This morning, Draco informed me that I’m going to the bakery with Ceric and Wulf, which just makes me worry more, because I know they’ve been waiting for Bion to accompany me. Have they given up on him coming back?
Everyone’s sitting in the bar area. I’m chatting with Jasmine, waiting for Wulf to come out so we can leave. I can’t say I’m not apprehensive. Even though they say this isn’t dangerous, I feel there might be some kind of danger or I wouldn’t need two of them accompanying me. Suddenly, everyone quietens. I look up and see Draco and Wulf have arrived and are standing by the inside door that separates the bar from the compound.
What frightens me is Draco’s face. There is such fury there as he looks at the door as if he’s about to attack someone. Looking around, I see Bion standing in the outside doorway. My heart feels as if it’s going to jump out of my chest when I see he’s fine. He looks as if he hasn’t been sleeping much; his clothes are wrinkled, and his hair is dishevelled. I realise he’s staring at me, and there is such want in his eyes that all I want to do is run to him and hug him.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Draco roars, and strides angrily towards Bion. His hand shoots out, and he has Bion against the door and off the floor. I’m sure my heart isn’t going to survive the fright. I have never seen anyone pick up someone off the floor as Draco is doing, and he’s doing it just with one arm. I feel sick. I can see Bion’s face darkening with the lack of air, and no one is doing anything to help him.
The worst is that Bion isn’t fighting back; why isn’t he fighting back? “We looked all over for you, motherfucker. What did you think you were doing disappearing like that?” Wulf has moved behind Draco and has placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Let him down, Brother,” he states, squeezing his shoulder in understanding. Draco continues scowling but slowly lets him slide back down and then finally lets go of his throat.
“I couldn’t contact you or they would have found me,” Bion gasps breathlessly.
“Who would have found you? What are you talking about?” Wulf grunts. Bion was in danger and all because of me. If he had gotten hurt, it would have been my fault. I can feel tears prickle the back of my eyes as I take him in.
“I went for a ride when I left here that day. When I got out of town, I decided to ride to the warehouse where they are supposed to be holding the women. I parked where we were before, but a couple hours later, when I was about to turn back, there was movement.” His voice is still hoarse.
They must have realised that everyone is listening to the conversation, because Draco interrupts him by calling a meeting. One minute they are all there, and the next, they are gone.
“Are you okay, Brielle? You’re very pale,” Jasmine asks, her hand stroking my arm. I try to smile, but I know it doesn’t reach my eyes. How is it possible that this man affects me so much? I hardly know him, and meanwhile, I worry about him, not to mention how much I want him.
An hour later, I’m still sitting with Jasmine and Nova when Ceric approaches Nova while strapping on his weapons. “Brielle, we won’t be going to the bakery today; we will make it for another day,” Ceric comments as he walks past me. I hear him tell Nova that they are going on a run and will be back tomorrow. I wonder if Bion is going with them? He looked so tired. He shouldn’t be going out again so soon.
I turn and hurriedly make my way outside to make sure he’s okay. I find most of the guys are already sitting on their bikes, but I don’t find Bion, and then I hear Ceric tell Nova that Bion, Gunner, and Bjarni are staying behind. I sigh in relief when I see him leaning against the bar door with a scowl across his handsome face.
He must feel my eyes on him, because he turns his head and then he’s staring at me. His penetrating stare travels over my body with warmth, stroking my skin with his eyes. I want to know what he wanted to talk to me about before he left, but seeing his tiredness, I decide to make my way inside after the men leave on their bikes, and hide in the room until he comes looking for me.
BION 5
The powerlessness I felt when Brielle said she was leaving filled me with such anger that I completely lost it. I don’t usually lose control, but knowing that Brielle might leave me made me crazy. I decided then that I had to make her mine as soon as possible, but when I left to go for a ride and plan on the way forward, I found myself at the warehouse where we suspect the Keres of keeping the women they are kidnapping.
