Plier (Ironside Academy #1)

by Jane Washington

Mikel looked down at the girl laid out across the couch. Her knees were bruised. Her hair was tangled. Her name was Isobel. She had honey-coloured eyes. She could dance well enough to make him hold his breath. She was six years younger than him, and she was his … nope. He stopped trying to think of everything he knew about her. She was a problem. That was all.

“We could kill her,” Oscar suggested casually. There were a few exasperated sighs around the room,

their reaction like sigh here we go again.... lmao

“I don’t have to do it directly.” Oscar offered. “I could wait for the chaos to cause an accident. Then there’s no blood on our hands, and the problem is dealt with. She’s the Tether, right? We’re the Anchors? That’s how it works, since she was the one who almost died? That means her connection to us is the only thing keeping her alive. If she dies, nothing happens to us.”

“Oscar is right,” Elijah spoke up. “The only way out of this situation is if she dies. Even half-formed bonds are unbreakable.” “Then we will all live with half-formed bonds,” Kalen shot back, his voice a little too heavy. He straightened up, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “Murder isn’t an option.”

You’ve all heard the stories of couples trying to ignore or resist the mate-bond. It isn’t patient and it isn’t gentle. It will force her to us and us to her. It will broadcast our thoughts at the most inappropriate moments. It will rip us from where we stand and drop us at her feet without warning—heedless of whether we’re in the middle of class or trying to sleep. It will overwhelm us with dreams of her and drive us all insane trying to make us give in. And those are only the first three side effects I can recall off the top of my head. There are dozens of them.”

I need all the side effects please!!! Make these fuck bois go crazy for the little Sigma

“And we resist until we die, because the alternative is ten Alphas sharing a single mate—and even if we managed to keep that hidden from the government, we wouldn’t need them to tear us apart. We would do it ourselves.”

“Tethers can’t be far from their Anchor for long,” Gabriel replied without looking up. “Side effects include dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pains, and if left for longer, severe flu-like symptoms. Rare cases can lead to hyperthermia and eventually, death. I advise you to stop suggesting we kill her.”

“Is there anyone else we need to worry about?” The words were out of Mikel’s mouth before he could stop them, because Gabriel complimenting anyone was a red flag. He tried not to look at anyone in particular. “Anyone other than Theo, I mean.” “No,” Moses scoffed. “No,” Cian said, that disturbed look back on his face. “No,” Elijah and Gabriel answered at once, both of them huddled over Gabriel’s phone, Elijah pointing out things on the screen. “I don’t even know her,” Niko answered with a shrug.

“You don’t have to worry about me, but you should be worried about her. There’s something off about her.” “Yeah, this whole time she was your fucking mate,” Moses spat out. “Of course there was something off about her.”

“My sister is back home dying without the right medicine,” Oscar whispered darkly, his brows drawn down. “I sacrificed everything to come here. To carry out our plan. If she threatens to expose us, I will get her out of the way, and I won’t be gentle.”

yesss gimme the angst

Mikel couldn’t possibly be a problem, just like Kalen couldn’t be. They were both spoken for.

my heart literally stopped

Kilian looked up, his face drawn. “I don’t know if you have to worry about me,” he admitted softly. “I’m worried about myself. I really liked her, and then … it seemed like …”

“Murder is in my heart,” Oscar pointed out. “You’re all making me change that.”

I need a tshirt with that MURDER IS IN MY HEART lmao

“He’s joking,” Moses added, unnecessarily. “But it’s also in my heart to get her expelled. Or to ignore her completely. We could stay just close enough that she doesn’t get hyperthermia and die, but she might have to put up with a little light hay fever or something.”

This made me lol he’s such a cry baby asshole

“She has all our colours,” Mikel announced, standing up. “It will be impossible for her to tell who her mate is—only that she has one—and she won’t suspect any of us from the colour.” “Not until the bond starts pushing us together, at least,” Elijah added. “So we’re doing this, then? We’re lying to her?”

Mikel stood, looking down at the sleeping Sigma. For your sake, I hope the bond doesn’t draw you to me, he thought before turning and leaving the room.

He looked down at their hands, and his shoulders suddenly slumped forward, his head landing on the bed beside her thigh. His entire body shook as he let out a long, broken sigh. “You’re awake.” He spoke into the blanket, his tone distorted. “You’re finally awake.”

“No, fuck, don’t cry.” Kilian was suddenly leaning over her, his hands on her face, brushing her tears away. “You’re okay, sweetheart. You’re okay. Theo’s okay, too. Everyone is fine.” His voice broke, like that was a lie, and his emotion was a heavy weight against her chest, making it hurt even more. He wasn’t okay

He tucked her hair behind her ears and kissed her cheeks gently, and just as she lifted her face, overwhelmed by the gentle affection, his mouth suddenly brushed against hers. The pain in her chest eased, but her breath halted. She grew hot, her entire body flushing, her hands shaking in her lap.

“You have a mate.” He pulled back, letting her see his eyes. “But it isn’t clear who it is. Your eyes don’t match any of ours.” “Did you just kiss me?” she asked numbl...

“Why would you do that?” She had a mate? “To see if I feel anything.”

“It’s not me.” His chest was heaving, his eyes bright and tortured. “It can’t be me, you understand?”

She had a mate. Kilian had kissed her. Kilian wasn’t her mate. The facts rolled around and around, refusing to stick.

“You almost died. We think you did die, but it was only the Death Phase. You came back, and your eyes had changed.” It was like he was speaking from a script, his voice too numb to properly broadcast his feelings.

Kilian came up behind her, his posture hunched, his arms tucked protectively across his chest. “We thought you would be most comfortable with me, but it almost earned me a broken rib from Theo.”

Her eyes were multicoloured. She was staring into a galaxy. Black splotches decorated the centre, filled with specks of yellow, green, blue, and grey in several different shades. And between all the colours were the golden flecks that were her own.

“You were worried it was you?” She spun, her heart hurting for him. He didn’t move. He just stared at her. “I … just needed to know.” “But you know now, right?” She felt her whole body lock up, her mouth going dry.

“Open your mouth.” He tried to sound gentle. Not like his world was falling down in ruins all around him. Not like his worst fears were confirmed. For most people, being attracted to their mate was a given, not just a blessing. But for them? It would be a soul-deep curse.

He grunted, his body growing heavy, his fingers itching to reach down and haul her up against him, to weigh her back down and part those trembling thighs so he could ease some of the ache springing up through his body. But he didn’t. Because he wasn’t for her, and she wasn’t for him. Not Just him.

I had my doubts about this whole thing with the gay character falling for the girl but alright alright alright sign me up I guess???