Forced Bonds (The Bonds That Tie, #4)(18)

He pulls me into his arms, wrapping me up tightly and kissing the top of my head. “Are you sure that we can't convince Gryphon to let me come as well?”

I shake my head, rubbing my nose against his pecs and reply, “I need to do this. I need to get out of here and prove that there's something I can do here other than waiting tables and washing dishes.”

I pull away from Atlas and move over to Gabe, who’s standing there wearing basketball shorts and another one of the tank tops with the exaggerated arm holes, which now makes me blush wildly thinking about last night. He gives me a questioning look that I avoid entirely.

When it’s clear I’m not going to say a word about the color on my cheeks, he drawls to Atlas, “She's got to be able to live. I would go crazy with the amount of rules that she's living under. To be honest, the fact that she keeps her bond stable around all of our bullshit is more than any of us really give her credit for.”

He tugs me into his arms and murmurs quietly in my ear, just between us, “You're also pretty good with a nail gun, for the record.”

I snort at his joke and hug him back just as tightly. My bond reaches out to him in a way that it hasn't reached out to any of the rest of them, and I know it's because he is the only one I haven't bonded with so far.

Other than Nox, of course, but that’s a given.

There's still a bleak sort of emptiness inside of me where he belongs, a space carved out in exactly his shape that aches for him. I really need to do something about it… soon.

I look up at him and he gives me that same soft smile that I've come to know. He reserves it just for me, and my insides liquify at the mere sight of it.

“Don't do anything stupid,” he murmurs to me. When I raise an eyebrow at him, he continues, his voice quieter even than before, “Bond, we both know that with Nox there, you’ll be tempted to scorch the earth at his attitude.”

I shake my head at him and murmur back quietly, “No promises,” before stretching up on my tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the lips. I'm still not completely comfortable with a lot of PDA around them all, but it feels wrong to leave him without a kiss.

Gryphon and North stomp their way out of North's bedroom, sour looks on both of their faces, and then Gryphon snaps, “We're already running late, thanks to North. Let's get a move on.”

I follow him out the front door without another word, determined to be the perfectly obedient soldier, for now. Nox is waiting on the front step, already dressed in his Tac gear with a large bag on his back. There’s a man standing with him who I don’t recognize, wearing full Tac gear as well. It still feels weird to use a Transporter that isn't Kieran, and there's a pain in my chest at thinking about my friend.

“We’re late,” Nox snaps, and Gryphon throws a hand out in North’s direction.

“Blame your brother, not us. Oli’s been up for hours already.”

We jog down the stairs together to join them and I roll my shoulders into the weight of the bag a little, letting my body adjust to it. It’s not so bad right now, and I’m sure I can ignore the pain of it for a few hours, at least.

I give my Bonds a quick glance over my shoulder and North gives me a possessive, angry sort of look, one that says he’s regretting all of this already. We haven’t even left yet.

I kind of wanted more of a goodbye with him than this, but with everyone standing around, I feel awkward going back for one last hug.

“Enough with this shit, we’re leaving,” Nox snaps, and I turn back to the Transporter, placing my hand on his arm and clenching my teeth in preparation for the travel sickness that always overtakes me.

Deep breath, Oleander. You can do this.





The woodland area that surrounds the lake is creepy as hell.

North had enough intel to find the whereabouts of the security cameras and other forms of surveillance around the lake house Giovanna and Riley are holed up in, so we already knew how far away we would have to transport in order to remain undetected. There’s a long hike ahead of us today, but with a deep breath of the clean and crisp air, I’m already feeling more comfortable in my own skin.

As soon as our feet hit the ground, the Transporter gives Gryphon a questioning look and then pops back out of existence the moment he gets the go-ahead. My head is spinning and my stomach roils but I swallow against the bile creeping up my throat. Sadly, I don't think my travel sickness is ever going to ease up. Even after this many instances of travel, I still feel fucking horrendous.

Gryphon doesn't even have to look at me to know how terribly I’m doing and, without a word, one of his hands wraps around the side of my neck, his gift flowing into me and easing away the sickness.

I murmur a quiet thank you and pull away the moment that I can. He gives me a questioning look, but it should already be obvious to him why I’m pulling away.

I risk a glance in Nox’s direction

He's already ignoring us both, his shadows streaming out of his body and taking different forms of various canine-like creatures. Some of them look so much like Brutus that I find myself instantly drawn towards them, wanting to pet them and love on them, but I already know that that would be a bad idea.

There's a small puff of air behind my ear and I reach up to grab Brutus, letting him down to join his siblings. He bounds off and snaps at a few of them playfully, the picture of a content puppy amongst grumpy and brooding shadows. I bite my lip to stop myself from giggling at him.