me and sitting in my lap like the perfect shadow puppy that he is, his tongue lolling out of his head as I scratch him behind his ears. His giant head rests on my shoulders as he snuffles at my hair and just enjoys being out with me again.
“I’ve missed you, sweet boy,” I murmur as he butts at my hands for more scratches, and I giggle as I give him everything that he wants. “I have missed you so much. We need to talk to North about letting us hang out more, because you are so perfect and you shouldn’t be cooped up so much. You’re so sweet for the kisses. Thank you, my sweet boy.”
“And that is why I don’t need my bloods rerun,” North snaps. I startle and look over at him, taking a little bit more notice of what’s happening in the room around me while I was distracted by August. I find the General and both of the women staring at me in absolute horror.
“The creatures tore your mother apart,” the General says in a voice that doesn’t quite shake, but I’m sure that has more to do with his control than the level of fear that is pumping through him.
North nods. “They did that because she wasn’t really my father’s Bonded. The Resistance has been messing with the blood tests for a very long time. You don’t have to have them rerun if you don’t want to, but I have made the suggestion to all of the Top Tier Gifted, just in case. Do with that information what you will.”
I try to catch North’s attention as we leave the meeting room, but he stalks ahead of us all as he hurries off to his office, late already for a council meeting that I’m sure he would rather not attend.
I feel a little sad to have still not been able to see him properly since everything happened with Nox, but I also don’t want to interfere with the work that he’s doing. He’s got a permanently full plate being a member of the council, the only currently serving member actually doing anything to help the community, from what I can tell. I’m not about to throw myself a pity party over him doing his job.
Even when I really want to.
August stays behind with me, and that is enough for now.
Nox stalks off in a bad mood, thanks to everything that was said, and I leave him to it, knowing that he’s going to go back to his books. He’s still obsessively researching everything he can find about our bonds to try to find a link that might get us closer to knowing what it is that they’re really here for.
The possibilities seem endless and terrifying.
Gabe and Atlas both follow behind me slowly, ready to bundle me into the ATV to go back to the house, but Gryphon waves them on. “I need to speak to my Bonded. We’ll head up to the house once we’re done.”
It’s such a firm and no argument sort of command that neither of them bother to question it, simply pressing kisses to my cheeks as they stalk past, laughing and joking with each other now that we’re out of the suffocation of the meeting room.
I shove my hands into the pocket of the jacket that I’d borrowed from Atlas. It’s three sizes too big on me to even be considered a loose fit, but I enjoy being swallowed by the fabric. It smells like him, and nothing makes my bond more happy and content than being surrounded by them, even when they aren’t here physically with me.
“Dad and Serena are going to refuse to meet you, but my mom wants to at least have a conversation with you before they leave.”
I nod and try not to feel awkward about the fact that I don’t actually know what his mom’s name even is, but once again, he proves that you don’t necessarily need to be able to read someone’s mind to know what they’re thinking.
He smirks at me and murmurs quietly, “Her name is Allison, and she definitely falls in line on what the General says, but me and Kyrie are her exception. We always have been.”
I can respect her a lot for that because children should be the exception to everything, and I glance around the room. “Where is Kyrie, or does she not get the same welcome that you do?”
Gryphon groans a little under his breath. “No, she gets it too, and it’s possibly worse than I do. She got it out of the way first thing this morning, before the meeting. Mom has been harassing her about moving over to the East Coast to the Gifted community there. Mom thinks that’s the reason her blood tests have come back without any Bonds so far, but Kyrie has always been happily independent. I think she’d prefer to stay single for another decade or so before she’s tied to someone.”
I nod at that just a little too enthusiastically, and he gives me a look, his eyebrows creeping up his forehead. “The single life is not for you, Bonded. You are far too good at running into danger head first. I think you wouldn’t survive if you were left to your own devices. Better off with all of your Bonded covering your ass when you get some idea of running off.”
I roll my eyes and glance around quickly, finding us alone in the foyer before I push forward and wrap myself around my Bonded. “You guys all survived pretty well without me. I’m sure I would have been fine. Besides, you can’t miss what you don’t know. Kyrie is happy being single because she doesn’t know what she’s missing out on. When she does eventually find her person, or people, she’ll wish she had it sooner.”
Gryphon gets a handful of my ass as he hoists me up into his arms, ignoring my squealing and protests as he presses his lips into mine unrepentantly. “What a terrible thing to miss out on,” he murmurs as I pull away from him, and I smile at him like a lovestruck idiot.
“Good thing you don’t have to,” I mumble back, and this time, I swoop in to kiss him until the sound of footsteps stops it from going any further.
Thank God, because Gryphon’s tongue is a wicked, wicked thing. I’m sure he could have convinced me to do just about anything in that moment. By the time his mom rounds the corner, I’m back on my own two feet with one hand tucked into Gryphon’s tightly, the only connection between us now, and even then I feel like blushing when her eyes drop down to them.
She’s holding a large box, and Gryphon’s mouth sets into a firm line at the sight of it.
“Thank you for picking them up,” he says, and his mom nods before she sets it down at our feet.
“It was no problem, baby,” she says, smiling at him with such pride in her eyes.
I will not make faces at Gryphon’s mother and her fussing over him, though it’s difficult not to and incredibly adorable to see.
