Broken Bonds (The Bonds that Tie, #1)

by J. Bree

He has no idea of what I've sacrificed for him.

“Ungifted Bonds are rare but, unfortunately, they do happen. Oleander here is a prime example of when things go wrong."

their friendship and loyalty to each other far stronger than the weak bond we share. The one he thinks I’ve turned my back on.

"She has five Bonds, all with above average strength and abilities, and yet she has... nothing. No ability, no affinity, absolutely nothing worth keeping her around for."

I could kill them all right now without breaking a sweat, but I’m not a fucking monster, no matter how badly they all treat me. I’m above this shit.

Better to be hated and alive, better to be in pain than a murderer, better to be alone and safe.

Not after his dick brother just shamed me in front of half the fucking freshman class.

I don’t give a fuck about their opinions on my Bond. I spoke to them when my bloodwork came back and they told me you ran. I’m not a dumbass like the rest of them, you ran because you had to. I know it. I’ll be there as soon as I can and if that isn’t fast enough for you, I’ll come now and start the semester over again.

You can’t do that! I made you wait for long enough and, honestly, I’m still not too keen on sticking around.

Introduce yourself, Bond. I don’t want to talk about anything but you and I. That’s what’s going to get me through the next two months.

“Don’t try to distract me, Bond. There’s no way you were leaving me behind, not on purpose.”

It would be nice to talk to someone who doesn't... hate me, I guess."

I’m going to fail because I’m doing everything I can to keep anyone from knowing I even have powers. He’s going to watch me fail.

Gabe rolls his eyes at my silence, putting on a show for his friends because he obviously doesn’t want them knowing how badly my rejection hurts him.

Gryphon’s eyes flash over to mine as he frowns but he doesn’t comment on me finally confirming all of their worst nightmares; a Giftless Bond.

The room is so loud that I almost miss it when he mumbles, “Fuck, I wish you’d never come back.”

He meets my eye over her head for a second before he winks at her, constant in his efforts at baiting me into jealousy. My bond isn’t happy, but I shove it down in my chest again because fuck him.

It takes me a second to realize that he’s angry at me, that he’s not here out of some sort of concern for me and that he thinks that I was assaulted on the freaking course as a way to act out against him.

North frowns at his hand like he’s questioning if he really felt the extra kick of power, and I freak out a little.

“I think that if you hadn’t run away like a selfish, manipulative, childish little girl, we would’ve given you the world. There wasn’t a thing on this Earth you could’ve asked for that we would’ve refused you, but now you’re facing the consequences of your actions for what I’m sure is the first time in your life.

I’m raging mad. That’s a really freaking bad idea, I know it is because my Gift starts stirring in my gut, my skin is tingling, and my vision slowly starts whiting out. I turn into a freaking glow bug and there’s no freaking way I can light up in this goddamn car today with one of my Bonds standing right the hell there.

“That’s a gross invasion of privacy—” “No, it’s the consequences of your actions. That’s my phone.

His eyes narrow at Gabe. "Who?" My mouth drops open. Well, I guess I should be happy my suspicions have been confirmed. He’s been hanging around me to spy for North.

“Next week? I’m not coming back again.” Gabe stiffens, his movements getting jerkier, but he doesn’t stop eating. I’m not sure anything would stop him at this point.

My idiot, traitorous bond keens in my chest. I don't fucking care what the asshole does, but apparently my bond does.

My bond doesn’t like that. Not one little bit. Gryphon glances up to meet my eyes and I hold his gaze for a second, completely transfixed by the rage in my chest, before he glances away and breaks the moment. He doesn’t push her away.

She giggles again and I swear the sound of it is going to haunt me. “I just can’t believe it, being the Central Bond to these guys and having nothing. How shameful. No wonder they all get around, no one would stick around for a defect like you.”

Gabe snorts and then slaps a hand over his mouth like he’s been caught cavorting with the enemy, glancing at North like he’ll get grounded.

Nox is going to bring someone every week and you can’t threaten them all.

“Of course he fucks crazy, he seems like the type.” Gabe shrugs and looks out over the street so he doesn’t have to look at me as he replies, “You can’t blame him, you’re the one who ran away and ruined everything.”

I can’t even enjoy the fact that he’s just told me his Gift, because bile is creeping up the back of my throat. The Resistance was here last night, they took people and I, for one, know exactly what’s going to happen to them.

If this is an attempt to run away again, I am going to make your life miserable.” Fuck him. “You mean like it’s not already?”

He sends a lot of one word replies, like I'm not really worth his time, so I make my own messages too long and too detailed, just for spite. I hope he fucking hates it.

I’ve never been a snitch and I’m not going to become one just because Gabe has been an ass to me.

Gabe steps back up to my body, leaning in close to murmur to me, “Maybe you’re not as ice cold as you pretend to be.” I fucking need to be.

This should probably bother me more than it does, but there’s some pissed off, cruel part of me that enjoys just how badly Gabe wants me to react.

It’s the first time the bond in my chest hasn’t keened for him, mourning the thought of him touching anyone else but me, and I’m thankful for the small mercies because maybe it’s finally caught on to the fact that there’s no way out of this. He’ll hate me until he dies.

He hasn't even tried to talk to me, never even looked at me, really. I thought he'd do everything he could to get the hell away from me.

I don’t care about niceties, I just need to get the fuck out of here.

He’s the most dangerous of them all.

With my bond weeping in my chest harder than it ever has before.

When his piercing blue eyes meet mine there’s a smug look on his face, he knows I’m checking him out, and I have to scramble to save face.

Six incomes can go a long way and after years of scraping by on the run, that’s a tempting thought. Then I think about North’s assumption that I’m a gold-digging brat and the whole little fantasy of not starving and maybe having cute outfits just dries up.

“I didn’t think it’d be as easy as asking you to stay close.”

“If I’m being forced to keep you out of trouble, the least you could do is take a little heat. That shit was mild compared to what I’ve dealt with since you left.”

Sage has told me everything about her Gift and Telekinesis means nothing to me right now. It’s not like she’s strong enough to use it against me.

“I’ve done more for this community than you will ever do, you pathetic, attention-seeking little whore.” Her hand snaps back to strike me but before she has the chance to swing, a wall of a man steps between us and all I can see is leather, but my bond purrs in my chest at Gryphon’s sudden proximity. He’s never been this close to me before.

I hated her before, but now I want to hunt her down and… well, I can’t keep thinking about all the ways my Gift would mess her up right now or I’ll end up hunting her down and ruining her.

He didn’t even attempt to back me up, and if he’s really that intent on making sure I’m safe tonight, then one strike and he’s out.

my bond tells me something is really freaking wrong with this situation.