Bishop

by Gabelman, Teresa

  Glancing at him over her shoulder, she gave him a tempting smile before disappearing behind the closed door. Bishop grunted and quickly turned and rushed out of the bedroom before he said fuck it, and went in there to do what he warned her he would do.

  Chapter 24

  After quickly finishing her shower, Bonnie dried off, her mind racing. The towel rubbed a sensitive spot on her shoulder, and she frowned, knowing exactly what it was. Catching her reflection in the mirror across the bathroom, she walked up to it and stared at herself. She looked no different, even with her mother’s powers. She rolled her eyes at that thought, knowing darn good and well her appearance wouldn’t change because of that, but inside, she was different. She felt a confident acceptance that she had been searching for her whole life. Having a part of her mother was the key to everything.

  The burning on her shoulder couldn’t be ignored, though. Twisting, she angled to see the heart-shaped mark blazing red. It had flared when she had first seen Bishop. She had chalked it off to maybe irritating the mark, but as time went on, she knew that wasn’t the case. Each interaction with Bishop had sent her mark into overdrive. Now it throbbed with a beat of its own. He was her soul mate. No question about it.

  Slowly, she twisted back and looked into her own eyes. She not only saw herself, but part of her mother as well.

  “I will do you proud,” Bonnie said to her reflection, though she spoke the words to her mother. “I know this is not what you wanted for me, but it’s the decision I made. Soon you can be at peace.”

  For just a brief moment, she smelled lilac, and then it was gone. It was a whiff from her past and home. Warmth fluttered through her, as if being caught up in a loving hug, the sensation enfolding her as a sad smile spread across her face.

  “I feel you, Mama.” A tear slipped from her eye. “And if that was you sending the dreams, thank you. I don’t really understand them all, but I will figure it out.”

  The feeling left her quickly. Knowing that was her mother’s way of telling her she was present and at her side had Bonnie using her magic to dress. Without a second glance at herself, she hurried out of the bathroom and out of Bishop’s bedroom. It was time, and she had never been as ready as she was at this moment. Not only did she have her mother’s powers, but she also sensed she now had her blessing. Nothing would stop her now.

  Glancing around, she saw Raven and Bishop at the counter talking. They stopped to look at her.

  “I had a dream,” Bonnie said, then frowned. “Actually, I had a lot of dreams, which is odd because I don’t dream.”

  “Wait a minute.” Raven frowned, shaking her head as if trying to keep up. “What?”

  “I had dreams, and I think my mom was trying to tell me something,” Bonnie said, then looked at Bishop. “I need to see Viktor.”

  “Why do you need to see Viktor?” Bishop asked while Raven nodded in agreement to his question.

  “I don’t know yet.” Bonnie frowned in confusion, but headed toward the door, then stopped and looked back at them. “Well, are you coming, or am I going to have to do this on my own?”

  Raven and Bishop glanced at each other, then stood and headed her way.

  “Good.” Bonnie nodded and headed out the door. “Try to keep up.”

  “Don’t be a smartass,” Raven warned her, heading to her bike.

  “No promises,” Bonnie said, stopping when Bishop stopped by a car. “Where’s your bike?”

  “Car is safer,” Bishop said, opening the door for her, but she refused to move.

  “Bike or transport.” She gave him that ultimatum, really hoping he picked the bike. Actually, she had a feeling he’d pick the bike since he had an aversion to transporting. “Your choice.”

  Bishop cursed, slamming the door closed before stomping toward his bike. “Stop being bossy.”

  “That’s like telling me not to be funny. Ain’t happening.” Bonnie snorted, climbing on the back of his bike. “And stop stomping around like a big old bear.”

  “Bonnie,” Bishop warned, glancing over his shoulder at her.

  “Yes,” she answered innocently.

  “Don’t be a smartass, and I don’t stomp like a damn bear.” Bishop started the bike and revved it a few times.

  “Yes, you do,” she replied with a small grin before wrapping her arms around his waist. Feeling his strength against her was exhilarating and made her feel alive. She could really get used to this.

