by J Bree
I walk away because there’s nothing I can say back to him. I don’t want to see any of the reactions from the others and Sage immediately moves to tuck her arm in mine, stalking over to the back row of seats where we normally sit together, as if the entire room isn’t listening in on the drama happening at the door. Literally, the entire class is waiting for my Bonds to sort their issues out and sit down so the professor can start the class.
I want to scream.
“Ignore it, this has nothing to do with you. They’re all just on edge because Gifted are being taken and Atlas has shown up to rock the boat,” Sage whispers, shooting Zoey and her giggling friends a look when they all stare back at us.
I block them all out. When Atlas finally takes his seat next to me, he’s still looking calm and steady, pulling out textbooks and his laptop to take notes as though nothing has happened. Gabe sits next to Sage and seethes the entire time, a walking timebomb today. I’m sure he’s planning on destroying me with the temper tantrum that’s brewing.
When the class is finally over and we’re all heading to the library to study, Altas slings an arm over my shoulders as we walk out. Kieran is nowhere to be seen, and his replacement doesn’t so much as glance at us as we walk past.
The library is busier than it usually is and when we finally wade through the crowd to our table, we find Sawyer and Felix already waiting for us. I smile at them both and introduce Atlas to Felix, who accepts him into the fold as though this is all completely normal and there’s not a seething sort of rage radiating off of Gabe right now.
I’m set on ignoring it and just focussing on my damn assignments, but I’m also prepared for Sawyer’s shit-stirring ways by now.
“I heard about the spat this morning but the real question here is, which one of your Bonds has the biggest dick? Tell us so we know who won, Fallows.”
Sage groans and buries her face in her hands. “For the love of God, can we please stop talking about dicks for five fucking minutes?”
Sawyer grins like he’s going to torture his sister but Gabe buts in, “Kieran might be an asshole but he wasn’t wrong, was he? It’s hard to defend someone when everyone knows their rap sheet.”
Atlas slips his hand into mine on the table, threading our fingers together where everyone can see. I think it has more to do with claiming me than showing me any sort of affection.
Gabe’s eyes drop down and glue themselves there and Atlas smirks at him. “Oh yeah? Well, unlike you, I'm not afraid to tell the others to fuck off and keep my Bond to myself. I don't care what's happened in the past, that shit is over with. She's mine and you've chosen for her to not be yours."
Gabe's nostrils flare. "It’s not as easy as saying she's mine. There's more going on-"
"I don't give a fuck," Atlas cuts him off, and then resolutely ignores him for the rest of the afternoon, no matter how badly Gabe wants the fight.
We study until the dining hall opens for dinner, the table falling into a tense sort of quiet while we all cram as much knowledge into our skulls as possible.
Sawyer, Felix, and Gabe leave to go to football practice together. I notice how much calmer and less stressed out Sage is about hanging around Felix now and I give her a raised eyebrow about it as we head to dinner together.
She glances at Atlas and then murmurs, “I told him I just wanted to hang out as friends… for now. He hasn’t pushed the subject and— I mean— it’s been nice to have him back. I’m still positive he’s going to find his Central and leave me but… well, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to enjoy the time until then.”
I tuck my arm into hers again and whisper back, “You absolutely should. Why should you be alone forever if Riley has made his decision? He doesn’t own you, Sage. You can do what you want.”
She shrugs at me with a little smile, glancing over at Atlas who is very kindly pretending he can’t hear a thing we’re saying and has no interest in what we’re gossiping about. I’ve vented out my anger about Sage’s Bond situation to him before, just general shit and none of the personal details she’s trusted me with, so I’m sure he’s got a pretty good idea of what’s going on.
We eat dinner together, a very dry and flavorless lasagne, which Sage gives up on two bites in thanks to the luxury of having a car, money, and access to a fridge at home. Atlas eats all of his but doesn’t look happy about it.
I choke the entire plate down and try not to be pissed off all over again and my lack of options.
