I shake my head for the both of us, my mouth tightening up as my throat closes over. Gabe frowns down at me, leaning down to give me a quick peck on the lips. His skin is warm and inviting, the empty space in my chest that belongs to him aches, and I lean more fully into his strength.
He smiles down at me, his eyes soft as he traces over my face. I hope I’m not covered in dirt or something from the trip. “Let’s leave Sawyer to his creeper ways, Bond. I have something I want to show you.”
We leave together to the sound of Sawyer calling out, “Spoiler alert! It’s his dick!”
I roll my eyes and Gabe flips him off behind our backs as we get out of there, the fresh air a relief even as the midday sun is warm against my cheeks. I take a second to actually look around a bit and find that the town center has been cleaned up a lot in the last day or so while we were out on the recovery mission.
There’s still a lot of damage, dozens of destroyed roads and buildings can’t be fixed overnight, but the rubble and debris has been cleared away and patches have been put in over what could be shored up. We don’t have enough finished houses to just move people out of buildings if there’s a few broken windows, but the fix up is well underway.
There are groups of men and women everywhere with building supplies and good attitudes as they get to work on it all, and the sense of community has my chest tightening up.
This is what we’re really fighting for.
We’re fighting for these people, even if they’re wary of my bond. I mean, that just says they’re smart enough to know when there’s a predator living among them. I’d never put someone down for that.
“Here, we’re taking the ATV over,” Gabe says, pulling me over to the vehicle he’d driven over here for us both. The last time I was in one was with Atlas, the two of us heading out to the perfect night in a cave by ourselves and then the harried trip back the next morning while everything turned to shit, but it still brings a blush to my cheeks.
“Where are we going? Should I get changed first?” I say as he helps me in, my legs still a little sore from the hiking, not that I’ll ever admit it.
“You’ll see, Bond. Just let me surprise you, for once.”
I huff at the smug tone he’s throwing at me and cross my arms over my chest, a joking sort of tantrum that he sees through immediately. He grabs one of my hands and tugs at it to link our fingers together, resting them on his thigh.
I settle back into the seat and look out at the houses and buildings we pass, taking in just how big the Sanctuary actually is. North and his family have put in so much money and time here, completely altruistically. They could have just built themselves a bomb-proof bunker, but instead they’ve created something that really earns the name it was given.
The Sanctuary.
At the outskirts of the town, up a small incline and surrounded by piled-up building supplies, is a mansion. Gabe pulls up and parks the ATV in front of it, killing the engine and gesturing at the palace in front of us.
Okay, it’s probably classified as just a big house, but it’s at least four times bigger than the house we’re currently hunkering down together in.
“Welcome home, Bond,” Gabe murmurs, kissing the back of my hand.
My mouth drops open and I give him a shocked look, probably looking like a complete idiot. He grins back at me, sliding out and walking around to help me out, and slings an arm around my shoulders as we pick our way through the piles of supplies and walk up the steps together.
“This is ours? Well, North’s, I guess.”
Gabe shakes his head at me. “No, you were right the first time. It’s ours. North and Gryphon picked the spot together so that we’re somewhere a little further away from everyone else and easier to keep secure. I’ve built it, and Atlas has been helping since he’s learned how to put his strength to good use. Nox… has mostly made demands about how he wants his office and library done, but I guess that’s still input. North picked out most of the details. I told him he should get your opinion on it too, but… again, he’s a Draven. There’s only so much I can get out of him.”
I grin, because that’s true and something I now appreciate about him. There’s something really fucking hot about a man who takes control, leaving none of the weight of decision-making on me. Now that I have some autonomy back, I have more than enough decisions to make in a day. I really wouldn’t want to be arguing with anyone about paint chips or tile choices right now.
Gabe walks me right up to the front door, stopping there as I peek into the window. “Can we go in? Is there enough done to go in?”