Page 4 of Broken Ties
Another snarl tears out of me, only this one is intentional. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
He hesitates, clearly intent on shredding my last inch of patience, before he finally answers. “Her hair is white.”
I wait, but when he doesn’t say anything else, I scoff. “That's it? You're sending me off the fucking deep end over a trip to the stylist? Set up a perimeter and get your ass here to Transport me.”
He huffs under his breath at me. “It's not a dye job, asshole, her hair is fucking glowing. She’s standing in a cafe in the middle of nowhere, dressed like she’s trying really hard to blend in with the non-Gifted population, but the entire building is sneaking glances at her because her hair is… it’s eerie as fuck, man.”
I don’t like him talking about her like that, not one bit, but before I can ream him for it, he blurts out, “Makai can't get a read on her.”
That stops me in my tracks. Makai might not be the strongest Tracker alive today but he’s never had an issue reading Gifted before. He can’t accurately gauge power levels or exact Gifts, but he can always tell the ‘flavor’.
“How close did he get to her?”
“I sent him in to grab a coffee. She knew he was Gifted for sure, avoided getting too close to him, but it’s a small building, so she had to walk right by him. He gotnothing, Gryph.”
He stops abruptly, cursing softly under his breath, before he murmurs to me, “She’s packing up her shit to leave, I’ve got to move now before the real reason I’m here arrives. I doubt she’s hit his radar, but you know what that asshole will do if he gets a look at her.”
Silas fucking Davies; the boogey man of the Resistance. He’s a sociopath, a murderer, and a vicious dictator intent on wiping out all non-Gifted from the country. I’ll do anything to keep my Bond away from his clutches, especially if she’s some anomaly he’d enjoy breaking open.
I’ve read far too many reports detailing his sickening acts to the Gifted who catch his eye.
“Do it. Whatever it takes, get her to Draven.”
By the timeKieran arrives to Transport me, I’ve made it back to the mansion to get the Camaro parked up securely in the garage. The drive was a piss-poor distraction from the desperation clawing at me, the innate urges of my own bond demanding I find my Bond and get her to safety. My skin is practically crawling off of my body as I try to hold on to the last of my senses.
When my Second pops into existence in the front foyer, I almost lose my last vestiges of control at the blood spattering the front of his uniform. He only sends me a dark look as he shakes his head. It’s not like him to get angry about shit, not with me,and my bond itches to crack open his head to rifle around in his mind until there’s no questions left unanswered.
With a scoff, he snaps at me, “No need to waste your Gift; your little Bond has a fucking mean right hook.”
I send him a savage look of my own. “What the hell did you do to her? And don’t tell me you went to a Healer before coming to get me, I’m barely keeping my shit together as it is.”
He shakes his head at me, far too casual for my liking because I’ve never been so serious in my life. If he’s hurt her, he’s dead and, honestly, me killing him would be a kindness.
North would let his shadows make a real mess of the job first if he found out.
“Something spooked her, so when I tried to talk to her, she wasn’t taking any chances. She swung before I even got my mouth open and then made a run for it. Makai blocked the exit, ready to help me talk her down, but then Harrison spotted the Resistance scouts from where he was keeping watch and I had no choice but to just fucking grab her. I mean it, Shore, if I didn’t get a hold of her, then she would’ve been in the middle of a Resistance stake out, so I did what I had to do. Goodfuckingluck dealing with her without spending half your time down at the med bay, she’s a savage little thing.”
Cursing under my breath, I grab the arm he’s holding out. “I told you to come straight to me?—”
He cuts me off, his temper well and truly snapped, “And I did! Aarav is back on duty and he reset my nose just so I can breathe again because I can’t Transport without oxygen in my brain. Rest assured, asshole, my face is still fucking throbbing.”
His Gift kicks in before I can reply, and then I’m too busy trying not to puke my guts up to argue with him. He Transports us both to the Tac Response Office, right into the surveillance room that’s already a writhing hive of people. Thankfully it’s mostly TacTeam personnel who are trained to hold barriersin their minds constantly so I’m not assaulted by their every thought, but there are a few errant Council members sweating in the corner where they’re clustered together, anxiety rolling off of them in waves and scrambling the streams of information pouring out.
Something else has happened.
Even a non-Gifted could pick out the Dravens with ease. They’re very clearly brothers, dark hair and even darker blue eyes staring out of variations of the same face, but it’s the wide berth the entire room is giving them both that’s the dead giveaway.
Already in uniform, Nox looks as though he’s gearing up to face his worst nightmare, but his tone is still level when he sneers at me. “You sure do take your fucking time.”
I have to swallow my scathing reply, my jaw tightening so hard my teeth almost crack, but then North meets my gaze with his own, pushing his thoughts toward me as he does, and the petty squabbles disintegrate into dust.
Davies arrived seconds after Black got Oleander out. They’re looking for something and they’re tearing apart the entire town looking for it. She was seconds away from crossing his path and falling into the Resistance’s hands.
My gut churns and I swallow back the bile creeping up my throat.Where is she now? Who do you have guarding her?
Nox starts snarling at Makai and Aarav, questioning their statements of what went down and demanding answers about anything that isn’t related to our Bond. I can’t help but look him over, an old habit of searching for the markers of his control slipping, but there are no signs of black stains on his skin or rings of shadows to be found.
Not yet.