His bond is getting impatient with the distance between them.
There is no way in hell that Nox would have chosen to stay in the tent with Oli a few months ago. No way in hell. He would have found a tree to sleep under and had his shadow creatures keep watch for us all. But I’d seen the momentary look of panic on his face when he stepped into the tent. His bond wouldn't let him leave.
Then I’d heard the exchange between the two bonds as they had spoken and, though I’ve chosen not to tell anyone yet, they're both right on the edge of taking matters into their own hands.
I don't want that for Oli.
I don't want the choice to be taken away from her, but I have to admit that the idea of the Bond Group being complete and everyone having that connection is incredibly important to us all. Oli being strong enough to protect herself from Silas Davies when he eventually comes calling for her is also a huge push for me to want them to bond, I just don't know if he's capable of it.
I don't know if she would survive the fallout either.
North turns to face me and uses hand signals to start directing the TacTeam to where they all need to be, taking over because I was too busy fussing over Oli. Rather than calling me out on it, he’s done what's best for his Bonded and assumed the leadership position.
Oli swallows as though she's trying not to vomit, and I speak to her directly again, I'm going with Nox to the library. It's a bigger room, if you'd like to come with the two of us instead of going with North like you were supposed to. It might help you to breathe and get the panic under control.
North’s eyes flick towards her and he replies before she can, Go with them, Oli. Kieran and I will keep watch here. And I'm more than happy to let my bond assume some control to get a better assessment of the situation.
She looks surprised that he is willing to do this, and it's pretty obvious that she still hasn't come to terms with just how much North Draven would be willing to sacrifice for his Bonded.
I’m already fully aware, so it's not a shock to me.
We follow Nox down the sloping hallway of old cobblestones and uneven concrete to the library. After the summer he’d spent here with North when things got out of hand back home, he knows the place like the back of his hand.
His shadow creatures walk alongside us, their eyes shining unnaturally in the darkness, an anomaly because they’re also voids. Oli is flanked by Brutus and August as she keeps pace with us by breaking into an almost-jog. She's a little taller than the average woman, but we’re both tall, and her legs are definitely nowhere near as long as ours. I’d feel bad for her, but I also like being able to pick her up and haul her around with ease.
Mind out of the gutter, Shore.
She'd kept up with our hiking through the woods to the lake house beautifully and without complaint, and she makes me proud to be her Bonded every time we go out on one of these missions.
When we get to the library, Nox heads straight to Alistair, who is waiting with a large ring of keys in his hands, incredibly old-fashioned but exactly what I was expecting for this place, and a stack of books already waiting for us on the desk in front of him.
“It's good to see you again, Mr. Draven,” Alistair says, and Nox dips his head a little in greeting.
“Sorry that you had to dig these out for us. I know there are some very unpleasant things up there hidden in the stacks.”
Alistair shrugs and waves his hand. “If it helps with the messy situation, then they're all yours. We appreciate everything that you do for the community.”
He keeps saying ‘we’, which is a little confusing, but then he glances over at me and waves behind his back as though beckoning someone over. A young boy who can't be much older than nine or ten slinks over to us, his eyes a little sunken in his skull, with dark circles underneath them and a sickly look to his skin.
Nox frowns at him, calling his shadow creatures away and to heel so that they don't scare the boy anymore, but his eyes stay glued to the very damaged-looking child.
“This is my nephew, Joseph. His parents were both taken in the last wave, and even though his mother's Bonded moved to the Sanctuary, Joseph chose to move here instead. It's safer for him here.”
My eyes flick back to Nox. He is definitely having some feelings about this kid, feelings that he will not want anyone to know about. I need to defuse this situation, and quickly.
I take a step forward, dodging the snarling jaws of the creatures, and reach out to take the stack of books from Alistair’s desk with a polite smile. “Thank you again for grabbing these. We will get out of your hair quickly, before we bring any trouble to your doorstep.”
Alistair smiles, his eyes crinkling as he pats the bare concrete wall beside him. “Doesn't matter what you bring to my door. No one's getting through it.”
And then we hear the explosion.
Chapter Sixteen
Oli
I already feel as though the walls are closing in on me, and the sound of the explosion just has my heart trying to beat out of my chest in a panic.
I’d never realized that I had any issues with small spaces.
I definitely have been in smaller enclosures than this before, but the heat of the concrete and the stagnation in the air has me gasping for breath, my lungs screaming in my chest as though I’m not getting enough oxygen, even though I know I am.
I have no freaking clue how North and Nox spent months here as children, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was the trauma in Nox's past, because I am feeling particularly traumatized right now.
Where is Oleander?
North's words are stern, bordering on desperate, and even though he's using our joint mind link, he is definitely not speaking to me.
Gryphon gets an arm around my waist and sends back, We're all still in the library. Oli is safe. Where are you and do you have eyes on what just happened? It feels a lot like Unser.
I almost want to huff and stamp my foot in frustration.
I still have never gotten a clear answer from anyone over who the hell Unser is and what he’s capable of. His name is just dropped into conversation randomly by everyone around me, as if he's some urban legend. When I glance up at Gryphon to demand to know what the hell that means, there's another explosion, this one big enough that I feel a little sick from the motion under my feet.
This time, Nox takes a step towards the little boy.
Gryphon starts shoving the books into his bulletproof vest, which is a smart way to get his hands free and protect the ancient tomes of knowledge that is otherwise lost to time. “We need to figure out if there's any damage to the Hail Mary before we go out and neutralize it—“
“I’m not leaving the kid,” Nox says, cutting Gryphon off, and Joseph’s eyes flick over to him.
I have to admit, it looks as though the kid has been put through the wringer, and the softness that Nox is treating him with is a little bit of a surprise. I didn’t know he was capable of it. Even North gets treated with a wary sort of disdain by his brother.
Gryphon sends through again, North, do you have eyes on who is out there and what is going on?
North finally replies, harried sounding, We do. It's Silas Davies himself, along with at least eight Shields and a whole group of the Resistance’s Top Tier Gifted. I recognize most of them, but I was unaware that they had a Trigger.