J.  Bree

The Bonds that Tie #6

Unbroken Bonds

Anna Stewart

I found my home. I've fought for it, I've bled for it, and now I get to enjoy it. 

 to be doing anymore, Bonded. Anything else that comes up, we will deal with. Your job now is to be happy. That's it.” 

I nod slightly and look down at my plate of eggs, getting a few spoonfuls in as I think his words through. “And what if I don't know how to be happy? What if it's not that simple?” 

North shares a look with Gryphon for a moment before his eyes flick over to Nox. The brothers seem to have a language of their own, they always have, but I'm not used to it being used against me like this, not in such a kind and loving way. 

Nox says, a little too gently, “Then you need to figure that out, Oleander. That's your job from now on, figuring out exactly what you want to do. Something that will make you happy.”

Some things are permanent because life isn't a fairy tale, no matter how wonderful it may seem sometimes.

“Just because devotion looks like two different things doesn't mean they're any different. You covet her power and want to protect her so much that she never has to use it. I enjoy watching her eat god-bonds alive.”

I could hate this god for killing me, for being the one to spark the soul-bond that I share with my Bonded, but there's a part of me that will always be grateful for my death. 

I wouldn't have found Oleander in the darkness of my mind without it.

“You know what this feels like because you have felt a true Bond between us. How else are they getting everyone into the wrong Bonded Groups? Unless they really have been manipulating people's minds… Except that none of these people know what a Bonded Group really feels like. They get butterflies at the idea that someone belongs to them, and they think that's it, that's enough. They haven't felt what it's like to look at someone and have their entire world shifted on its axis so that that person is the center of it. They don't know what it feels like to look out and see your heart living and breathing outside of your own body. They don't understand what I felt when I saw you.”

Nox has nothing but pride shining there, pride in me and what I can do. Pride in the hard work that sometimes feels like too much, but I did it anyway. 

Pride that he found me; that I'm his and he is mine.

I feel as though we’re waging a losing battle, because there's always going to be evil in this world. It just shows up with a different name, a different banner to march under, and a different person it serves, but it’s always the same. Always happy to take innocent lives while furthering a pointless fight.

I need a hundred more lifetimes with these Bonds of mine.

She is thrilled to see him, the same way she is thrilled to see me. “What can I help you with, my Bonded?” she asks, and the Soothsayer rumbles back at her happily, pleased at being acknowledged by his eternal purpose, his love, his reason for existing.

“Setting up voting and a whole new council is going to be a nightmare. You should probably wait until we've dealt with the gods before getting into that.” 

North’s eyes flash to black for a moment but when he speaks, it's his own voice that comes out. “Everything can wait until they're dealt with, but we need to think about what our lives are going to look like afterwards. Otherwise… what's the point of it all? My Bonded needs a better life, a better world. I’m going to make that for her, no matter the cost.”

He’s too good of a man to be a councilman, they don’t deserve him. They never have.

“I don't wish them dead just because they don't like me. That really would make me a monster.” 

He smirks at me again, lifting our linked hands to kiss the back of my hand sweetly. “That's all right, the rest of us will be the monster for you. Fuck, I thought Nox was going to tear the General apart with his bare hands. Who would have thought that he would love you so hard once you got under his skin, Bonded.” 

I blush and duck my face into his chest, happy when the contact is met with quiet, satisfied noises. That he loves the contact just as much as I do fills me with a deep satisfaction. 

“I don't deserve him or his love, but I'll do my best to take care of it.” 

He shakes his head back at me. “Nobody deserves it more than you, Bonded. We are the ones who aren't worthy.”

Atlas shoots Nox a dirty look from the other side of the bed. “If you’re sleeping in here, then don’t be an asshole and drag Oli around everywhere. Learn to share.” 

Nox moves back onto the bed and draws me in closer to his body, pulling me away from everyone else as he does. It’s a very Draven trait, something North does all of the time, and my heart squeezes in my chest that Nox is doing it to me now too. Bearing the full brunt of the Draven brothers and their possessive, jealous, protective maelstrom of love is everything I ever needed, something I didn’t realize I was missing until now.

I want it all, all of his sharpest edges, all of his pain and vicious energy. I want to take it all in and make it a part of me as well.

The girl in my arms who I was so sure would be the catalyst for our destruction has become anything but that. She's the reason we're all pulling together, the reason we all want more for ourselves and the community. Simply by existing, she has made everything better.

The soul bonding had solidified my obsession with her and though I know my own past actions with her had been poisoned by my past, now all I can see is the perfection of her, all of the ways that this woman owns me and the ways that I own her as well.

Even as the situation around us becomes dire, I already know that I would choose this life of ours. This never- ending cycle of birth and rebirth, death and destruction, pain and horror over and over again. I would because it would mean knowing them, knowing the devotion and love that they have given me, knowing the devotion and love that I pour back into them.

