“Open your mouth, Alaia,” I say quietly as I hear the other two bikes approaching. I turn my back to them, as this is something private between my mate and me, and I will not share it with anyone else. I hear Sara start to complain as Gunner continues up the path. I know Ceric will stay behind to protect my back, but he knows better than to approach.
I see the blood trickle into my woman’s mouth, and I smile, a real smile, something I haven’t done in a very long time. When she starts to quieten, I pull my wrist away and cuddle her closer to me. Looking over my shoulder, I see Ceric standing next to his bike with his back to us as he keeps an eye on our surroundings.
“I’m going to take her up to the compound.”
Ceric turns at my statement and grins. “Welcome to the club, Brother. Prepare yourself, because you are so fucked now.” He wiggles his brows jokingly, which has me shaking my head in exasperation, but I can feel my lips pulling into a smile.
“She’s nothing like your woman,” I state, and Ceric’s grin grows wider. Nova is a good woman, but she’s always getting herself and the other women into trouble with her ideas.
“Of course not. No one is like my hellcat,” he quips as he shrugs. “But don’t worry, she’ll give you grief in her own way.” With those words, I start to make my way up the path that will lead to the compound. “Hey, Caelius.” I stop and turn around. “Congratulations, Brother. You deserve to have found your woman.”
I know my brothers have been worried about me, and they would have been so much more worried if they knew how close I have come to ending my life. After everything that was done to me, I lost the will to continue, but my brothers kept me here, the responsibility of keeping them safe holding me by their side. But when they started to find their mates, that responsibility started to lighten. Now that I have found my mate, I feel the constant melancholy lifting.
I am pleased with my mate, her lustrous long strawberry-blonde locks hanging over my arm. Her beautiful light-green eyes now closed had a tendency to shine with an internal light that had me hypnotized. The way she was looking at me with such tenderness had my stomach clutching in knots.
“I will always be by your side.” I know she can’t hear me, but I need to say it. I have been closed to everyone around me, only talking when necessary. I know my brothers were always there for me, but I couldn’t unburden myself on them. Draco has tried to open me up to life again, tried to find out what happened when I was held by those freaks, but I’ve been a coward and have never been able to open up to anyone.
Years ago, when I was captured, I know my brothers looked for me day and night, but it took weeks before I was free, and in those weeks, that group of vampire hunters, as they called themselves, had a chance to prod me in every way possible. I know Draco blames himself for not getting to me earlier, but I don’t blame any of them. I would rather it be me they did those things to than any other of my brothers.
I thought a part of me was dead, but now with this woman in my arms, I feel alive again. I feel like my old self, something I never thought I would feel again. I walk into the bar area and come face to face with Sara, with Gunner standing behind her. When he sees me, he lifts his hands in the air in exasperation. “What’s wrong with her? Alaia, sweetie, what’s wrong?” Sara asks worriedly.
“She’s fine. She just needs to rest,” I say as I continue making my way to my room, but she places her hand on my arm to stop me, which has my skin crawling in irritation at another woman touching me. The men didn’t exaggerate; we really do have an aversion to all other women except our mates. I grunt in irritation, which has Gunner stepping in and pulling her away.
“Let Caelius take your sister to rest. Don’t worry, you will be able to see her as soon as she’s feeling better,” Gunner says persuasively. “Besides, we have a medic who will have a look at her, but you must let Caelius go.” Sara reluctantly lets go of my arm. I can see she’s suspicious, but her concern for her sister wins, and she hesitantly steps back. I continue making my way down the corridor towards my room; I can feel the possessiveness, the protectiveness, that I feel for this woman, and I don’t know what to do with it. My emotions have been repressed for so long that I don’t know what to do with all these feelings and thoughts bombarding me.
As I approach my room, I see Wulf and Draco walking towards me, concerned looks on their faces. “Caelius, who is she?” Draco asks as he looks at Alaia against my chest, and then his head snaps up at me. “Is she your woman?”
