Forced Bonds (The Bonds That Tie, #4)(60)

He pulls back just far enough that I can see his void eyes again, his face still that blank slate that says Nox isn’t in control right now at all, and then he breathes against my lips, “Mine.”

I come again, gushing down my thighs and his until the sounds our bodies make as we move together becomes obscene. He tumbles over the edge after me, coming with a roar that doesn’t sound human at all, that same otherworldly voice that his brother’s bond has.

I’m a gasping mess as my bond curls itself around his, binding us together, and everything feels right.

Perfection.

A void I didn’t know existed inside of me knits itself back together until I’m whole. For the first time in my existence I can breathe properly, my lungs at full capacity after a lifetime of just scraping by.

I’m vaguely aware of Gryphon pulling me back down into his arms, cradling me against his chest as he soothes away the trembling that overtakes me with his big, calloused hands. Every inch of my body is hypersensitive, my thighs clenching together as my pussy throbs with the aftershocks of the Bonding.

I could die happy now.

I could walk into any Resistance camp and destroy them all; a weapon that’s been forged in fire and come out deadlier than ever.

I feel it the moment Nox takes control of his body again, his eyes shifting back to the same deep blue hue as North’s, and I want to whimper as he sits up, flinging his legs off the side of the bed as he gets up. I start to rationalize that of course that’s what’s going to happen, and I’m absolutely fine right now, but Gryphon has other plans.

“Lie down. You’re not going anywhere until her nesting is done. If you can’t hack it, then let your bond out again.”

Nox opens his mouth, but Gryphon cuts him off without letting him utter a word. “It’s not up for discussion. If you step away from this bed, I will drag you back.”

I barely breathe, so sure that I’m about to watch the two of them fight to the death right here in front of me, and I’m suddenly glad that my other Bonded are close by.

I’ll need the backup.

It takes a full minute, but Nox’s eyes shift back to black, then he climbs back onto the bed, facing me without touching me at all. He stares at me, his face blank and his eyes unblinking as his bond takes up watch.

It’s a start.

Not a great one, but it’s something.





Chapter Eighteen





Atlas



I feel it the moment our Bonded Group is complete.

I'm sure everyone does.

It's as though a piece I didn't know was missing slides into place in my chest. Suddenly I can breathe at full capacity, having no idea that for so long it had only been at eighty percent. I should feel relieved, grateful, ecstatic, every good emotion you can possibly think of, that we’re now protected by having a closed circuit between the six of us, but there’s a part of me that desperately wants to stalk through this house, break down Oli’s bedroom door, and kill Nox for touching my Bonded.

Our Bonded.

I don't need to reach out to Oli to know that she's okay. I can feel her there in my chest, and she’s also content with the completed Bond. I’d only been able to stay calm about the whole fucking mess because Gryphon was in there as well. He was acting as a sort of ‘chaperone’ to make sure that Nox didn't hurt her in any way while she was so vulnerable to him, but I can't shake the feeling that I need to go and see it with my own two eyes.

I don't understand why he hates her so much.

I don't understand how her running away could’ve hurt him so deeply that he still couldn't see sense once the truth of it all was presented to him.

I get the feeling that the guy has some deep-seated mental issues or something from the way that everyone treats him. I have to admit that the idea of him being in our Bonded Group still pisses me off. He’s a liability and a danger to Oli. I’ll never take that shit lightly.

We’ve almost lost her too many times already.

I'm still sleeping on a mattress on the floor of my newly finished room, but I couldn't care less about it. I’m hoping to only have to sleep in here a few nights a week when Oli wants time alone with her other Bonded, so the idea of picking out anything and being fussy with it just doesn't interest me. Gabe had been a good sport about helping me get it done, as well as his room, while everybody else was away. There’s still so much to be done around here before the house is actually finished, he easily could’ve told me to fuck off.

He’s also a surprisingly patient teacher, and his dedication to getting this place finished, and getting Oli away from the rest of the community, is definitely something that I can get behind.

He’s someone I don’t mind sharing her with.

Once we’d finished grouting my bathroom and laying the carpets, we had moved on to North’s room, which needed the most work. The guy is fussy as fuck when it comes to interiors, which means more work for us. I would point it out to him, loudly and often, just to be an asshole, except that the guy also built an entire town for his community without once asking anything of them beyond their loyalty to each other and to help where they can.

I might cut him some slack for insisting on incredibly fussy tile work.

Gabe hadn't let me touch a single thing in North's room, not trusting me to not fuck it up, and I don't blame him. The only good perk there was that during the day, we had figured out how my power had grown.