Chapter Ten
Oli
I wake up in the giant bed in our new home feeling well-rested and a lot more calm and settled than I have been since the attack. I don't know if that is my bond being pleased to have bonded with four of my Bonds or if it's just a mental thing now that I’ve finally gotten some decent rest, but I’m so freaking relieved.
Gabe is still asleep beside me, the blankets pushed down to barely cover the curve of his ass. I let myself just enjoy the view because he’s freaking gorgeous. He's snoring lightly, barely more than heavy breathing, and one small lock of hair falls over his forehead, making him look like a golden prince sleeping there.
We’d spent the rest of the day wrapped up in each other, utterly obsessed with mapping out the miles of skin between us and finding every little point of pleasure until I think I’ve become a master at making Gabriel Ardern come.
I’m more than happy for that to be my greatest accomplishment.
The curtains are thick enough that no sunlight reaches us, but I can tell with how good I'm feeling that it's definitely morning and that I've slept a good twelve hours.
After a little while of resting there and enjoying the peace, I notice the tugging in my chest, the feeling that another of my Bonded is close by. I can already feel that it's Atlas, thanks to our own connection, and I stumble out of the bed to find something to pull on.
Gabe makes a grumbling noise under his breath and, after I've pulled on one of Gryphon's shirts and a pair of old shorts, I head back to him to smooth that golden lock back and murmur into his ear quietly, “I’ll be back in a minute. I'm just going to see what Atlas is doing.”
He huffs quietly and gives a nod without opening his eyes, rolling a little more onto his stomach, and the sheet slips down to uncover his ass. It is absolutely tempting me to give up on my search and climb back into the bed with him instead.
Priorities, Oli.
I'm thankful that this house is smaller than the Draven mansion, there are a lot less rooms to have to go searching through to find Atlas. I mostly follow the feeling in my chest, my bond leading me like a compass until I end up in one of the ensuite bathrooms staring at a very sweaty, shirtless Atlas as he installs a bathtub that could easily fit three people inside it.
He's moving with ease, but without air conditioning, it’s like a boiler room in here. I find myself with a flush across my cheeks pretty quickly.
It’s definitely got nothing to do with how freaking hot he looks right now.
Nope.
“Did you have a good night, Bonded?” he drawls, and I raise an eyebrow at him.
“Really? We're not going to have any boundaries here?” He grins and shifts the bathtub again until it slides into place, dropping a half inch with a satisfying thud sound that echoes around the unfinished room.
He turns back to me and says in a cautious tone, “How're you feeling?”
That's a much more appropriate, but difficult, question to answer. “I don't think I feel any different, but until I let my bond out in a threatening situation, I won't really know.”
He nods and shrugs at me. “Well, the world didn't end. We'll take it as a win, so far. And you’ve bonded with all of your Bonds now.
I pull a face back. “Not quite.”
He gives me a stern look back. “You're not actually going to bond with Nox though, are you? All he wants is his power. He doesn't give a shit about you, and you owe him nothing.”
I know that from the outside looking in, that's how it looks. For all I know, Atlas is right, but there's something about Nox that I can't quite figure out, something about the way that he words things to me that sets off alarm bells, even when he's being a complete asshole.
“He’s still one of my Bonds, and the Bond Group isn't complete until I've bonded with you all. I'll figure out the hows and the whys of it later.”
Atlas’ mouth tightens a little but he nods, accepting, as always, that it is my decision and he has no real power to change whatever it is that I decide to do with my asshole Bond.
He might be the first person ready to murder Nox if he tries to force me into something, but that doesn't mean that he would try to take the choice away from me either.
I try to change the subject away from this because I don't have any real answers for him. Plus, I don't want to waste my morning-after glow arguing with one of my Bonded about Nox. “Are you enjoying working on this place? I can't believe how much of it is already done and that I can move in already.”
He smirks at me and gestures around the room. “I don't think I'm cut out to be a builder, and I'm nowhere near as good as Gabe is, but I’m finding myself very motivated to get this done.”