“Because I knew you would like it, and it’s safer at the back here than in front,” I state with a frown.
“I can’t stay in your room. What will everyone think?” she murmurs, a flush covering her face.
Only then do I understand. I can’t help myself as I start to smile. “I’m not going to be sleeping here, so you don’t need to worry. That is, unless you want me to,” I tease, seeing her cheeks go an even darker shade of pink.
“Oh . . . oh, okay,” she whispers, looking down at her feet. The way her breasts are straining against her T-shirt as she breaths in deeply makes me want to stretch out my hand and stroke them until she gasps in pleasure. My dick that has been at attention ever since she walked into my life is twitching in anticipation. Shit, if I don’t make her mine soon, my dick will have my fingerprints imprinted on it for the rest of my life by the number of times I’ve had to let off steam.
I move my hips slightly, trying to hide the evidence of my need for her as I back up. “I will let you rest. Make yourself comfortable, and I will see you later.” With that, I turn and hurriedly make my way out of the room, closing the door behind me.
I hurry to the training room. I need to decompress because if I carry on this way, I’m going to blow soon. As I enter, I see Ceric and Burkhart in the ring, fighting each other. “Duck and turn,” Burkhart indicates as Ceric moves towards him. I ignore them and walk towards the weights where I see Caelius and Bjarni working out.
“Where’ve you been? I was looking for you earlier on,” Bjarni calls from where he’s lifting.
“Why?”
“I’m worried about my baby girl. She’s not doing well.” With that, he drops the weights and walks towards me with a scowl on his face. “She keeps on telling me she’s fine, but she’s tired all the time and my babies aren’t letting her sleep.” Since Bjarni found out that Gabriela was pregnant, he’s been stressing about her, and once he found out that she was having twins, it made it so much worse.
He pulls at his hair as he looks at me worriedly. “I will give her another check-up. Bring her over to the infirmary,” I say, trying to appease him.
“I left her resting. I will bring her before dinner. Thanks, Brother,” he calls as he makes his way towards the showers.
I’ve been working out for about five minutes before Caelius talks. “How’re you doing, dude?” he asks as he sits up and wipes the sweat from his brow with a towel. “I saw you accompanying her to your room earlier on. You think that’s wise?”
I grunt as I lower the weights. “I can’t get her out of my mind.”
“So why don’t you bond with her already?” he asks with a confused look on his face.
“I can’t, not until I explain everything to her and things start to calm down a bit,” I growl, irritated. I’m fucking frustrated, and all I want is to make my way back to my room and bury myself so deep inside Brielle that she won’t be able to think about anything or anyone but me.
“So, when are you going to talk to her?” Caelius asks as he gets up and moves towards another set of weights for his legs.
“I was going to today, but then we started arguing. I’m not exactly her favourite person at the moment,” I grumble
“What am I hearing? Is Bion here having relationship issues?” Looking over, I see Ceric and Burkhart against the ropes, listening to our conversation. Ceric has a wicked smile on his face, making me groan. That’s all I needed right now. “Why haven’t you asked Doctor Love over here? I can tell you how to tame the vixen.”
“Sure,” I state sarcastically. “The only thing that has been tamed around here is your dick.” Burkhart and Caelius burst out laughing at my quip.
“Shh, don’t say that shit. He doesn’t like it,” Ceric teases as he fists himself. Looking down, he says in a conspiratorial voice, “They don’t know anything. Let them talk; you know you still king.” Burkhart shakes his head from next to him, punching him playfully on the arm.
“You guys are so screwed; even your dicks don’t listen to you anymore,” Burkhart states as he makes his way towards the showers. Ceric starts to follow but then stops. “Can you come with me tomorrow?”
“Where?”
“Just something I need to do. It will be a couple hours.” Him not telling me makes me curious. I don’t have anything for tomorrow, so I agree. I keep at it for another hour before I hit the showers and then make my way to the infirmary to await Gabriela and Bjarni.
