“I don’t care what anyone thinks, I am not bonded to that woman. I feel nothing for her. There has to be another explanation,” Chase all but yelled.
“You know how bonding works. Once you become intimate in any way, you start the bond and begin to use their gift as well as your own,” Bryce stated.
“But I haven’t been intimate with her. I have barely spoken to her. You know I have always thought she was conniving and selfish.”
“I don’t know what else to think. Have you been kissing or sleeping with Fire Elementals that we don’t know about?” Bryce said jokingly.
“That’s it!” Chase exclaimed. “That has to be it!”
I didn’t want to hear any more about all the others he had been with, so I suppressed my panther senses and walked out the door and up to Carter’s room. My heart hurt. I guess I knew now that the kiss in the library was nothing to him. I thought we had a special connection, but I guess I was just fooling myself. I laid on the bed, threw my arm over my eyes and sighed. There was so much going on right now, Chase was bonding with Amazon Bitch, I kissed Harrison, and I almost kissed Carter. Maybe I should’ve stuck with the platonic idea, then it wouldn’t hurt so much. Chase would be the first to leave me, but who would be next? I didn’t even want to think about it. Maybe I needed to back away from them and go back to being alone. I was powerful enough now to take care of myself, and I didn’t think my heart could take another one of them bonding with someone.
Chapter 15
Carter walked in and saw me lying on the bed. “You okay?”
I didn’t want to burden him anymore, so I sat up and tried to act like there was nothing wrong. I smiled as best I could. “I’m good. What’s up?”
Carter looked at me skeptically. I don’t think he bought my fake smile. “Dinner is almost ready, do you want to come down?”
“Sure, why not?” I said sarcastically. I got up and followed Carter to the kitchen. The table was set and Harrison looked like he was almost finished with dinner. “Can I do anything to help, Harrison?”
“Nope, everything is almost done. Why don’t you sit down and relax?” he replied.
Carter and I were the only ones so far and for that, I was glad. I reclaimed my chair and picked at the salad already on the table. The rest of the house came in a little while later and dinner was served. I usually loved Harrison’s cooking and he made what I requested, but I just didn’t have an appetite. Thinking about how Chase had been with other girls and was now bonded to one made my stomach queasy. At least he had the decency to not sit beside her tonight. I looked up, because no one was talking and everyone looked deep in thought, except her. She was looking around at everyone and seemed confused. “Why is everyone so quiet tonight? Did someone kick your puppy?” she asked.
No one really acknowledged her comment; they just continued to eat and contemplate. I wondered what everyone was thinking about, how the dynamic of the house would be once Chase was gone, or God forbid, she would move in here. Oh shit, what if they want to live here? There is no way I will live in this house with her. I honestly think I would kill her and that would hurt Chase and that is something I could never do. I was right before. I need to move back to my dorm and separate myself from the guys. It is the only way for my heart to survive.
“Bre!” Mason yelled.
“What?!” I yelled back.
“I have been calling your name for five minutes, are you okay?” Mason asked.
“Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something. What did you ask me?” I replied.
“I just asked how the movie was, you were so excited about it,” Mason said.
“Oh, it was great! She is such a badass. I want to grow up to be just like her,” I said.
“Good Lord, you guys are pathetic,” Alexis said, even though no one was talking to her. “Sweet little Breanna looks upset and you guys baby her like she is a toddler. For heaven’s sake, she is Carter’s girlfriend, let him take care of her moodiness.”
I slammed my fork down and stood up, “Look, bitch, I kicked your ass once today and I have no problem doing it again. Back the hell off.” I stormed out of the room, as I seemed to be doing a lot lately. I walked to the door to head outside and overheard her innocently ask, “What did I say?”
I got outside to breathe in the fresh air, and noticed it was getting cooler at night. Soon, it would be Thanksgiving and my birthday. I hadn’t been home since I got to college and I needed to see my parents. Maybe being away from the guys for a little while would do me some good and give me some perspective. Bryce must have followed me out, because he came to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me away from the house and into the shadows.
Once we were out of sight of any windows of the house, he took my other hand and turned us so we were facing each other. “Bre, I know this has been hard on you with Alex here. I plan on speaking to her tonight about leaving in the morning. She has done nothing but disrupt our lives since she got here. Just give me until tomorrow and I promise she will be gone.”
“You can’t do that, because she will take Chase with her. It is better if I leave so she can be here with Chase and you guys can stay together. I am the odd man out, not her,” I said.
“Just give me one more day and everything will work out, trust me. Do you trust me, Bre?” Bryce asks.
“Yes, of course I trust you, but I am not breaking you guys up. Out of everyone, Chase needs you guys the most. I will not take that away from him just because I can’t get along with his bonded.”
Bryce wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. I stiffened at first, because I needed to be pushing these guys away, not embracing them. But Bryce felt so good, I couldn’t help but relax into his arms. I breathed him in. This may be the last time I got to feel this close to him and I was going to enjoy every second of it. “Just give me one more day, please, Bre.”
