Forced Bonds (The Bonds That Tie, #4)(51)

Having Vivian in the training center again, now that he has been able to move his Bonded Group into the Sanctuary, has also lightened some of the load. Unser had been called away with the first wave of Resistance attacks, and Vivian had been unwilling to move Adella, their Central Bonded, into the Sanctuary until Unser had gotten back.

I understand their reasoning completely.

The three of them are some of our greatest allies, the most powerful and trustworthy people that I know, and I, for one, am fucking relieved to have them all home.

I set Oli back down on her feet with one last kiss before turning away from her and pulling the rest of my Tac gear on. It’s easier to get it done when I'm not looking at her, and by the time I turn around again, I find her fully clothed and ready to go.

When we step out of the changing room together, we find Kieran already suited up and ready for us, a determined look on his face and a steely set to his jaw.

This is now very personal for him.

They went after his Bonded, and now he has a motivation to get this information that rivals my own. Almost, but not quite, because while he’s trying to avenge what happened to Sage and ensure it never happens again, I’m coming to terms with the fact that half of my Bonded Group has beings literally living inside of them that could take over at any time.

I can't believe that there are more of these bonds out there, that there are more of these things that are living inside people that could change the course of the war against the Resistance.

It brings up so many more questions than it answers. How many of them are there? Why are they so powerful? And how do they keep reincarnating into people? How are they different from my own bond and what does this mean for my Bonded, long term? Is she going to end up time-sharing her body with something else? Because that does not sit right with me at all. The thought of anyone using her, let alone something that we can't get out of her… it’s fucking horrifying.

Would she even want it out of her?

Oli might, but I doubt North or Nox would be willing to give up their Gifts, especially since they have used them to shield our communities and each other so heavily.

We need those books, and we need some answers.

Nox steps out of the elevator followed by North, both of them dressed in Tac gear as we all prepare to head out to the Hail Mary together. I'd tried to talk North into staying home, but he had insisted on coming because of his bond. Apparently, he had made an agreement with it for more ‘transparency’ once we find these books.

Gabe and Atlas are staying behind to keep an eye on things within the community. With their mind connections now with Oli, it means that we would be notified immediately if something were to happen.

Gabe is focusing on finishing the house and, with enough supervision, Atlas can actually help him with that. They had both railed against the decision, wanting to be helpful in figuring this mess out, but like North had said, there has to always be someone from our Bonded Group in the Sanctuary.

The house is also a priority for us because of Oli’s security, nothing about that has changed.

“We're getting in, getting the items, and getting out. This is not a school excursion. We're not going so that you can all say that you have gotten into the Hail Mary and made it out safely. We stick together and get home as fast as possible. I don't like moving resources. If this wasn't urgent, we wouldn't be doing it,” Kieran says to the small team of personnel that are traveling with us.

All of them nod decisively and even Rockelle manages to keep his mouth shut. The events of the last few days have worn him out, and the harsh policy of locking up even our most trusted friends has definitely been noticed by the personnel around us.

Some of them have voiced disgust and concern over it, but the majority have only felt respect for the decision. Having leadership that doesn’t prioritize their own feelings and friendships over the good of the community is never a bad thing. Dara was important to us all, and North and I had been very careful about what we had done in response to her senseless death.

We'd also been very careful about how we had explained Sage and her Bonded being released. Everybody knew that we were going to get Giovanna and Riley for more information, and they had been made aware of the leak in our security.

Not that we've told anyone about the void eyes yet.

There's no need for mass panic, and North’s meeting at the summit with the non-Gifted community has made him even more careful about what information we share with people. We don't want anything getting out to the wrong crowd right now.

Kieran holds out his arm and Oli grabs it without hesitation. I grab his wrist and then wait until North and Nox also have a good grip on him, and then with a pop, we disappear, on our way to the most terrifyingly secure place on earth.





We arrive at the Hail Mary and my boots land directly in a giant puddle of water, the rain is pouring down on us, and I slip my hand onto Oli's neck to ease her travel sickness without a word.

I let my Gift out to assess if there's anyone here who shouldn't be. I’m on high alert just in case Davies left behind some scouts of his own. Shadow creatures stream from Nox like smoke billowing from a chimney, and they spread out around the building to do the same. The TacTeam personnel have been trained not to interfere with the creatures, and they all stand deathly still as the various forms of canines dart around them all, their jaws full of razor-sharp teeth that are desperate to devour fully grown men.