He lets go of my hand a little reluctantly as he steps forward to give his mom a hug. She’s a tall woman, but he still has a good five inches on her, and she almost disappears in the hulk of him.
“Your father is considering moving back here. I’ve told him I don’t want to, which is a bald-faced lie, but I don’t think it’s a good idea until he comes around a little more,” she says quietly as she pulls away from Gryphon’s arms.
Her eyes shine a little brighter, the way they do when someone is fighting back tears, and I almost feel as though I’m intruding on a moment that I should not be witnessing. I’m about to step away and make a run for it when she turns to me.
“It’s nice to meet you all. Gryphon has told me so much about you and, though I’m sure it doesn’t look that way, I’m glad the two of you have found each other. Finally.”
That last word stings a little, but I smile at her and duck my head. “It’s lovely to meet you too. I’m sorry that I might not be the ideal Bonded, but I promise that I love your son, and I’m doing my best to be what he needs in a Bonded.”
Gryphon frowns at me, but his mother smiles a little and nods her head. “Every mother wants their child to be safe and loved. Seeing that shadow creature sitting on your lap as though it was a docile puppy actually gave me some hope that my son will get those things. That wasn’t always the case, so I’m grateful for that.”
I kind of want to point out to her that I recently brought one of my Bonds back to life and that there is no one else that we know of who has been able to do that, but I also don’t want to freak her out any further. Instead, I just nod and shake her hand when she finally extends it to me.
Baby steps, right?
Gryphon is quiet as we bundle ourselves into the ATV together, and he gets us on the road towards the house.
The box that his mother had given him rattles a little in the back. I find myself intensely curious at what exactly he wanted her to pick up, but I keep my curiosity to myself for now. I just enjoy his company for a moment.
There’s still a lot of people on the paths despite how early it is. Most of them acknowledge us in some way, waving or calling out good morning to us, and I find myself relaxing back in the seat a little. They might all be afraid of me, but at least we’re now getting to a place where they can be civil. I’m sure this is how things had gone for the Dravens after what had happened with their father, but I find myself completely okay with receiving the same treatment.
August just sits at my feet, his head tucked into my leg protectively as he stares up at me with clear adoration. I rub his head between his ears and coo at him affectionately.
“I don’t think I like that Nox has taught you how to keep me out of your head,” Gryphon says quietly. His voice can barely be heard over the loud motor, and I grin back at him like a lunatic.
I sass him because I was put on this earth to mess with this man, I swear. “I’m supposed to work at making sure no one can get into my head and set me off like a bomb, right? I thought you’d be proud!”
He gives me a side-eye because we both know that he is, but he’s also incredibly fussy, bordering on codependent, with his need to know where I am, what I’m doing, and every last one of my innermost thoughts at all times.
Okay, I’m sure it’s not that bad, but that’s what it feels like.
When we get to the house, I’m surprised when Gryphon keeps driving, taking the small path that leads behind the house and up a small incline, until eventually, we’re looking out over the entire valley.
The town of the Sanctuary is below us, and the mountains that protect the space are looming around us. I find the air knocked out of my lungs a little at the sight of it. It’s a stunning view. For a second, I think that Gryphon is being incredibly romantic with me, until he shuts the engine off and sighs deeply.
It’s not a happy sound.
“What’s happened? What’s pissing you off?”
I’m convinced he’s going to tell me some terrible dark things about his father or some guilt-ridden story of how this is all tearing him apart, but instead, he reaches into the back to open the box with one hand, pulling out a small plastic box and hesitating for a second before he places it on my lap.
“I asked my mom to stop off in Maryland before she came back. A few months ago, I’d started calling around until I found where your parents’ ashes were being held. No one had come to claim them yet, so they were still at the funeral home that had cremated them. I knew that you would want to bring them home, and I didn’t trust anyone but family to get them here safely.”
My breathing becomes unsteady, but I can’t force myself to fix it as I look down at the small box. There’s a white label on it with my mother’s name, her date of birth, and a serial number that I’m sure means something to someone but nothing to me.
I glance back at the box and find more plastic tubs, each one with one of my fathers’ names on it.
Gryphon has brought my family home to me.
“I didn’t tell you about it… just in case we couldn’t find them. North and I have been looking for a few months, and then once we found them, we had to get my mom to go collect them. There was some red tape, but North knows how to cut through that shit.”
My own words have dried up completely, but I think Gryphon knows that. He knows it, and he’s happy to fill in the silence for me while I get my head back together somehow.
“North has been talking about putting in more permanent roots here, how to bring in more infrastructure and businesses so that it becomes a proper town and not just this temporary refuge for us. So if you want this place to be permanent, then we can bury them here. Or we can just take their ashes with us wherever you want to go, Bonded, once we’ve dealt with the Resistance. I know we’re going to now. Without a doubt, we’re going to win this. I always knew, but watching you bring Nox back… there’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to win this fight. Your parents would be so proud of everything you’ve done.”
I nod and wipe away the tears from my cheeks, one of my hands sitting over the little plastic box protectively, as though it’ll disappear into thin air if I let it out of my sight for even a second.
When I finally find my words, they come out as a croak, but they’re probably more meaningful that way.
“Thank you, Bonded.”
