Tragic Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #5)(78)

“Could you see anything? Do you know what the alarm was for?”

I shake my head and step in closer to him, giving him a quick squeeze before I drop down next to my pack. I begin to strap the last of my weapons on myself, intent on being ready when the call comes through, and Nox is doing the same.

I always have the guns at my hips strapped on me from the moment I wake up in the morning until I'm going to sleep at night. However, today I held off being fully armed when we made it back from the showers. I thought we wouldn’t need it until we were planning on going out for the mission.

I guess I'll have to change that habit.

I murmur to Atlas, conscious of keeping myself on alert for whatever could be happening outside of the tent right now. “I couldn't see anything. I just heard the shouting, and Gryphon told me straight away to come back here. Did you hear anything?”

He shakes his head. “I’d just finished helping stock the medical tent, and I was on my way back here to arm myself before heading out to Gabe. Gryphon sent him to check the perimeter because they knew something was up. Nox was in here working when I got back.”

I glance back to Nox, but his eyes are still black as he uses his shadow creatures’ eyes to see what’s going on around us. I straighten, throwing my jacket on over top of the knives and extra ammunition I now have strapped to myself. I wiggle my feet in my boots, just to be sure they're on tight enough. There's nothing quite as terrible as trying to run with your shoes slipping off, and I'd haphazardly thrown them on to grab food without really thinking it through.

Nox's head ducks back into the tent, his eyes still voids, but he speaks with his own voice and not the monotone, dark sound of his bond. “We’re going to move to the perimeter line. Gabe’s found something we need to see.”

I nod and grab Atlas’ hand as we follow him out, motioning for Azrael to follow us as we make headway through the camp. There’s TacTeam personnel everywhere, a lot of them moving back towards their own tents, but the shouting has stopped.

All of them eye us with unease as we move.

None of them have been concerned with us before. I hadn't felt like I was an outsider here, so it's jarring. I can tell Atlas notices it as well by the set of his jaw and the way his hand tenses in mine.

I try to rationalize that it’s because of Nox walking around with black eyes and shadow creatures streaming around us, but no one seems to be paying them much attention.

Instead, they're watching Atlas and I.

Whatever's happened has them rattled about me again. God only knows what the Resistance could have done to elicit that response.

Ignoring them all and the unease that settles in my gut, we make our way into the forest. The shield boundary line was far enough out that it takes us a good five minutes before we get close to the voices. As we approach, Nox's bond speaks directly into my head where everyone can hear it.

Deep breath. They want dissent, and we will not give it to them.

Atlas’ hand jerks in mine at the sound of it, but his face doesn't change. These two might not like each other, but they both agree about keeping our Bonded Group a united front around anyone outside of it.

As we get closer, we find Gabe standing shirtless in only a pair of TacTeam standard issue trousers from him Shifting. I sometimes forget he has to be naked when he does or else he’ll shred his clothing. I have to stop thinking about it before my bond gets jealous at any potential eyes that might have seen him.

He meets my eyes before darting a look at Atlas. He tries to act casual as he tugs his shirt back on, swinging the gun holster back over his shoulder casually, and warning bells go off in my head about how he's acting.

It's not me he's worried about.

Three more steps and then we see it.

In the air, a few feet in front of us, is the shimmering line of the shield. It’s invisible to the naked eye, but also clearly there before us. A few feet outside of that line, three bodies are hanging from the branch of one of the trees.

The bodies of Atlas’ parents.

His father, the Central Bond of his parent’s Bonded Group, is a bloodied mess. His face is a mottled purple color and vomit is covering the dress shirt and slacks he’s wearing. Poison is one of the only weaknesses that his Gift has. Someone close enough to him to know that has used that knowledge to kill the unkillable.

His mom was also clearly killed before they strung her up.

There’s a piece of cardboard stapled to her stomach, blood running from the puncture wounds, but the word scrawled across it is still clearly visible.

Traitor.

Among a dozen other wounds, her hands are a bloodied mess, as though she fought off her killers unsuccessfully. That somehow makes me feel sick, the thought that she was probably tortured before they killed her.

Aurelia’s mother has been beaten to the point that her features are unrecognizable. If she wasn’t hanging with the other two Gifted, I wouldn’t know who she was.

Atlas’ hand shakes in mine and he swallows roughly, but there’s no other reaction out of him, no words or tears as he stares at the tortured and lifeless corpses of his family.

Instead, he looks over at North and waits for him to say something first.

I look over to find Gryphon and North both staring at Atlas. When they see he’s locked up, completely paralyzed by this, they both take over.

“We have to secure the area before we can cut them down,” North says, looking over at Nox. But his brother is still staring at the bodies critically.