The four of us make our way towards the cell. Once there, I notice that all the women are already here, and so are Bjarni, Draco, Bion, and Celmund. James is sitting on the floor of the cell, his back against the stone wall, a frown on his face. “We will be watching,” Celmund says as he leans down and kisses Talia before he makes his way out.
Bjarni hugs Gabriela close to him and says something in her ear before he also leaves. Draco looks around and then at James. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but his muscles are tense and his features are set. From all the men at the compound, he’s the one who oozes danger with a simple glance. “Thank you for doing this. If this works, it will be a breakthrough for all Elementals,” he says before he also turns and leaves.
Alaia starts to walk towards the others, but I hold her back. “If you start feeling drained again, I want you to stop, or I’m going to stop it.” I see her raise her brows in surprise, but I want her to know that I’m not playing around. Her health comes first. If there is any chance of this hurting her in any way, then I will stop it.
“It will be fine,” she murmurs.
“I mean it, Alaia,” I state firmly so that she knows I’m serious.
She turns towards me fully and looks up into my eyes. “I know you are, and I will stop if it gets too much.” She lifts on her tiptoes and kisses me on the lips before she pulls away and joins the others.
“They’re all so damn stubborn,” Bion says as he joins me, “but that’s why they’re our mates.” With those words, he bumps his shoulder against mine in comradery. Alaia sits on the floor cross-legged, her hands flat on the ground before her. Brielle sits behind her with her hands flat against Alaia’s back. Then all the other women sit in a circle around them. Some are touching Alaia, and others are touching Brielle in one way or another.
“It still surprises me how they use their energy with each other,” I state as I see the women close their eyes. I look over at James and see his worried look as he stares at the women.
“What the fuck are they up to?” he asks as he looks over at us.
“They’re toasting your ass,” Bion grunts, which has the Keres more worried than before.
“What the . . .” His eyes are wide with surprise. He sits like that for a few minutes before they close, and he slumps forward. I look back at the women and see that they all look serene, no distress on any of their faces. The women have always joined forces when working towards something, but from what Alaia was saying last night after meeting with the others, it seems like they are going to try to change that and make the person who is driving what they’re doing the conduit.
From what they have been practicing, it seems like when the women are touched by the others, their energy enhances. They become beams of what their gift is. “Do you think he’s dead?” Bion asks as he looks into the cell.
I look at James and try to detect his heartbeat but can’t from the way he’s slumping forward. “If he is, I’m sure they would know,” I state, looking at the women again and seeing no change in any of their expressions. Bion and I stand vigilant for the next half hour before the women start to open their eyes. I notice that none of them pull away or stand but sit quietly until Brielle and Alaia have opened their eyes.
James is still in the same slumped position. “It worked,” Aria says with a smile as she stands.
“We were able to change him back, but now we need to see how long it will last,” Gabriela says as she places her hands flat on the ground behind her and stretches her back.
“If we can find their mates, they should be fine. I saw a woman of about thirty with short black hair when we were healing him, and I think she might be his mate.” At Jasmine’s comment, the others excitedly start to discuss what they can do next. I make my way towards Alaia, who is still sitting on the ground. Placing my hands under her arms, I lift her up until she’s on her feet and her back is against my front. My arm moves around her waist, holding her close to me.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, but suspect she’s fine today going by the smile on her face.
“Doing much better than last time, and it worked.” At her excited reply, I smile, knowing how nervous she was that it wouldn’t work.
“You can open the cell now, and when he awakens, we can see what to do next,” Talia says as she walks towards the bars in the cell.
“I don’t think that is going to happen yet,” Bion states with a frown. At the women’s protests, he lifts his hand to try to calm everyone. “We still don’t know how long this remedy will last or if he will be completely healed.” At his words, I frown. How are we going to keep the women away from James? It might take a long time to find his mate. What if he starts turning again? Elementals are ferocious when turning. Their energy is unpredictable.
