Forced Bonds (The Bonds That Tie, #4)(38)

“My bond gave her the shadow. If you're so concerned that my bond is going to attack her or hurt her in any way, then know that it gave her the creature. When she comes to sleep in my room at night, which all of you insisted on, even though I’d rather not have her there and I have fought from word go, my bond is the one who stays with her. My bond does not wish her any harm. I might, but the bond doesn't. If you have concerns, it should be about me, not it.”

Is it weird that those words all seem like a romantic gesture to me?

I've always found North's bond alluring, like a beacon calling out to me, and the thought that Nox’s bond might treat me the same way is incredibly tempting.

Gryphon gives me a very stern look, and my cheeks flush.

Don't you dare rat me out right now, I send directly to him and pray that no one else in my mind link can hear it. He flexes his jaw as though he's grinding his teeth, but he gives me the slightest nod.

He's telling the truth though, isn't he?

Gryphon sends straight back to me, no hesitation, The only thing he has any sort of a lie flagging for is that he might want to hurt you, and I think that that is the use of the word might, Bonded, so I think I will be chaperoning the two of you a little more.

I shrug, because I already knew that Nox has the capability to hurt me, he has in so many ways already, but I'm not scared of him, and I'm especially not scared of him now that I know his bond is in there and wants me.

I'm not particularly arrogant about the men that I have in my Bond Group. I don't feel as though they owe me anything or that they are tied to me without their own consent, but there has been a small part of me that feels as though I deserve the vitriol that Nox slings at me at every opportunity.

They all deserve to have a Bonded that is not a danger to them and society. They deserve to not be tied to a freaking monster. I still can't walk down the street in the Sanctuary, a place that I protected and saved from the Resistance without a second thought, without attracting the terrified looks and constant whispers of the people who live here.

I will always be on the outskirts of society because even though I may choose to use my Gift for good, I'm still a threat because people change. We know this from how many people have chosen to defect to the Resistance over the years, even after being brought up in good families and knowing better than to believe their rhetoric. I don't blame them for being scared of me.

I'm scared of me.

North gets up from the table, leaving his half eaten burger behind, and stalks through the house until he gets to my room, pushing the door open and walking straight in as though it’s his own. I think it's weird for about two seconds before I remember I'm the only one with working plumbing and assume that he's gone either to pee or splash water on his face to calm himself down so that he doesn't murder his brother.

Gryphon tucks back into his own dinner, chewing slowly and scowling around at random points in the room. I already feel sorry for any of his operatives who have to train with him tomorrow. He is not going to be a pleasant person to be around.

Nox finishes off the last of his burger and then pours himself another whiskey. For once, he doesn't seem in a rush to leave, and I don't know whether it's the alcohol dulling his sharp edges or if he is doing it out of spite because he wants to stay in everyone's faces while they digest the news of his bond.

“What did you say to North's bond when you spoke to it?” Atlas says, and Gabe gives him another stern look over my head.

“It's none of your business. That’s between the two of them.”

I shrug and dip one of my fries in ketchup before taking a bite. “North has always been really worried about his shadows. I wasn't worried, but I wanted to be able to give him a reason to not be as well, so I spoke to his bond before we… completed our bond. It told me that it belonged to me and it couldn't hurt me, that it was impossible for bonds to hurt each other.”

“Well, that's not true,” Gabe says, shoving the last quarter of his burger into his mouth all in one go. When I roll my eyes at him, he squeezes my leg under the table again.

“What do you mean?”

“North’s dad—” Gabe says before realizing that Nox is still sitting at the table and that it was his dad as well, giving him a sheepish side glance, but Nox is happily drinking the whiskey and acting as though none of us are even sitting at the table with him.

North’s dad.

I glanced at Gryphon. He still has that thunderous look on his face, but he's staring at me now as the pieces start to click together in my brain

“North’s bond told me that North believes the lie, and that's why he thinks that the bond and the shadow creatures can hurt me.”

Gryphon’s brows furrow and he reaches out to North through our communal mind connection so that everybody at the table except Nox can hear it. You need to come back here. Something big is happening.

In a matter of seconds, North is striding back into the room, his jacket off and the top buttons of his shirt undone.

“Your bond said that you believed ‘the lie’ and that's why you think that it can hurt Oli.”

“It's clearly making shit up to get to her,” North snaps, running a hand through his hair and messing it up a little until I can see some of the curls break free.

I tilt my head at him, thinking it all over, but there’s too many questions here.