I stopped to try to calm my mind, but just as I was about to leave, bikers pulled up. To my surprise, I recognised one of them as Merdor. I hid and watched from afar what they were doing until an SUV pulled up. To my annoyance, I couldn’t see who was in the SUV. All I saw was Merdor slip into the car. He must have been there for at least ten minutes before he came out and the SUV pulled away.
He was carrying an envelope with him, and even though I suspected there was money in it, I also believed there was more to it than that. Two of the men who accompanied him pushed their bikes inside the warehouse, while the others left them outside, but they all entered the warehouse. I left my bike behind while I made my way towards the warehouse where I could spy in through one of the windows. At first, I couldn’t see anything and was about to leave when I saw something reflect from the corner of the warehouse.
I walked towards it and found that it was a hatch to one of the ventilators. Pulling the hatch up, I crawled inside until I was above one of the grills where I could see the men just below me. I was lucky they didn’t hear me because of their conversations.
“Are we still on?” one of the guys asked.
“Of course. They’re biting at the bit. All they want is the women,” Merdor answered.
“What will happen when they figure out the truth?” the guy asked.
“They won’t find out that they will never be able to do what we do no matter what they try. For now, it’s useful having them in our corner. We need them to get rid of the women for us, so for now, we continue playing them,” Merdor stated.
“What’s in the envelope that has you in such a good mood?” I just managed to stop myself from grunting in humour. Merdor was the sourest fucker anyone ever met. I didn’t think he knew what “good mood” even was.
“They gave me what I needed. I now know who she belongs to.” At his words, I felt my insides tighten with anger. I was sure they were talking about one of our women, but the question was, was he talking about Brielle or a new woman they had?
“To whom?” one of the other guys asked. I held my breath, waiting for his reply, but the asshole just shook his head and smirked as he walked towards the door. That prompted the other guys, except for two of them, to make their way outside. I was about to back out of the ventilators when they set the alarm. When I looked back, I saw there was a beam shining just behind me.
I stayed inside the warehouse for nearly five fucking days. I moved slowly through the ventilators until I found a grid that I managed to slip out of into the warehouse. I was lucky to have found tined food in one of the crates. Water I didn’t have a problem with. As a water bender, I managed to sense water running under the section of the warehouse that I lowered myself into. I maintained my water bending to a minimum, or the guys would have sensed the energy spike.
I left my cell inside the saddlebag of my bike, so I couldn’t even phone. On the fifth day, when they switched off the alarm for one of the other Keres to come inside, I took the opportunity to leave. Now, after nearly five days without hardly any sleep, I’m sitting in the kitchen, undecided if I should go speak to Brielle and tell her everything or wait. I can’t touch her yet until we go to the bakery and the FBI get her DNA, but I can at least let her know that she belongs to me.
Fuck this. I stand up and make my way towards my room. I know I should find some sleep before I have this talk with her, but I can’t wait any longer. At the door, I hesitate. What if she doesn’t want anything to do with me? Can I continue with this barren existence once I’ve known her essence? Shit, before I can change my mind, I k
nock. I can hear movement inside, and then she’s before me.
“Bion?” She looks surprised to see me. “I thought you would be resting. You look tired.”
I am tired, but I can’t sleep until I know she’s mine, even if I can’t bond with her yet.
“We need to talk.” At my words, I see her stiffen, but then she’s moving back to let me enter. I walk in but then stop. Walking towards my lazy chair, I sit down groaning in pleasure at the comfort. I’m so tired, I could sleep standing up, but I won’t until I talk to her.
Brielle moves towards the bed and then sits on the edge, looking at me hesitantly. “What do you know about us?” I ask.
Her eyes widen in surprise. “Besides the fact that you’re bikers?” she asks, and I nod. “Is this a trick question? Are you going to, like, kill me or something if I know too much?”
“What!” I state angrily. “Why would you think that we would ever hurt you?” She’s twisting her hands in agitation, and I try to calm my anger at her question. I don’t want us to argue. I need to make her understand.