“We are going to have to sit with him for a few days until we’re sure he’s okay,” Brielle says, her chin jutting up in confrontation. I see Bion shaking his head before she even finishes her sentence. I’m sure he has the same concerns I do. “Don’t shake your head at me, Bion. You know we have to try to see if we can heal him.”
“We can take turns sitting with him,” Aria says as she walks next to Brielle. “Two of us can sit, maybe for two hours at a time.”
“Why don’t you let us sit with him? You have all already done your bit,” I try to convince them.
“That won’t work,” Scarlett argues.
“Of course not,” Talia confirms. “He’s going to need attention, and more healing maybe. Not to be rude or anything, but you guys wouldn’t know what to do.”
“You’re not sitting with him,” Bjarni says as he walks in, the others close behind.
“Don’t you start, baby. Of course I am,” Gabriela argues.
“It’s way too dangerous,” Wulf grunts as he pulls Jasmine into his arms.
“Why don’t you join us when we are here? If anything happens, then you are here to help,” Talia says with a smirk.
“If he starts to change again, his energy will be unstable,” Burkhart mutters as he pulls Saskia closer to him. “Some elements are controllable, but others, like fire, are hard to contain.”
“Well, if he starts to change, we can always leave, can’t we?” Alaia asks as she looks at me. I really want to say no because I would rather her not be anywhere near an Elemental who might change at any moment, but I nod in confirmation. “Well, then, it won’t be a problem, as we will feel his rage coming.”
“I can take the first two hours,” Talia says as she looks at Celmund, who reluctantly nods.
“I’ll join you,” Nova says, and then looks at Ceric with a raised brow, which has him shrugging in dejection. The women set their schedules, and we reluctantly agree, knowing that if we don’t, they will be sitting next to James anyway.
“The party will be arranged for two weeks’ time, which should give us enough time to see how he is getting along and if this does work in the long run,” Draco says as he walks towards the cell. “Is he stable?” At his question, Bion walks towards the cell door, opens it, and moves inside until he is standing over him. After a quick examination, he reports that James seems to be doing fine.
Everyone starts to leave except for the couples who are going to be sitting for the first two hours. I take hold of Alaia’s hand and guide her out of the cell and towards the outside of the compound. “Where are you taking me?” she asks with a laugh.
“You’ll see,” I say as I guide her towards my favourite place. We walk for a few minutes before the trees open up and the lake appears. I hear Alaia gasp in wonder, and I smile, knowing that she loves it here. I look around and take a deep breath as I see all the wildflowers spread across the ground. There is an eagle flying overhead, but besides that, there is calmness and silence for as far as the eye can see.
“This is so beautiful,” Alaia whispers as if she doesn’t want to disturb the silence. She lets go of my hand and walks towards a tree to our right. Placing her hand on the tree, she closes her eyes, and then a serene smile lightens
her face. I have always found a semblance of peace in this place. I should have known that my woman was one with nature. I brought her here because I knew that it would revitalize her by being around nature. I have realized that she pulls a lot of her energy from her surroundings; therefore, there is nothing more calming or more revitalizing than this place.
ALAIA 11
Today is the day of the party. It has been two weeks since we healed James, and every day we are more assured of our success. He seems to be thriving, and there has been no evidence of any anger. Also, we haven’t said anything to him yet, but Celmund believes he has found his mate. If that is true, then our first healing was a huge success.
Today Draco will be talking to the other chapters to discuss the Keres and how we should go about healing them, and then their rehabilitation time. We have noticed with James that there has been no intervention necessary from any of us. After he woke up, he was calm and collected. He did have many questions, and he is filled with regret for the decisions he made while a Keres, but besides that, he has been fine.
Draco has agreed to let James join the festivities, as there will be many Elementals around, so if there is any hint that he might be changing, it will be easy to subdue him. I look back from the mirror and smile to see Sara wiggling into her too-tight black mini dress. She has been quiet the last few days, and I know something is bothering her, but I also know that she won’t tell me unless she wants to.
