Forced Bonds (The Bonds That Tie, #4)(36)

I sit back on my heels, careful not to freak out and ruin any of the very careful positioning that Gabe and I have done around us. Atlas was not exaggerating when he said that he was terrible at doing this, and he has been relegated to mixing the tile glue for us instead of helping.

“Why would she ask to be alone and away from her Bonds? No wonder she looks like a mess.”

Gabe clears his throat, careful to keep his eyes on what he's doing as he lays another tile and levels it off. “She's afraid that she'll hurt them, that's why. She has no recollection of killing Dara, no clue how someone manipulated her into doing it, and she's terrified that there's some sort of ‘kill switch’ inside of her waiting to be flipped that could be used against either of her Bonded.”

My heart drops down to my feet.

I want to burst into tears for her. I know exactly what it feels like to be terrified of something inside of you that you have no control over. The thought that she is now going through this, and going through it by herself, locked in a cell so close to the people who love her the most but completely terrified to even seek comfort from them… I just want to scream.

I swallow my tears back. “I need to go see her. I need to do more to figure out what the hell is going on and get her the fuck out of there.”

Gabe nods, and I hand him another tile as he moves our positions further towards the open doorway where Atlas is waiting for us to finish up. We only have a few left to place before we need to leave the room to let everything dry, and I'm proud of how amazing they look.

“Sawyer has been obsessive about finding whoever has done this, and Gryphon went straight back to the cells when you guys got home to continue working through the prisoners there to figure out what happened. Now that we have Giovanna, we should hopefully get some answers.”

I make a disgruntled sound at the mention of that bitch’s name, and Gabe looks over his shoulder at me. “Did she say anything to you guys when you picked her up? Is there anything at all that we can go on?”

I hand him another tile and huff in frustration. “Not really. Only that she's fully bonded now, which means that she knows who her real Bond Group is and that she had more power this time. Riley looked absolutely horrendous, like he was dying a slow death. She's definitely done a number on him.”

Gabe winces and nods. “I still feel guilty that none of us realized what the hell was going on. We all just hated him for what he was doing to Sage, when really he was being assaulted by that woman for years.”

A shiver runs down my spine, a warning that my bond does not like the sound of that.

I’m careful as I stand back up to step out of the room, through the open doorway to Atlas. We both stand there and watch as Gabe places the last three tiles on the floor, lining them up perfectly and leveling them off as though he was born to do this.

Atlas takes a sip of his water before handing the bottle over to me. “We can take you down there once we've eaten dinner, if you like. I'm sure North and Gryphon won’t mind.”

I nod and smile, taking a long sip. The room had been horrendously hot, and even after Gabe had found a couple of box fans for us to use, it still was not the most enjoyable experience being in there. I have sweated more than the last workout session that I had with Gryphon and I probably smell horrendous right now, but neither of my Bonded seem to notice or care.

I hear the front door unlock and feel the tingling sensation of more of my Bonded arriving as North and Gryphon walk into the house together. I can't hear what they are talking about from Atlas’ room but neither of them rush to find us, so there’s nothing urgent going on.

I glance at Atlas and Gabe before smiling sheepishly. “I’m going to grab a shower before I head down to see them. There’s no need for all of you to be forced to smell my stench.”

Atlas smirks at me and drawls back, “Yours is the only one that is working, so you might want to share.”

I plant a hand on his chest and shove at him playfully, though I might as well shove at a brick wall for how far he moves.”

“If I wasn't allowed to get in with her this morning when it was just you here, there’s no chance you’re getting in there now with the rest of us here,” Gabe jokes, and I turn on my heel and scurry away from both of them before they can give me too much shit.

By the time I'm done cleaning myself up and pulling on a set of the silky pajamas that North insists on buying for me, Nox has arrived as well, and my entire Bond Group is sitting around the kitchen island breakfast nook with plates of dinner in front of them.

There are takeout containers at the counter, so one of them has grabbed food from the dining hall before coming over. I almost start drooling at the delicious smell of the burgers and fries. North’s chef had moved to the Sanctuary with us but had taken up work in the dining hall to feed the masses while we sort out the food supply and, boy, have I missed his cooking.

I might have to beg North for the lobster and fish sliders.

I also wasn't expecting a family dinner. I'm a little shocked that Nox is here, especially given the sour mood he is so clearly in, but I smile and take my plate from North without another word. He gives me a stern once-over as though he’s checking me for mortal wounds, and I smile sweetly back at him.

Gabe and Atlas flank me at the table, and I tuck into my food without another word. The chef is freaking amazing at cooking huge quantities of food to feed the entire community and yet still making it delicious, so there’s nothing I want more than to just inhale this plate full of burgers. I’m happy to soak up the company of all of my Bonds together and just enjoy the peaceful moment with all of the people who mean the world to me.