Unbroken Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #6)(23)

It's still a miracle to me that she loves me as much as I love her, that we both see something in one another that is so unique and precious that it’s worth fighting for no matter how many sore stomachs and days I might have to sleep away to get us there.

“I’m surprised you're up. I was expecting you to laze the entire day away,” Atlas says with a slap on my shoulder as I walk straight past him to my Bonded.

She giggles as I lift her up into my arms, spinning her around a little even as she thumps a fist onto my chest in pretend outrage.

“We’re in public. North will have a cow!” she mutters under her breath, but I kiss her all the same, answering her in our mind connection.

What do I care if everyone here knows how much I love my Bonded?

Oli melts into the kiss, into my arms, and into me in that same addictive way she always does. I forget about the pounding in my head and the way that my stomach is still churning, the burn of the bile up my throat that I woke up with that still hasn't quite eased away. Every last one of the physical complaints I have just disappear. I don't care how sappy it sounds, I could take on all of the Resistance single-handedly as long as I come back to my Bonded like this every time.

This invincible feeling is how Atlas must feel with his Gift.

The dragon wakes from where it’s been slumbering inside my chest to make its own opinions clear to me at having her back again, everything boiling down to a single word.

Mine.

“We’re just going to grab lunch for everyone,” Oli says as she finally wiggles out of my arms and back onto her feet.

I scowl, a little unhappy at even the slightest of distances between us, but she tucks herself into my side and sighs happily when I sling my arm over her shoulder to keep her there.

I don’t feel like sharing nicely today.

Atlas gives me a knowing look, but I must look just about as shitty as I feel because he doesn’t say a word about it. He barely looks bothered by it all as he opens the dining hall’s door and ushers us in.

It’s busy in here today, but with the Sanctuary growing in numbers by the day, I'm not surprised to see it. Every table is occupied, most to capacity, and I’m glad to see there’s a lot of laughing and general happiness in the room. It’s a relief, after months of tension and unease, that families and friends are together here in safety.

It’s the whole damn point of the place.

Oli is tense under my arm, enough so that I have to fight my urges to curl around her and snarl at everyone, as well as the dragon's urges within me to shift and consume them all for upsetting her like this. I'm not usually hot-tempered, but it takes three deep breaths before I feel like myself again. No one attempts to speak to us or approach us in any way. Aside from a few curious looks, the room mostly just acts as though they haven’t noticed that we’ve walked in.

I know damn well they all know we’re here, but I’ll take it.

Atlas forms a human wall between the tables and our Bonded, his shoulders wide enough to mostly cover us both, and Felix does the same with Sage, who stays close to Oli's side.

“We should have called ahead and gotten something put aside for us,” Sage mutters, and Oli shrugs back.

“We shouldn't have to. We should be able to come down and eat, just the same as everyone else, without having to worry about all of this.”

I glance around again and then murmur back to them both quietly, “Nobody's really… doing much though, are they? We might be overreacting here.”

Oli shoots me a look and then flicks a hand in the direction of the tables a little too aggressively, and some of the Gifted there take notice, packing away their plates and fleeing.

“They're all staring at you. You do realize that, right? I don't give a shit what they think about me, but they're all staring at the guy who can turn into a dragon and eat people. I think they’re used to me and the Dravens by now, but you walking in here looking a little green around the edges has them all believing that the rumors are true.”

“Which they are,” Sage pipes in helpfully, glaring at one of the council members who dares to get a little too close to her.

She's being protective of Oli because we all know how much the council has rallied against my Bonded, but Oli’s too busy staring down a table full of our ex-classmates from Draven, the only ones with the guts to point and whisper openly at us all.

Idiots.

I will probably regret it later when North reams me for it, but I use a finger to tip Oli's head back and press my lips to hers. “I don’t give a shit about petty jealousies, Bonded. Let them gossip and whisper all they like. It still doesn't change the fact that none of them could survive without us doing all the hard work.”

She hums happily under her breath, and we approach the large opening to the kitchens. It’s set up like a buffet, except that the doorway is large enough that we can see into where the chef is cooking. Oli brightens as she leans forward in my arms, away from me. I would be a little more bothered about it except then I see why.

“Holy shit, you look like death, Ardern,” says Kyrie as she slides a huge, hot plate of chicken wings onto the buffet and pulls a rag out of her pocket, wiping her hands as she walks around to us.

She's covered in flour and grease from the kitchens but has a big grin across her face. I can tell she has found her happy place in the Sanctuary. She always did love running the cafe, so I'm not surprised that this is where she has come to contribute here.