“You have all been very kind, and I don’t really think any of you will hurt me, but you don’t want me to leave. The only reason I see for that is that you’re worried that I might talk about something, but I promise whatever I’ve heard or seen stays with me.”
“Oh, beauty, you’re so wrong. Yes, there’s a reason we want you to stay, but it’s not because we’re worried you might talk.” I take in a deep breath and continue. “We’re called Elementals, and not just because of the name of our motorcycle club. Each one of us can bend a specific element.”
She’s sitting before me with her mouth open in surprise; I nearly laugh at the look on her face. “So, did you all get together because of your gift?” she asks curiously.
“It’s not exactly a gift. You see, we’re not precisely human.”
At that, she throws her head back, laughing gleefully. “Okay . . . do you turn . . . green at night?” She gasps breathlessly as she continues to laugh, tears streaking down her cheeks. From all the reactions, I never thought she wouldn’t believe me.
“Brie, listen to me,” I say seriously. “I’m telling you the truth. We Elementals have lived for centuries. We take blood to sustain us, but we also eat.”
At that, she’s off again. “Oh, I see.” She giggles. “You’re vampires. Do you shine in the sunlight?”
“I’m not joking,” I state seriously, but she just smiles at me with her eyes twinkling.
“Of course not,” she replies with a raised brow. “Tell me, Bion, who put you up to this?”
“Fuck,” I grumble. She doesn’t believe me. “Look, I will show you.” I stand reluctantly from the chair and move towards the wall behind the flowers where I know there is water running from the spring that we have at the compound. I place my hand on the wall, and the other I stretch out on the other side of me. Instantly, water starts to flow from the wall where my hand is to the other hand where I direct the water to the plants. After watering three plants, I stop and look around at her.
“That is so cool; you have such a great gift. I always knew there were people out in the world who could do all different things. It couldn’t be just me who was different,” she states with a beaming smile.
“Brie,” I say exasperatedly.
“I like you calling me that,” she says, and then I see her cheeks heat with embarrassment.
“Doesn’t anyone else call you Brie?” I ask curiously, and she shakes her head in reply. “Well, then, I’m glad you like it.” I move back towards the chair and then lean back. “I’m not teasing you. What I’ve just told you is the truth. We’re stronger than humans; we have an extended lifespan. We’re also much faster.”
“Why don’t you rest, Bion? You’re looking really tired. We can talk when you wake up.”
At her words, I open my eyes. “I will sleep once I’ve explained everything to you,” I state. “We Elementals also only mate once in our long lives. There is only one woman for us.”
She frowns. “Sureee. You forget that I’ve seen you guys with the women at the bar. Are you telling me that the Jezebels—” At my surprised look, she continues. “Yes, I know who they are. Nova told me. Are you telling me that the Jezebels are the guys’ one and only woman?”
Damn Nova, she can’t keep her mouth shut. “I’m not saying we don’t have sex before we meet that woman, but once we do, that’s it for us.”
“Why are you telling me this?” she asks, her sexy eyebrows raised in question.
“Because you’re that woman for me.” There’s a stunned look now on her face, and then it fills with colour as she stands up.
“Why are you doing this?” she says angrily, tears filling her eyes, but I can see she’s fighting not to shed them. What the fuck did I say? Why is she so upset?
“I’m being honest, Brie. You’re that woman for me. As Elementals, when we touch for the first time, the woman has a reaction to our touch. We need to give her our blood or she will die. After that, we can’t be apart for long. When bonded, it’s like two parts of one soul that need each other to find happiness and fulfilment.”
“Fine, if this is true, touch me,” she challenges. The temptation to jump forward and hold her is relentlessly driving me. Her words make it so much harder to resist, but fuck, I must until the FBI have a chance to grab her DNA.
“I want to, but I can’t.” I see her shock at my words. And then she’s getting up and walking towards the bedroom door. She opens the door forcefully and points. “Get out. I don’t know what you’re playing at, but it’s cruel.”
“Beauty, listen to me,” I say quietly. I need to make her listen. I can’t let her think I’m playing around with her feelings.