“Yes,” I grunt as I continue on my way to my room. I know that Wulf and Draco won’t say anything else, as they know how volatile we get when first bonding. Walking in, I kick the door closed after me and stand for a few minutes, looking around. I wonder if my woman is going to like her new home. I haven’t done much with my room because I didn’t expect to find my mate. I know it’s sparse, but if Alaia wants to change anything, she can.
I look at everything with a critical eye and shrug. The only things in the room are a king-sized bed, a floor-to-ceiling mirror, and a desk with a chair. There are two doors to the side. One leads to a walk-in closet, and the other one to the bathroom. I gently lay her on the middle of the bed and then stand up to look down at her.
My erection is straining against the zipper of my jeans as I look at her petite figure. Her upper body is covered with her hoodie, but I can tell she’s got luscious breasts. Her lower body is encased in tight black jeans, and her hands are lying next to her body. I lift one of mine and look at it critically and then turn back to hers. She is tiny compared to me. I’m going to have to be extra careful with this woman of mine to never hurt her.
When she awakens, I’m going to have to explain everything to her and hope that she doesn’t run out of here screaming. What will I do if she doesn’t want to complete our bond? Can I let her go? Can I put both of us through that hell? If we don’t bond, there will be an emptiness within us that nothing can fill except each other. I walk towards the closet. Opening the door, I step in and pull out a black T-shirt from the pile of other black T-shirts here. I take hold of the bottom of the one I’m wearing and pull it over my head, my eyes as always going to the mirror on the opposite wall.
The scars running up my back and down my arms and chest are visible under my tattoos. Elementals don’t scar except when they are not allowed to heal time and time again. Salt and other acids were placed in my wounds as experiments. When I was first found, it took Bion weeks to get me healed, and even like that, the scars never left me. Not only the scars on the outside but the ones on the inside too.
I wonder what Alaia will think of me when she sees my body. Will she be repulsed like I am? I wasn’t thinking. I should never have let her touch me. I should have given her the opportunity to choose, to see what I am, but I’ve taken that choice away, and now we will have to bond. I hear a moaning sound, and I snap around to see her eyes on me.
“What happened?” she mumbles, her eyes wide with horror, her hand against her chest. Fuck, I should have been paying attention. I hurriedly place the T-shirt over my head and down my torso.
“You passed out,” I say, and am about to start explaining everything, when she starts to shake her head and point at me.
“No, what happened to your back?” I can feel the knot in my stomach when I realize what she is asking. My throat feels like sandpaper when I think of what she saw, the horror on her face testament to what she thinks of my scars. I know I have to tell her sooner or later about what happened, as that is what has moulded me into the man I am today, but I wasn’t expecting to do it now.
“I was held by vampire hunters. They tortured me for several weeks before I was able to get away.” Shit, I should maybe have rephrased that. She snaps to her knees and stretches out her hand until she’s holding mine. The feel of her warm hand against mine has me tightening all over, warmth filtering through my body, touching me in a way that has me calming. I see tears in her eyes as she looks up at me. My heart tightens at the sight of her tears, and
I want to kill someone.
“Don’t cry.” My voice is gruff. I feel a knot in my throat at the sight of her distress.
“How could people do that? The pain you must have felt. The pain you still feel.” At her words, I feel my entire body tense. Does she somehow know the thoughts that had crossed my mind before meeting her? It’s one thing to want to put an end to myself before the fury in me took over, but it’s another to have your mate thinking you are weak, that you are suicidal.
“What do you mean?” I regret my snapped question the minute it’s out.
Her eyes widen, and she pulls her hand away. “I’m sorry, it’s just so awful.” She turns her eyes down to the bed as she sits back, clearly lying to me. What does she know that she’s not saying?
“Alaia, what aren’t you telling me?” At my question, her eyes snap back to mine in surprise. “I know you have some kind of gift. All the women the Keres are after do.”
