Page 15 of Examining the Bond

The one thing I never considered when I decided to come to Boston was just how freaking bored I would be when I wasn’t at the Buchanan Center.

Hell, I’d probably bemorebored if I was stuck there.

I’m sure there are plenty of things to do downtown, but the idea of traveling around an unfamiliar city makes me uneasy. It isn’t safe for an unbonded omega to wander around alone; that’s been drilled into my head since I started at the academy.

It’s just a few days,I remind myself, yet again. A few days of boredom for a lifetime worth of answers.

Plus, I get to see Dr. Morales again tomorrow.

That’s definitely worth my suffering.

I flip through the limited channels on the TV and try to lose myself in a cheesy romcom to pass the time. It works for a while, but after an hour or so I abandon it and search for nearby storesonline, curious if there’s anything within walking distance. I want snacks, preferably something sweet, and there isn’t even a vending machine in the hotel.

I checked.Twice.

Ziel gave me a little extra money to pay for things aside from my plane ticket, which I argued against, but he wasn’t having it any other way. Now, I’m glad he fought me on it.

A smile curls my lips when I see that the closest store is only a couple of blocks away. I’m still nervous about walking around alone, but it isn’t hard to talk myself into putting on my least appealing outfit—pajama bottoms and my oversized hoodie—and heading for the elevator.

I haven’t even made it to the lobby before my phone rings, and I chuckle when I see Ziel’s name pop up.

“How’d you know I needed an escort?” I answer with a giggle.

“Escort?” The shock is apparent in his tone. “Excuse me, ma’am, what are you doing? Are you behaving?”

I shove open the front door of the hotel and step outside, a gust of frigid afternoon wind slamming into me and instantly making my teeth chatter.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“I always behave.”

He scoffs. Both of us know I'm lying.

“I'm sightseeing,” I say. “Checking out the city.”

“Riann…” He hardly sounds amused. “You're not serious are you?”

With a smirk, I press a button to request a video chat, and his face pops up a second later. He's wearing a beanie and sitting on one of the campus benches beneath a leafless tree. His cheeks are flushed red from the cold.

“Are you not freezing?” I ask.

“Aren't you?” He gives me a curious look. “And I know you're not sightseeing. What are you really up to? Shouldn't you be under medical supervision or something?”

“I go back for more tests in the morning.” I laugh. “Right now I'm going to the store to get snacks.”

“There it is.” Ziel nods knowingly. “That makes way more sense.”

I make a show of rolling my eyes. “Come on, you know me better than that. I can’t just stay cooped up in a hotel room theentiretime without venturing out at least once.”

“Do you have enough money for snacks?” His voice takes on a concerned tone. “I can send you more if you need it. I don’t want you to?—”

“I’m fine,Dad,” I say, the joke only stinging a little bit. “Besides, I’m not taking any more money from you. I’ll block you on everything, understand?”

He laughs and shakes his head. “Fine, but the offer still stands.”

Ziel quickly catches me up on what I missed today, which isn’t much, and we’re both giggling by the time I get to the store. The hot air hits me like a wall as soon as I step inside, and my limbs instantly begin to thaw as I grab a basket.

“Let me know if you find any eye candy to go with your sweets,” Ziel says loud enough for the nearest shopper to hear. “I’m bored.”