by Mandy Adler
Chapter Nine
She hated it, but since this was her first patrol since she drained her power and only second ever, we took precautions. Dylan walked in front and Asher and I walked on either side of her. Her lip was jutted out, arms crossed, and a scowl touched her brow. She was adorable, I don’t think she would scare a fly if that was her mad face. Asher kept making faces at her, trying to bring her out of her mood. Dylan and I kept out eyes of the surrounding area. The twins were still new to this, but Dylan and I knew danger could come from any direction.
We walked for most of the night, no sign of trouble, which is always a relief.
“Quiet the past week,” Dylan whispered to me as the twins walked behind of us a few paces.
“Yeah, let’s just take our blessings where we can get them.”
“Something’s going on.” He cut a look to me. “I can feel it, something big.”
“We’ll keep patrolling, maybe extend further out. Tomorrow I’ll take Ella and go west, you take Asher and go North.” He gives me a nod before jogging up to the house. Dylan maybe a joker, but he took protecting seriously.
“Come one you two!’ I call to the twins that were now chasing each other around, you get them together and they revert to children. It was endearing. “Let’s get some sleep!”
“Aye, Captain!” Ella laughed at her brother’s antics but folded herself under my arm. We watched Asher run into the house and followed at a slower pace.
“Stay with me again?” Ella whispered in her shy voice, still so unsure of herself. I was my mission to make sure she knew she was worth everything.
I had spent every night with her, either in her room or mine. I don’t know why she’d think I would leave her alone now. “Of course.” I nudged her inside. “Take the shower in my room, I’ll use the other one.”
She nodded and went to gather her clothes.
Dylan was standing in the kitchen when I walked in, phone to his ear. He shot me a look. Great. So, he was on the phone with the council. That’s going to be just great. I’ve put off the introductions with the twins, I knew as soon as they got a sense of how powerful our circle has become our missions would be more dangerous. I needed them fully trained before letting either of them walk into something like they would have us do. I waited while Dylan finished the conversation.
He turned to me with a huff. “They are sending someone down to evaluate them since you won’t bring them to the elders.”
My fist hit the counter. “They aren’t ready!”
His hands shot up in the air. “I know that!”
If something happened to her… The council wasn’t bad. But they were all about power, they liked knowing if it came down to a war… we would win. Not to mention I would be challenged for mate rights. Ella had power anyone would want to own.
“I need to bind us.” I hadn’t meant to say it aloud but Dylan nodded.
“I don’t know who they’ll send, but you can bet it will be someone powerful… and under their thumb. You rebel enough they wouldn’t want her with you. Chosen or not.”
“I know. Okay, we will figure something out.” I would, I wasn’t let that girl go, I just only found her.
“Hey. You have me and Ash on your side. We got this, no one is taking either of them.” Dylan clapped me on the back and laughed. “Now you better go talk to your girl, she might need to know she’s about to be basically married.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly. “That was so helpful.”
He laughed as he walked out of the room. One day he would find a girl and he would get it. Until then, I needed to shower and get back up to mine, I had some explaining to do and I’s not sure how she’s going to react. Binding is permanent. There is no undoing it, it’s for life. And while I’m more than happy with that, this was all still new for her and I don’t know if she’ll feel the same way.
She was laying in the middle of the bed when I walked in fully showered. Her hair was fanned out all around her, making her appear even more angelic. She was beautiful and I was so glad she was mine. She stirred when I shut the door behind me. Her green eyes shot to mine and softened. I walked over and sat beside her.
“We need to talk sweetheart.”
Her eyes lit with alarm. “Is there something wrong?”
“The elders decided I’m being selfish with you and Asher. They are sending someone from the council to evaluate.” I brush the hair from her eyes as she scrunches her nose in confusion.
“Can they make us leave?” Her breath was barely a whisper.
“If they deemed you were better off. They won’t separate you and Asher, but you and I aren’t bound yet, that leaves you fair game for a challenge.” I hate having to do this in this way, it should be like this. She should have more time to get used to our world.
“Bound?”
“A binding is where we combine our souls and hearts. It’s for life sweetheart. And I don’t want to rush you…”
“But they can take me.” She finished for me. She stood and walked out to the balcony that overlooked the water.
I walked to her and wrapped her in my arms. “This is not how I wanted this to go. But binding myself to you would make me the happiest man alive. But you need to know what you’re getting into. It’s more than marriage Ella, there is no divorce, no separations, it’s for life and cannot be broken.”
I wait with bated breath as she continues looking out at the water. I knew she was working through her feelings, so I let her be and stayed quiet.
Finally, she spoke so softly I almost missed it. “When?”
“You turn eighteen next week, so I thought that would be a good time. The evaluator will be here in two weeks. But I’m leaving it up to you, if you want to wait that’s okay. I will still fight for you and Asher, Dylan and I both will.”
“But you could get hurt.”
I nod. “I could, but I’m powerful. I would probably win. But when challenged for mate rights, we go all out. One of us would die, and while I am confident I would win… if I didn’t you would be forced to leave here.” I wish I could give her more time, she deserved so much more.