“What do you think?” I ask as I turn in a circle for her to see me. My dress is just as tight as hers. The only difference is that mine is a deep red and the chest area not as low cut as Sara’s but still just as provocative. Sara laughs as she looks at me and then winks.
“You look just as good as me,” she teases, as we are both wearing our hair down and very little makeup. The only difference between us is the colour of our dresses. “Let’s see if that man of yours knows who you are now. I still don’t know how he does it,” she mutters, which has me laughing.
Sara has been trying to trick Caelius into believing that she is me for the last week, but till now, he has always continued to know who we are, which has just made her try even harder. “He will know, Sara,” I say with a chuckle.
“No, he won’t. I didn’t even let you know what colour your dress was until I brought it in today.” Then she frowns and walks towards me suspiciously. “Are you doing something for him to know the difference?” At her question, I shake my head in laughter.
“No, Sara. Trust me, I’m not doing anything.” At my confirmation, she nods and then turns around.
“He won’t know today, so just keep quiet and follow my lead,” she says, which has me shaking my head in amusement and finally agreeing. Caelius has told me that he will never be able to mix us two up, as it is physically impossible for him to be attracted to anyone else besides me. He explained how an Elemental is repulsed by any other woman’s touch when they are mated.
I have come to accept the unbelievable. Things I would never have believed before I now accept openly. When Caelius and I shared blood, I was speechless, not knowing what to say or what to do, as I would never have thought that would happen. The natural way with which everyone accepts everyone’s differences is amazing. It’s as if I’m in an alternative universe where everyone is accepted unconditionally.
Sara has questioned certain things that she has seen, but I have managed to explain them away. I don’t know for how long, though, as I hate keeping things from my sister. “Are you ready?” she asks as she slips her feet into her black high-heel pumps. I take the couple steps necessary and also slip into my own red-bottom pumps.
“Ready when you are,” I tease, and she walks up to me and slides her arm through mine.
“Let’s go and have fun,” she says excitedly as we walk out the door. We make it to the courtyard before we encounter Scarlett, Saskia, and Gabriela also walking towards the party.
“Oh wow, look at the two of you,” Gabriela says with a whistle. “Today is going to be so much fun. I must warn you, though, that our men never leave our sides when we have parties.” Then she points at her kutte and then to Scarlett’s and Saskia’s. “I see you don’t have one of these yet.” Then she claps her hands. “This is going to be fun. I think we’re going to see Caelius finally lose his composure.”
The two women laugh happily at her comment before approaching; they are looking just as beautiful with their party clothes. Scarlett has a tight black strapless blouse with low-cut jeans; Saskia has a long dress with low cleavage and a long slit, and Gabriella has a purple sequin dress that hugs her body in all the right places.
We continue making our way towards the bar area knowing that the party has been extended to outside the compound, as there are six chapters attending the party, most of the men, and apparently they bring women with them too. We can hear the music blaring as soon as we come through the courtyard into the corridor that leads to the bar. When we step into the bar, it’s like a different world. There are semi-naked women dancing before the men; some are even kissing or sitting on their laps. I know this is a bikers party, but them being Elementals, I never thought they would celebrate like I’ve heard the other bikers celebrate.
I look around, seeing all the alcohol imaginable, but one thing I don’t see is drugs. Caelius has told me that Draco will not allow drugs within the Elementals MC, but I thought maybe this being a party, there would be. I’m happy to see there isn’t.
“Well, hello there, darlings,” one guy says happily as he walks up to us. He slots between myself and Sara and places his arms around our shoulders. I see the other three women’s look of surprise, and then they are looking around urgently.
“I don’t think you should be messing with—” Saskia starts to say, but the man lifts his hand from around Sara’s shoulder and tweaks her nose playfully before his hand lands over her shoulder again. I can see her surprised look as she looks across his chest at me and then raises her eyebrow in question.
