Forced Bonds (The Bonds That Tie, #4)(48)

I let out a slow breath of my own and nod. “Is there anything else that anyone needs to say that probably shouldn't be heard by North or Gryphon before I call them in? Because as far as I'm concerned, this is the proof we need to get Sage out of here.”

Kieran presses one of his fists against the glass and huffs in frustration. “They're not going to let her out. This is proof that she didn't do it herself, which we already knew. North and Gryphon have already agreed that there's no way that she did it, but if someone's already gotten into her brain before, there's a chance they'll do it again. As much as I need her out of here, I don't want to run the risk of her killing someone else. Beyond the fact that an innocent life would be taken, Sage can't have any more blood on her hands like this.”

My eyes flick back to her and I see her staring down at her feet, swallowing roughly as she tries to pull herself together.

All I see there is strength.

“She can handle a lot more than you think she can.”

She glances up at me and I nod back at her. “You've survived this, you can survive being out of here as well. So long as we keep someone with you at all times, someone who knows what is going on and can keep an eye on you, then you should be let out of here.”

Kieran shakes his head. “It's not that easy, Fallows—”

I cut him off. “If it is a Neuro that is outside of the Sanctuary, and they managed to get to Sage, then they could get to any of us as well. If it's a Neuro that's inside the Sanctuary and has managed to get past Gryphon’s security checks and lie detector… again, they could do this to anybody. On the off chance it is someone that Sage made contact with before we came to the Sanctuary… Well, that's one out of three options. I'm willing to take the risk as long as there are precautions.”

Gabe stares at me for a second and then nods. “It's hard to argue with that kind of logic. She's right though, if someone is strong enough to get through the Shields to get into Sage’s brain and commit that sort of act, then we have a lot bigger problems on our hands than worrying about keeping Sage in a cell or not.”

I nod, and then I reach out to North and Gryphon through my mind connection.

I need you guys to come down to the cells at the Tac center. We've found it.

Gryphon replies immediately that he's on his way, and North takes a second to get back to me. I'm still on my way back from the summit. It'll be at least another hour.

Dammit.

Gryphon speaks to him through the communal mind link so that I hear it as well. I'll get the information through to you as soon as I'm there. And then we can wait until you're here to proceed with anything.

There's a flutter in my chest for a second as I prepare myself, but there's no turning back now. You need to bring Nox as well, and you need to prepare him for answering questions about his Gifts. I've already tried to talk Sawyer out of doing anything stupid, but I might need the backup.

There's silence for a moment and then North says, I'll bring Nox with me when I get there. None of you can handle him if things turn ugly.





“What are the chances it's an evolutionary thing? Like we’re somehow evolving from the white eyes to the void eyes?”

Gabe turns from his seat to stare at Felix as though he has lost his mind, but the doctor-in-training doesn't back down. “We have a Soul Render and two Death Dealers with void eyes, and the Dravens have had cases of void eyes over the last few generations, though nothing consistent. Oli, do you know if your family had any history of void eyes?”

I shake my head and try not to look as guilty or as devastated as I usually do when my family is brought up. “I don't think so. My parents were very shocked the first time they changed color… except my mom, but that had more to do with the fact that she had been dreaming of me and my powers for years before I was born.”

That catches their attention.

“I’ve never heard of someone being psychic before, not outside of the phonies in the non-Gifted community who try to claim they can see things, but that’s all a ruse for money,” North says as he stares at the laptop some more.

As soon as North and Nox had arrived, we let Kieran, Felix, and Sage out of their cells, and now everybody is sitting around the interrogation table together as we try to figure out what the hell could be going on here. Sawyer has managed to contain his accusations and threats so far, but he is eyeing Nox like he’s plotting out where he might stab my Bond.

I do my best not to watch him, but I find my eyes continually sliding back to him, and I know it is my bond’s interference.

We don't turn our backs on threats.

Ahh perfect, just what I need from my bond right now. There’s no real point in attempting to reason with it, but for some stupid reason, I give it a go.

Sawyer is not a threat. He won't be a threat. Is there anything that you would like to input into today's discussion about void eyes?

My bond’s answer is less than helpful. It's a threat.

I snap back, irritated, Perfect! That gives me all of the information that I need right now to figure out how to get through this.

They're a threat, girl. They're a threat of something coming, something old that we did not want to be dealing with, but soon will have no choice.

A shiver runs down my spine. We. The collective we? As in, you and me? Or me and my Bonded?