  Bonnie enjoyed the free feeling the bike gave her. She didn’t want to slow or stop. Even urged Bishop to go faster, but he just shook his head. She frowned, but then glanced at the streetlights and made sure that they changed to green, so they didn’t have to slow. Bonnie knew she was going to have to work on her magic and soon, but first, she needed to follow up on her dreams before they escaped her. It was a clue on how to find Orjyll; she just knew it. Because of no red lights, they pulled into the compound in record time.

  She jumped off the bike with Bishop’s help, then followed him and Raven into the compound. Viktor was just coming out of Sloan’s office.

  “Damn, it’s good to see you.” Viktor pulled her into a hug. “Heard all about it.”

  “I’m sure Steve told a tall tale.” Bonnie downplayed what happened, but Viktor gave her a look that said he knew Steve hadn’t. “I need to talk to you.”

  “Sure.” Viktor frowned down at her, then looked at Bishop.

  “Bishop!” Sloan’s voice came from his office.

  “Shit,” Bishop hissed, then grabbed Bonnie’s hand.

  Bonnie frowned. “He doesn’t sound too happy.”

  Jared walked by just at that moment. “Obviously you don’t know Sloan that well. That’s his happy voice.”

  Not really wanting to go in there, Bishop wouldn’t let go of Bonnie’s hand and tugged her along with him.

  “Good to see you, Bonnie.” Jared gave her a nod of respect. “Can’t wait to hear about it… without Steve’s theatrics.”

  Goddess, what had Steve told them? She didn’t have much time to think about it before she was inside Sloan’s office, standing beside Bishop.

  “You coming back anytime soon?” Sloan glared at Bishop, and Bonnie felt a tinge of guilt since she was the reason Bishop hadn’t been doing his Warrior duties. He then looked at Bonnie, his features softening slightly. “Bonnie, I’m glad you’re okay. Quite a story we’ve heard.”

  Before Bonnie could open her mouth, Steve walked in, standing right in front of Bonnie with wide eyes. He reached out and poked her in the shoulder, pulling his hand back quickly, surprising her.

  “What in the fuck are you doing?” Bishop growled, pulling Bonnie back away from Steve.

  “Sorry,” Steve said, then went to do it again before Bishop knocked his hand away.

  “Touch her again and lose the hand,” Bishop warned, his eyes narrowing.

  Bonnie rolled her eyes, realizing what Steve was doing. “I’m not full of electricity, Steve.” She saw the disappointment in his face and felt for the guy.

  “Damn.” Steve frowned, then grinned. “Girl, I just want to say that was… awesome. I mean, it freaked me the hell out and I was worried about you, but holy shit—”

  “Steve,” Sloan warned, then looked back at Bishop. “So, when can I expect you back? Jax and Blaze did a raid last night and found more newly turned vampires in cages.”

  “Fuck.” Bishop shook his head.

  “Now.” Bonnie let go of his hand, pulling away. “You can expect him back now.”

  “Good.” Sloan gave a nod, then began shuffling through papers. He held one out toward Bishop. “I need you and Viktor to check this place out. We have confirmation from a reliable source they’re running a blood ring through their business.”

  “Wait a minute.” Bishop frowned, not reaching out to take the papers, letting Viktor do it. “I didn’t—”

  Bonnie pulled him back and glared up at him. “I don’t need a babysitter,” she whispered, giving his arm a squeeze. “I’
m fine. You need to go about your life, Bishop.”

  She watched different emotions flitter through his eyes before he bent down and whispered into her ear. “You are my life, Bonnie.”

  It felt like she had been surrounded by electricity all over again, just by his words alone spoken in such a deep timber. Her heart beat like a fast drum, pounding harder and harder. Hell, even her knees went weak. What was this man doing to her? And seriously, how did she respond to that?

  “Thank you” was her response, and immediately, she wished she could pull the words back. Thank you? What in the hell was that? Feeling her face flame hot, she cleared her throat nervously.

  Bishop actually chuckled, even while looking irritated. “You’re welcome.”

  “I’ve got Raven,” Bonnie added, not really knowing what else to say. “She’ll make sure I don’t do anything stupid.”

  Bonnie glanced behind her to see Raven staring at them with a smirk. Rolling her eyes, Bonnie turned back to Bishop. He was also looking at Raven with a cocked eyebrow.

