smelled his prey. "Yeah, I'm going to fix that for the both of us pretty soon. North may be on the Council on this side of the country, but my family controls the Council on the East Coast. If he is going to a be a dick about this, then I'm taking you home with me and they can fucking rot here for all I care."
A shiver takes over me. "If I thought we could get away with that, I would totally agree. But I get the feeling North Draven doesn't ever lower himself to compromise."
Atlas smirks at me, pushing the hair away from my shoulder and kissing my cheek softly. "Sweetness, I don't give a fuck what North Draven wants. If he gets in my way or upsets you, I'll royally fuck him up."
Ok, now I'm definitely swooning.
I have to remind myself that I'm trying not to get too close to these guys and I take a half step back. "We should head to class. I don't want to fall behind."
He doesn't look pissed off at me for pulling back, instead he holds out a hand and threads his fingers through mine. When he opens the door to lead me out, we find Gabe walking up to escort me to class, the smile on his face directed at the girl poking her head out of the room next to mine. It slides right off when he sees Atlas standing there, holding my hand and my bag.
Oh shit.
A giddy sort of giggle bubbles in my stomach, but I hold that sucker in. Atlas squeezes my hand gently and leans in close to whisper in my ear, "Lock your door, Sweetness."
I side-eye him, he totally did not have to get that close to me to say that, but I do as he says, turning my back on them both to lock up with the extra-secure lock Gryphon installed.
A snarl rips out of Gabe and I fight my instinct to spin around to face him, trusting Atlas to watch my exposed back against my shifter Bond. I make sure everything is secure and then turn slowly, as if the idea of a freaking wolf tearing my limbs off isn't at all concerning. There's a whole lot of interest in what's about to go down here. Every door is open and there's girls everywhere. Even a few guys standing with their own Bonds and girlfriends, watching.
Atlas laughs. "Oli has no need for her pouting jailer today, Ardern, so fuck off."
Gabe's eyes start to glow and I suck in a deep breath. Who the hell do I call if he loses it? I grab my phone, Gryphon is going to be my best backup, but he never freaking answers my messages. Nox is a dick, and I'd rather gouge my own eyeballs out than speak to North. Well, fuck.
“Don’t fucking tell me what I can and can’t do with my Bond, Bassinger,“ he spits out between clenched teeth and Atlas drops my hand to instead sling his arm over my shoulders.
“No one wants a sulking dickhead trailing after them, so beat it, Ardern. Do it before I make you. You really don't want me to make you."
Gabe struggles to get control over himself, the shift rippling over his face as his eyes glow and the skin of his arms darkens into a soft pelt. I’ve never seen him actually lose control before, even when Martinez went for him, he’d kept his gift under tight control.
I really don’t want to do this, and certainly not in the hallway of my dorm with all of the gossiping girls here. “Can we just head to class, please? I don’t want to be late and I’m assuming you’ll need to get your timetable together, Atlas?”
He shrugs and holds out a hand for me to take. I hesitate for a second, because this time it feels like more than just a little sign of affection, but it doesn’t bother him. “You wanna go slow, then we’re going slow. Take my hand, Bond.”
Deep breath.
And then I take his hand.
Chapter Twenty-One
Eating lunch is usually my favorite part of the day, but being jammed between Atlas and Gabe, with Sage and Sawyer dying of laughter at their vicious jabs at one another, kind of ruins it for me. Atlas had picked up a timetable that slotted him into all of the same classes as Gabe and me, grinning at me when I questioned him about it.
“You’re in the general courses, if I