Gryphon looks at me and nods, but North is silent in my head. Another trickle of panic runs down my spine and my bond decides that now is definitely the time for her to make a permanent sort of appearance.
My eyes shift to black again, and though I can still see what is going on around us and I still have control of my body if I choose to, I let my bond take the reins.
Enough of this childishness. When we get back, we're completing the bond. Whether you do it, or I do it.
Oh God.
She then takes control of the situation, walking past Gryphon and out the doorway until she is stalking back towards where we had left North. I send him one last message before I let go completely and let her keep us all safe.
Help Nox grab the kid. We need to get out of here.
Oleander’s bond
The Neuro man who dared to harm me and the girl has returned for us.
This time, I’m ready for him.
Not only has he come here for us, but he has dared to attack this hell-forsaken place that currently houses our Bonded. There is no part of me, not the god living inside this meat-suit nor the girl who I spend my days with, that is going to allow him near those that belong to us. We just need to get out of this prison first.
We find my Dark Bonded in the large chamber we had first moved through. There’s a small group of men with him, all of whom turn and get one look at me before freaking out. I enjoy the look of terror on all of their faces, but their training is such that while they shift on their feet, standing more at attention than they were before, none of them actually flee in terror.
Disappointing.
When the Dark Bonded one sees me, his shoulders roll back and his eyes flicker down to where one of his shadow creatures walks beside me. They’re very well trained, both of my little gifts from my Bonds, and as I approach, he says, “We aren't going to open the doors until we have a clear plan. Are you able to work through the solid concrete, or do you need to be outside with them?”
I tilt my head to one side as I consider what he's saying. “The concrete does dull my senses, but I can still feel those outside.”
I would be surprised if his shadow creatures couldn't walk through the walls themselves and deal with the people outside as well.
He shakes his head. “I’m not as accurate through the concrete. I can send my shadow creatures out there, but I can't control what they do as well as I can normally. If they have any Gifted hostages, there’s every chance that I could accidentally kill them as well.”
A minor inconvenience. “I don't care all too much about the casualties.”
There's a lot of nervous looks around me as the men all take in that statement, but the Dark Bonded one clicks his tongue at me, shaking his head. “You might not care, but the girl does, and you said that you protect her and keep her safe. Keeping her safe by killing innocent people is not doing a good job, Bonded.”
A burning sort of indignation ruffles my feathers, and I find myself pulling at the bond living within him, not wanting to deal with the man anymore. The man with morals and values and a million other useless things.
He gives me a curt shake of his head and turns away from me. “You can't have him, not right now. There's too much at stake.”
One of the men murmurs quietly under his breath, “I always knew that Draven had balls of steel, but I didn’t know that arguing with her was also in his repertoire. You couldn’t pay me enough. She’s fucking terrifying.”
I turn and focus on the man for a second, watching him gulp as he falls fully under my attention. “He’s my Bonded. I would rip your heart out of your throat without a second thought, but Bonds cannot hurt one another. He was made for me, perfection incarnate… even when he’s being difficult.”
There's footsteps behind us, and I glance back to see my Bonded and the Damaged One walking along with the two Gifted that we had been stuck in the library with. The older man is holding the little boy's hand, clutching at it as he sweats profusely.
“Alistair and Joseph are coming back with us. We need to clear a path to get them out.”
The Transporter stalks over from the mezzanine floor that he was standing on, startling for a second as he sees my eyes, but dipping his head respectfully in my direction. “I can't get us out of here unless we're outside, so we need to figure out what the fuck we're doing, and fast, because that Trigger is not letting up out there.”
I shrug and step towards my Dark Bonded, placing my hands on his chest, irritated that there is a bulletproof vest in the way. “Take me outside. I'll fix it for us all.”