Oli looks around, very scandalized about my dick still being out, and says, “Shift back! There’s cameras everywhere, and I don’t want Sawyer talking about how fantastic your ass is.”
Bassinger snorts and shakes his head, drawling, “I don’t think it’ll be his ass—”
“Don’t even suggest his dick right now! I’m doing what I can to distract my bond, and talking about it isn’t helping, Atlas!” she snaps, and I shift back, easy as breathing, to butt my head against her legs. I’d shifted to talk to her, sure, but also because I wanted to take a second to just hold my goddamned Bond.
Alive and massacring the enemy like they deserve. We’re all fucking blessed.
She crouches down to wrap her arms around my neck, burying her face there. “Sorry. I want to talk to you but… you’re also mine and I’m not sharing.”
It’s a good thing too because right as she sighs with relief at having me back, Kyrie pops back up with a couple of families, at least a dozen kids between them, and starts moving them back towards the school. Brutus jumps over to sniff at them as they walk and a couple of the kids squeal and burst into tears at the sight of him, their parents scooping them up in fear.
Kyrie nips that in the bud. “The beast is back again? Shit. It’s okay, kids. He’s a friendly pup. That’s his mama over there. She wouldn’t let him misbehave. He won’t hurt you, he’s here for the bad guys.”
Everyone who has an earpiece turns to stone for a second, hearing something from Sawyer, but my feline hearing can only pick up the high frequency noise of the technology.
Oli lets out a sigh and tucks her face back into my neck. “I got the last of the Transporters. North just took out the last of the soldiers in his zones, and Gryphon has the gates back in place.”
Atlas nods and takes a step towards the corpse of the Charge. “They got the new Shields in. We have three backups now, instead of one. That should help.”
Oli’s stomach makes a noise and I move back a little so that I can look at her, ready to go hunt for something to feed her if she needs it after all of the power she’s used, but she looks sick.
“Ignore it. My bond… is eating the Charge’s soul in there. He was the strongest Gifted here, and even stronger than Andrews. I guess we just passed the next strength test.”
Well, fuck.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Oli
We wait in front of the school with Gabe and the other Shifters until the Shields have the Sanctuary completely covered. Sawyer gives us the all clear before we let the families out of the school and start moving people to the medical center.
Gabe, who is once again dressed in his sleep sweatpants and one of Atlas’ sweaters that he’d grabbed in his rush to get down here, has a kid on each of his shoulders as he helps to move people who are injured or low mobility. Atlas has a man draped over his own shoulders who has been shot in the leg and very crudely patched up by one of the useless Healers in the storm shelter. He is still doing his best not to groan at every little movement.
None of the families want to touch me.
I’m okay with that, but both of my Bonds take it a little personally on my behalf.
Kyrie snorts at them and jiggles a little to adjust the toddler on her hip. “The Dravens get the same treatment. It’s just fear. Even knowing you were the pivotal piece of our victory, they can still sense that something else is walking with them.”
I shrug and pet down August’s back, ruffling his ears a little, exactly how he likes it. “I know. That’s survival instinct for you, I would stay away from me too.”
I don’t tell her that I’m fine with it because Nox verbally tore me a new asshole less than an hour ago and that shit is still stinging like a bitch, because then Atlas will drop the guy he’s holding and just go full kamikaze on him for my honor.
I don’t need that.
So I put a smile on my face and keep the puppies close to my legs. There’s no point in scaring people more by letting them roam freely.
When we get to the medical center, which is in the main area of town and across the way from North’s offices, we find the TacTeams mostly congregating there, and I can duck off to find my Bonded.
I need to find North and see him alive and well for myself, thank you very much.
He’s easy to spot, being the most highly sought after person in the town while also being terrifying enough to require a two foot personal bubble from everyone while the memories of what nightmares he was inflicting on the enemy is still strong. I’m not exactly kind or tactful in the way that I use the puppies to get people the hell out of my way as I make a beeline to him.