Page 621 of The Bonding Games: Part 1

My heart flutters like a hummingbird as her nails gently scrape across my nape where my Avri suit ends, and my entire body shivers. “You only need to step forwards when I step back, and to the side when I step to the side. Simply watch my feet.”

“Got it,” I mutter, sucking my bottom lip into my mouth as I dip my head down to look at our boots, noticing how much smaller hers look compared to mine.

“Do not do that, Puppet. It is distracting.”

My head whips back up so fast it almost smacks into her visor, and I know my cheeks are now ten shades darker . . . and my hard-on ten times stiffer.

“D-do what?” It comes out no better than a whimper.

“Bite your lip.”

“O-oh! Sorry, Ez—” I pause in a panic. “U-uh . . . is that okay? Ez? Sorry, it just—”

“That is fine.”

Her blunt response soothes me as always and loosens my muscles.

“Now look at our feet.”

My chin snaps back down.

“Good. Now back.” She steps backwards with her left foot, and I hesitantly step forwards with my right. “Left.” She does the same with her right, and I follow with my left foot forwards. “Side.” I step to the side. “See? Easy.”

A shy smile pulls at my lips. “Yeah.”

“Havoc, when’s it my turn?” Tate complains, thickly muscled arms crossed over his chest as he watches the two of us with stark jealousy from beside Scotty, Tiger, and Cooper, who stand at the back wall of the private training room by the racks of weights.

“Not yet,” Ezla replies shortly.

He huffs and grumbles under his breath.

Honestly, sometimes Tate still makes me a little nervous—we all know his obsession with our Bonded knows no bounds, and I’m always slightly on edge when he observes any one of us with her, wondering if he’s about to snap and slaughter us all to have her for himself. But he never does, and I know Scotty wouldn’t let that happen anyway, wouldn’t allow him near us if he truly thought Tate would kill any of us. Besides, despite how scary he is, I’ve come to think of the possessive man in the same way I do Scotty and Tiger, even Cooper.

Like a brother.

I wonder if my parents would approve?

I know they would. They’d be so happy I’ve made so many friends, that I’ve . . . fallen in love. And maybe they can even see that when they’re watching The Bonding Games on TV, as is expected of all citizens of Techta.

The thought lifts me up at the same time a part of me crashes down.

My parents. I’ve hardly even thought of them with everything going on, and guilt worms its way through me. I’ve been terrified half to death a good portion of my time here, but mostly, I’ve been happy. For the first time in my life, I actually like that life. Even with the lingering guilt because of the Evot girl I killed, with all the horrors of the Games . . . I can’t regret anything that got me here, to this exact point. Learning to dance in my Bonded’s arms. Something I never thought I’d have.

Just weeks ago, I was mentally preparing for certain death. Then I met the Gold brothers . . . Ezla.

I used to be near collapse every time I saw her from sheer terror.

Now I’m close to fainting every time due to much warmer feelings.

Cooper and Tate have been slower going, and I’ll admit, I’d been a little scared they might be like Troy and Aider at first. But despite their more moody dispositions, they aren’t like them at all, and they’ve snuck into those I consider family, slowly but surely.

A while later, I’ve got the basics down with Ezla, and it’s far easier than it used to be at Evot Training School 246. After that, it’s Tate’s turn, and I stand to the side beside Tiger as I watch him snatch up our Bonded with all the greed of a corrupt king, pressing every inch of their bodies together.

I feel myself flush furiously.

No matter how many times he does something like that, or how many times our group speaks about anything dirty, does anything dirty . . . I still have the same reaction, like some sort of prude. I’m not ashamed, not at all. I just get . . . extremely shy. Even more so than usual.

But Ezla seems to like that, I’ve noticed.