Sage hugs me before she heads home for the day, leaving Atlas and I alone together for the first time since he opened my bedroom door to find Gabe heading our way this morning.
I’m suddenly completely unsure of what to do.
Atlas grabs my hand again and gives it a squeeze. “I’ll walk you back up to your room, Oli, unless you want to head somewhere else first?”
I shake my head and try not to look like I’m completely shitting myself, which, to be fair, I absolutely am. This is why I’ve kept everyone else at an arm’s length… okay, not really, because the Draven brothers have been the ones to put distance between themselves and me. Gabe is an anomaly because I think he’s both desperate to bridge the gap between us, but also completely unwilling to let go of the damage my supposed abandonment did to him. Then there’s the small fact that not only does Gryphon sleep in my bed every night now, but I’m also wearing his hoodie right now and just wallowing in his scent like it’s a drug I’ll die without.
My legs move on autopilot while I try to figure out what the fuck I’m going to say to him, what explanation I can possibly give him for not being able to do anything with him, no matter how much I like him.
The moment we get to the dorms, my skin starts to crawl at the eyes that follow us both the entire way up to my room. News has clearly gotten around that Atlas is the last of my Bonds, come from the other side of the country to be here with his defective Central Bond, and the attention we’re getting is enough to get my back up in a big way.
I fucking hate this place.
I usher Atlas into my room without thinking, desperate to get out of sight of the entire freaking building. I flick the lock and throw my bag down onto the bed, wincing at the fact that I didn’t make it this morning and it looks messy.
I also don’t want to admit that I don’t like to make it because I can still see the indent in the shitty mattress of where Gryphon slept, which is very pathetic, stupid, and a little too heartsick for what I’m trying to project here.
It’s clear I’ve forgotten how bleak the room really is because it takes me a second to realize why Atlas’ lip curls as he looks around the room. “How the fuck did I not notice how bad this is this morning? Pack a bag, Oli. You're moving in with me."
A nervous laugh creeps up my throat. "I can't do that! This is where the Council put me, they're paying for it. I don't have any money or anything. They won't let me get a job."
I feel shame curling in my stomach. I hate admitting just how freaking bad my situation really is. I have nothing, no money, no job. The education I'm getting is just to keep me under their thumbs and not to actually help me find a job I want. I'm freaking powerless and it sucks.
Gryphon’s card sitting in my bag is taunting me, but I’ve already decided that I’m not using that little plastic rectangle unless someone is dying.
"Pack a bag. Looks like they haven't let you have anything here anyway, so it'll all fit in your duffle. You're coming with me now and I'll deal with the Council if they have questions. You're my Bond, I'll take care of you."
My cheeks flush with shame. "You don't need to do that, I can take care of myself. Well, I could if North would let me work. I'm kind of... bored sitting around here all day."
Atlas gently moves me over to the bed with a hand under my elbow. "Pack. We can figure out how to get you a job later, once you're out of this shithole. It would be my honor to take care of you while you find your feet, Oli. Wouldn't you do the same for me?"
I answer without think
ing. "Well, of course, but the others will be pissed you're doing this and… I can’t bond with you. I can’t give you any reasons why either, this is a fucking mess.”
He scoffs. “We’ll figure out our bond when we’re ready, you don’t owe me a goddamn thing and, Oli, I need you to understand that I don’t give a fuck what they think. I care about our bond. I care about getting to know you and us making decisions together. My place isn't swanky or anything, it’s just an apartment, but it's better than this. We can eat real food too, not the cafeteria crap we just had to choke down.”
There’s no arguing with him and he’s right, it only takes me a minute to pack everything into the small duffle bag I have. Honestly, the only reason it looks reasonably full is because I have two other hoodies that Gryphon left behind and they take up a heap of space.
He takes my duffle off of me and slings it over his back, smirking at one of the girls when we step out together in the most arrogant, cocky way that has me giggling. She looks shocked and a little shaky as she darts back into her room.