An hour later, they both walk in, Bjarni with a frown on his face, Gabriela smiling impishly. Even though she’s smiling, I agree with Bjarni—she does look tired.
“Hi, Bion. I believe you’ve agreed to feel me up again.” She smiles innocently as Bjarni growls. We Elementals are extremely possessive, and another man touching our woman is against our DNA. Bjarni gritted his teeth throughout all our sessions, and I try to touch Gabriela as little as possible.
“I hear you haven’t been feeling well?” I ask, but she just shrugs in answer, smiling as she leans back against Bjarni as he strokes her extended stomach. “Okay, then, lay down over there.” I indicate one of the beds as I collect tools I might need. When I turn back to them, Gabriela is lying on the bed while Bjarni is standing over her like a guardian angel.
I start by taking her blood pressure and then her heart rate. When Jasmine was pregnant, I purchased a sonogram machine that has come in very handy with Gabriela and Aria also being pregnant. “Can I see your stomach?” I ask. From the corner of my eye, I see Bjarni tense, but he’s the one who picks up her T-shirt and lifts it to just under her breasts. Instantly, I frown. As a water bender, I can sense when there’s water, or in this case, lack of water, in a place or person.
“Have you had any headaches lately?” I hope I’m wrong, or Bjarni is going to flip his shit. Before she can answer, Bjarni states that yes, she has. “Any dizziness?” She looks up at Bjarni and then nods. I see him scowl at her and then grunt. I guess he didn’t know about that.
“Have you been nauseous?”
“No, no nausea,” she confirms.
“Is there anything else you’ve been feeling?” I ask while I set up the sonogram and spread gel on her stomach.
“I’ve had some pain sometimes in my stomach,” she grumbles, “but that’s just because I’m so big.”
“What the fuck, baby girl?” Bjarni roars. “Why didn’t you tell me?” His muscles are tense as he starts to pace.
“This is why. You overreact,” she protests.
“It’s not overreacting; you have pain, you’re nauseous. I’m supposed to know these things,” he states angrily.
I start rubbing the wand over her stomach, and instantly, heartbeats fill the room. Bjarni stops pacing as he looks at the screen and sees his kids. A tear slips down Gabriela’s cheek as she watches her babies on the screen. When taking her blood pressure, I had noticed that it was extremely high. I take all the measurements and blood and urine test required, as I need to make sure that her liver and kidney functions are fine. Fuck, this isn’t good; maybe I should call one of the guys just in case Bjarni flips out.
“What?” At his growl, I look at him and see the fear in his eyes. He knows me too well and knows that I have something to tell them.
“The tests show that Gabriela has something called preeclampsia. I’m not going to lie to you, preeclampsia can be dangerous.” At my words, I see Bjarni pale. His hand is over Gabriela’s stomach once again, and the other is holding one of hers. Gabriela is staring at me with shock, her other hand also on her stomach.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Bjarni growls, the look in his eyes frightening to see.
“It means that we need to monitor her more closely. You will need to share blood every week instead of twice a month. She needs a lot of liquids, and as discussed before, because the babies are fire Elementals, we need her around fire every day.”
“Will she be okay?” Bjarni asks in a gruff voice.
“She’s in danger of going into early labo
ur, but we discussed that.” When we found out that Gabriela was carrying twins, we discussed the possibility of her having a caesarean. “I will have to monitor you every week, sweetheart, and I want you to have as much rest as possible. Preeclampsia reduces the amount of blood flow to the placenta and the babies. It also increases the risk of placental abruption, or separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus.”
“We can’t have sex anymore?” Gabriela asks in a strained voice.
“What the fuck, baby girl? Who the hell cares about sex?” Bjarni roars. “You need to be fine.”
“Actually, sex is important during pregnancy. As an Elemental, your sperm has vitamins that your woman and your kids will need,” I state.
“See, it’s important,” Gabriela grumbles.
“Won’t I hurt them?” Bjarni asks worriedly as he strokes Gabriela’s cheek.
