by J Bree
The word home gets stuck in my throat but I force it out, anything to get out of this fucking car.
"You're in luck. My house has three of your Bonds living there, so you will have one of us with you at all times."
I glance out of the window so he doesn't see the useless tears starting in my eyes. Perfect. I've gone from a shitty, but solitary room, to something that's probably over the top in it's luxury but full of the men who hate me.
"Anything else you'd like to say, Fallows?"
I blink back the tears. "No. Thank you."
My voice comes out thready, but clear enough. North gets his phone out so I guess that's the conversation over with.
The moment we step out of the car in North’s garage, we’re greeted by three of his house staff. I keep my arms crossed over my chest tightly, as though no one will notice I’m standing around looking homeless if I just keep my chest covered, but none of them look my way anyway.
“Councilman Eversong has arrived, he’s waiting in your office.”
North curses softly under his breath and takes the folder from one of the men, speaking to me in the same cold tone he has all night without so much as a glance in my direction, “Evelyn will show you to your room, Fallows. I’ll collect you from there in the morning to take you down to breakfast, I expect you to stay there until then.”
Perfect.
Great.
Fucking wonderful.
I’ve gone from a limited existence to a freaking cage and there’s nothing I can do about it. This beautiful, obscenely ornate mansion is now more than just a place I come each week to be tortured… now it’s the hell that I’ll be trapped in until I freaking die.
Maybe the Resistance finding me wouldn’t be the worst option.
North and both of the men walk away without noticing the seething rage I’m trapped in, leaving Evelyn and me behind to head off to my new prison cell.
“If you could follow me, Miss Fallows. Your room is on the third floor.”
I want nothing more than to lash out and tell her to fuck off, but then I glance over to find her staring at the ground in submission. I have no freaking clue how North treats his staff, but they all tiptoe around like we’re monsters they’ve been enslaved to and it makes me feel as uncomfortable as hell.
So I keep my mouth shut and spare the poor woman the vitriol that’s running through my head.
I need to start keeping track of directions in this place because after two turns, I’m already completely disoriented and lost. When we make it down one of the long halls to the elevator, I startle at the ding because I honestly thought the elevator was on the other side of the building the last time I was forced into it.
Evelyn doesn’t speak, she doesn’t look around at anything or fuss with her clothing in a nervous tick. She’s the picture of a subservient housemaid in a mansion who sees everything and nothing.
I have exactly none of her composure. I twitch and pick at my skin like I can feel a million crawling insects moving through my veins.
We turn another corner and come face-to-face with the real reason I don’t want to stay in this fucking house because my worst goddamn nightmare is headed right towards us, dressed casually in black slacks and a soft cashmere sweater. Nox’s eyes flick over to Evelyn and he dismisses her with a simple, “Leave us.”
That’s it.
Two words is all it takes for me to be stranded in a hallway with the only one of my Bonds that I’m positive wants me dead. Evelyn just scurries away without a word.
Once we’re alone, he doesn’t waste time going for my throat. “Why are you dressed like a common whore? Did North have to hunt you down at some frat house? You sure know how to piss my brother off, don't you, Poison?"
Poison.
Of course he’d be the person to link my name up with the terrible position that I’ve inadvertently put us all in. I’m the poison that’s been spread into his family.
I will not cry, and I certainly won't let him know how much he's getting under my skin. "A girl has to get her fun where she can, Nox. Why do you care so much? It's not like you want me. You have more than enough on your plate, right?"
He steps forward, crowding me against the wall. "Maybe I should bond with you, Poison. Maybe I should try you out so the next time I fuck my girlfriend, you'll know all about it and you'll feel like your heart is being ripped out of your chest. It might help you to understand what you put the rest of us through when you ran off."
He steps into my body, the size difference between us means he looms over me and I have to force myself to stand my ground. He’s never been this close to me before. I’d once thought the burning rage in his eyes was hot, but it’s nothing compared to the heat of his body as he presses me into the wall. I feel his bond skim over my body and I pull mine in closer, fighting against it as it strains for him. There no fucking way I’m ending up tied to this man.
I’d rather have any of my other Bonds over him. Fuck, I’d take North with a smile and a ‘thank you, sir’ over this asshole.
“You can’t hide it, Poison. You might not have a gift, but I can feel your bond and it wants me.”
I couldn’t give less of a fuck what my bond wants, I will not bond with him.
I want to plant my hands on his chest and shove him the fuck away from me, but it’s taking every fiber of my being to keep my bond under control. My hands are balled into fists at my side, my jaw clenched up tight, and my knees are locked to stop them from shaking.
I can’t say a word as his hand comes up to wrap around my throat, his fingers flexing there like he’s imagining squeezing the life out of me, and then we’re moving backwards together, his body pressed against mine as my back hits the wall. I’m trapped in every way that I can be; my bond is wrapped up tight, my mind is stuck holding the threads of my sanity together so I don’t tie myself to him, and physically, there’s no way I can fight him off.
