He has thrown that fact in my face more than once in his drunken ramblings in my office, and I have no choice but to stand there and let him, because it's true.
What could it be about this conversation that has caught his interest so much?
“We'll be back soon, Bonded. Don't worry. I haven't needed to draw on your power yet, and I have still found no limit to what my Neuro powers can do. Let's just trust North and Nox to get the job done.”
She nods and glances down at Nox again. “They're not going to know what’s hit them, two Death Dealers and the Neuro with powers that rival Davies’。 I'm sure it'll be fine.”
It's the closest she's come to acknowledging that Nox is in the room, not because she is rude or showing favoritism, but because he’s proven that he doesn't want any of her attention. In fact, if she shows him any, then he’ll lash out and do everything he can to tear her down.
I hate it.
I understand it.
I hate that I understand it.
He stands and tightens the straps on his vest one last time. “Are we going, or are we going to stand here and talk meaningless shit for a bit longer? Unser’s fate isn’t going to be secure with us here.”
Gryphon's face sets like stone, but Oli nods her head as though it's all fine. “You're all going to go and I'm going to be fine. When you get back, I'm sure Gryphon will have a lot to say to you about your manners when it comes to saying goodbye.”
He sends her a dark look back and walks out of the room without another word.
I groan and shove a hand over my face, but Oleander pushes herself against my side to force her way into my arms. Not that she has to, I would rather stay here with her than deal with this mess, and I have no hesitation in telling her so.
“Unser is important to us all. I might not be friends with him the same way that you guys are, but I understand what it means to lose him from a community point of view… Just promise me you guys won't do anything stupid.”
She’s perfection. “Of course not, Bonded. I don't know the meaning of the word.”
She scoffs at me and then reaches up onto her tiptoes to give me a quick peck on the cheek. Not the goodbye that I was hoping for, but I'll take it, nonetheless.
“If I kiss you on the lips, we both know that it will be even harder for you to leave, so come home to me if you want a proper one,” she says, her voice full of sass, before she tugs away from me and does the same to Gryphon.
He gets a handful of her ass and pulls her body in closer, stealing a proper kiss from her, even as she squeals and struggles against him playfully. There's a pain in my chest at the sight of them, but we're running on Unser’s borrowed time here.
We need to get out of here.
I'm not a fan of the Transporter that we have to use, but he does the job well enough, moving our small team to the combat zone in one effective pop. The area is only a few miles wide and a few more miles long, but the Shields that surround it are strong, strong enough that there are dozens of people inside that are unable to get out.
They're not strong enough for us though.
As the other TacTeam members spread out, ready to move as one inside the perimeter, Gryphon's eyes flash to white as he hacks into the brains of every last one of the Shields, turning their Gifts off and rendering them immobile.
I let my shadows fall from my body as I move forward, a gun already in my hand because the Wastelands are not a place that you walk into without every possible option of defense, and Nox stays close to my side as we move together.
He's usually happier working alone.
But when I glance at him, there is a ring of darkness around his irises, his bond is sensing something. I check in with mine in my chest, but it's just that same nervous adrenaline that I always have when we're about to enter a fight. I’m not sure if it’s because he has a better relationship with his bond, or if it’s more sensitive, but I slow my pace a little as I scan the area.
There’s nothing I can find.
I share a look with Gryphon, but he shrugs, not hearing anything that could tip us off. Whatever it is, Nox is the only one feeling it. We don’t have time to just stand around on a whim.
But the moment we breach the perimeter, I finally feel it too.
It’s a trap.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Oli
I feel jittery even as I help lift the boxes of tiles into the damaged building that we are working in today.
Gabe and Atlas tried to convince me to stay at home and get some rest, their plan for me to just sleep while my Bonded are away, but there’s no possible way I could sit around right now, let alone sleep.