“Come on, Sweetness, let’s get the fuck outta this shithole.”
He leads me down to the small parking lot behind the dorm that I’ve never stepped foot into because everyone always picks me up from the loading zone out the front. I know which car is his immediately because there’s no car that screams BDE like the black Dodge Challenger Hellcat, and the grin he shoots at me when he unlocks it is total smug asshole. It’s cute, and also a little gross, how well he pulls this off without looking like an utter douchebag.
His apartment is only a few blocks away, still within walking distance of the campus. He drives as confidently as Gryphon and a little less crazy suicidal than Gabe on his motorbike.
The apartment is on the top floor and he was definitely underselling it when he said it was nothing fancy. Sure, it’s not North’s mansion, but there’s a view of the entire campus and two bedrooms in the place. The kitchen is full-sized with granite countertops and the bathroom has a tub.
The dorm feels like a dirty little hovel compared to this place.
When Atlas finishes the tour in his bathroom, he drops the duffle down onto the bed and scrubs a hand through his hair and blows out a breath. "I can take the couch."
I glance out of the open doorway and then give him a look of disbelief. The couch is a two seater and there's no way in hell he's going to fit. Hell, I won't fit on it either. "It's fine, I don't mind sharing. I mean, we're Bonds, right? We have to get used to it sometime."
He smirks at me, the dimples flashing at me. "I was hoping you'd be a little more enthusiastic about sharing a bed with me but we can work on that."
I scoff at him and shove at his chest a little. "It’s not that, I just... I still feel bad about mooching off of you by being here. I don't know what to do about finding a job. North can track me, if I even get close to the edges of campus, he calls me and scolds me."
Atlas clutches dramatically at his chest where I pushed him and stalks past me to the fridge, pulling us each out a bottle of water. "There's shit you can do online, that way you can stay here and North won't ever know about it. Money and secrecy, it's a win-win."
I perch on the couch, still a little uncomfortable. "What, like a cam-girl? I guess I could get my tits out. Do you think I have a voice for sex work?"
I’m joking, there's no way I'd ever have the confidence to do that kind of thing, but the glare Atlas shoots me is kind of awesome. I haven't had any sort of possessive actions from any of my Bonds like this so having him care about my tits... is pretty great.
"Over my dead fucking body, Fallows. Never, and certainly not before I've even gotten to see them."
I giggle and wiggle my eyebrows at him. "Play your cards right and I might get them out later."
Again, I'm joking. I've known him in the flesh for about ten hours, but the look he gives me melts my panties right off of my body. "I'm playing to win, Oli. This is one hand I refuse to lose."
Fuck, and I’m pretty sure he will too because I’m struggling to keep my cool right now and he’s not even trying to seduce me. I’m not going to be able to handle anything he throws at me right now. He notices all of my brain-melting and grins lasciviously even as he flicks the TV on and changes the subject.
It’s awkward at first to just sit around with him and hang out but he’s the perfect gentleman, never pushing me or questioning me, and I spread out on the floor in front of the TV with all of my textbooks to work on my next assignment to hand over to North. It’s become my obsession, but I will prove that man wrong even if it kills me.
When we both finally head for bed, there’s an awkward moment when I want to be embarrassed about the old, oversized cotton tee I have for pajamas and the silky boxer shorts, but I'm not exactly a lingerie kind of girl. Atlas's eyes trace over me appreciatively anyway, as if I was only standing here in lace, and I find myself getting addicted to the heat in his gaze.
"Is it cool with you if I sleep in just my boxers? It's too hot for a shirt," he mumbles as I pull back the covers and climb in.
I shrug. "Whatever is comfortable for you."
I don’t mention Gryphon and his penchant to do the same. There’s an ache in my chest over the thought of him showing up to my dorm room tonight to find it empty so I flick him a quick text to tell him where I am instead. I already know he won’t answer, but at least I’ve tried.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The sound of a door being kicked in wakes me.
