Forced Bonds (The Bonds That Tie, #4)(66)

“Councilman Draven, I have spoken to the other council members about today's meeting, and it has been moved to a video chat instead of in person, as per your request.”

North nods and takes a pile of files from the man, thanking him politely as we step into the elevator. When the doors shut firmly behind us, I turn to give him a questioning look.

He fusses with the cuff of his jacket, looking as though he’d like to climb out of his skin rather than deal with being here and the genteel councilman today. “His name is Tamir, and he’s my new secretary.”

I raise an eyebrow at him, a little shocked, but he just shrugs back. “You didn't like Penelope, and I could no longer look past all of the lines that she was intentionally crossing, so I had her moved elsewhere to be someone else's problem. Tamir comes from a good family, and Gryphon has already vetted him and his Bonded Group.”

I try not to let my indescribable joy show all over my face, but I'm sure I fail miserably.

His eyebrows creep up. “You didn't think I'd fire her?”

I shrug back. ”I’m still learning to trust this. I might trust you implicitly, but there's been a lot of changes in our relationship and the Bonded Group in such a short amount of time. It's taking me a little while to catch up with it all.”

I don’t mention that having a complete bond hasn’t magically solved all of our problems, there’s still a whole load of bullshit that we’re still trying to figure out between us all. I have no idea how we’re going to manage it while also dealing with the Resistance and, you know, the end of the world.

There go my dramatics again.

North nods slowly and the elevator doors open back up to his office. There’s a desk for a secretary in the room, but with a palm against the base of my spine, North directs me over to it and gets me settled there instead.

“If you don't like Tamir, I will find someone else. If he upsets you or your bond reacts to him in any way, that's what we'll do. That's what we'll do about anyone in the future, Bonded, and not just me. If there's someone on Gryphon’s TacTeam who upsets you or your bond doesn't like, then they're gone. I know Rockelle can't keep his mouth shut around you. I’m happy to move him somewhere else if you don't want to see him anymore.”

I smile and duck my head, opening up the laptop that he places in front of me. I log on to see that scans of the books that we had brought home from the Hail Mary are already waiting for me in my inbox from Nox.

He doesn't leave a note or anything, but it still somehow feels like progress to me.

Slow and steady, right?

“We don't have enough TacTeam personnel for me to start having opinions about them… and Rockelle is fine enough. It's mostly just soldier banter. I think that he relishes having something to rally against Gryphon with, but we both know that my Bonded can take care of himself.”

North nods and gets to his own work, spreading open the file in front of him and scowling at the information there. “Rockelle’s father is not only another councilman, but somebody very respected within our community. It's sometimes hard for kids to grow up with that sort of pressure on their shoulders. I know that Councilman Rockelle did not want his son to be a TacTeam grunt. His words, not mine. Top Tier families don't usually like letting their kids serve. They think that labor is beneath them. But Rockelle idolized Gryphon from a very young age and could not be persuaded from joining the TacTeams after him. I think he pokes at you to get more of Gryphon's attention. Don’t take it personally, Bonded.”

I giggle. “So… he's a superfan and just wants Gryphon to love him? That's kind of cute.”

North smiles and shakes his head at me. “He’s a good fighter and has worked his way to being third in the chain of command. I'm relieved that your bond doesn't oppose him being around Gryphon, because there isn't an obvious choice to take his place.”

I open up the files on the computer and take a sip of the bottle of water that North had left behind for me. “I would put up with a lot if it meant keeping you guys safe. Even if Rockelle did bother me, if he's the best choice for Gryphon and his team, then I would have sucked it up and let it go.”

North nods and the frown slips back over his face as he gets sucked back into whatever is on his screen.

We fall into a calm silence as we both work, but I can tell that North is frustrated. Whatever is going on within the council is incredibly taxing for him. I stay quiet so that I don’t disturb him and pretty soon, I lose myself in the document about the void eyes and just what they mean.

We've definitely been here before.

I don't know if I can really say we because I don't feel as though I have been reincarnated, but my bond has definitely been around a few times.

The book I'm reading is about myths and legends of the Gifted community, spanning back hundreds and hundreds of years. The void eyes just keep cropping up in it. The ability to manipulate the shadows, the ability to kill people, the ability to mess with people's minds in such a way that they don't even know what's happening; all of it is there.

It's a little terrifying.

I read it all, nonetheless. I read it until I think my eyes are going to bleed, and then I read it some more. At some point, North accepts an invitation into a video conferencing call and signals to me to stay quiet, and I nod.