Broken Bonds (The Bonds that Tie, #1)

by J. Bree

The sound of a door being kicked in wakes me.

“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 he...

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 f...

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."

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.”

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?"

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.

Great. Everyone fucking hates me, even North's freaking driver.

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 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 its luxury but full of the men who hate me.

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.

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.”

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.

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’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.

There no fucking way I’m ending up tied to this man. I’d rather have any of my other Bonds over him.

“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.

If my power grows we are all fucked.

“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."

My bond reacts immediately. It’s never left me 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.

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.

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 its own, I almost cry because I want it so badly.

All I know is the bond. All I can think about is the bond, and I want it so fucking badly.

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."

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.

Nox is so fucking damaged by what I've been forced to do, I don't think he'll ever forgive me.

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.”

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.”

Why am I so panicked? I didn’t do anything wrong… except that the Bond I hate more than anyone or anything kissed me, pushed me against a wall, encouraged me to grind all over his leg, and then added fingers to the mix until I came so hard it hurt me.

Of fucking course, he’s always been protective and possessive, even from the other side of the goddamned country.

“What’s happening is that you attempted to force a bond with Oli, and you think being a fucking Draven means you can get away with it. I’m going to torture you and then kill you.” Well, fuck.

He’s acting as though Nox is a broken man, kid gloves and calm words in his direction. That’s not at all the man that I know and loathe being around.

A smirk stretches over Nox’s face and his eyes turn entirely black. “You sure about that? C’mon then, try me.” My brain shuts down for a second because his eyes are black. Black. I’ve never seen someone with the same depthless voids as mine are,

I work out very quickly that we’re not dealing with the lower level grunts in this vehicle.

She’ll be furious when she realizes who I am.

“He took out eighteen men, he’s a dead man walking.”

“He’s one of the Bonds in the Draven family, if any of you touch him, I’ll personally deal out your punishment. We’re close.”

Once we’ve got all of the fresh meat in here, we’ll need to find whoever it is that he came after because I’d bet we have his Central somewhere in this group.”

I close my eyes and finally, finally, let my Gift fill my veins, my entire body feeling sharper and more capable the moment I unlock that door inside of me and let it take over.

Sage’s eyes fly open as she looks at me, her own senses on high alert as she feels my Gift radiate out of me. There’s too much power pulsing in my veins for her not to feel it, the curse of my life being that all Gifted can sense how dangerous I am.

I keep my eyes downcast and focus on Gabe’s breathing. The second he wakes up, we’re getting the fuck out of here.

My fingertips begin to tingle with power, like my Gift is pissed that I’ve called on it but done nothing yet, and Sage’s eyes widen at me when she feels it.

Nothing. I don’t even register her attempting to knock me out and my power crows a little, smug all on its own that we’re finally not at the mercy of everyone anymore.

His eyes flash at me but when nothing happens, he curses under his breath, “She’s a void, I can’t knock her out either.” It’s as easy as breathing.

But I stare into Gabe's eyes and I decide that enough is enough. I can't lose anyone else, God-fucking-dammit. It doesn't matter that I haven't touched my power in years, the well is still there, waiting for me.

to feel the true power within me come to me as I call on it. I feel whole again.

Fiona finally notices it and recognizes the power, her eyes peeling back. “Holy fuck. Holy fuck, what is she doing here?"

It’s still as horrifying as the first time I’d done it, watching the worst of their nightmares and fears and the ugly parts of themselves wash over them until they’re writhing on the ground, their minds irreparably broken. Trapped in their own horrors, they’ll never escape it until someone puts them out of their misery.