Ella
“Okay. Of course, I will bind with you.” This wasn’t how I expected this would go, but there was no way I was leaving it to chance. I didn’t want to take the risk of me being sent away, or Christian being hurt.
He whipped me around so fast I laughed before his mouth fell on mine, kissing me with the passion I thought only I felt. I wound my hands around his neck and toyed with the hair at the base of his neck, letting out a breathy sound. He let out a growl and held me tighter before pulling away slowly, setting his forehead against mine.
“I love you, Ella.” He whispered with unabashed emotion.
“I love you too.” The tears falling gently down my cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumbs, smiling wryly. “This wasn’t how I wanted the this to go, I didn’t want to rush things. I promised you time. But I can’t say this doesn’t make me damn happy. We can get married too, I know you grew up human.”
“I would like that. And yeah, it’s a little fast, but I’m happy. It feels right, you know?” I laughed a little, happiness filling my chest, making me feel warm all over.
He picked me up and started carrying me back into the room. “I think it’s time for bed now sweetheart. We have some planning to do before I make you mine in a week.” He pulled me to his chest as soon as we were on the bed. “I need to talk to your brother tomorrow, if he doesn’t try and light me on fire first.”
I laughed again. “Asher wouldn’t do that. He likes you.” At least, I didn’t think he would.
“Yeah, but you’re his baby sister. And soon you’re going to be my mate, my wife. That’s a lot of change.” He kissed me gently on my temple and sighed a happy sound.
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“What do you mean you’re getting married?!” Asher wasn’t angry as much as he was just flabbergasted. “At eighteen?! Are you both crazy?”
> “It’s not that crazy.” Dylan smiled, letting us know we had his support. “Remember, Christian is older than he looks. And they might as well be married now, they’re together all the time anyway.”
“Thanks.” Asher spat, heating the room by a few degrees. He was currently glaring at our friend. “That really helps... Ella is only eighteen!”
I let out a sigh and walked to my brother, I knew this was hard for him. It had always been him and me against the world. I was asking him to let people in, for the first time ever.
I took both his hands in mine and let my cold ease the fire in him. I waited for him to look up at me. “You will always be my brother, Ash. Nothing can change that, not even marrying Christian. It will always be us, we just don’t have to be on our own anymore. Our family is growing, it’s not a bad thing. I love you Asher, but I love Christian too. Please be happy for us.” He let out a deep sigh that I felt in my soul. Asher will always be one of the most important people in my life, I needed him to be okay with all of this. I don’t know what I would do if he was against it.
He shot a glare to Christian, squeezing my hands. “If you hurt her, you and I are going to have problems, big ones.”
“Understood,” was Christian’s simple reply.
Asher turned back to me, his face softening. “If this is what you want, then I’ll find a way to be okay with it. But… if you’re doing this just to stay out of the Elders’ reach… We can run El, we’ve been doing it our whole lives, I don’t mind going again.”
“Ella…”
I could feel Christian’s sudden alarm and panic from behind me. He needn’t worry, I wasn’t going anywhere. “I don’t want to run, Ash. I love him, and I love our circle, our new family. This is where I want to be, and I want you with me.”
He released one of my hands and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I’m going to need time to process this. But I won’t throw any more of a fit. I want you happy, Sis. This is just a lot to take in, it all happened so fast. I’m okay though. And I will always be with you, always. You and me Ella… and I guess Christian and Dylan now.”
I through my arms around my twin and hugged him. I should have known he wouldn’t fight it too hard, my brother loved me, he just worried. “I love you, Ash.”
“Love you too, Sis.”
Chapter Ten
While patrolling tonight Asher and Dylan separated from us. I didn’t like it, Christian said everything would be fine and that this was a completely normal thing to do. But I hated not knowing if they were in danger or not. Not knowing what was happening with them was killing me.
We were patrolling the woods, and while everything was quiet, it seemed off, too quiet. I knew Christian was thinking the same thing because he kept his guard up. He was scanning the area we walked with an eye for precision, keeping himself angled on step ahead of me at all times. Something was wrong, I could feel it in my bones. We just couldn’t tell what it was yet. There were no birds singing, no animals skittering about, no crickets chirping… nothing. Just dead silence.
Dylan was right, something is going to go down. I only wish I knew what it was. I don’t like being taken by surprise.
The fact he wasn’t speaking out loud told me how uneasy he was. Do you think Asher and Dylan are okay?
They know how to handle themselves. We’ll head back anyway. I don’t like the feeling out here, and I don’t want us separated if something does happen. He cut a small glance to me and gave a reassuring smile. Stay by my side, sweetheart. And keep your eyes open.
I gave him a small nod, unable to return the smile. As we headed back, the unnerving feelings worsened. I couldn’t even begin to explain the sensation, it was like an invisible fog so thick my lungs didn’t want to expand. I stayed as close to him as I could without tripping him, I’m sure that would have made me look completely well-trained.