  “I’ll make sure she doesn’t do anything more stupid than she already has.” Raven reiterated what Bonnie said, but not in a flattering way. Bonnie guessed she was still irritated with her for ghosting her more than once.

  “See.” Bonnie sighed after tossing Raven a dirty look. “I’m in good hands.”

  When Bishop still seemed to hesitate, Bonnie put her hands on her hips. “Dammit, don’t make me disappear, because I will. I will not disrupt your life any more than I already have.” Bonnie glanced around, hoping that everyone in Sloan’s office was preoccupied and not listening to their conversation. She was relieved to see Viktor looking over the paper he took from Sloan, and Jared as well as Steve standing around Sloan’s desk talking. That left Raven, who thankfully was gone. “Don’t do this, Bishop. I’m fine,” she said after looking back at him.

  For a long moment, Bishop remained silent as he stared down at her. Then his eyes slightly narrowed as he leaned toward her. “You disappear, I will find you.”

  As those words left his lips, she couldn’t stop thinking how full his lips actually were. Goddess, she was turning into one of those women who couldn’t keep a straight thought when a handsome man was being all alpha on her. And she kind of liked it. Ugh, this definitely was getting complicated.

  Chapter 25

  She was right, which pissed Bishop off. Dammit, he was torn with what to do. Glancing over her head at Viktor, who gave him a cocked eyebrow, he cursed. “Raven!” Bishop called out toward the empty doorway.

  Raven appeared quickly with a smirk. “You bellowed?”

  He heard Viktor chuckle, but ignored him as well as Raven’s smart-ass remark. “Don’t leave her side unless someone replaces you.”

  “No one can replace me, but don’t worry. I’ve got her,” Raven answered with a straight face. “Should I follow her into the bathroom while she takes a piss, Master?”

  “Not in the mood, Raven.” Bishop all but growled his warning. He glanced at Bonnie to see a grin quickly disappear as she tried to look innocent. Damn, these women were going to drive him insane.

  Again, he had to admit Bonnie was right. Would he admit it out loud? That was a big fuck no. But the more he was out in the field, the chances of finding that son of a bitch Orjyll before her was in his favor.

  “I swear to be on my best behavior,” Bonnie said, and he knew she was trying to sound obedient, but was failing in a big way. He didn’t believe her for a minute.

  “What did you need to talk to Viktor about?” Bishop figured it best to drop it instead of calling her out and starting a war before he left her.

  “Yeah, what’s up?” Viktor asked, handing Bishop the paper from Sloan.

  “I had dreams, but they were confusing. I know they were from my mom,” Bonnie began with a frown. “How much did you know about what my mother could do with her powers?”

  A haunted look flashed through his brother’s eyes but was quickly gone. Bishop knew Viktor still had guilt where Emilia was concerned, but Lacey, his mate, had helped him fight those demons.

  “Emilia was amazing with what she could do,” Viktor responded matter-of-factly. “What do you want to know?”

  “Could she track magic?” Bonnie asked, her brow furrowed as if afraid of the answer.

  Viktor thought for a minute, his eyes going to Bishop. “Remember when she found that coven that you and I walked past hundreds of times?”

  “Damn, yeah, I forgot about that.” Bishop grinned, grabbing onto the memory. “I lost a hundred dollar bet with her on that. She never said how she did it, though.”

  Bonnie clapped her hands together. “Great!” she said excitedly.

  “Come to think about it, we had a case of a warlock who was using his craft by working his way into married women’s beds. He was an ugly son of a bitch. He made sure the husband came home to find them. It was always women with money.” Viktor shook his head. “Damn, that was a mess. A friend of your mother’s was one of them.”

  “I remember that.” Bishop laughed. “He was ugly as sin, going around using magic on unsuspecting females. Your mom called us in on that one.”

  Bonnie grinned, but two creases quickly appeared between her brows. “You guys didn’t kill him for that, did you?”

  “Nah,” Viktor replied with a huge smile. “She wanted us to because she was so mad, but we just hung him naked with special rope Emilia gave us and let the husbands take care of him after she put a binding spell on the asshole. Wasn’t his name Gomer something or another?”

