Page 107 of Broken Ties

Before it can answer me, Atlas Bassinger arrives in the courtyard at a full sprint looking both enraged and terrified.

“She’s gone. They took her, and Ardern went after her.”

There’s a pop and Gryph arrives with Kieran, equally grim faces between them. “Gabe let them take him to go after Oli.”

Shaking my head at the sheer stupidity, it’s North who snaps, “Go now, and get her. They’re at the sorting camps in South Carolina, Benson already tracked her.”

He doesn’t give me orders to go, but he’s already used most of his Gift clearing the campus. He’s almost spent, and if it weren’t for Gabe, I’d leave the girl to her fate.

I meet Gryph’s eyes and give him a sharp nod, stepping over to them both.

“I’m going?—”

Sneering as I grip Black’s arm, I cut Bassinger off. “I’m not taking a Resistance fucking spy with me. Go ahead and rot here with the rest of your kind.”

His eyes flash white but Black Transports us all out, the black tendrils of my brother’s shadows coiling around Bassinger the last thing I see before my feet hit the ground at the sorting camp.

The camp is already in complete disarray. Black lands us at the edge, but there are already soldiers here and we’re forced to take them by surprise. They clearly weren’t waiting on us, but we have them taken care of in under a minute.

Jolting on his feet next to me, I assume Gryph has been hit by a wayward bullet the shadows missed until it hits me next; a wave of power blankets me, immovable even to my bond, as it reaches out. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before, but the moment my bond responds, I know it’sher.

Only hours ago, any mention of her sickened me to my core, yet my curiosity is instantly lit. My mind fixates on it, turning it over and over until a memory flashes in my mind. Mine or my bond’s, I don’t know, but it’s there.

Her bond.

It was like nothing I’d even seen before…nothing but my own bond. It called to hers, conversed with it wordlessly, and when it chose not to form the Bond, my bondacquiesced. It didn’t fight tooth and nail as it fought me. It reached out to her bond, touched it and communicated somehow, then it retreated.

At her request.

Her bond listens to her. Her bond is submissive and controllable, and—what the fuck type of game is that girl playing at? Why didn’t she stop them sooner?

I’m broken out of this train of thought by gunfire and Black cursing under his breath, Transporting away without a word to leave us behind.

With no other option, I cover the open air area of the camp in shadows. With a command to consume every Resistance piece of shit in this place, I can only hope my Gift lasts longer than there are Gifted here.

Kieran barely makesit back to us before I’m tapped out, Transporting us as far as he can before he’s tapped out as well. Fuck, Gryph’s entire team is barely holding themselves together, we’re sitting ducks right now.

Waves of exhaustion and pain rake over my entire body, my bond out cold in my chest and my shadows completely spent. Threads of panic wind around my mind, binding me until I’ve turned to stone.

I can’t access my shadows.

I’m completely defenseless.

North isn’t here.

Anything could happen to me.

Whether Gryph recognizes the state I’m in and keeps everyone away from me or they’re all just as equally exhausted as I am, I’m left to myself. Not even my Bond’s close proximity can rival the sheer terror of being, essentially, Giftless out in the middle of nowhere. This is my worst nightmare unfolding before me, the day after I barely made it out of yet another worst nightmare.

Aarav speaks up, breaking me out of my disassociated state to slam the reality of just how fucked we can truly get here. “Are we expecting any ground cover?”

My gaze focuses on the convoy of Resistance trucks heading our way and there’s no way this is a coincidence, just like nothing about today has been. They knew about our rendezvous point.

They have a spy within our ranks…probably someone on this team, or North’s.

Gryph moves into action straight away, but he has to know already that we’re screwed. “Fuck. Samual, get us covered, and fast.”

The Shield locks into place as Gryph’s Team takes their positions, but it’s futile. We’re done for and we all know it, even before the vehicles open up and the soldiers file out. A quick headcount is all it takes to know we’re not just outnumbered; they have at least eight times our numbers, maybe more.