She gasps and sits straighter as her hands start to twist with nerves. “Is that why those men were after us?” I nod, and she pales. “How did they find out?”
“They have equipment that measures your energy levels.”
“How would you know that? Do you also do it?”
I can see the worry in her eyes, and I want to enfold her in my arms to calm her fears. “No, but we fight the Keres to try to stop them from kidnapping women like you. You see, all the women here at the compound are like you in some way or another.” She frowns, a cute wrinkle appearing between her eyebrows that makes me want to lean down and kiss her forehead.
“There are other women here with special gifts?” At my nod, she moves closer to me. “What gifts have they got?”
I nearly smile at her curiosity; she’s just like a kitten. “We have Jasmine who can see into the future, Gabriela who can tell about a person by touching them, Talia who can move stuff with her mind, Brielle is a healer, Scarlett can sense the truth, Aria can hear a person’s thoughts, Nova has the gift of persuasion, and Saskia can feel energies. What about you, kitten? What can you do?” I can see her surprised look at the revelation of the women’s gifts.
“They can really do all that?”
“Yes, they can. You will meet them and see for yourself.” She claps her hands and hurriedly stands from the bed and then sways, which has me picking her up and holding her against my chest before she has a chance to fall. She gasps in surprise as her hand moves over my chest to my neck and her head leans back so she’s looking up at me. Looking down at her beautiful eyes, I can’t resist, and lower my head, my lips touching hers. Her sweetness is like nectar, her essence surrounding me in a peace I haven’t felt in a very long time.
I feel her soft fingers entwine in my hair, and her lips part, letting me take possession. My cock is as hard as steel fighting against the tightness of my jeans. Soon I will lose all control; I can feel my control slipping with each stroke of our tongues. I pull back and see her eyes opening, a dazed look to them, which has me wanting to lower my head again.
“Wow . . . you can kiss,” she mutters. I smile at her surprise. I know she’s feeling the connection between us. Even though we haven’t bonded yet, the connection is there and it’s strong. The pull is undeniable. Our hearts are already beating at the same pace. Lowering myself to the bed with her on my lap, I groan when I realize my mistake as her ass moves over my erection. Fuck, I can’t concentrate on this conversation if she keeps moving around.
“Alaia,” I grunt as she once again moves. My hands clutch her waist and hold her still. “I need to tell you something.”
“Mmm,” she murmurs as she looks at me, passion still clearly stamped on her face.
“You’re mine.”
At my growled words, her head snaps back and she frowns.
ALAIA 3
“Wha . . . what?” Did I hear him right? I’m sure he said I’m his; his kiss must have messed with my mind. I can still feel the blood roaring through my veins. This man before me can kiss like no one else has ever kissed me before.
“I’m an Elemental. All the brothers here including myself have gifts like you.”
He’s like me? I’ve never met anyone like me or my sister before. Now in one day, I get to know a whole lot of people who are different like us. “Is this like a special gifts colony or something?”
He throws back his head and roars with laughter. He doesn’t laugh for long, as he seems surprised to be laughing, but there is definitely a twinkle in his eyes. “Or something,” he says. “We’re the Elementals MC, a motorbike club. As Elementals, we can each bend a specific element.”
My curiosity rises. Wow, if this is true, it must be so awesome to be able to bend the elements. “What can you do?”
“I bend air.”
I look around, looking for something I can ask him to move. “Can you lift that T-shirt that you dropped in your wardrobe with your gift?” At my question, his eyebrow rises. “Or if not, maybe a piece of paper?” I wonder where I can get a piece of paper; I look around but don’t find anything that could hold paper. Is this his room? It is really bare.
I feel a breeze on my cheek. My eyes snap to his, and I see him rotating his hands in an anti-clockwise motion. Is he going to try lifting the T-shirt? And then I feel myself lifting off him. Looking down, I realize he’s lifting me with air. Wow, to say I’m surprised is an understatement. I hold out my arms and let the wind lift me until I’m about two feet above his lap. I can feel the grin stretching across my face. This is so cool.
