iPhone that North had given me. Nope, it’s the shiny and brand new one that Atlas had couriered to me. It’s on his phone plan and I allow myself to accept that from him because he’s the only one I ever message on it.
“Oli, where the fuck did you get that?”
I roll my eyes and then turn my back on him because he’s once again proving to me that they all think they own me and have a right to take away every last one of my freedoms. “Atlas sent it to me, now run along to snitch on me to North like the good little lapdog you are.”
There’s silence again and then he mutters quietly, “Fuck, you’re a bitch, Fallows.”
He still doesn’t move to get up and eventually sleep claims me.
Chapter Eighteen
We’re thrown right back into our classes like nothing happened and it’s so fucking strange.
Gabe pretends that we hadn’t argued over his impromptu trip to my dorm and our fight over the phone, and we start spending every morning at the training center working out and going through Gryphon’s self-defense training routine. North doesn’t show up at my door to snatch it off of me so I have to assume Gabe kept his mouth shut about it. No one else seems worried about the abductions, though I do notice the extra security on campus, subtly watching over us all as we move through the buildings.
Sawyer glues himself to Sage’s side, only leaving her to go to his own classes, and I’m sure he only does that because he knows Gabe is shadowing us both. The more I look around the hallways, the more I see that everyone is moving in clusters, like all of the Bonded groups are sticking to each other for safety, so maybe they’re not as unaffected as they first seem.
On Friday, Gabe and I split off from Sage and Sawyer to head to TT and even with the extra workouts we’re now fitting in before class, I find myself dreading going back in there with the other students. I’m waiting for Vivian to take us down to the maze again, my body still feels the aches and pains from the last time.
He doesn’t.
Once I’m dressed in my workout gear and I step back out into the training area, I find a lot of TacTeam guys standing around. Half of them turn to get a good look at me which is really off-putting, especially when it becomes clear that I know them.
They’re the ones that grabbed me and dragged me back here.
I’m about to walk over to one of them, the guy who had tackled me and slammed me into the ground at the cafe I’d been working at, and kick him in the balls so hard his goddamned ancestors feel it, when Vivian calls out to start the class, “We’re going to be working on self-defense techniques and head back to the mats.”
I’m expecting the same sort of groaning that the basement had pulled out of everyone but instead there’s a buzz that goes around the room instantly. The girls all start looking each other over and the guys start flexing like this is an opportunity to impress.
I stay in my usual spot at the back of the group but Gabe comes over to stand by me, a couple of his football friends joining us with a respectful nod in my direction. I bump Gabe gently with my shoulder and point out the Tac guy I want to murder in cold blood and ask, “What’s his name?”
He frowns at me and leans down to murmur quietly in my ear, “Kieran Black. He’s Gryphon’s second and he’s got a temper, so stay away from him.”
I nod but I think he’s forgetting that I also have a temper and it’s been ignited, burning inside me and ready to burn that asshole to the ground.
“Let’s see how much you’ve all forgotten, shall we? Hanna, Ty, get on the mats and run us through the stances, hits, and blocks we’ve already gone through.”
One of Gabe’s football buddies walks over, as well as one of the girls. Hanna isn’t a gossip or a flirt, and her shoulders are so muscular and defined that I think she’s going to crush anyone who goes up against her, because she’s clearly a badass. It’s almost enough to make me feel intimidated as hell.
Well.
Except the thing is, I’ve already been working on these positions, thanks to my time with Gabe, but I’m not