Page 102 of Broken Ties
The day just gets worse and worse.
I’m expecting there to be a debrief underway, but instead I find North missing, Gryphon prepping his team, and Nox aboutto head out. Kieran slaps me on the shoulder before he strides over to Nox’s group, calling out to them until they’re all grabbing his arm, and the next minute they’re gone.
I might never see any of them again.
From across the foyer, Gryphon’s eyes collide with mine and he pushes at my mental barriers until he can speak directly into my mind.
North got intel last night that couldn’t be ignored or put aside. I know it seems rushed, but this is what we train for, Gabe. Everything is going to be okay.
I nod slowly, knowing even in my mind I won’t be able to keep my fears from my reply, so I change the topic instead.
What happened to the driveway?
Gryphon’s mouth sets into a firm line, not the distraction I was after.
I’m not going to lie to you, Gabe. Nox overstepped with our Bond and Bassinger came to her. I’ve already spoken to him and I haven’t gotten the entire story yet, but it’s clear that it happened because he’s been rejecting their Bond. I will figure it out, and I’ll make sure it never happens again. If I speak to Oli and find out something else happened, or that Nox has concealed something, I will deal with him. I swear to you, I will not put him above her in this.
It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but I nod regardless. I trust Gryphon, maybe the most out of all the Bonds. His Gift makes it way easier for him to figure out the right path ahead and to call the others out if they need it.
I barely get the chance to say goodbye, and then Kieran is back, calling out more orders and looking tense as Gryph’s team crowds around him.
The moment they pop out of view, my Bond arrives with Bassinger seething behind her.
His lip actually curls at me as he snaps, “If you were hoping to have Oli on your own, you’re shit out of luck, because I’m not trusting her with any of you after last night. Fuck no.”
He has no clue of where everyone else has gone, of the dangers they’re in, that if it all goes to hell then Oli could potentially lose three of her Bonds in a single sweep.
My stomach churns violently, and instead of arguing with him or even just calling him out, I head back out to my motorbike before we run out of time to train and the morning classes at Draven begin.
The ride over doesn’t help to clear my head at all.
The traffic is only a little better this early in the morning and I wait for my Bond and Bassinger until I’m sure they’ve left me behind as well. Shit, my thoughts turn pretty pathetic by the time they show up and I get us into the gym without a word.
Oli gets right into her training circuits but Bassinger is hellbent on sparring with me, so I head straight to the mats with him. I’m going to regret skipping over stretching, but that’s a problem for later. Right now, I have another Bond attempting to kill me and doing very little to hide that fact.
Bassinger has something to prove but my bond doesn’t entertain his antics for a second. When it’s clear that he can’t beat me without using his Gift, and that he refuses to lose, I let him play out his little games. He’s just preening after our Bond, trying to impress her, but he hasn’t been here for long enough to know that she’s almostimpossibleto impress.
So I laugh in his face.
In retaliation, he punches me in the jaw.
Typically, Oli is on her phone and either doesn’t notice or she just ignores us. Honestly, she probably couldn’t care less about us fighting, but I’m going to get so much shit from the other Bonds for it, so my temper flares.
I snarl at him, “What the fuck is your problem, asshole?”
He sneers back at me. “I’m not dealing with some spineless dickhead following the two of us around for the rest of the day just because a fucking Draven told him to. Either commit to your Bond and keep your mouth shut, or fuck off. We don’t need some little tattletale tagging along.”
Oli makes a soft sound under her breath and both of our heads snap toward her as if on command. She’s grinning down at her phone, her fingers flying across the screen for a minute before she notices our attention. We stare at her raptly, completely forgetting we’re at each other’s throats right now.
Literally.
Bassinger has a hand wrapped around my throat as he hovers over me.
Our Bond scoffs at us like we’re all old friends and this is typical behavior. It’s jarring, but mostly because of how right it feels. There’s nothing about Bassinger that I want to grow accustomed to, and as his fingers flex instinctively around my throat, I’m certain he feels the same.
“Sage is going to meet us for breakfast. I’m starving, we should get a move on so we can find a decent table.”
The dining hall food is terrible, but my Bond is hungry, so I practically throw Bassinger off of me to get her there. I grab her training bag and sling it over my shoulders, still quiet as we walk together. Bassinger isn’t quiet though, he’s openly flirting with our Bond while throwing insults and jabs my way.