All of the things it has already done to my parents.
“Davies will stop at nothing to win. He truly believes that the only world worth living in is the one where the Resistance rules and the non-Gifted are wiped out. The attacks that have been taking place in the larger cities are just the beginning. Once they have the god back, they won't be stopped. They're going to offer it whatever it wants to get rid of the girl and work with them.”
They cannot offer me anything, my bond speaks up, and I try not to startle at the sound of it. I have my Bonded. I want nothing else.
Why do they think that you will kill me? Why is he so sure of this? I'm expecting it to brush me off, to say that Jericho is grasping at straws to get Aurelia out of here. I might even have believed it to be the truth, but my bond has always been nothing but truthful to me, even when it hurts.
Because I always have. Every last time, I have been forced to take over the vessel to get what I need. The other vessels were different. The other vessels were power-hungry or too stupid to speak to. You are different. You're the vessel I was waiting for, and now we’re going to have it all.
I glance over only to find North staring directly at me, the first time his eyes have touched me since I had woken up in Nox's bed. As he looks at me, I can see the bone chilling fear that he was speaking about written clearly on his features. Luckily, his back is turned to Jericho and our prisoner isn't seeing the crisis.
My bond is speaking to me but letting the rest of them hear it, filtering all of this through our connection to him. I can feel all of their reactions to what it’s saying, but I can’t process any of it while I’m busy trying to figure out if I’m about to be murdered by my damn bond.
Gryphon takes over the interrogation seamlessly, not letting the whole new levels of what-the-fuck derail the interrogation and negotiation. “You're not giving us anything that we don't already know. You think that we’ve Bonded with Fallows and didn't already know what was going on inside of her? We're not some stupid Resistance grunts, just Bonding with whoever we're told to.”
Jericho glances over his shoulder at Aurelia again, and the love there is absolutely the real deal. There’s no way to fake that sort of devotion. If he’s here to deceive us, it’s definitely not going to be at her expense. “Davies thinks that he'll be able to get the god out of her. He thinks that the Gift of rending souls extends as far as the god being able to choose who it inhabits. He thinks that Oleander was either chosen by the god, or it’s just biding its time inside of her until it can find someone else, someone stronger.”
He knows nothing, my bond says. Atlas’ hand squeezes my knee again, this time in reassurance. I couldn't leave you any more than I could let one of my Bonded die, and I would rather raze this earth to nothing but ashes than let that man control any part of me or us.
I take a deep breath because I know that it’s telling me the truth, and Gryphon glances back at me with a small nod, reassurance that he doesn't detect any lies either.
A year ago, if you would have told me that my bond confirming that it was staying with me forever would have filled me with such relief, I wouldn’t have believed you. Back then, I would have done anything to dig it out of me, but I’ve grown a lot.
“Of course. Davies is an idiot. Who could possibly be stronger than Oli?” Gabe says, and when I glance over at him, he grins at me with a wink.
Jericho levels him with a much harsher look, one that says that he thinks my Bonded is an idiot, but Gabe is smug and asshole-ish as he smirks back at him unrepentantly.
I think it’s likely my bond would take the powers with it if it left me, and I wouldn't be so strong anymore, I say back full of sass, and Gabe shakes his head at me.
I'm not talking about tearing souls out, Bonded. I'm talking about the fact that you were strapped to a table by Davies and tortured and didn't break once. I'm pretty sure I would have broken in the first week.
I smother a giggle, but Jericho notices it anyway and shakes his head at me, clearly pissed we’re not as somber and moody as he is.
“Davies is stronger than you think,” he says, his voice getting shrill, and Nox cocks his head at him in that very sarcastic way that he has.
“If Davies is so strong, then why did he have to kidnap a child and torture her? Why are all of his victims so young? He never takes anyone after their Gifts have fully formed. Is he attempting to get to them before they have fully formed self-identities? Or is he just trying to seem stronger than he really is?”
Jericho turns to look at me again, and Nox’s temper snaps, his hand snapping out to grab his hair and slam him face first into the table. Atlas jerks in his seat, and Gabe makes a grunting noise of shock, and maybe just a little bit of sympathy, as Jericho’s nose crunches and blood pools underneath it.
“Stop. Looking. At. Her.”
I freeze in my seat.
Nox has never really acted protective of me, not until he’d barricaded us both in his bedroom after the soul-bonding. To have it happen now, in front of our entire Bonded Group and some wheeling-dealing Resistance member, is jarring, to say the least.
Even Gryphon looks shocked.
Nox leans down to murmur quietly to Jericho, directly into his ear, though it’s quiet enough that I can hear him well enough.
“Keep your filthy Resistance eyes off of her. That’s the difference between you and I. Once we Bonded, there was nothing that was ever going to keep Oleander away from me… not the Resistance, not the god inside her, not even death itself. You came here to bargain, but you’ve given us nothing. Now you’re not getting your pathetic little Bassinger girl out of here, and you’ll both rot in our cells. You’ve lost.”
Atlas and Gabe escort me home after Kieran transports us back to the Sanctuary.
We’re quiet as we walk through the dark streets, the half-built houses all looming over us with patchy shadows, and my heart feels heavy that we’ve left the others behind.
North and Gryphon were still questioning Jericho, pulling apart all of the information he’d given us until they find something that might actually be useful, but Nox had stayed behind just to fuck with him. Not that he said that, he’d barely reacted when Gryphon had told Kieran to bring us home, but there’s a way that he holds himself that gives away his dark intent.
Jericho will probably be torn apart by shadows by the end of the night.
My chest still aches to leave them though, and I find myself unable to bear the silence any longer. “Do you think they’ll come home tonight?”
My voice is too thready for my liking, my emotions coming through a little too raw and weepy. Even though I know that these two Bonded would never call me out for it or make fun of me, it’s still too much for me to take.
Gabe runs a hand through his hair as he blows out a breath, his arm flexing beautifully and his shirt rising up a little to show a sliver of golden skin around his hips that I want to taste.
I swallow roughly and glance away, catching Atlas’ eye as I do, and he’s smirking at me. I guess I am sort of drooling at Gabe as though he’s a piece of meat right there in front of him.
At least he doesn’t look pissed off about it.
“I doubt they’ll be home tonight, Sweetness, but we can keep your mind off of them.”