Page 46 of Broken Ties
He shrugs. “My dad’s been helping your uncle a lot lately, things have been harder since your dad—shit, anyway, I’ve been going with him for some extra cash.”
He ducks his head, clearly knowing he’s fucked up, but then he’s back to his story like nothing happened. “A lot of new crews are out that way, thanks to the kidnappings. It’s been a big help—and fun learning from new people. Gifted want to stick closer to our own, if you get my meaning.”
I don’t, not even a little bit, but I nod along like this isn’t the strangest fucking thing. He gives me a curt nod back like we’vecome to an agreement, absolutely insane considering how lost I am, but then he claps me on the shoulder.
“Good to see you, Gabe.”
Then he stretches out his hand like it’s the most natural thing, like this isn’t the first time we’ve ever shaken hands, but I take it without so much as an eyebrow twitch.
He hands me a slip of paper.
My bond tugs in my chest.
At first I think it’s in warning or frustration at whatever the hell is going on here, but when I glance up, I find my Bond standing across the hallway staring at Toby. Then our gazes collide and my heart stops dead in my chest.
Her hair is purple.
The color isn’t, like,neonor anything, more a light tint like old ladies get, but instead of looking stupid or childish, my Bond is radiant. It makes her eyes practically glow, the blue fire in them has me absolutely enraptured from across the hall. My heart finally remembers it’s purpose and begins to thump wildly in my chest. She’s gorgeous, fucking stunning, and unquestionably perfect for me.Mine.
Caught off guard by her appearance, the startled fear that suddenly fills her eyes has my bond responding with seething fury in an instant, too fast for me to do a thing to stop it. It spirals so quickly that it takes me a minute to get under control.
By the time I’m level again, Oli is gone.
SIXTEEN
GRYPHON
After I’m cleared to return to duty by the Healers, North grounds my Team for an indeterminate amount of time. He informs the rest of the council his decision was made by increased security concerns but really he uses my attack as cover. Instead of scouting or recovery missions, I start sifting through the minds of the members of the Top Tier families. It’s been something we’ve chipped away at over the last five years, desperate to find something that might help us find our Bond, but whatever Nox found that he’s keeping to himself for now, it’s pushed this work back to the top of our priorities.
The results are, unfortunately, both predictable and horrifying.
My parents used to talk a lot about the riots back in the seventies. They all fought within the TacTeams during the worst of the conflicts, lost many of their closest friends and even family members, and they each carved out a name for themselves in the Gifted history books with their service to our community. As a young child, it all seemed so heroic but distant. I idolized my father in particular, as I’m sure many sons do, but it took until my first mission out in the field before I really understood how verypresentthis war is.
It’s not just something you read about in old textbooks or dates and facts to be memorized for tests. It’s in everyday conversations, the ways the council addresses concerns, how the Top Tier families choose to interact with the Lower Tier Gifted they come across. Every cold look and ignorant act, every chance they have to sharpen a blade, even on the so-called ‘good side’ of the war, they’re the shades of gray I’m surrounded by that make the vetting process a nightmare.
Far too many of those gray areas are a scant shade away from the Resistance’s rhetoric, and it only proves North’s fears for our Bond Group’s safety are far from baseless.
The security detail continues to shadow my Bond’s every move, made up entirely of the most trusted personnel from my Team. Gabe spends his days escorting her from class to class while enduring the whispers and snide comments of his peers. North and I both shift to working in his office building on campus, and with his lectures packing out his schedule, Nox is all but tied down as well.
I’m sure he would work on the opposite side of the state if he had any choice in the matter.
With a dozen threats and potential threats plaguing my every waking thought, I spend an extra hour in the gym going through my training circuit. By the time I make it to breakfast, North and Gabe have already beaten me there. A rare occurrence for Draven to beat anyone to anything before noon, the scowl on his face isn’t a good sign for the day ahead of me.
Gabe nods in acknowledgment to me but continues their conversation without missing a beat. “She hasn't said anything to anyone. At first, I thought it was just my stupid wishful thinking but… she hasn't said anything."
Ah.
His cousin’s note.
A single line of coordinates and a list of well-known Resistance names, it hasn’t made any sense to us yet, but his desperation to reach Gabe and harried appearance at the football game has kept us digging into it. Our resources are stretched thin though, and without help, it’s slow going.
To make matters worse, the kid is now refusing to speak to Gabe and his parental Bonded Group won’t engage with any of our attempts to reach out to them either.
North stares unblinkingly across the table at Gabe, still barely registering my arrival, and when I take a closer look at him, I find his eyes are so dark that they almost look like they've shifted. Even after all these years, the tension that floods me freezes me in place as I instantly prepare myself. If he loses control and his nightmare creatures make an appearance, I’ll be in the thick of it defending Gabe as they no doubt attack the source of North’s turmoil.
When the door opens and catches his attention, the whites of his eyes flash clearly as he glances at his brother’s haggard arrival, and I force my shoulders to loosen even with the new issue all but stumbling in.
Nox is, without a doubt, hungover as fuck.