Page 160 of The Bonding Games: Part 1

He runs his tongue along his upper teeth, expression lacking any kind of apology. “No.”

Still close enough, he darts his tongue out to flick the tip against her hardened nipple where the large black T-shirt remains bunched up above her breasts.

She drags his head further back harshly. “I will choke you to death with nothing but my hair around your neck.”

“And what a way to go that would be.”

“Awwww, their flirting is adorable,” Tiger coos, clapping his hands together, and Ezla turns her glare on him, prompting him to widen his eyes innocently.

“I do not flirt. I am not flirting.”

“I was,” Tate supplies with a salacious smirk aimed HC’s way.

“Back to the topic at hand,” she swiftly moves on, tone leaving no room for argument unless we’d like to receive a crimson dagger to the heart. Considering she knows her armoury sticks’ location, I have no doubt she could spring across the distance and have them on hand before anyone could blink. “We will have training in the morning as usual, but in the afternoon, we will head out into the city’s main fashion district. As you all know, I usually wear my helmet and Avri suit to the ball, but this year . . .”

“You’re going to show your face?” Alby’s eyes are huge.

“I am.”

Silence.

And then I need to know: “What about your father? I was right that he’s the reason you wear a different helmet from us, right? To hide what’s under there.”

Her jaw clenches, but she doesn’t deny it. Instead, she only prods me with her foot, and I realise my hand with the towel in it has stopped moving at some point, so I gently rub circles with it over her pussy again with a small smirk.

Knew she’d like aftercare.

“I will deal with him. It will be fine. Nothing can touch me.”

Lies.

My eyes narrow to slits, and my hand stills again. “No, it won’t. And I don’t want you going back to him. Stay here. He can’t get in our Bonded chambers.”

Her brows arch. “Aren’t you forgetting he can split my head open at any moment, no matter where?” She pauses to consider something in that brilliant mind of hers before divulging, “You were right: it is Avri. It is part of his cluster that he used to create a connection between me and him—like how the energy in our identification chips links to all our other Avri. I think he has another microchip created from an Avri pixel in his cluster, some of which is in my eye and skin, and the rest of which I have concluded must be in another chip he has somewhere around his head. I am unable to tell its exact location, and whenever I think about it, he can feel the threat before I have time to do a thorough search. I had once considered drugging him, but although he does not know my exact thoughts, he senses the danger there too.”

I’m glad she’s realised she can’t hide the truth anymore, but the way she’s now talking about this as if it isn’t absolutely disgusting grates on my nerves. But I know I treated my abuse the same way sometimes. It’s a coping mechanism. Even if she’s convinced herself to not care, I find it hard to believe that’s how she feels all the time.

“Do not bother yourselves with this.” She waves her hand absently, and my temper rises even more. The fury isn’t for her but her bastard of a father who’s affected her so badly that she treats this like it’s nothing, as if we shouldn’t care that she’s being fucking tortured on a daily basis. “It is all . . .”

Vengeance goes rigid.

Then she shoots upright, Scotty’s T-shirt falling back down and covering her up. Tate lets out a deep sound of protest that goes ignored.

“What is the time?” Ezla snaps.

“Wait, wait, wait—you’re not doing that again.” I drop the used towel and gently but firmly grasp her shoulders, Tate moving closer and boxing her in at her back with the same idea as me: keep her here, make her stay. “Where’ve you got to be, huh? With him? Your father?” My head dips down, forcing her to catch my gaze.

“I cannot be late for dinner,” she snarls. And yet, despite the tension lining every inch of her body, she doesn’t move, like she’s begging for the opposite when she demands forcefully, “Let me go.”

“I’m not letting you go back to him,” I grit out, grip on her tightening.

“I think we have already established that he can cause me pain from anywhere,” she growls right back.

“But wouldn’t you rather not see him?” Tiger cuts in desperately, enlarged eyes imploring. “Please stay! We can have dinner together instead! I mean, look at all these muscles! Much better option!” He tries for his usual cheer and jokiness, curling his arms to emphasise his biceps, but the panic painted all over him at the thought of our Bonded going anywhere near the Game Master drowns it out. “We don’t even need to talk about this more! You don’t have to say anything at all!”

Ezla’s hands ball, and Scotty reaches over to envelope one in his. “We’ll leave this alone tonight, okay, Love? Just have dinner with us, and we’ll make no other mentions of your father. Right?” He looks around, and everyone nods, me much more begrudgingly, knowing there’s so much more HC is hiding in that pretty little head of hers.

“Hm.”