Page 83 of Broken Ties

She swallows the pill dry, a testament to how much pain she’s still in, before she sits on her bed to pull her shoes on. She’s quiet, moving slowly, and even though she’s clearly not happy about my insistence, she’s not fighting me on it either. I almost regret my decision to question her, but there’s no helping it.

There’s also no point beating around the bush.

“Did you want to run away from us or were you forced to?”

Pausing for a second as if it’s not at all what she was expecting, she finally sighs and then gives me a wry smile. “I’ll answer, but you won’t believe me anyway. I had no other choice. I can’t say any more without risking you and the other Bonds. Despite what you all think, everything I’ve done is to keep you safe.”

Truth.

A truth I will fight tooth and nail to get to the bottom of because my worst nightmare is unravelling before my eyes, only to reveal a new layer of horror. Someone is threatening my Bond.

“Tell me who is threatening you.”

Her mouth tightening, she shakes her head at me. “I can’t tell you. I can’t tell anyone.”

“What if I promise not to tell the other Bonds, would you tell me then? We could keep it between us, and I’ll deal with the issue.”

Cackling derisively, she slips her bag over her shoulder. “Nox is your best friend, you sit through all of his bullshit at the stupid dinners. There’s no way you wouldn’t tell him. It doesn’t matter anyway. I can’t tell you.”

Of course Nox is going to ruin this chance to finally get some answers out of my Bond, because he’s had a hand in every step backward we’ve had from the moment we found her.

Oli makes a move toward the door, but I don’t want to lose this chance, my hands gripping her arms before I’ve eventhought the move through. Her breath squeaks out of her chest like she’s cornered prey, her heart thumping so wildly in her chest that I can see the frantic pulse of it in the hollow of her throat.

I wait until she’s about to break before I give her the credit card, slipping it into her pocket because I can’t help myself. “That’s yours. You’ll use it for anything you need from now on. Order in food, pills, a new fucking bed, I don’t care. Just use it.”

She swallows roughly, I’ve clearly caught her off-guard, and a scowl takes over her face as she fumbles over an answer. “Why would you do that? I don’t want to take anything from you. If you could just get North to let me find a job, I can take care of myself.”

Truth—except I hate it.

I want her to take everything from me, providing for my Bond is an honor and a duty that I intend to fulfill. The only thing stopping me from losing my temper entirely is the thread of shame running through her words. She’s not doubting me or my commitment to my Bond, but instead she feels unworthy.

With my teeth gnashing in frustration, it’s almost impossible to keep my tone level. “Tell me you will use it if you need it.”

She rolls her eyes at me in an attempt to piss me off that finally works. “Fine.”

Lie.

She pulls her arm out of my grasp, but I barely let her take a step toward the door before I’m grabbing a hold of her again, this time spinning her to pin her against it. As every perfect inch of her body presses against mine again, I’m rewarded with another one of those perfect gasps. It almost distracts me from my ire, but I won’t let her out of this room without being sure she’s taken care of.

“Say it and mean it. There’s nothing worse than a liar.”

Her throat works as she swallows before I’m hit with her breathy tone, which lights my blood on fire. “I’ll use it if I have to, but I still want a job of my own.”

The determination in her eyes lit them like a fire burning bright, a temptation unlike anything I’ve ever endured before. I can’t help but touch her a little more, her cheek soft underneath my fingertips.

Fuck.

I need to find a topic to stoke that fire higher so I can see it, but also so she’ll push me away, because the pout of her lips is too fucking tempting right now.

Dravens.

I should talk about one of those assholes, that always works to get her seething mad. It also makes me pretty pissed off these days but I have to do something, and fast.

“North will never risk losing you again. I don’t think he will ever let you find a job, but if you ask him directly, I’ll side with you.”

She doesn’t push me away. Instead, she takes a deep breath, her chest pushing against mine, and I’m assaulted with a hundred memories of her splayed out over me last night, the little moan she’d let out, and I’m going to go insane…

My phone buzzes, breaking the haze I was rapidly falling into.