“Don’t call me that. I’m no beauty. Stop being cruel and get out.” What? Why the hell would she think she isn’t beautiful? She’s stunning. Her green eyes flashing at me with her tanned complexion are driving me crazy. All I want to do is kiss her until she forgets why she’s upset with me.
“Sai da qui.” She’s so angry that she’s reverted to Portuguese, her home language. I love her accent and the way her words flow over my skin.
“I don’t know why you’re so upset, but one thing’s for sure, you’re beautiful and I will never stop saying it.” As she’s about to continue arguing, my phone starts ringing. I consider not answering, but then I look down and see it’s Draco.
“Yeah,” I answer, annoyed because all I want to do is make sure Brielle believes me.
“Bion. Cassius has been shot. It’s serious. We’re also bringing a woman who may be his mate. She’s also serious. Be ready.” And then the connection dies.
“Motherfuckers.” I know I frighten Brielle with my roar, but the thought of one of my brothers being seriously injured angers me.
“I have to go. Cassius is injured. We’ll finish this later.” With that, I start to make my way out of the room, but she stops me with her words.
“I will help.” Her features are worried. I had forgotten about her gift. if Cassius and this woman are as serious as Draco says, I will need help, and one thing about Draco is he doesn’t stress without a reason.
“Okay, you can go prepare the infirmary for two, and I will go wait for them in the garage.” I leave, not looking back, knowing she will do as I ask. I wonder what happened, but I’m guessing Merdor was present and Cassius wasn’t cautious and ploughed ahead without thinking.
I reach the garage to see Nova and Bjarni already there waiting. Nova is wringing her hands in worry, and Bjarni is scowling as he paces. “Do you know how far they are?” I ask.
“They’ve just turned into the compound. Should be here any minute now,” Nova answers. Bjarni doesn’t look up until we hear the bikes, and then they’re pulling up into the garage. The guys jump off their bikes as soon as they switch them off, and run towards the back of a truck pulling in. When I make my way to the back and see Cassius and the woman, I want to roar with anger.
&nb
sp; “Sons of bitches,” Bjarni growls as he jumps into the truck. I follow. Inside, I lean down and check the wound on Cassius’s chest and then move over and take a look at the woman.
“We need to hurry up and get them into the infirmary. Fuck, this doesn’t look good,” I say as I see the wound at the base of the woman’s head. Brandr and Draco don’t wait. They pick Cassius up, and Bjarni carries the woman as I make my way out of the truck and wait for them to drop Cassius down to me.
As Draco lets go of Cassius, he jumps down and takes the woman from Bjarni, allowing him to jump out of the truck and help me carry Cassius to the infirmary. When we arrive, I see Brielle waiting for us. Everything is set up and waiting.
“Brie, I need you to start checking the woman and stop the bleeding.” She doesn’t say anything, just nods and starts to do what I asked. We work together hurriedly, as time is running out and both of them are critical. All the brothers are standing outside the infirmary windows, looking to make sure Cassius pulls through.
“Cassius,” I rumble, “don’t you fucking dare. You hear me, asshole?” I can feel him giving up. There is no way I will let him just give up without a fight. “Draco, get in here,” I call. I see Draco tense, and then he’s beside me.
The brothers are all standing by the window, concerned looks on their faces. “He needs your blood, and put some sense into him. He’s giving up,” I say angrily as I continue to clean Cassius’s wound. Draco growls deep in his throat. I can tell Cassius being injured is affecting him deeply. He brings his wrist to his mouth and tears at it with his teeth, placing it over Cassius’s mouth, and with the other hand, he pries his jaw open.
“Don’t you even think about it, asshole. I will come after you and bring you back.” His words come out so guttural that they’re hard to understand.
“She’s losing too much blood. She needs a transfusion,” Brielle suddenly says from next to the other bed. Looking over her shoulder, she sees me, and then her eyes fall on Draco and widen. “What . . . what are you doing?” she stutters when she sees Draco’s blood dribbling into Cassius’s mouth.
BION: Elemental's MC (book 5) Page 4
