Page 50 of These Bonds that Unite Us
Hearing their visceral fear reimagined into a gloomy, heavy song makes every inch of my body ache with longing. The urge to break through the door and comfort them is nearly impossible to ignore.
They drop into a killer four-on-the-floor breakdown, and it’s fucking ev-er-y-thing. This song is going to be a chart-topper for sure.
Tee rocks into a badass drum solo and the rapid beat of his sticks sends me skyrocketing into the stratosphere. I’m fucking flying, high on the euphoria their music pulls from my brain.
This is what I need. Not the breath in my lungs or the bond with my Fate matched mates, Just music that reaches into my soul and takes control of every fiber of my being until I don’t know where I end and the beat begins.
The music finally peters out after they return to the chorus, and tension fills the air. It’s quickly broken when Manny addresses them, discussing the song from a technical standpoint. I tune him out, determined to stay in this wondrous place where my heart is singing and loneliness doesn’t seem as crushing.
Exhaustion drags me under at a leisurely pace, my muscles relaxing in small bursts as their music surrounds me. Those dark notes start up again as they repeat the same song, but I’m too relaxed to force myself to stay awake to listen to them any longer.
My body sways, the sense of the floor falling out from beneath me startling me awake. Titan’s spicy scent fills my nose as I blink my eyes open. “Shh, go back to sleep firefly.” Hisobsidian eyes swirl into view a few inches away. I’m in his arms being carried as they head downstairs to the parking garage. “Manny declared us finished for the day, so we’re going to head back to the house. We’ve got you. Rest.”
I let my head roll against his shoulder as we step out of the elevator, still content from being absorbed in their music. My eyes flutter closed but the loud rumbling of my stomach has them flying back open. Heat floods my cheeks as all four men turn to look at me.
“Good call, gorgeous,” Nexus grins. “Food does sound heavenly after working for so long.”
Nebula stops next to the car, the corded muscles on the backs of his hands flexing as he opens the back door. “It’s a little late for me to cook, so let’s order takeout. Anything in particular sound good?” Midnight ocean blue eyes hover on me as he waits for my answer.
“Um, Italian?” I suggest as Titan scoots me into the middle.
“Italian it is,” he confirms before he rounds the car to climb behind the wheel. Callisto and Nexus settle in on either side of me, leaving Titan to stretch out in the passenger seat. They place an order for food from their favorite place and we grab it before we head home.
The delicious scent of red sauce, garlic, and cheese fills the air. My mouth waters and I’m grateful for the short drive. I feel like I could smash an endless pasta bar right now.
My brows scrunch as I watch Nebula pass their driveway. He continues down the road for a quarter of a mile before he takes a turn down a barely visible dirt road. If you didn’t know the path was here it would be easy to pass it up.
My shoulder brushes against Callisto’s as I lean closer to the window, watching the low-hanging branches push against the windows as we crawl through the dark trees. Breath catches in my lungs when we emerge at the edge of the lake behind thehouse. A kaleidoscope of color reflects off the water’s surface as the sun starts to set beyond the horizon.
Nebula parks the car and turns to look at me. Pink tints his cheeks when he meets my eyes, so uncharacteristic of the usually confident alpha I have to bite back a smile seeing it. “I thought we could eat down here. Liz used to love sitting by the lake, even after the rejection. The beach was the only place she ever seemed at peace.”
Sadness makes my heart ache each time he mentions his sister. She never deserved the way my brother treated her. I nod slowly, glancing toward the shore. A wide grin spreads across his lips and he quickly gathers the takeout bags. They must have planned for this, something I realize when Nexus grabs a bag from the trunk overflowing with blankets.
The soft breeze blowing off the water is soothing but a little chilly. A shiver runs down my spine despite the bulky sweatshirt covering my skin. The guys make quick work of creating a spot for us to sit. As soon as the blanket is laid out, Nexus is guiding me to sit down. My butt has barely touched the ground when a thick blanket lands on my shoulders. The soft, slightly fuzzy material smells like the four of them and it is divine!
“Here y’go, Firefly,” Titan grunts as he sets an open container in front of me. The thick slice of lasagna sitting inside is calling my name, and so is the warm bread stick he passes me next. A moan slips from my lips as the warm, gooey flavors explode across my tastebuds.
We all sit in comfortable silence, watching the lake as we enjoy our dinner. My stomach gurgles happily when I finally set aside my empty plate.
Nexus scoots closer from where he was sitting to my right, letting me lean against his body. The hurt in my heart doesn’t weigh as much out here. Beneath a colorful sky and surroundedby nature, life seems a little less hopeless when you can hear the gentle lap of water against the shore.
“Liz loved to pretend our backyard was a jungle ripe for exploration,” Nebula says suddenly. He must not have shared his daily story about her yet. “It was always fun to get lost with her, except she would sing popular songs the whole time we hiked and she never got the lyrics right.”
Titan snorts, leaning back on his palms and smiling out at the water. “I remember that. Her Taylor Swift rendition about tacos.” His dark eyes turn to me, the orbs glowing with nostalgia and loss. “I grew up in the same area as Nebula’s family lived. We went to the same elementary and middle school, at least until my parents decided to enroll me in private school instead. I’d always sneak over to the Graves’ house to go swimming in the lake with Neb and Elizabeth.”
“Liz liked him the best of all my friends,” Nebula adds. “He was the only one who seemed cool with her hanging around and didn’t say shit about her having cooties or being gross just because she was a girl.”
“She also always bribed me with candy,” Titan laughs. I can’t help but chuckle along with them, enjoying this insight into the early stages of their friendship.
We fall quiet for several minutes, enjoying the soft breeze and the sinking sun. “Your turn.” My eyes widen when I find Nebula’s attention riveted to me, an expectancy written across his face.
“My turn?”
“Tell us a happy story from your childhood.”
He wants me to talk about my family? Nausea makes the food we’d just eaten settle uncomfortably, and fear has my pulse racing. The color drains from my face with his sudden question. All three of his packmates glare at him, silently urging him to shut up, but he doesn’t relent.
“Babygirl, I’m going to keep asking about your life growing up. I want to show you I’m not going to avoid discussing your connection to them, and I want to learn more about how you became the person you are today. We’ll all share stories about our pasts too, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say we aren’t shying away from the fact your father is Grant Montgomery.”
