Unbroken Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #6)(30)

It’s still a wondrous thing to me that he touches me like this.

“We got more information out of that god-bond. I'm just getting my research papers, and we will discuss it over dinner.”

With my heart in my throat, I nod and lean forward slowly to kiss him, giving him the opportunity to pull away if he wants to. Even now that we've Bonded, I'm aware that he may need space. I'm not going to be the type to push him even if he's the type to push me over and over and over again.

My bond hums happily in my chest when he not only meets my kiss but takes it over, pulling me in further to his embrace before he sets my feet on the ground and turns back to his room to gather what he needs.

I feel a little breathless, like my legs don't really want to work properly anymore, and I stumble back out to the kitchen, ignoring the shit-eating grin that Gabe shoots my way.

“Not a word,” I snark at him, and he lifts a hand to cross a finger over his heart like the cheeky asshole that he is.

He’s still covered in tile glue and dust, leaving behind a trail of debris as he moves around the kitchen. The savage look that North shoots him has me biting down a smile.

“We have time for you to go and clean up. We're not going to rush into anything here,” North snaps. Gabe merely nods his head, as calm and good-natured as ever.

I might just be the best Bonded in the world, because I duck into the councilman’s arms to distract him from his moody warpath. I sigh the moment that the warm, clean scent of him envelops me. I really do need to steal some more of his clothing if he's going to be working long hours away from me again.

He frames my face in both of his palms and presses our foreheads together as he murmurs quietly under his breath, “You look tired, my Bonded. Maybe we should leave this until tomorrow.”

I wrap my arms around his waist and press my lips against his, enjoying the feeling of being completely wrapped up in him. “I’m fine. I just miss you, but I don't need anything.”

He nods and runs his thumbs over my cheeks as though he is reacquainting himself with the softness of my skin. “Once we have a plan put together, we will take some time off, Bonded. I'll let the council deal with themselves. Then we can get to making this house our own instead of just a drop-off zone.”

I'm not sure any of us can handle North diving into full nesting mode, not after hearing Gabe’s story of having to rip up perfectly good tiles because they didn't quite meet North's expectation. Not that Gabe had done anything wrong, but North had snapped something about colors looking different on monitors and the wrong shade of stone being used. All of that is endlessly confusing for me but something that everyone else seems to accept without a word, so I leave it alone.

I step away from North and head over to the dining table, giving Gryphon a quick peck on the lips as I take a seat next to him. I enjoy the way he tucks me into his side immediately, as though there is nowhere else at the table I could possibly belong but next to him.

“I picked up dinner on the way back. North convinced the chef to make fish tacos tonight.”

The look of pure, unadulterated love that I beam at my Bonded has everyone cackling around me. Just to shit-stir them all a little bit more, I say, “Marry me, Bonded.”

As expected, the bickering starts up immediately, all of them talking shit to North about having access to the chef and his meal plan as a form of seduction for me. It doesn't die down until Nox appears back in the kitchen with his arms full of books and papers.

“I’ve got it. This is everything I have collected about the gods. We can cross-reference everything that the god-bond said with this.”

North stares at the papers for a moment before opening up a cupboard and pulling out a large bottle of whiskey and three cups.

It might just be a long night.

It seems as though North wants to deal with this situation just about as much as the rest of us do, which is not at all. I recognize all of the papers that Nox puts down in front of everyone from our soul-connection, all of the information already in my head if I should need it, so when he doesn't hand any of it to me, I am not bothered at all.

Atlas is very bothered on my behalf.

“Shouldn't we be giving this to everyone so that we can all have a look at it, including Oli and her bond?”

Nox gestures down to the empty piece of table in front of himself. ”Oli and I know everything that’s in it. There's no point in us staring at the pages when we can get a fresh set of eyes on it instead.”

I reach under the table and squeeze Atlas’ leg as a small thank-you for jumping in but also a reassurance that I don't actually need it. Nox and I haven't just found neutral ground, we’ve found a space for just the two of us that I might even call love. I mean, I know that I love him. And I know that, as much as he's capable of that feeling, he has it for me, and that's enough. It’s more than I ever hoped for, more than I ever thought I would get to share with him.

“A Pain god, a Neuro god, and an Elemental god. Fucking hell, that's like the worst types of Gifted from the Resistance all over again,” Gabe says with a groan, and Atlas shoots a wry grin his way.

“This is the final boss level. We've worked our way up to dealing with the biggest and baddest assholes.”

I shake my head at their antics, swearing that I won't let either of them go and play video games with Sawyer ever again if this is what we have to deal with, but North is ignoring most of the chatter at the table as he stares at the list of names.