Unbroken Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #6)(65)

I stand there and hope that they all believe me, because it's true.

Then North starts the meeting, carefully stepping up to the microphone as he smooths a hand down his tie and buttoned jacket. Atlas shadows him the whole way with his own void eyes as he calls on his Gift to ensure that our Bonded Group is safe.

“Thank you for joining us here tonight. I know that this is unexpected, but there have been a lot of changes here in the Sanctuary over the last few days that we need to discuss. I am happy to be the one to go over it all with you and keep you up to date. Please save all questions until the end.”





The meeting with the entire town goes about as well as we were expecting.

Half of the room can't believe that North would want to give up control of the place, and the other half feel as though they're being thrown out to sea without a life raft, though we do everything we can to reassure them that this isn't the case.

“The council cannot continue. It is an outdated form of control, and as a community, we have moved past it. Ranking everybody's Gifts into Top Tier and Lower Tier is a sign of elitism, and it only serves those in power,” North says, and I hear the ripple of disgruntled voices at the front of the group.

I'm quick to look over at them, using the haunting sight of my void eyes on each of them as a deterrent for the grumbling, and it works swiftly.

I see members of the now-defunct council swallow roughly and shift uncomfortably on their feet. Unhappy as they might be with no longer being at the top of the food chain, they aren't willing to take me on to get their status back.

“It's been a breeding ground for Resistance recruiters, and we all know it. Look around. There are only four families from the council here in the Sanctuary, only four families could make it through the vetting process. It's unacceptable. We can't continue that way. We know this already; only a madman would continue trying the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.”

I feel my bond’s pleasure inside of my chest, and I'm careful not to let the smile show on my face. We were those ‘mad men’, of course. The bonds chose to live over and over and over again until this time, finally, we all live together, but there's no need to be fussy over the way that North is wording things right now.

We're here to show our support of him and his decisions, to show a united Bonded Group, along with our friends, as we attempt to make things better.

“You really think this is going to work as a democracy?” someone calls out. Although North had asked for the questions to be held off until he finished, he's happy to answer.

“I think that's exactly what we need. I think that a voice needs to be given to members of many different Bonded Groups, from all upbringings and experiences. Then we can come together to make decisions that serve us all, not just those who have always held power.”

“That's easy for you to say, Draven,” someone else calls out, and I tug a little at the net I've cast out to figure out exactly who it was. Unsurprisingly, it's a family member of one of the councilmen; a son who had hoped to someday hold the chair his father currently sits on. North is a lot more kind than I feel when he addresses the kid.

“I have made it very clear to every member of the council over the years and every person who has come into this town that they are more than welcome to question my stances on things, but to question my integrity over something like this comes with only one answer. You show me where you have funneled all of your resources, your wealth, your privilege, the things that you were given by birth and not just worked for yourself; you show me that you have funneled them into something that is purely for your community, without any payment or expectations. Then you can speak to me on such issues. I built this town for my community. I have fed this town. I have provided utilities and supplies, and I have done it all without ever asking for a single thing in return. I did so with my father's money, my grandfather's money, and my great-grandfather's money. I did so with the seat on the council that was given to me by birth and by blood. I did so without ever expecting so much as a ‘thank you’, which is a good thing, because most people haven't thought to thank me for a damn thing.”

He takes a breath and looks down at me for a second before looking back up, using a single moment to square away his own feelings before continuing. “My father started this town with my uncle. My father, who you're all so terrified of for a single moment of extreme anger and emotion that he had no control over. Every last one of you villainized him for a single moment of his life that wasn’t his best. Let me make one thing very clear to you all now—my mother deserved the death she got.”

The entire room goes silent.

I refuse to look around at anyone or make a face that might give away how I feel about what North is saying. Nox’s fingers are cold around my wrist, but he’s not surprised by this admission.

North must have warned him that it was coming.

“I will not speak on this issue any further. I won’t tolerate any gossip about it either. My mother transgressed on such a level that I feel nothing towards her death but gratitude to my father for doing what was right, even at the cost of his own life. I have borne the brunt of the hatred and distrust for my family name because of an act of real love from a father, and I did so because it’s no one else’s business. My father died with a clear conscience, and I have always intended to live up to his legacy. Dissolving the council and setting up a new one does so.”