“Okay, one more day. I have school tomorrow, so I won’t be here anyway.” We stayed like that for a few minutes more and then he walked me back into the house. I could really go for a movie night, but I didn’t want to be in the same room with her again, so I headed to the library to find a good book. Maybe that would get my mind off of everything. I grabbed one that I thought would be good, climbed up the stairs to Carter’s room, and found him there waiting for me.
“Hey. Sorry I stormed out of dinner tonight. I just can’t take her anymore. She is such a bitch,” I admitted to him.
“Don’t worry about it. I can’t take much more of her either. I don’t remember her being such a bitch before, but I guess people change. It just seems like she is trying to get you worked up. I really don’t know what her problem is. Did you find a book?” he asked.
“Yes. I really wanted a movie night, but I don’t want to be around her, so I thought a book was the next best thing.”
Carter took his shoes off and laid in the bed on top of the comforter. “Come here.” He patted the space beside him. I took off my shoes and got on the bed. He sat propped up on a couple of pillows against the headboard and spread his legs. He moved me in front of him so my back is to his front and pulled me back against him. “Just relax and read.” I reclined into him and he wrapped his arms around me. I opened the book and started to read. He was much more comfortable than the chaise in my room. The book was interesting, but I started to doze off after a few chapters.
“I’m going to change. I can barely keep my eyes open.” I grabbed my pajamas from the closet, and then changed in the bathroom. When I got out, Carter was already in his pajamas. He slept in just the bottoms and it was sexy as hell, especially when they were hanging low on his hips like they were now. He was not as large as Harrison, but he was cut, with a lean, muscular build. I could see a V shape above his hips before it disappeared into his sleeping pants. I longed to trace that V with my fingers to see if he would flinch.
He caught me looking and smirked. “Like what you see?”
“Mmm hmm,” I replied. Apparently I couldn’t even compl
ete an entire word at the moment.
Carter chuckled, took my hand, and interlaced our fingers. “Come on, let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a better day and things are going to change. After tomorrow, you can do whatever you were thinking about just then.”
My entire face turned red and I looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean things will be different after tomorrow?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll see. Just get some sleep.” He helped me into bed and we laid facing each other. This was my nightly ritual with the guys and it was my favorite part of the day. I loved being here with Carter, but I missed my private time with the others. Oh, well. I guess I better get used to it, since I was leaving tomorrow and this wouldn’t be happening again.
I sighed and lifted my hand to his face. “You are beautiful, do you know that?”
“Bre, you are the most beautiful person I have ever met, inside and out. This is the best part of my day.”
I traced the side of his face lightly with my fingers. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
He took my hand and intertwined our fingers again. “Get some rest, my sweet. Tomorrow is another day.”
I closed my eyes and tried to have hope like Carter said, but it was hard. I was terrified of losing my guys, and I’d already lost one of them. I drifted off into a restless sleep, still holding Carter’s hand. At least I had one more night with him.
Alexis dialed the number and he answered, “Hello, Alexis.”
“Hello, Sir.”
“What do you have for me?”
“Not much. I haven’t seen her do anything out of the ordinary, except maybe during sparing. The guys are teaching her self-defense and I joined in,” Alexis said.
“I bet you did. You better not have hurt her,” he said.
“I didn’t. Exactly the opposite, she put me on my ass twice. I didn’t see her speak any spells, but I have a hard time believing that someone that little can hit that hard. Maybe she just got lucky.”
“Maybe. What else?”
“There isn’t much to tell. All she does is hang out with them and go to school. They told me that she is Carter’s girlfriend, but she is very close with all of them,” Alexis said.
“Well, that’s interesting.”
“Not really, they are all good-looking guys and any girl would want to be with them,” Alexis countered.
“Is that all?”
“Yes, and well, Bryce asked me to leave in the morning. It seems I have disrupted their little family. They are keeping her close and treating her like one of them and not a witch, or whatever she is. What is so special about her?” Alexis asked.
“Nothing for you to worry about. I am not pleased that you are not able to stay longer, but I think I got what I needed. Next time I ask something of you, refrain from opening your mouth and pissing everyone off like you tend to do.”
“Yes, sir, I will try harder next time.”
He ended the call and she dialed another number. “Hey sweetie, how are things going?”
“I just got off the phone updating him and wanted to let you know what was going on. I am leaving tomorrow morning. Apparently, I hurt the little girl’s feelings and Bryce told me I have to be gone by tomorrow,” Alexis said.
“Well, you do have a mouth on you,” he said.
“I thought that was one of the reasons you loved me?”
“Oh baby, it is, but it does tend to get you in trouble when you use it to speak,” he replied. “Any interesting information you can give me about her?”
“Not really, she is boring as hell. All she does is hang out at the house with the guys, work on self-defense, and go to school. I don’t understand why everyone is so interested in her, she doesn’t do anything,” Alexis answered. “Why are you both so interested in her?”
Ignoring her question, he said, “I need you to do something for me.”
“Sure, love, what do you need? And can I see you when I get back tomorrow?” Alexis asked.
