Forced Bonds (The Bonds That Tie, #4)(72)
“Fuck that. Bassinger and the little poison Bonded both fought the Resistance when they came here the day after they had bonded, so don't feed me that bullshit as an attempt to get me to stay behind. I'm going, and I'm finding Unser.”
I already know that it's going to be pointless to try and convince him otherwise. He doesn't have any particularly strong ties to the Trigger, but we all understand the significance of the Resistance taking him hostage. They know that Oleander has found her Bonded Group and they are doing what they can to shore up their defenses for when they have to face her. Silas Davies having two Triggers at his disposal, one of them with a huge range and the other able to regenerate at the drop of a hat, it's definitely dangerous for us all.
“Fine. The three of us will go. Oli, Atlas, and Gabe can stay behind.”
We make the decision to leave Kieran behind as well, as an extra set of eyes on the Sanctuary. He’s still extra jumpy, thanks to Sage’s mind abduction, and we’re not sure how long we will be gone, as it is a recovery mission.
I find myself as leery about leaving my Bonded as I am about finding Unser dead.
Oli doesn't take the news of us leaving well, not that she shows it, but we can all feel the inner turmoil inside her as she ducks her head and nods. I hate it. I would do anything to fix it for her, but the compulsion to keep her away from Davies for as long as I possibly can is stronger than anything else, especially with the Bond being so newly complete.
Someday soon, she’s going to be as close to invincible as any mortal will ever get. Until then, I’ll be her first line of defense.
“What if you need a power pick-me-up? What if you run out while you're out there?” she says, and while Nox keeps his back to her as he pulls his Tac gear on, I can see that she has his interest.
I already knew that he’d been interested in the power exchange from a philosophical point of view. I get it, I’d never heard of a Bond being able to do something like that before. I know that he had doubled his research on Soul Renders once I had told him what had happened when the Resistance had shown up here and she had funneled all that power through to me.
“I’m not going to need the power. The Wasteland we're going to is still brand new. Between the three of us, we’ll be able to have it dealt with. We have done it before, before you came home to us, and we all know how to do our jobs. Just trust me, Bonded.”
She huffs a little under her breath. “It's not about trust. It's about wanting you all to come home.”
Gryphon stands in the doorway and checks over his weapons one last time, that same obsessive tic that he has as a ritual each time he goes out on a job, as though touching each of his guns and knives in a certain order will ensure his safety. I can’t really give him too much shit about it.
He has always made it back.
We're standing in the supply area sectioned off just for our Bonded Group, mostly so that we can have privacy when conversations like this need to happen, and while I was expecting Nox to get dressed and disappear like he always does, he hasn’t made a move yet to leave us. There's something about our conversation that he is particularly interested in. Oli seems to think it's a good sign, but I'm not so sure.
I don't think my brother can be saved.
I feel a little bit of shame in admitting that, especially since I have been the one to rally so hard to keep him alive and with me, but part of that is my own selfishness and not wanting to lose the last member of my family. William's death had rocked me to my core, and I find myself even more desperate to keep Nox alive now because of it.
He has thrown that fact in my face more than once in his drunken ramblings in my office, and I have no choice but to stand there and let him, because it's true.
What could it be about this conversation that has caught his interest so much?
“We'll be back soon, Bonded. Don't worry. I haven't needed to draw on your power yet, and I have still found no limit to what my Neuro powers can do. Let's just trust North and Nox to get the job done.”
She nods and glances down at Nox again. “They're not going to know what’s hit them, two Death Dealers and the Neuro with powers that rival Davies’. I'm sure it'll be fine.”
It's the closest she's come to acknowledging that Nox is in the room, not because she is rude or showing favoritism, but because he’s proven that he doesn't want any of her attention. In fact, if she shows him any, then he’ll lash out and do everything he can to tear her down.
I hate it.
I understand it.
I hate that I understand it.
He stands and tightens the straps on his vest one last time. “Are we going, or are we going to stand here and talk meaningless shit for a bit longer? Unser’s fate isn’t going to be secure with us here.”
Gryphon's face sets like stone, but Oli nods her head as though it's all fine. “You're all going to go and I'm going to be fine. When you get back, I'm sure Gryphon will have a lot to say to you about your manners when it comes to saying goodbye.”
He sends her a dark look back and walks out of the room without another word.
I groan and shove a hand over my face, but Oleander pushes herself against my side to force her way into my arms. Not that she has to, I would rather stay here with her than deal with this mess, and I have no hesitation in telling her so.