Page 18 of The Bonding Games: Part 2

Her father appearing in our Bonded chambers.

His admission to watching her over the weeks, confirming her suspicions about the cameras.

Joseph’s jealousy over us and what he’s done in the name of it.

The citizen tablets and his blackmail and conditions.

“I belong to him now,” Ezla finishes, back to being utterly emotionless. On the outside, at least, anyway.

But everyone in here is aware she feels now.

“No you fucking don’t, Havoc. Your mine,” Tate snarls, arms bulging as he struggles not to snatch her back up—it took some time and effort, and Scotty finally moving to help me drag the brute off her, but we managed to separate Tate and Ezla so she could speak without him constantly rutting inside her.

Though with how it seemed she kept debating how much effort to put into her own attempts to get out from under him, I’m not so sure she would’ve minded staying there a bit longer despite her own words.

Now, they’re both fully clothed, and Vengeance is sat beside him on the low table he’d been pounding into her on, one long leg crossed over the other. Tiger’s also there, sat on her right and crushing her hand between both of his.

The hand she’d held out to her side without looking at him as she’d spoken through the traumatising events, as if sensing a need in my brother to hold her.

She appeared uninterested, as if the offer meant nothing. As if she was unaffected when Tiger clutched onto it like a lifeline. And yet I’m not so sure I trust her reaction, that the action meant as little as she’d like us to think.

“I do if you want to live,” Ezla snaps, glaring daggers into Tate beside her before I can correct the larger man as I usually would when he forgets about the word ours.

He growls, and I can tell he’s about to jump on her. I wouldn’t put it past him to finally attempt to actually chain her to him with his armoury sticks after all we’ve just heard. Before he can, I, sat on the bench a few feet from the table they’re on, state lowly, “So we need to get the citizen tablets.”

“Obviously,” Vengeance drawls, and my eyes slit.

Does she have to be this condescending about everything?

“So let’s get them—”

“No, Puppy.”

Pouting, Tiger dumps his head on her arm, and she stiffens before she forces herself to relax. She’s kept the bond open, so I feel Tiger’s answering burst of happiness both at her allowing him to be all over her like this and at the pet name.

She hasn’t said it, and I know now’s not the time to demand she share her feelings, but I’m actually thinking the reason she’s kept it open like this is so she can feel us, as if she missed us as much as we missed her over the past few days.

So I’m encouraged to send something like a caress down the bond.

Jolting, her eyes laser in on me.

Her lips purse, but she doesn’t speak. That’s fine with me, and I simply keep my intense gaze on hers as Scotty says from where he sits beside me, “Let us help you with this, Love. You can’t do this all on your own.”

Ezla gives him a look, and I feel like snorting myself. That’s rich coming from him.

His lips tighten.

“Leave it to me. You cannot do anything in any case. All you would be most likely to accomplish is making things worse.”

My fists ball in my lap. “You think we’d be so careless—”

“Do not piss me off, Cooper,” Vengeance cuts me off harshly. “It is not about you being careful; it is about playing this right. And not a single one of you would be able to get into my home without Father knowing. Do not forget he has eyes on me at all times.”

It’s silent for a beat, the heavy weight surrounding us growing thicker as that fact and its consequences sink in harder than ever.

Then Tiger perks up. “Just you?”

Ezla’s brows twitch downwards.