Page 56 of Broken Ties
She smiles sweetly at me but her eyes are as fierce as a lioness staring down a threat to her pride. There’s no way I’d ever do anything to put her family at risk, but she’s careful, all the same. Exactly how a Central Bonded should be.
Any peace I’d found since arriving evaporates into thin air.
Adella doesn’t comment on the sudden change to my demeanor, instead she bids her Bonded farewell again and slips easily from the room, closing the door firmly behind her. It takes me another minute before I can look at Vivian without a sullen look on my face.
He, too, refrains from commenting on my childish behavior. “I heard about the recon for the Gifted who almost took out Shore that you’ve green-lit—we need to act on any intel quickly. Sharpe called this morning to gloat about the kidnappings, andit’s a sign of discontent within the community that can’t be brushed off.”
Eyebrows raising, I take the seat before his desk when he gestures to it. “He called you togloat?”
Vivian shrugs. “Not in so many words. He said he wanted to discuss the ‘state of security’ within the community, and to warn me that there are a growing number of Gifted who are unhappy with how you’re handling the role. He didn’t want to see a man of my standing to be dragged down with the inevitable demise of the Draven’s reign of terror.”
Blinking at him, I can only scoff when he nods at me as if swearing he’s telling the whole truth. “He’s been on borrowed time for far too long. Gryph will be thrilled to hear he’s no longer playing the docile councilman and is teetering dangerously on the edge of becoming a threat to the community. He’s only been waiting a decade for the chance to break open that piece of shit’s mind entirely.”
Vivian nods slowly. “I’ve heard all the bullshit he’s been sending your way about Fallows. I’m surprised you’ve all kept your heads about you, but it’s certainly helped me shut down any dissenting whispers that reach my ears from the rest of the council. Didn’t think I’d ever be praising you for putting aside your Bond’s well-being for the sake of the community, but our days of so-called peace are numbered, and war brings out all sorts of bullshit.”
My bond doesnotlike him speaking like that, and it makes my tone harsher than I intend. “Her well-being has never been at risk, aside from her own stupid choices and childish games. If Sharpe becomes an imminent threat toher, he’ll be dealt with.”
Threading his hands together in front of himself and resting them on his desk, Vivian stares at me for a second as if he’s trying to see inside my skull. On this particular topic, I have absolutely nothing to hide, and frankly, I’m pissed off that he'squestioning my protections in the first place. He knows better than most what lengths I’ve gone to in the last five years, as well as the foundations I began building long before I ever heard the name ‘Oleander Fallows’.
Vivian lets out a slow breath. “You know, you and Fallows are a lot alike. I think it’s why I like the kid so much. I’m watching her assess every Gifted in the room… and she’s not impressed. Now I’m watching her prove them all wrong every week, and if they aren’t Draven traits, I don’t know what are.”
I scoff at him, tipping my head back to stare at the ceiling incredulously. “Well, I never ran away from my Bond Group and led them on a wild, panicked chase across the country for five agonizing years, so I’m not sure I’m seeing what you are.”
He only shrugs at me again. “I said alike, not carbon copies. I think good Bond matches are similar in certain ways and complimentary where it counts. I don’t think your match is as doomed as you’re worrying about.”
This man is the closest thing to a father figure I’ve had since my own was put to death. I value his opinion on matters more than anyone else outside of my Bond Group, even more than my uncle who took Nox and I into his care and protected us both when the vultures began to circle.
It’s probably the reason I’m comfortable enough to let out a sigh that holds every ounce of frustration and despair I feel within it. My shoulders slump forward, aching from the tension I’ve held all day, and no amount of rubbing will clear the headache forming behind my eyes.
“She’s a good kid, North. I know that’s not what you want to hear right now while you’re feeling pissed off about all this, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders, she’s determined when she sets her mind onto something, and she cares about the people around her. She’s hiding it well, but she’s taking no joy in any of the pain and suffering happening around her.”
I shoot him a hard look. “Gabe is miserable.”
Vivian stares back unwaveringly. “And it’s killing her. It’s eating her alive on the inside, North, I promise you… Consider this for a second, whatever sent Oleander Fallows running is terrifying enough to your Bond that the torture of her Bond—and in turn, herself—is the better option of the two. She would rather you all hate her and reject her in public as well as in private than to face the alternative.”
Vivian isn’t easily fooled or manipulated.
He has championed Nox at every opportunity, reassured me of my brother’s true intentions when it seemed like I would falter, and he’s worked tirelessly with me to purge the TacTeams of Resistance spies. I’ve never doubted his words before.
So why can’t I believe them now?
Never one to shy away from difficult topics, Vivian gives me another stern look before he opens the bottom drawer of his desk and pulls out a bottle of amber liquid that really could be anything, and two glasses. He shoots me down the second I open my mouth to decline.
“Unser brewed it—are you doubting his taste, Draven, or is it just that silver spoon of yours that’s getting in your way?”
My teeth ache with the force of my jaw snapping shut. This man knows better than any how to make a hit count. Not that he was intending to harm me or even piss me off, but his insistence on getting some liquor in me sets off warning bells. I ignore them for now, living without the weight of whatever fresh hell is coming for a little longer.
Vivian waits until I’m on my second glass before he gives me a careful look over the rim. “I’ve been talking with Shore about your Bond.”
The glass stops halfway to my mouth, but he shakes his head at my surprise. “He hasn’t told me much about what he’s pickingup from her, and I wouldn’t tell you even if he did. These are… my own observations.”
He stands and walks around the desk, grabbing a remote from on top of his filing cabinet, papers and manilla folders everywhere. He points it at the TV on the wall on the far side of the room with a perfect view from either side of his desk.
My Bond appears on the screen.
It’s security footage from the maze, paused right as she’s about to walk through the thorns, but Vivian hits the play button and we watch in silence as she faces the pond bitch.
My heart leaps into my throat, but she gets through it all. Definitely not unscathed, she’s torn up and limping by the time she nears the center, but she’s in far better shape than any other student in there.