Tragic Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #5)(36)

A lot of things could’ve changed in that time.

August butts up against my leg as though he's reassuring me as well, and Jericho’s eyes flick down to stare at North’s shadow creature as though the Doberman-like creature has come from the depths of hell itself.

Kinda rude considering August is the sweetest boy ever at my side, a living embodiment of North’s protective love for me. He doesn’t even attempt to eat anyone around me anymore.

“I think it's kind of sweet that you wanted to come here and die with your Bonded. It's more than I can say about any other member of her Bonded Group, so kudos to you. Well, I guess we can’t blame Peter… I already took care of him.”

I don't look back at Atlas as I say this, mostly because I’m baiting Jericho. I don’t want the man to know that we’re stuck in limbo of not wanting to kill Aurelia for Atlas’ sake, so she’s just got to waste away in the cells here instead, being fed properly but dying of her own volition slowly nonetheless.

The move pays off when a slow smirk stretches over his face.

“I’m not here to die. I'm here to make a deal.”





Jericho refuses to speak to us about the deal he's proposing until he is let out of the cell and able to see his Bonded, even if it’s just through the glass. Nox is keen to just let the shadow creatures in there to convince him to start talking, but I shoot that down pretty quickly.

He already knows what Atlas is capable of, as well as the rumors about the Draven Bonded Group. If he's come all of this way, he either has something very big to offer us or he’s underestimated our abilities greatly.

Atlas chews on the inside of his cheek for a minute before he finally shrugs, saying, “He’s Resistance. He joined my sister’s Bonded Group and was happy enough to go along with everything that my father has said. There's no excusing that. It's not like he didn't know any better, but unless the Resistance has created some sort of ‘super soldier serum’, he's not going to be a threat to any of us. If we get him out of the cell, Gryphon could get inside of his head and shut off his Gift instantly. Oli could rip his soul out of his body, and the shadow creatures could easily tear him limb from limb. He’s not really a threat to any of us.”

North looks around at everyone at the table before he signals to Gryphon to open the cell door. He uses his Neuro Gift to shut Jericho’s brain down as they maneuver him over to the interrogation table, locking him into the seat with his hands bound behind his back with the tech handcuffs on. They’re another layer of security for us all, and I’m not really worried about what Jericho has planned anymore. Atlas is right, we’re stronger than him, which means that whatever he’s planning on offering us must be big.

Aurelia watches the entire thing with tears in her eyes, but she stays in the same position, her back against the concrete wall and her palms flat on the ground.

It's creepy as fuck.

We have to move to find more chairs, but once we're all seated in a haphazard half circle around the table, Gryphon finally lets Jericho’s mind go, the white ring around his eyes slowly disappearing until he blinks rapidly, as though he’s clearing his vision. The moment he is aware enough to know that he has been moved, his head snaps towards his Bonded, his eyes drinking her in obsessively, and his lip curls at the state she's in.

When he turns back to North, my Bonded shrugs. “She won't take anything we offer her. She has been sent three solid meals a day, medical assistance, and her brother has been down to speak to her. If she won't take what's been provided to her, then what are we supposed to do?”

We had discussed the ethics of Gryphon using his mind control to force her to eat, but I had no intention of asking that sort of thing of my Bonded. Forcing a woman to do anything isn't a pleasant experience. In the end, Atlas had been the one to say that she should be left to the consequences of her own choices.

North waits another heartbeat of silence before he says, “I’m not a very patient man, and I have no time for games. Put your deal on the table, and be done with it.”

I cross my arms over my chest as I lean in slightly, eager to hear what the deal is, what it is that he could possibly be offering us.

Atlas’ palm is warm on my knee, even as his face shows none of the frustration and disapproval that he’s filled with right now. He'd been quick to suggest that I sit between him and one of my other Bonded so that he could shield me if anything does go wrong here, always extra cautious, and I didn't feel the need to argue the point.

I don't really want my bond to come out right now, because I have no doubt that it’ll simply destroy everyone in the cells rather than bother to extract information from any of them. I don't want to mess with the processes that North and Gryphon have in place like that. The tiniest scrap of information could turn the tide of the war.

We need every chance we can get.

“First, I will tell you the terms of the deal before I let you know what I'm offering you. I want to take my Bonded to Singapore. I want you to release us and let us leave the country together.”

Atlas’ hand jerks on my knee, the only sign of his reaction to this news, and North immediately cuts Jericho off. “Absolutely not. We don't just let Resistance prisoners go, especially not high profile ones such as yourselves.”