Christian would look completely relaxed to anyone else who may have seen him. He stood confident in his abilities to take on any monsters in the dark, his gaze flickering to the trees and the area around them, the area around us. I could only tell he was just as anxious as I was by the waves of tension I could feel pouring off him.
He took his cell out and texted Dylan to meet us at the house. We were all to have our phones on us at all times but kept on silent while on patrol.
It took us a good twenty minutes to reach the house, neither of the guys were there. Dear god, what if something happened to them?
No need to worry yet, Love. They could have been further out, they should be here soon.
I shot him a worried look. He pulled me close, tucking me into his chest. If anything happens to them… I’m not sure what I would do, just that I would have to do something. I may not be brave, but there is no way I would let something happen to my new family without fighting back.
He squeezed me tighter and kissed the top of my head. If they aren’t back in ten minutes we will go find them. Okay?
I let out a small sigh of relief, I couldn’t wait here for long without knowing they were okay. Okay.
Ten minutes seems more like hours when you are waiting for people you love to show up. I bit my nails down so low a couple of them bled. Christian ended up grabbing my hands and holding them in both of his, keeping me safe, even from my own torment.
We both kept our eyes on the woods, waiting for our family to return safely.
Just as we're taking our first steps towards the woods that would lead to the boys, they appeared. I ran before thinking, hearing Christian calling my name behind me.
Asher caught me as I leaped at him, holding me close. “I’m okay, El.” Thank god for that.
“What happened? Why didn’t you report when I asked?” Christian asked Dylan as we walked closer to the house. Asher kept an arm slung over my shoulders as we walked. Dylan ruffled my hair and shot me a wink, his way of letting me know they were good.
“We ran into more Weres. We took care of them, but two incidents this close together? Something’s off.” Dylan answered as my heart skipped.
“You two took them on alone?” My voice squeaked halfway through, making my worry known.
“There was only two, baby girl, no worries. Nothing I haven’t handled on my own before, and with Asher, they were a piece of cake.” Dylan smirked. I guess that was supposed to ease my tension, but it didn’t. I hated they were fighting and we were not there to help.
“We were fine, Sis,” Ash whispered.
“Anything on your end?” Dylan asked Christian.
Christian looked at me before answering. “Nothing we fought, just a sense of… trouble?”
I nodded. “The bad kind. The air was thick with it.”
“I don’t think we should split up again,” Christian said looking at Dylan. “You were right when you said something was happening. I’m glad you two are okay, but we don’t need another attack while we are all separated, there could be more of them next time.”
“Aye-Aye, Boss.” Dylan saluted before heading into the house. “I’m going to catch some shut-eye, we can talk more after some sleep.”
“Do you really think there’s more of them out there?” Asher frowned glancing down at me before looking back to Christian.
“I think this many run-ins are too much for this time of year, something is going on. And I intend to find out what.” With that, we walked back into the house and turned into the night. Asher headed to his room with another reassurance thrown my way. Christian and I head back to our room and I cuddled into Christian’s chest knowing I was safe for tonight at least.
Christian
I lay awake as Ella slept beside me, curled into my side with a hand resting over my heart. It was my new life mission to make sure she stayed safe and happy. The worry she felt for her brother tonight was overwhelming. I didn’t know what was going on but this was my territory and I was going to find out, and soon. I can’t sleep anyways, I might as well get up and start making food for when the house wakes.
She stir
red as I tried to untangle myself from the sleeping girl beside me. I kissed her forehead gently and she settled back down. I loved that she reacted to me even in sleep, her soul knew mine.
She whimpered as I finally got off the bed so I smoothed the hair out of her face and whispered to her softly. “Go back to sleep, my chosen, all is well.”
After she settled back into a deep sleep I threw on a shirt and headed to the kitchen.
The council coming wasn’t good news. They would look for any reason to take control of the twins, and there was no way I was letting that happen. Ella belonged with me and Asher belonged with her, with us, in this circle. It was a battle I wasn’t looking forward to. Dylan would fight them just as hard I knew, he already thought of them both as family. When you’ve waited as long as we have for a family like this, you fight for it, with every breath. I just hated that they were so new in this life and had to see the ugly parts already.
It was a couple of hours before anyone else would be up, I needed something to keep my mind occupied. I couldn’t cook yet, it would be cold before they woke. I decided heading to the basement would be best, maybe a workout could clear my head. A couple of hours of lifting weights should get rid of some of my unwanted energy.
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“How long you been down here?” I had heard him come in. I looked at the clock before turning and facing Dylan.
“Three hours. I was going to make food, but I guess I got caught up.”
He gave me a smirk. “Well, your Chosen has already cooked, she asked me to come check on you.” He smiled lessened. “She’s worried. Do I need to be? It’s been awhile since you felt the need to wear yourself out working out like this.”
“I’m good. A lot has happened, I just needed to work it all out in my head.” I hated that she cooked, I wanted to do that for her. “With the Weres, the council coming, and our binding ceremony, I just needed to clear my head. I’m okay now and hungry enough to eat my way through everything.”
