Blood Bonds(The Bonds That Tie #3)(59)

I cut him off before he can start a new rant all about my weakness for her. It’s nothing new, and I’m not ashamed of it. She’s my Bonded, and she’s proven that she’s more than worthy. I’m the one who needs to prove myself here, not her. “Just leave it. If having her sleep in here isn’t working out, then we can make changes. There’s always another solution. I went with this one because I thought it would be the least… invasive for you. If you have any other ideas, just tell me.”

He snorts and pets at the creature on his chest, scratching behind his ear. He’s not usually affectionate with them around me. I’ve known that he has a better, stronger connection with his creatures, but I’ve never actually seen that affection in action before.

More of Oleander’s influence.

My own bond itches under my skin, August wanting out to be with her, but with all of Nox’s arsenal around us, this isn’t the place for him right now. Brutus might tolerate him but the others won’t. They know a rabid shadow when they see it, and while he might have tamed a little, I don’t trust August fully. I still keep a very tight leash on him, especially when Oleander isn’t awake.

No matter what my bond told her, I can’t take that chance. Not with her.

“Go to bed, brother. You look like shit, and now you’ve seen that your little poisonous Bonded is alive and well, you should get some rest.”

I roll my eyes at his jabs at her, the little barbs that do nothing to me but dig under her skin, exactly the way he wants them to.

I rub a hand over my face and try to stifle the yawn threatening to take over me. “I’ll never sleep well again. Not with the sheer amount of threats we’re facing. The Sanctuary isn’t going to be ready in time.”

Because we both know the biggest of my concerns is getting us all out of the path of the Resistance, to stop them from being able to just pop into our community and pick us off one-by-one. Though I’ve been working on a solution for years, now is the time to move.

He glances at me, stroking a hand down the creature's back. “You’ll get it done. The problem is going to be convincing people to move into it.”

I might be the monster that everyone thinks I am, because when it comes down to it, I don’t care about whether or not we get the Top Tier families out there. I care about the vulnerable and the poor, those who can’t get themselves out of the Resistance’s path.

I care about my brother and the rest of the Bonded Group.

And, more than anything else, I care about making sure that Silas fucking Davies never lays his sadistic cunt eyes on my Bonded again.





Chapter Eighteen





Oli


I not-so-slowly but very surely lose my mind being stuck in the Draven mansion.

I mean, I knew it was coming, but with every day that I’m feeling better and needing less sleep, the itch to go and do things gets worse. Gryphon tries to tamp it down by thoroughly destroying me in the gym, but that only pisses me off. North’s attempts are more about coaxing more information about the five years I spent alone, firsthand accounts, because he wants to know everything in case we’ve overlooked some vital information.

That only makes me feel useless and morose about leading the enemy to my Bonds.

Gabe does the best job of distracting me, but only because he offers to chaperone for Atlas and I to hang out, and the three of us spend hours trying to figure out how the hell to get out of this place. Atlas is good at this game, mostly because he has so much experience in escaping from well-connected people, and some of his suggestions astound Gabe and me.

Nox disappears again.

I’m not surprised, but I am a little envious that he’s allowed to just come and go freely. I have the ability to literally rip people's souls out, and yet I’m the most protected person on the freaking planet at this point, I’m sure.

One incredibly slow and boring week after I come home, the Resistance finally make their next move against us.

I find out mid-training session at the gym a little before dawn while I’m sweating my ass off on the treadmill. Gabe and Grey are on the weight machines while Gryphon is sparring with Sawyer, Felix, and Sage. Well, Sage is mostly trying to get out of the sparring, but every time she inches towards me, Gryphon sends her a look that terrifies her into going along with his sadistic circuit of evil.

She’s getting pretty freaking impressive at taking down men twice her size though, so I’m not going to fight him over her treatment.

North arrives at the door with Kieran in full Tac gear and three other TacTeam operatives the same time that Gryphon’s phone starts blowing up. I hit the stop button on the treadmill and climb down, grabbing a towel to wipe off my face as I stalk over to the crowd. Sage glances over at me and comes up to my side, eyeing Kieran. It’s still super freaking weird around them at the moment while they figure their shit out, but I also like him a lot after our time in the camps. I’m all for them figuring this shit out together.

I’m more for him than I’ll ever be for Riley, even knowing he’s been manipulated. I can’t just forgive and forget, that shit isn’t in me.

“There’s been an attack at Draven and in the surrounding township,” North says. Gryphon is cursing viciously under his breath as he stalks over to the changing rooms to get into his gear.