Unbroken Bonds (The Bonds That Tie, #6)

by J. Bree

I wake. A new body, a new era, the same threats to my Bonded as there always are; but this time, it’s different. This time, we’re all here. I watch as one by one, the god-bonds awaken, the vessels falling unconscious under our enemy’s attack. Eyes rolling back into their heads until they turn black, the voids wiping out the human life until we’re all standing around our Bonded as a living, breathing shield, filled with the souls of the dead, a gift of power from our Bonded. There’s nothing that can kill us now. United at last.

They are mine as surely as I am theirs, as surely as the world spinning endlessly in the vastness of the expanding universe.

I feel something extra in the girl there, the small Flame with a strong Gift, and though it frustrates me, I leave it alone for now.

As she disappears into nothingness, she leaves behind her parting words, a warning to us all. “Until we meet again. Next time, I won’t come alone. Next time, I’ll wipe you from the face of the earth.”

“That is the difference between this time and last. This time, we’re going to survive this. All of us. I’m not going to kill the vessel. I’m going to use it to keep you forever.”

My bonded is Eternal, always. And what do they call you? You must all have names if you’ve been around that many times. The Crux. My brother's name is the Corvus. There's also the Soothsayer, the Cleaver, and the Draconis. They have all woken, finally.

I want to know what they will do for you. That's a little bit sweet from him, and I duck my head. Naturally, Gabe and Atlas both notice. “It’s Nox, isn't it?” Atlas says in a wary voice. “That's definitely a Nox smile.”

I need them to fill me up, to repair the damage, and restore me to my glory. I need them to turn our pleasure into shared power. I need everything from them.

Only a few months ago, that would have pissed me off, but now I see it for exactly what it is. Now isn't the time to talk needlessly, to offer me pretty words when he's feeling so wretched about the world. Right now is the time to get on with things, to work through it or to make things better, no matter the cost.

I sigh and lean back in his arms, letting my head drop back against his chest and enjoying a quiet moment with him. One of our last.

Foreshadowing North’s death?!?!?!

“Well then, let's not waste time talking. If we're going to play our final game, then let's play.”

The gods have access to these things now, a growing arsenal of weapons, and if the Pain god is able to take over the body of another Top Tier Gifted, it could kill the soul within and take control of the vessel. It could slowly start to collect whatever powers it desired, and it might just start with Oleander and work its way through our Bonded Group. Shapeshifting into a dragon with the shadow creatures at its beck and call, the Neuro ability to hack into anyone's brain, and the ability to inflict gruesome, bloody deaths by tearing bodies to pieces, all wrapped up in one crazed god-bond.

They did well. Take us home to rest, girl, my bond whispers to me. You fought bravely. They all did. Rest so we can wake up in the new world, a world built just for us that no one can take away this time.

There’s no rush in any of them, no urgency, and it finally hits me that this moment is real. We did it. The god-bonds are gone, the Resistance is dealt with for now, and there’s no one left to chase after us.

Some things can't be fixed. Some things are permanent because life isn't a fairy tale, no matter how wonderful it may seem sometimes.