Page 563 of The Bonding Games: Part 1

Ezla’s stare bores into us, and the full force of it scorches us now that it’s no longer hidden behind an opaque visor. “For doing well. I am proud.” She says this in a completely unfeeling tone, yet it doesn’t change the effect it has on us.

We all gawk at her.

Tate seems to have lost his voice box. I’ve never seen him so speechless, his mouth moving in a frenetic sort of way as it keeps shaping mutely around the word Havoc over and over again. With him, I can’t tell if that should be cause for concern or not.

Tiger abruptly pops the bubble of tension. “Woooohooo! Oh yeahhh! Ezzy/Ez/Wifey/Deadly Nightshade/DN loves us, guys!”

“I do not.”

My brother is unperturbed by her bland statement and starts dancing around the room with his arms above his head.

Tate momentarily squints his eyes at him before they zip back to his obsession and attempt to peel apart her skin as if he’s trying to find a place to bury himself beneath.

“Wow . . . thank you,” Alby whispers. He is, in fact, resembling a beetroot, I note as he moves closer to the plush couch we’ve come to stand in a line in front of.

I don’t miss the way Ezla’s expression tightens as she’s forced to tilt her head back to see our faces.

I’d caught on before that she didn’t like having to look up at anyone like that, but without her helmet, it’s glaringly obvious. I think it’s the way we have to look down at her, because to her, it could feel like we’re looking down on her. That’s not the case at all; I’ve never been more impressed, more reverent, than I am with her. But hot anger surges through me at the fact someone clearly must have.

I don’t hesitate to get down on one knee.

Call me a simp, I don’t care. If you aren’t worshipping your woman, you’re doing it wrong.

Alby flies down, too, then the others. Even Cooper doesn’t hesitate.

“Oh shit! Don’t leave me out!”

My brother bounds over, narrowly preventing crashing into me like a bowling ball rushing for the pins as he dumps himself on two knees beside me, before excessively batting his lashes up at our Bonded.

Internally, I sigh. I really don’t want to have to correct him on his seduction techniques, but at this point, I’d be doing him a disfavour by not pointing out the faults. I make a mental note to give him some tips sometime soon.

Or maybe not. Because I could swear when I look back at Ezla, the corner of her lip twitches upwards. But it flattens again before I can be certain it wasn’t in my imagination.

“There will be music, drinks, a hot tub, and an all-you-can-eat buffet. Will this suffice?”

Will this suffice?

Incredulity bleeds from all my brothers.

Those bewitching eyes narrow. “Would you like more?”

“No!” Tiger shrieks, and I wince as it stabs right into my left ear, his hands waving around wildly. “That’s not why we’re shocked! It’s just that this is, well, it’s perfect, and you’re questioning if it’s enough?!”

“Hm.” The short noise is our only response before Ezla rises, and I clench my fists to stop myself from grabbing her as her stomach passes right by me. “Come.”

“Where would you like it, Havoc, baby? On your tits?”

Rolling my eyes at Tate’s lewd comment, which our Bonded dismisses like it’s nothing worth noting, I get back to my feet to trail after her as she leads us out of our chambers and into the hallway.

***

“Wow . . .” Alby breathes in awe from my side as we walk into the huge room I didn’t even know was in the Headquarters. We’re on the third floor for the first time, and I’d assumed it was only where all the food was made before it’s delivered down a level to everyone’s Bonded chambers or the main dining hall, not that there were actual rooms up here like this. But I realise the workers of TBG would need their own living spaces somewhere, so really I should’ve suspected it wasn’t just kitchens galore, especially considering the miles-long perimeter of The Bonding Games Headquarters’ centre building.

Like most others here and around Techta, the expansive space before us is predominantly a glossy onyx, with luminous white, red, and green Avri strips adorning the walls and corners tastefully. But unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, there’s a huge chandelier dripping crystals and spilling a warm beige blanket over the extensive rectangular table beneath from where it hangs on the ceiling high above. It creates a more cosy yet simultaneously more elegant atmosphere, and maybe that’s the entire purpose of this room, because I didn’t even know people used chandeliers or regular lighting anymore. I think the Avri is cool, I don’t think it ever won’t be, but it’s nice to see something different when we’re so used to the energy being the only light we have inside.

The hot tub Ezla mentioned is to the left, the sparkling-clean water bubbling with a soothing sound and faint wisps of steam curling into the air above it. I’ve never been in a hot tub before, and I doubt my new brothers have either, so I’m definitely intrigued.

To the right of the tub and against the wall is a bar filled with many different bottles: some glow blue like the substance at the Neutral club, while others I’m a bit more familiar with, even if I haven’t actually tried them, like champagne.