He pushes one of his knees in between my legs and I suddenly become acutely aware of the fact that I’m only wearing my old pair of silky boxer shorts, a thrift shop find of new-with-tags that at the time felt so mature and edgy, but now I’m trembling like a freaking lamb at the way he’s pushing into me, his leg rocking and grinding. Fuck me, this is the hardest goddamned thing I’ve ever done because the moment I come, my bond is going to unleash, binding us together for all of time, which sounds fucking terrible but it’s not even the worst part of this situation.
If my power grows we are all fucked.
His hand around my throat flexes a little and then he leans forward again, his lips brushing against my earlobe as he whispers in a dark rasp, “I want my power. I want what you owe me. I have waited five years for this. I'd been waiting five years before then. An entire decade I've been waiting to have my full power, and you're just going to come here and say no to us all? I don't fucking think so, Poison."
I struggle to pull away from him, there's no way I'm going to bend over in a hallway for this arrogant asshole, but it’s nothing for him to just jerk me forward and catch my lips in a biting kiss.
My bond reacts immediately.
It’s never left like this before, the surge of power within me almost taking me to my knees, and it takes everything inside of me to stop the bonding from happening, the tying of our souls together forever.
As Nox bites my lip and forces my mouth open, our tongues tangling together while he makes use of my inability to protest or move, my bond tries to pull free harder than ever before but I leash it, shoving down until it's contained.
I’m so goddamned focussed on stopping my bond from claiming him as my own that my body moves into autopilot, becoming pliant and easy for him to move and control however the fuck he wants. There’s nothing soft or sensual about what he’s doing. He knows exactly what it takes for a bond to occur and he’s utterly ruthless about moving through the steps.
Somewhere, in a dark and faraway corner of my mind, I’m almost impressed at how quickly he’s able to work
me over. Kissing, stroking, the knee between my legs pushing into my body until my hips rock all on their own, there’s no way I can fight him and my bond at the same time.
When his bond slams into me, a force all on it’s own, I almost cry because I want it so badly. Fuck, my brain isn’t even my own anymore. All I know is the bond. All I can think about is the bond and I want it so fucking badly.
I accept that he’s going to make me come.
I hate him and I hate that he’s doing this to me, but the lesser of two evils right now is keeping my shit together. When his fingers touch me, skimming down the old, ratty shirt and shoving the silky shorts down my legs until he has full access to my traitorous pussy, I almost give in to the bonding. I almost lose control and just kiss him back because why the fuck shouldn’t I lose myself to the pleasure? Why shouldn’t I give in to the power coursing through me, desperately trapped within my skin because I won’t let it touch his bond where it’s caressing me?
Then my brain comes back online and I remember all of the devastation that’s already come from my power. I cannot let myself get any stronger. I can’t become the evil that the Resistance wants me to be.
I can’t even shove him away because if I move a single muscle right now, my bond will take over me and then it’s all over. Everything I’ve worked so goddamn hard to stop, it’ll all happen and I’m not letting that happen with the worst, most arrogant and entitled of my Bonds.
He has too much experience with women, clearly, because he has no problems finding my clit, slicking a finger through my wet folds and using it to circle and stroke and work me over like a goddamned pro.
It’s almost insulting how easy it all is for him.
His fingers are merciless as he takes me higher and higher, and for a second I think he's enjoying this as much as I am.
When I break away from his lips to moan and pant, desperately fighting to control myself, he leans back in to croon in my ear, “Well? Let's see what you've got then, Poison."
As the orgasm rips through me I have to force my ability down, to keep it hidden, and the pain that comes with it burns my skin and muscles until I think I'll burst into flames for real. A sob tears out of my throat and my knees finally give out. Nox doesn’t even attempt to hold me up, his lip curling as he steps away from me, and his bond slips away from my skin as he realizes that he’s not getting what he wants from me. I slide down the wall until I’m on my knees before him, my entire body burning with the pain of holding back the bonding.
Nox scoffs at me, his voice still that same scathing, furious tone of his that cuts through my skin right down to the bone, "Fucking pathetic, Poison, you can't even bond right. You're nothing but a liability."
And then he stalks off down the hall, leaving me with my shorts around my ankles and my pride in tatters around me.
What have I done?
Okay, no, I did nothing wrong here. So why exactly do I feel like the worst goddamned person on the planet right now? I did the right thing. I didn’t bond, that was the right thing… wasn’t it? This is his fault.
A soft voice startles me out of my misery, “Miss? I can show you to your rooms."
Tears do track down my cheeks as I glance up at the maid hovering over me, pointedly not looking at my very exposed lower half. She’s younger than Evelyn was, but I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse.
I lurch to my feet and get myself covered as I croak out, “Thank you, I would very much appreciate that."
She nods and waits for me to get myself back together, then leads me down the hall. My room is tucked away, about as far away from the sea views as possible, but it's quiet and private, and that's all I really need.
The maid hovers for a second after I walk in and then says, "The door locks from the inside and only Mister Draven has a copy of the key to open it. Mister North Draven, that is. You'll be... safe here, Miss Fallows."
Oh great, she's seen enough of what happened between Nox and I to be worried. "Thank you... Sorry, I'm so rude, I didn't even ask for your name."
