Unbroken Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #6)(62)

My vessel agrees completely, eager to be done with all of this.

“Tell me how you did it,” the god-bond says as the shadows leak away, slowly drying up as they filter back into my body.

He's shaking like a leaf, his teeth chattering together. Even in this state, he begs me for what he truly needs. “How did you all wake up together? How did you keep the Eternal safe? How? I just want my Bonded. I just want what you have.”

I shake my head slowly. “You'll never have what I have. When we are done with the rest of them, the Eternal will kill you and consume you too. You'll never cycle again.”

I stand to leave and he stands with me, his hands flying out from his sides. One of the Gifted watching from their own cell startles at the sight of it. “I’m trying to help you! There's no use in killing me.”

“You said it yourself… You're tired. You want this to be over with. We're going to make sure that that happens. This time, we'll make sure it's permanent. You should be thanking us. The time of the gods warring on this earth is over. There will be nothing but peace for my Eternal.”

He shouts again, trying to get my attention to beg for his life, to stop me, a hundred other things, but I let go of control of my vessel as we exit the cell, creeping back into the dark recesses within his mind as I plan.

I plan to deal with everything to give the Eternal a better life. The life that it deserves, where it knows nothing but joy and pleasure, a life that they both deserve.

The Eternal and the perfect vessel it lives within.

Both of them mine.





CHAPTER NINETEEN





Oli



The soft, luxurious fabric of my dress itches as though it were made out of some disgustingly inferior fabric, though I am very aware that North picked this out for me, so there is every chance that it is cashmere or some other luxury fiber handmade by artisans. It doesn't matter though because, as far as I'm concerned, it’s made out of barbed wire.

“Stop fussing,” Sage murmurs at me as she lifts the curler from my hair, and I shoot her a sheepish smile.

“I can't help it. I hate this. Can't we just… call in sick or something? I'm sure Felix could write us a doctor's note.”

She grins at me and shakes her head lovingly. “I'm the only one allowed to use my Bonded for nefarious purposes like that, Fallows. You and Sawyer need to get in line.”

I press a palm against my chest as though I am deeply insulted by her words, gasping dramatically. “And here I was sharing North Draven’s power and prestige openly with you. I'll be rethinking that in the future, so you better not set any more buildings on fire.”

She cackles and pulls out another section of my hair, winding it around the curling wand for me carefully.

I hate curling my hair or touching it in any way, shape, or form, especially since it has gotten even brighter. When North had informed us all of the town meeting he was calling, he'd made it clear that we all needed to show up in our finest attire with our best attitudes to show a united and confident front.

He'd argued with Nox about it for days.

I wouldn't be surprised if Nox showed up in nothing but a garbage bag and a cloak made of shadow creatures just to really ram home his opinion on such things. He vehemently hates them all and hates that North is going to be dealing with them on our behalf.

I care little for it all.

Just the thought of their eyes as they look up at me with a mixture of fear and loathing grates on me, but I know that it's not my fault. I was born the way I was, and at least I'm doing something good with my Gift.

“I still think that North should just send out a decree about what he's doing and let people just deal with it the same way that kings used to. It makes no sense to me that we are going to grovel for them right now,” Sawyer says as he steps into the room, buttoning up the dress shirt that Aro’s forced him into wearing.

He had every intention of showing up in an old band tee and sweatpants as an act of rebellion, but his Bonded has him firmly wrapped around her finger. A single word from her had him scrambling for his Sunday best.

I roll my eyes at him. “We're trying to make sure that the community doesn't think that we’re vicious dictators who think of them as nothing but pawns in a war. I'm pretty sure that sending out decrees would kind of set us back.”

He shrugs with a grin, ducking his head so that he can look into the mirror and fuss with his hair. “North owns this place. I know it, you know it, everyone knows it. And to be honest, he could tell me that he’s building a giant statue of himself and putting a throne at the bottom of it for him to sit on, and I’d still lick his boots every day. The alternative is to go back out there into the world and hope that I can face the Resistance, and now god-bonds, by myself. There's no way. I know exactly what those people did to my Bonded and her family. I know what they did to Gray’s family. I know what they did to you. That's enough for me. I'm more than happy to stay here with my sister and my Bonded Group and know that we're safe because of people like North Draven. Even if he does turn out to be an evil asshole, it'll be worth it for me.”

My bond does not like Sawyer calling North an evil asshole, but I can appreciate what he's saying.

He always did have a special way with words.