I take a step forward to try to wiggle out of his embrace, but he brings me back. “Where are you going, darling? Don’t be in a hurry,” he says happily.
“I’m with someone,” I say urgently as I look around, trying to find Caelius. “He won’t be too pleased that you’re here with me.”
“Don’t worry, darling, he’ll be fine. Two pretty morsels like you are to be shared. He can’t be selfish,” he says, and then lowers his hand and slaps Sara on the ass, which has her jumping in surprise.
“Listen here, asshole, I’m not one of your toys, okay?” she argues as she pushes at his chest. One minute I’m still trying to step away and the other I see the guy’s face snap back as someone punches him. Both Sara and I are pulled away from his falling frame, but his arms are quickly released, and then I see Caelius over the guy.
He says something to the man who is now getting up off the floor, but I can’t hear what it is with the noise of the music. I see the man look at us and then back at him. He raises his hands to his chest and shakes his head as he answers. I can see the anger vibrating through Caelius as he steps closer to the man, and my hand goes up to my galloping heart.
Bjarni steps between Caelius and the guy and says something as he places his hands on each man’s chest. “My man is so hot,” I hear Gabriela say from behind me. I see the other guy say something as if he’s apologising, and then Bjarni places his arm around Caelius’s tense shoulders and turns him towards me. His eyes clash with mine, and then they travel the length of my body. I can feel myself blush at the heat in his stare.
“How the hell does he do it?” I hear Sara mutter from next to me, but my concentration is on the man approaching me. Before I can say anything, his arms are around my waist and he’s pulling me flush against his body.
“You’re way too sexy for your own good,” he mutters before his mouth crashes down on mine, and we kiss as if there is no one around us. If his arms weren’t around me, I would crash to the floor, as my legs have lost all will to stand on th
eir own. My arms lift around his neck, and I kiss him back with all the passion I’m experiencing. I can feel his hardness against my body as I stretch against him.
“Come on!” Sara huffs. “We’re surrounded by people and the two of you are acting as if you’re alone.” I pull away slightly and look into Caelius’s eyes; they are such a dark blue at the moment that they look nearly black. His nostrils are flaring in passion as he lifts his head and gently kisses my forehead and then pulls away.
“Do you want something to drink?” he asks, also glancing at Sara to add her to the question. Drink? The only thing I can think about is him, and he’s asking me if I want to drink? I nod but don’t say anything, as my brain is still trying to catch up to my surroundings.
“Come with me,” he says as he takes my hand in his and makes his way towards the bar. I see Kade serving drinks behind the bar, and smile at him. Kade is Scarlett’s brother and a great teenager; every time I see him, he has a huge smile on his face. Caelius guides me between the counter and his body, his arms cocooning me between them. He orders our drinks and then looks towards a guy speaking to Sara. “You want me to stop that?” he asks as he inclines his head towards them.
I look at Sara and smile as I see Gunner walking towards her and the unsuspecting guy. “I don’t think you will need to,” I murmur as I wink. Caelius frowns, but then a look of surprise crosses his face, and he looks at me.
“Gunner and your sister?” he asks.
“There is something there, but I also know that they are avoiding each other for some reason,” I say, and see his pensive look as he stretches across the counter to get our drinks. He picks one up and then taps Sara on the shoulder to get her attention and hands it to her. He then gives me mine and his one too. “You want to go see outside?” he asks with a raised brow.
“Sure.” I want to see to what extent the Elementals party. I see Nova and Saskia dancing while Burkhart and Ceric stand to one side, looking at them, completely entranced. As we step outside the bar area, I see lanterns spread out throughout the open area of the compound, a big bonfire to one side, and roasting meats on the other side. Again, here we see various men with women draped over them. It seems like the Elementals only have one mate, but they sure enjoy themselves while they look for that one mate.
CAELIUS: Elementals MC (book 9) (Elemental's MC) Page 8
