* * *
Gabe and Atlasspend the afternoon finishing off Atlas’ bathroom, and I spend some time organizing the mess that is my closet. It’s nowhere near the top of my priority list, not with the million other things relating to god-bonds, Bonded Groups, and my own Bonded being busy and away from me for hours of the day, but it's a good distraction to keep me from going crazy over everything.
My own bond is pretty pissed off about it until I start packing a go-bag, one with enough Tac uniforms, underwear, and weapons to get me through a full week of traveling and hunting. It gets on board with that plan pretty damn quickly.
I only had two good pairs of boots, and one of them had been destroyed in the fighting at the Wasteland. I add that to my mental list of things to sort out before we head off, then I go through the clothes that I have permanently borrowed from my Bonded. I have to work out what I need to give back to them and what I need to move back into rotation.
I'm not being kind or generous at all in handing things back. Most of the sweaters have lost the scents of my Bonded because I've worn them so much myself. This isn't exactly a fashion choice I'm making.
If they don't smell like them, I don't want them.
I let Brutus down from behind my ear to play amongst the piles of clothing as he keeps me company. It's nice to have a moment to myself to get my head back together. By the time I hear the front door open and the murmuring of men returning home, I once again feel settled in my own skin.
We have a mission, a plan, something to work towards, and I'm going to harness the killing energy within me to keep my entire community and my Bonded Group safe.
That has to be enough for me.
It's certainly enough for the god within me.
When I get out to the hallway, intent on finding my Bonded and spending the evening with them all, I bump into Nox as he makes his way down to his bedroom. He has a frown on his face and a distracted look in his eyes, so I'm prepared to walk on past him with nothing more than a smile. He surprises me though, when he catches me in his arms and pulls me in close, pressing me into his chest until I’m fighting to breathe.
It’s still a wondrous thing to me that he touches me like this.
“We got more information out of that god-bond. I'm just getting my research papers, and we will discuss it over dinner.”
With my heart in my throat, I nod and lean forward slowly to kiss him, giving him the opportunity to pull away if he wants to. Even now that we've Bonded, I'm aware that he may need space. I'm not going to be the type to push him even if he's the type to push me over and over and over again.
My bond hums happily in my chest when he not only meets my kiss but takes it over, pulling me in further to his embrace before he sets my feet on the ground and turns back to his room to gather what he needs.
I feel a little breathless, like my legs don't really want to work properly anymore, and I stumble back out to the kitchen, ignoring the shit-eating grin that Gabe shoots my way.
“Not a word,” I snark at him, and he lifts a hand to cross a finger over his heart like the cheeky asshole that he is.
He’s still covered in tile glue and dust, leaving behind a trail of debris as he moves around the kitchen. The savage look that North shoots him has me biting down a smile.
“We have time for you to go and clean up. We're not going to rush into anything here,” North snaps. Gabe merely nods his head, as calm and good-natured as ever.
I might just be the best Bonded in the world, because I duck into the councilman’s arms to distract him from his moody warpath. I sigh the moment that the warm, clean scent of him envelops me. I really do need to steal some more of his clothing if he's going to be working long hours away from me again.
He frames my face in both of his palms and presses our foreheads together as he murmurs quietly under his breath, “You look tired, my Bonded. Maybe we should leave this until tomorrow.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and press my lips against his, enjoying the feeling of being completely wrapped up in him. “I’m fine. I just miss you, but I don't need anything.”
He nods and runs his thumbs over my cheeks as though he is reacquainting himself with the softness of my skin. “Once we have a plan put together, we will take some time off, Bonded. I'll let the council deal with themselves. Then we can get to making this house our own instead of just a drop-off zone.”
I'm not sure any of us can handle North diving into full nesting mode, not after hearing Gabe’s story of having to rip up perfectly good tiles because they didn't quite meet North's expectation. Not that Gabe had done anything wrong, but North had snapped something about colors looking different on monitors and the wrong shade of stone being used. All of that is endlessly confusing for me but something that everyone else seems to accept without a word, so I leave it alone.
I step away from North and head over to the dining table, giving Gryphon a quick peck on the lips as I take a seat next to him. I enjoy the way he tucks me into his side immediately, as though there is nowhere else at the table I could possibly belong but next to him.
“I picked up dinner on the way back. North convinced the chef to make fish tacos tonight.”
The look of pure, unadulterated love that I beam at my Bonded has everyone cackling around me. Just to shit-stir them all a little bit more, I say, “Marry me, Bonded.”
As expected, the bickering starts up immediately, all of them talking shit to North about having access to the chef and his meal plan as a form of seduction for me. It doesn't die down until Nox appears back in the kitchen with his arms full of books and papers.
“I’ve got it. This is everything I have collected about the gods. We can cross-reference everything that the god-bond said with this.”
North stares at the papers for a moment before opening up a cupboard and pulling out a large bottle of whiskey and three cups.