  “Yeah.” Bishop nodded. “Damn, I forgot all about that.” It was good to remember some of the fun times he and his brother had in the past. It wasn’t always horrific.

  “Did my mom ever find out you didn’t kill him?” Bonnie asked eagerly, and Bishop realized he had more to offer Bonnie than he thought. He remembered a lot about Emilia. He made a mental note to tell her more about her mother when the time was right.

  Bishop shared a look with Viktor. “Yeah, she wasn’t happy about it. Gave us hell as a matter of fact.”

  “But to answer your question, she did find him,” Viktor replied, looking thoughtful. “I’m not sure how, but she had a unique way of finding anyone with magical powers.”

  Bonnie nodded but didn’t say anything. Bishop watched her closely and could almost see her mind working. “Why did you ask?”

  “Just trying to get a handle on what she could do. What I need to work on to make finding dipshit easier on all of us,” Bonnie replied honestly. Her brows then dipped. “But I promise not to go looking for him today, so go on and do what you have to do.”

  “Yeah, let’s get out of here. I want to get finished early so I can take my girl out to dinner,” Viktor said, as he headed for the door.

  “Keep your phone on while you’re out with your… girl.” Sloan called out after him. “Everyone, and I mean, everyone is on call.”

  “Dammit,” Viktor cursed as he quickly exited the room.

  “That goes for you too,” Sloan warned Bishop before going back to talking to a grinning Jared and Steve.

  “Guess he told you, huh?” Bonnie smiled and cocked an eyebrow.

  “Don’t think I didn’t catch that ‘promise not to go looking for him today’ comment.” Bishop didn’t even look Sloan’s way, but continued to look down at her.

  “Damn, he’s smarter than I thought,” Raven said, gaining a glare from both of them. “I caught it. Didn’t think he would, though. Men are a—”

  “Raven,” Bishop warned with a deep grumble.

  “Pain in my ass,” Raven mumbled, then pushed off the wall. “Come on already, man. She’s fine. Stop being all weird and shit. I’ve got her till you get back. I’m not letting her do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  Bishop’s eyes narrowed on her. “That’s not a comforting thought.”

  “You have no idea,” Raven mumbled again with a snort, then slammed her mouth shut.

  “I have a lot of work
to do before I even think of looking for dipshit,” Bonnie reassured him, but it fell flat. “No worries,” she added, giving him that innocent look she had perfected.

  He wanted to believe her, he really did, yet he’d come to realize she did things to her own beat. While he actually respected her for that, it also scared the shit out of him. He needed to find that bastard and soon, because if he didn’t, she would.

  “Are you fucking coming or not?” Viktor stuck his head through the doorway, glaring at Bishop.

  “He’s coming,” Bonnie and Sloan answered in unison.

  Bonnie grinned, then grabbed his hand and walked him out. “Now, don’t be stomping out of here like a big old bear,” Bonnie scolded, making him roll his eyes.

  “Why do you keep saying I stomp like a bear?” Bishop grumbled, squeezing her hand gently.

  “’Cause you do.” Bonnie walked him straight to the door.

  “Yeah, you kind of do,” Raven said behind them.

  “Can you give us a minute?” Bishop glared at her over his shoulder.

  “Hey, you said not to let her out of my sight.” Raven held up her hands. “Make up your mind, bear boy.”

  “Be nice.” Bonnie pinched his ribs, but he hardly felt it.

  “She’s really getting on my nerves.” Bishop pulled Bonnie out the door, away from eyes.

  “She’s funny.” Bonnie shrugged. “And she was doing what you told her to do.”

  “Not when I’m with you.” Bishop wondered what in the hell he was doing. He had only really spent any amount of time with women for one thing—sexual satisfaction. Was he crazy giving up his bachelor lifestyle to be driven insane? Staring down into Bonnie’s large, beautiful eyes, he knew the answer to the question. He was crazy, and he was fucked.

  “Be careful,” she said, then started to go back inside. Immediately, he stopped her, then hauled her up in a kiss.

  “No, you be careful and stay out of trouble,” Bishop ordered, then kissed her again, hard and intense.