“Not if you’re careful. Make love to your woman, man. It’s fine.” I turn and pick up a bottle of pills that will enrich Gabriela’s blood. “Here, I want you to take two of these a day and just rest.”
“Thanks, Bion,” she replies as Bjarni helps her off the bed.
“Thanks, Brother,” Bjarni grunts as he picks up Gabriela and walks out of the infirmary. I smile and shake my head. Gabriela is out of luck now with not wanting Bjarni to carry her around. There is no way he will let her walk anywhere. Then as I think of the dangers, my smile disappears. I need to make sure that I keep her and the babies healthy. If it had to be Brielle, I would be out of my mind with worry, like Bjarni. I wouldn’t let her move from our bed.
BRIELLE 4
I slept so well last night; Bion’s fragrance enveloped me during the night and calmed my usually hectic thoughts. I thought he would have come to speak to me this morning, as he stated that we needed to talk, but then I found out that they had a meeting this morning and Ceric, Brandr, and Bion went out.
We’re all sitting around the table like a real family for dinner, but they haven’t arrived yet. I’m sure he can see that I like him, and he more than likely wants to tell me that he doesn’t have the same feelings. I really don’t want to hear that. I would rather leave with the dream that an Adonis of a man liked me than knowing I was fooling myself. I’ve decided that it’s time to leave, and even though I would do anything to stay here, I have a life to get back to.
Who am I kidding? What life? I don’t even have a job anymore. I have to go live with my mom until I get a new job. Talking about that, I still need to phone her, but I’ve been delaying it knowing that somehow, she will blame me for everything that happened.
Looking around, I see that Gabriela is quieter than normal. Her usual smile is missing, and she looks tired. I look down and notice that her feet have started swelling again; maybe I can help her before I leave.
“Would you like me to take away the swelling from your feet again?” I ask, smiling at her.
She looks down at her feet as if she hadn’t noticed they were swollen. Bjarni also looks down, and then his look turns darker, but he pulls Gabriela closer and kisses her shoulder, saying something in her ear.
“Thanks, that would be great,” she murmurs.
I’m about to answer, but the three men entering distracts me. Instantly, I feel my breasts tighten and my breath catch at Bion’s presence. He looks over at me and winks. I’ve never been turned on by a man looking at me as I am with Bion. I rub my legs together to relieve some of the pressure I feel between my legs. I feel my heart constricting when I think of what I’m about to say.
“I would like to thank all of you for everything you have done for me. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come when you did.” I swallow loudly before I continue. “But I think it’s time I make my way back home. I’m going to phone my family, and I should be able to leave at the end of the week.”
Bion had just sat down when I started to talk, but now he stands up with such force that his chair flies back, hitting the counter. “You can’t leave,” he says angrily as he leans over the table. “Where’s your mind? They will catch you again. Do you really think we will let you be placed in danger once more?” I know I’m staring up at him in shock, but I didn’t expect this reaction from him. Why would he be upset about me leaving? If anything, I thought he would be happy. Like this, he can forgo the talk he wanted to have with me.
“Calm down,” Draco orders, his hand on Bion’s shoulder pulling him back. “You’re frightening her. Go take a walk.” I see Bion take in a deep breath, and then he looks around as if in shock that he had such a reaction.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he says as he exits the kitchen.
Draco nods towards Gunner to accompany him. He then turns towards me with a frown. “You’re not leaving,” he states in a commanding voice that makes me swallow in fright. “Do you understand me?”
I nod reluctantly but don’t say anything until he walks out of the kitchen, his plate still half full. “But I can’t stay here forever; I have to try to find a job and get my life back in order,” I whisper as I look around at everyone.
“Aren’t you happy here with us?” Jasmine asks. “I thought we were becoming friends.” Her tone is despondent, and her eyes sad. Wulf grunts in anger as he places his arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer to his chair.
“Don’t worry, Jas. She’s not going anywhere. She belongs to Bion now,” Bjarni states with a forced smile.
