Page 47 of Broken Ties
He’s supposed to be teaching my Bond’s class in a few short hours, and I don’t think Gabe will be enough protection for her with Nox in this state.
I’m not the only one who comes to this conclusion.
Cheek muscle twitching for a second, North is careful about covering it before the maids bring out the serving dishes of breakfast foods. It weirded me out to sit around the table and be served like this when I first started eating here, but North and Nox never seemed to notice. Gabe did straight away, though, so I know it’s not just the General’s standards that differ from the Draven’s.
Nox slumps into his usual seat, ignoring the maid who prepares his breakfast setting as though he’s not a grown man capable of unfolding a napkin, but North thanks her in his usual firm-but-kind way.
He uses the same tone to address the mess he calls a brother. “There’s no need for you to teach today. I’ll send Tyson in as relief, and you can catch up on your research.”
Nox drops the linen napkin onto his lap, a smirk stretching over his lips when North cringes at the action. “I can’t keep up with you. Yesterday, you were whining about how hard I was making your life. Well, this is the only remorse you’ll ever get from me. Besides, what’s so bad about me being a productive member of our oh-so-welcoming community? Either you need my help or you need me to disappear. Figure out what the hell you really want, brother, and then let me know.”
North’s gaze stays steady on Nox until his brother starts to fill his plate, and only then do his eyes narrow. He looks close to intervening, to doing something a little closer to tough love, but for now, he sticks to his usual kid-glove approach of asking questions and giving firmly reassuring answers. Nothing even close to offensive or abrasive.
The problem is, of course, that Nox can’t even tolerate being questioned in the first place without his twisted forms of retaliation.
My Bond bears the brunt of his trauma responses.
Later that evening, I’m forced to sit through yet another dinner of listening to his most asinine companion’s attempts to dig under her skin. Lana is a fucking nightmare at the best of times. It’s stupid and childish, but as the night goes on, I find a whole new problem we’re all facing as Nox’s petty games are met with no reaction from her.
I feel sick to my stomach.
No matter how much he may deny it and loathe it, Nox’s bond responds to Oli. North’s does as well, and mine and Gabe’s, only I can feel something stir within her. It’s not a Gift, no sign of any ability, and I refuse to pry into her mind further to find what she’s hiding there, but I know there’ssomethingwithin her that responds.
Oli’s bond no longer registers Nox’s presence.
I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and my chest tightens all through dinner until I’m struggling to breathe. Nox’s games have achieved one thing; I’m fucking dying at the thought of what damage he’s done to her. Is it irreparable? Is this a response in itself or has Nox somehow figured out a way to sever their bond? Fuck, that’s absolutelyinsaneto even think about, but if anyone is crazy enough to do that, it’s Nox Draven.
When Lana drawls out her baseless bullshit, Nox smirks along. “I heard that you lived on the street for years, selling yourself to eat. It must be hard to go back to living a ‘straight’ life again after being used like that.”
He chuckles under his breath, shooting the bitch a look that has even my bond writhing with fury and disgust. I glance at Oli to find her staring back at Lana as though Nox doesn’t exist. Careful not to use my Gift, I focus my attention on my Bond to see if there’s something,anything, responding to this shitshow.
Still nothing.
It’s only when Gabe glances hesitantly down at her that her bond reacts, a ripple that I can’t explain except to say it has to be that connection to me, to her Bonds.
She only has it around us.
Then the ripple has her temper flaring, hot enough that even while shutting my Gift off from prying into her mind, I can’t help but feel it. It’s like a volcanic eruption, or at least the beginning of one. Fuck, I can practically see the steam pouring from her ears at the idea of Gabe believing Lana Woodrow’s petty jabs.
She’s clueless to the fact that he doesn’t believe them at all.
He’s hesitating about tearing strips from that bitch for talking crap about his Bond because he’s worried Oli will be pissed at his coming to her defense. She couldn’t possibly blame him for that, not with the way she’s been treating him.
Just as I think I’m about to figure something about my Bond out, North ruins it all by interrupting, practically throwing himself in front of his brother like a Shield. “We need to discuss some ground rules for the party.”
Her eyes flash dangerously as her gaze snaps over to him and her reply is a snarl. “Why would we need to do that? I’ll avoid you like the plague, Gabe will stick to my ass like glue, and I’ll hang out in the corner with Sage while both of us pray that death will take us so we can get out of there.”
Nox finally leans away from that smirking bitch, undoing his brother’s good work as he waves yet another red flag in my Bond’s face. “I fucked a Flame once. She came so hard that she set the bed on fire. I should call your little friend and see if she needs some… loosening up.“
My bond begins to claw at my control, begging to be let out to pull Nox the fuck into line. One look at my Bond and I almost lose control—shit, I almost cut the ropes holding it back and just let this night go all the way to hell.
She’s spitting fucking mad, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it’s not at him shitting all over their sacred connection. Nope, it’s him being so vulgar about Sage that has her furious.
North and Gabe both subtly prepare themselves to physically intervene as well, looks shared between the three of us that no one else notices. Lana is too busy chuckling and fawning over Nox like a fucking idiot while he’s drinking Oli’s hate in gluttonously, and my Bond? Well, she’s gnashing her teeth like she’s imagining it’s his throat caught between them, torn out inan instant. The air around her is nothing short of savage, like even her bond is prepared to cut their losses and bathe in his blood for acting like this.
My Bond doesn’t read like a Shifter, but this sort of animalistic reaction has me second guessing.
We all startle when she shoves her plate away from herself, as on edge as we are. Lana giggles softly again, picking up her abandoned fork and starting in on her food finally, as though she’s won something by running my Bond off.