A hundred lifetimes with these men wouldn't be enough. 

A thousand lifetimes with all of them together would only be the beginning of what I need from them.

Nox and I haven't just found neutral ground, we’ve found a space for just the two of us that I might even call love. I mean, I know that 

 love him. And I know that, as much as he's capable of that feeling, he has it for me, and that's enough. It’s more than I ever hoped for, more than I ever thought I would get to share with him.

I bump into Nox as he makes his way down to his bedroom. He has a frown on his face and a distracted look in his eyes, so I'm prepared to walk on past him with nothing more than a smile. He surprises me though, when he catches me in his arms and pulls me in close, pressing me into his chest until I’m fighting to breathe. 

It’s still a wondrous thing to me that he touches me like this.

Gabe says, chuckling under his breath, "Do you think we'll ever get used to the way they speak? What are we going to do once we've gotten rid of all the threats and we just have these angry, murderous god-bonds living inside us? What are we going to use to distract them?"

We turn down the small path towards our house, which is further away from the rest of the Sanctuary and its inhabitants, and Atlas slides his palm down my back until he gets a handful of my ass. "I think we can distract them in other ways."

I scoff back at him. "So a giant orgy, twenty-four-seven, to stop them from ending the world? That doesn't sound exhausting at all."

Gabe's chuckles turn into full-blown belly laughs. "I'm willing to give it a go if you are, Bonded. I think that sort of makes us superheroes in this situation."

 selfless," I throw back at him, shaking my head at both of them. 

When he looks at me, I feel the same way I had back when we'd first met in that perfectly put-together bathroom. Like he's obsessed with me. Like he's waited all eternity for us to be together again, like we're two celestial beings in orbit, jus waiting to finally collide. 

This wasn’t my favorite end to the series. It kind of felt rushed after everything we have been through in the previous five books. Especially when the fourth and fifth book starting seeing those signs of repetition that I guess could have been avoided in my opinion. I just didn’t feel the threat like there was earlier on that get easily neutralized. Just didn’t get up there for me for a conclusion after all the time you invest into it. Maybe if I reread it it’ll be better so I guess we’ll leave it with a we’ll see. 

Priscilla Stanfield

3.75/5⭐️ • 3/5🌶️

This wasn’t my favorite end to the series. It kind of felt rushed after everything we have been through in the previous five books. Especially when the fourth and fifth book starting seeing those signs of repetition that I guess could have been avoided in my opinion. I just didn’t feel the threat like there was earlier on that get easily neutralized. Just didn’t get up there for me for a conclusion after all the time you invest into it. Maybe if I reread it it’ll be better so I guess we’ll leave it with a we’ll see. 

I absolutely loved this entire series. The character growth from each person was incredible. You could really see the bonded group come together and grow as a unit. I loved all the different powers and all the different links and histories that tied them all together. All the major questions I had throughout were answered and the end felt complete. I am sad to be out of this world. What will I do when I run out of J Bree books to read?? 

Erin Cawthorn

This finale was underwhelming to say the least. The last 2 books could have been one with how slow the plot moved. Also justice for G and A because clearly the author only cared enough to write about G, N and N in interesting moments. Little character growth for anyone. Not the worst but just failed to deliver.

Tied up loose ends beautifully. With such an amazing, intense series, I appreciated that, but I also felt like this book was ALL about tying up loose ends, so it didn't have the excitement and thrill the rest did. Loved this series so much though.

Katie Avila

Faith Kitowski

i am so sad that this is the last book. i have no idea what to do with my life now. i literally love them so much. this series caused me so much anxiety but it was so worth it. it’s definitely up there in my top series now. thank you j. bree for writing this masterpiece series

Overall, I enjoyed this series. My favorite aspect was definitely the characters, I thought they had their own personalities and the differing sense of humor was there. However, I’d say my least favorite aspect was the pacing. The story felt all over the place after book 4. Also there was a ton of repetitive language in this, like it’s very obvious. I would recommend this, and I think it’s still a fun series! ✨

Lyndsy Argento

Enna Burton

My primary feeling upon finishing this is relief that the series is over. This did not need to be 6 books, it’s very clear the author just wanted one book for each character. The absolute refusal to build out the world in any way really left the “big” moments to fall completely flat with almost no stakes. Even at the end we still don’t really know why the god-bonds want her bonded dead - or at least not a good reason. Also never are told what they are, why they existed, how they came to be and died out, none of it. It’s so frustrating because with a stronger editor and really fleshing out the background, these books could have been good, but now I’m just glad they’re in my rear view mirror. 

Unbroken Bonds The Bonds that Tie #6

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