Atlas rolls over me, bracing himself as he goes so he doesn’t hurt me, and then leaps out of the bed on my side, standing between the bed and whoever the fuck has just arrived. It’s all a little too smooth for me, he’s definitely had training and I’m jealous of how quickly his brain has come online because I’m still trying to figure out what the fuck is happening right now.
“Who the fuck— are you kidding me? What the fuck is your problem, Draven?”
My eyes finally adjust to the light streaming into the room from the kitchen and I find that it really is North here, storming into the apartment with an entire fucking TacTeam because I dared to break his stupid rules… by sleeping in Atlas’ apartment, two blocks away from the dorms.
It’s probably because of the two am wake up, but I suddenly want to burst into tears of rage and hopelessness. Atlas squares up on him, staring around at the men all dressed in their riot gear like he’s going to take them all on for showing up here.
I don’t feel a tug to any of them so at least Gryphon isn’t here to see this mess.
"She has a curfew and she knows it," North says, his voice sounding the same as ever, cold and unaffected, but I can feel the difference in him. I’ve been forced to spend enough time with him to know that under all of that ice, he's fuming, pissed off that I would dare defy his rules.
I feel like a freaking child being scolded and the scowl on Atlas' face says he's feeling the same way. "She's my Bond and if I want her to sleep in my damn bed then she will. She wasn't running off or doing anything else you've put on your no-no list. I'll go to the Council myself if you try to stop her from coming here."
North smooths a hand down his tie. "Good luck getting the rest of the Council to go against me."
He finally looks over at me, his eyes calculating and unimpressed at the disheveled state of me sitting there in my old, ratty pajamas. ”We’re leaving. Get up, Fallows.”
I pull my knees up to my chest as I stare around at the men all standing there. "I'm not even wearing a bra, I don't want to-"
"I wasn't asking what you wanted to do. I'm telling you to walk downstairs and get in my car, Fallows."
My heart climbs up my throat and tries to choke me. "Atlas is one of my Bonds as well. Why can't I stay here?"
North doesn't budge and his mouth is sealed shut in a disapproving line. Well, fuck. Atlas shifts forward like he’s going to attack them all and I really don’t want a part in that. I can’t afford for that to happen, if it triggers my gift then it’ll
be a big game over for me so instead, I sigh and get out of the bed.
Tears prick at my eyes as I leave without looking at Atlas. I don't need to see whatever it is that's showing on his face, it’ll only push me over the goddamned edge. Maybe he's figured out that I'm too much fucking trouble. Maybe he's finally realized I'm no fucking good for any of them.
Fuck.
I think about running but it leaves me as quickly as it comes. North will find me, no matter where I go, he'll find me.
The elevator is freezing and I cross my arms over my chest when the TacTeam member glances over at me, escorting me down as though I’m about to run screaming into the night in my freaking pajamas.
More useless tears threaten to fall and I choke them back.
The driver pulls the door open as I approach and I tighten my arms across my chest to try to hide my lack of bra a little. I smile and thank him but he ignores me completely, shutting the door firmly after me. Great. Everyone fucking hates me, even North's freaking driver.
I sit and wallow in my own bleak misery until the door opens and the man of the moment climbs in, sitting opposite to me so we're facing one another. The car starts and we take off down the street, in the wrong direction.
I fidget nervously, unable to sit still in the suffocating silence.
North is, as always, unaffected. Completely at ease as he looks out at the college campus.
"If the housing provided to you is inadequate, then I will have you moved into my residence. You can commute from there."
Dear God, no. I can barely handle the dinner there one night a week. “The campus is fine. I can go back there. I can call a cab, just let me out."
His eyes are so sharp I'm sure I must be fucking bleeding. "Is there something wrong, Fallows? Some reason you don't want to travel with me? I will provide everything you require."
I swallow. "I was going to stay with Atlas so I could be with one of my Bonds. The campus is fine, I can go... home to there."