He didn’t say exactly who he was talking about, but it didn’t take a genius to figure it out. “I know, and I'm careful not to put that sort of pressure on her. Doesn't mean I have to like him, and it also doesn't mean I have to use my Gift to stop bathtubs from falling on his head. Natural selection isn’t always a bad thing.”
Gabe scoffed and shook his head, moving back through the bathroom to collect his tools so we could head off to have something to eat before moving on to another room. We’d eaten breakfast early, and I was fucking famished.
I should’ve just let it go, but I couldn’t. “Why are you fine with him? You know what he did to her.”
He grimaced and pulled a face as he snapped his toolbox shut and lifted it into his arms, stalking out of the bathroom. “I do know, and I know how Oli feels about it, which is enough for me. I'm not going to tell her how to feel about something, and she told me that it was between the two of them.
I shook my head at him, but I kept my thoughts on that to myself. I don't want to tell my Bond how to feel about something, especially something like that, but I also am not going to stand around and let him hurt her, to have her just accept it because he's her Bond.
When we got to the kitchen, Gabe placed his toolbox down on the floor gently, careful with the hardwood floors he’d spent so long installing, before opening up the fridge and grabbing out the take-away lunches that we had ordered from the dining hall. Neither of us had wanted to stop to make lunch, and the chef was always thrilled to know that he was cooking for us.
Another perk of being in the Draven Bonded Group.
Gabe waited until we’re both eating before he spoke again. “I think maybe that you are seeing things that you want to see because of your sister and that whole fucked-up situation.”
I gave him a hard look and he shrugged back. “I’m not saying that Nox did nothing. I'm saying that Oli is not your sister, and her bond definitely is not your sister's bond. I think at any point, if it was what you think it was, her bond would have done something to protect her. It’s wiped out entire camps for her. Fuck, we’ve both seen the destruction it's wrought. I'm not saying it would have killed them, especially now that we know that it probably can't kill him, but killing isn't the only thing that she can do. I'm pretty sure the bond would have, at the very least, punched him in the mouth. If it was what you thought it was.”
He couldn’t even say the word, but that conversation rings in my head, even as I lie on the mattress hours later and sink into the feeling of completeness in my chest. I’m also feeling more than a little guilty at how much I enjoy it, because even though the other Bonded might feel a different way than me, I'm enjoying the feeling of my Bonded sacrificing something vital and important right now just so that we can feel this, and that will never sit right with me.
Gabe lets slip to North and Gryphon about the boost in my power, and the next morning, I find myself being shaken awake before the sun has even risen to head down to the training center to test out these new limits. I would say that I have fucking amazing restraint, because I stop myself from yanking Gryphon's arm straight out of its socket the moment I'm conscious enough to realize what the asshole is even doing in my room.
“We’re in the middle of a war, Atlas. That is a very handy gift for you to have, especially now that we know the Resistance has an unlimited Trigger, and there's no time like the present, so get your ass moving.”
I throw my pillow at him as he retreats, but he bats it away as if it is nothing, stalking back out the door as he calls out, “Five minutes, that's all you get.”
I'm out in three, dressed in my training gear with my shoes already on and laced up. It's too early to grab breakfast or even a protein shake, but I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge and stretch out. I already know we will be jogging down to the Tac Training Center as a warmup. Gryphon is a sadist, there’s no doubt about it, but there's no denying that his methods work.
I feel the warmth in my chest before Oli walks out of her bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind her as though she's trying not to wake someone up. A ripple of irritation works its way down my spine at the thought of Nox sleeping in there.
Get a hold of yourself. Don't let her know how badly this is killing you. It's not her responsibility to shoulder it. I have to keep that mantra in my head and also make sure that my own mind barriers are up enough that Gryphon won't be able to trip over any of these thoughts.
I have no doubt that he could probably pry his way into my brain and find out anything that he wanted to know but, since I've proved myself, he hasn't shown any interest in doing so, respectful of the boundaries within the Bonded Group. He doesn't have the same respect for Oli though, still not teaching her how to put up barriers herself that could keep him out.