What is he talking about? “What?” I ask breathlessly. “What do you mean I belong to Bion? He doesn’t want me.” I wish he did, but how can someone like him want a woman like me? He’s the type of man who can have anyone he wants. Why would he want me?
“Are you blind, woman? He’s practically humping doors with how much he wants you,” Bjarni states as he shakes his head in disbelief. Gabriela slaps his arm, pulling his attention to her. “What? It’s true.”
Gabriela shakes her head. “Humping doors, really?” she asks sarcastically.
“You can’t leave anyway. We need your help,” Caelius says in his deep voice.
“My help with what?” she asks curiously.
“We need you to go to the bakery, have some coffee and a cake there. Bion and I will be with you.” At his words, all the women look around in confusion.
“How will that help you?” Aria asks, a suspicious look on her face.
“Don’t worry about that, sunshine. It’s just something we need Brielle to do for us,” Brandr answers.
“Why can’t we all go?” Nova asks with a frown.
“Did you forget that the FBI wants a piece of you now? I don’t want you anywhere out of the compound unless I’m with you,” Ceric grunts. They found out that the FBI were after the women and Orion to acquire what made them special.
I find that strange. Why would the FBI care if we have gifts? It’s not as if we’re dangerous. There’s something else going on that I haven’t been able to figure out yet, but I’ve decided not to ask questions seeing as I have to leave sooner or later. I hear a commotion and bring my attention back to what’s happening around me to find Ceric carrying Nova out of the kitchen.
Looking sideways, I find Caelius’s eyes on me, so I take the opportunity to learn more about what they require from me and why. “Why do you need me at the bakery?” If they think I’m going to carry drugs or something for them, they will find out that I will not do something like that. I spoke softly so no one would hear except Caelius, but I see Cassius looking at me as if he’s following the conversation.
“The FBI want our women’s DNA to test. You’re the only one who isn’t bonded yet. Therefore, we need you to sit down with Bion and me and have some coffee and maybe a piece of cake. They will more than likely take your cup and fork to test. That will prove to them that your blood is normal.”
What the hell is he talking about? What does he mean by my not being bonded yet, and why would the other women’s DNA be different? I’m more confused now than I was before.
“I don’t know what you
mean. Everyone’s DNA is different. What difference would it make if they tested one of the other women? Not that I mind going, it’s just confusing.”
“Oh boy,” I hear Cassius say as he looks down at his plate, shaking his head. How can he hear what I’m saying? We’re talking so softly.
“Bion will explain,” Caelius replies. “We will go in the next few days, as soon as everything has been set up. Don’t worry, you will be safe. We won’t let anything happen to you,” he promises, and I can see in his solemn eyes that he means it.
For the rest of the night, I ponder what he mentioned, and more than ever, I’m sure there is something going on that I’m unaware of. I know these men also have some kind of gifts, or Ceric and Burkhart do. After all, I saw Ceric disintegrate a wall and Burkhart set a chain on fire just with their hands.
I was slightly shocked at the time when they rescued me, but being someone who has a gift, I believe there are people out there who can do things we can only dream about. After seeing what both of them did that day, I now wonder if there is more to this group of men than what I initially thought. And what did Bjarni mean about Bion wanting me? Is it possible? Could he possibly want me? I don’t want to get my hopes up, but it’s difficult not to when the other guys say things as they do.
After excusing myself, I make my way to the room. I’ve been waiting the whole evening for Bion to come talk to me, but I finally give up. Looking at my watch, I see that it’s three in the morning. I know I’m going to struggle to sleep until I see him; I need him to enlighten me on what’s happening. After tossing and turning for hours, I finally fall asleep.
I don’t see Bion for over a week. I know everyone is worried about him. From what they say, he isn’t the type to go missing. I feel responsible for him being AWOL, as he left after I told everyone that I was leaving, and even though they don’t say it, I know they know I’m responsible. I’ve hardly slept these last few nights, worried that something might have happened to him.
BION: Elemental's MC (book 5) Page 3