The maid smiles and waves a hand. "Don’t worry about that, Miss. I'll be in to clean in the morning, just leave me a note if there's anything you need. Mister Draven has instructed me to ensure you have everything you need."
Freedom, independence, and a plane ticket out of here. "My bag was in North's car, it has my clothes in it."
She nods. "I will have it here shortly. Goodnight, Miss."
She leaves me to it and I check out the bathroom quickly before climbing in the shower to wash off the guilt and awful feeling Nox has left me with.
I have no choice but to get dressed back into my pajamas, leaving the boxer shorts in the laundry basket. I'll never freaking touch them again. I should really burn them. I absently wonder how much it will cost to replace them and suddenly becoming a cam-girl is looking even more tempting.
Someone out there must want to pay to see my rack, right?
My bag is sitting on my bed when I get back to my room and it reminds me to flick the lock on the door before I climb into bed.
I grab my phone and find Atlas' text message waiting for me.
I've already called the Council and put in a formal complaint. They'll probably rule in North's favor, but I'm pushing to have you here a few nights a week, Oli. I'm sorry, I didn't realize how fucking irrational he is about you. Sweet dreams, sweet girl.
I'm not sweet though. I really am fucking poison, just like Nox said. I'm everything that's wrong with our bond. If I wasn't born... wrong, this would never have happened. I'd never have to leave them again and we'd all be whole right now instead of being these broken people.
Nox is so fucking damaged by what I've been forced to do, I don't think he'll ever forgive me.
I know I won't forgive him.
I won't even be able to look the guy in the face ever again.
Fuck.
My phone buzzes in my hand again.
I can see you've read the text, Oli, tell me you're okay. Because if you're not, I'm coming there right now, fuck the Council.
I rub my finger over the photo of him in my contacts. Fuck it, we're bonds right?
Nox is pissed and he tried to bond with me. It didn't work and he's told me I'm defective. You should probably be warned that you're trying to solidify a bond with someone who isn't... worth it. I'm turning my phone off to go to sleep. Goodnight, Atlas. You're the best guy I've ever known and I'm so sorry you're stuck with a defective Bond.
I switch my phone off the second the text shows as delivered. I don't need to know what his answer is, I just need to forget about this absolute shit-show that my life is and pass out.
I can’t run from this forever but I can for tonight.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The house shakes me awake.
I'm sure it's an earthquake and I panic because I know exactly nothing about what the hell to do in an earthquake. Then I remember that I’m at North’s house and I don’t even know how to get the hell out of this place usually, let alone during a natural disaster. What the fuck am I supposed to do?
I turn my phone on, ready to start calling my Bonds until someone picks up and tells me what the fuck to do right now, only to find thirty messages from Atlas.
When the house rumbles again, I realize the shaking is absolutely related to my Bonds and I immediately hit dial on his number.
“Oli? Where are you? Which floor? I’m taking you home.”
I scramble out of the bed and stumble over to the window, yanking on the curtains until I can see out onto the street. Sure enough, there he is.
The gate is also rubble.
“What the hell— okay, never mind. The third floor, but good luck getting past—“
He cuts me off, “Fuck the Dravens. I will take the entire fucking house down to the ground if they try to stop me. That asshole North told me you’d be safe here and then he can’t even protect you from his own brother? I’ll kill the cunt.”
Jesus have mercy.
“It’s not exactly like that, Atlas. Please just listen—“
There’s the sound of a key in my door and I almost drop my phone before I remember the maid’s words. Only North has a key, so at least it’s not going to be Nox storming in here to tell me again how worthless I am as a human and a Bond.
The door swings open and North flicks the light on, glancing at the bed and then around the room until he finds me. I’m too shocked at his appearance to say anything because I’ve never seen him out of a suit before and yet there he is, sweatpants slung low on his hips, and holy good goddamn. Are they all stacked? Who would’ve thought he was hiding all of that under the Tom Fords?
“Oli? Oleander, what the hell is happening up there?” I jolt at the sound of Atlas’ voice in my ear and North’s eyes narrow at me.
“You called him here?”
Before I can say a word, Atlas snaps, “Put me on speaker, Oli.”
There’s no way out of this without my reputation, sanity, and will to live being absolutely shredded, but I do as he says.
“Open your fucking door, Draven, because I’m not leaving without my Bond. And while you’re at it, tell your scumbag, rapist brother that I will kill him the second I find him.”
Oh fuck.
Oh God. I open my mouth but there’s nothing there, no words to give either of them as North stares me down. He looks furious, freaking fuming, and I flinch away from him when he takes a step forward. I’m not actually scared of him but my ego is too bruised right now to have someone else take a verbal swing at me.
His jaw clenches and then releases, his voice pitched low and a little warmer than it usually is when he says, “Come downstairs, Oleander. I’ll let Atlas in while I speak to Nox.”
“Hurry the fuck up,” Atlas snaps and then I hang up because I need to figure out how the hell to explain to the both of them that it— it wasn’t— fuck, it was definitely something that happened, but it’s maybe not the scenario that they’re both thinking.