“Sure, sure, come by after 11:00 tomorrow night, I should have a couple of hours. Now, what I need you to do before you leave is get her away from the guys in a private area on the property. Can you do that?”
“Maybe. They watch her like a hawk, so she is rarely alone; one of them is always with her. There is a large rock on the back of the property that she likes to hang out on, though. I might be able to get her out there in the morning. Will that work?”
“Yes, that will work perfectly. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” He then hung up.
Chapter 16
I awoke alone and wondered where Carter was, but I could hear the shower running. I laid there dreading the day. Bryce was wrong about separating Chase from everyone else; he needed his friends. I just couldn’t see Alexis taking care of him, so he would need the other four. I needed to be the one to leave, so they could all be together. Knowing what I had to do filled me with sadness. I would miss my guys. Chase was truly a wonderful guy, once you got past the grumpiness to his huge heart. Bryce took care of the group and wanted everyone to be happy. Carter was the sweet one, shy around others, but had a sexy confidence when we were alone. Harrison was still my scary biker guy, but the best cook and kisser in the world. And Mason, I hadn’t spent as much time with him as the others and I regretted that, but I saw him, too. He was funny and sweet and when he looked at me with those ice-blue eyes, I felt like the most precious thing in the world.
I heard the water shut off and got up to find clothes for the day. As I walked to the closet, I saw Carter walk out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist. There was steam coming off of him and his hair was dripping onto his face and shoulders. I froze. All I wanted to do was walk over to him and lick that water off of him. I stared for longer than appropriate. “Again, like what you see?”
I blushed again, and turned to the closet to find clothes. I looked, but didn’t recognize any of them. Carter walked in and turned me around, “This is your side, Bre. You were looking through my clothes. I doubt any of them would fit you.”
Embarrassed, I meekly said, “Thanks.” I just knew my entire face was red. Oh well, he was hot as hell and I couldn’t help it.
After my shower, Carter and I went downstairs. As usual, Harrison was cooking breakfast. This time, it was a breakfast casserole with sausage, egg, and cheese. Yum! Everyone, including Amazon Bitch, eventually came down and ate. After we were done cleaning up, I started toward Carter’s room to get my backpack for school when Alexis stopped me. “Can we talk? I want to apologize for my behavior.”
Not believing what my ears were hearing, I narrowed my eyes at her. “I guess.” She led the way outside through the door in the family room and I followed. I followed her to the large rock at the back of the property. “Okay, what do you want to say?”
“I just wanted to tell you that I am leaving this morning, and I’m sorry for how I acted toward you. I have known the guys since we were kids. I am protective of them and saw you as a threat. I now see that they care for you and I was wrong.”
Sadness enveloped me over the loss of Chase. If she was leaving, he would obviously go with her. There was no way he would let his bonded leave without him. I needed to talk to Bryce. Chase couldn’t leave, he needed to stay here with his family; I needed to leave. I knew it was going to happen and I needed to be strong for Chase. Who knows, maybe once they completely bonded, she would love him and treat him the way he deserves. I had to believe that. Otherwise, my pain would be for nothing. I looked up at Alexis to tell her I would be the one leaving, but she was smiling in an eerie way. I would never understand how fate could put him with this horror of a woman. Then I felt it, darkness and evil overwhelmed me and I turned to find where it was coming from. There were now five demons surrounding us. “Alexis, we need to get back to the house, now!”
“No, sweetie. I do. They are here for you. Bon appetit, boys. Goodbye, Breanna. I’ll make sure to take care of the guys in your absence. I am
sure I can handle all five of them just fine,” Alexis said while walking back toward the house.
That bitch! I knew she was evil, but I never thought she would deliver me to my death. I may have been training and was a lot stronger than I had been when I faced lizard man, but there were five demons here and I didn’t stand a chance. One of them looked human, but a darkness of pure evil rolled off of him in waves. That must have been what Bryce was talking about when he said he could tell I wasn’t a demon, the hatred coming from him was so thick in the air, it was stifling. The other four were definitely not human; a couple of them looked like lizard man, but the other two were bigger, with a thin, gray skin covering their ribs, arms, and legs. They also had orange eyes on the sides of a ram-looking head, complete with horns. Their hands had sharp claws that were at least five inches long.
Concentrate, Bre. If you want to have a chance of surviving, you must use everything you have. I couldn’t die here, because I had to let Chase know what he was bonding to. I immediately connected with my panther gift and took a solid stance, feet shoulder-width apart. I also brought fire to my hands and had air and earth at the ready.
“No need to be hostile, little one,” the human-looking one said. His darkness surrounded me, making it hard to breathe. I tried to push it back, but it stayed all around me, pushing against me like it was trying to get inside of me. “You will not make it out of here alive, so let’s not make this harder than it has to be. My guys here are itching for a fight. ”
“No, I think I’m good. Your two lizards and rams look like they need a good ass kicking,” I said with fake confidence.
“Ha ha! You are a little pistol, aren’t you? It’s too bad you will die here today. I might have liked to have you around for a while. But from what I was told, you are the one I have been looking for,” he said.
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