“You have such a great gift.” At my words, he shakes his head in amusement, and then I’m being lowered gently onto his lap again. I feel myself blushing as his hardness slides just right against my jeans. Both of us groan, which has my cheeks darkening with colour.
“What gift do you have?” he asks.
I hesitate, as I have never willingly revealed what Sara and I can do, but seeing as he opened up to me, it’s only right that I share our secret with him.
“I can make things grow, like plants or sick animals.” At my words, he smiles and nods. “Sara can find anyone close to her and see where they are and what they are doing at any specific time.”
“Your sister also has a gift?” His surprised tone makes me smile. I guess it isn’t every day they find people with gifts, especially sisters.
“Yes, she does.” I wonder if he will be able to tell Sara and me apart. Sometimes people have difficulty telling who we are. For the first time in my life, I don’t want someone to get me confused with her. Caelius with his imposing presence has me trembling as his strong hand strokes my hip, the other gently holding my leg.
“How did you manage to get away from the Keres?” I notice his tone has lowered, and there is an intense look in his beautiful blue eyes that has chills rising up my back. His fingers on my leg tighten. I can clearly see the hate on his face and wonder how deep and what kind of bad blood flows between the Elementals and the Keres.
“My brother Joshua helped us escape when we noticed that there were men following us and keeping track of all our movements.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police?”
“Joshua was in the marines, and he reckoned that by the time the cops did anything, those men would have already done what they wanted with us.” He nods as he continues looking at me, waiting for me to finish. “He took us to an abandoned house that he knew of, but somehow they found our location. They hadn’t pinpointed it yet, but they were close, so Sara and I decided to leave before they did, and let Joshua know once we were safe.”
“You can contact your brother later, let him know you are safe and that no Keres will get close to you again.”
I begin to relax. Unconsciously, I was worried that this was all a ploy to try to get Sara and me to accompany them to their home, but at his words, I feel peace again. As my eyes encounter his deep examination, a chill races up my spine. I don’t know what this man has, but I feel so comfortable with him. I feel as if I’ve known him for years; meanwhile, it�
�s only been a couple hours, and what am I doing on his bed and sitting on him like this?
I have never felt like this before. It’s a pull, like I need to be touching him constantly. I can feel his pain, pain that I now know has something to do with what happened to him. My nurturing nature is screaming that I hold him close until the pain is washed away and his inner child nourishes and once again frolics with joy.
“What did you mean I’m yours?” I can feel him tensing underneath me, his muscular arms bulging. I don’t know what I want his answer to be. I’m confused by how much this man attracts me. I lower my eyes from his to his lips. They are slightly parted, and his perfect white teeth are just visible. I want to lean forward and kiss him, kiss him until I can’t think any longer, kiss him until this attraction I’m feeling fades.
“As an Elemental, I will only ever be able to bond with one woman. You, Alaia, are my woman.” I hear his words, but my body seems to be having a mind of its own. I know he must be saying this just to get me into bed, but at the moment, I don’t care, because I have never wanted to be with someone as much as I want Caelius.
“Are you going to kiss me sometime today?” Did I just say that? I can feel my cheeks warming as I realize what I just blurted out. I don’t have time to think of anything else, because suddenly, he pulls me against his chest and his lips crash down on mine. The warmth of his lips is like lava that burns through my body in the most erotic manner. My ears are ringing as I hear the blood rushing through my veins. His one hand is on my hip, holding my hips still when all I want is to rub myself up and down on the hardness I feel between my legs. His other hand is coiled in my hair as he holds my head still while he kisses me. One minute, I’m straddling him. The other, I’m lying on the bed and he’s leaning over me as his lips trail down my neck. My heart is racing as I feel his hard body against the softness of mine.
“You are so beautiful,” he mutters against my skin, the hand that was behind my head now moving down over my ribs until it reaches the edge of my hoodie. Here it stops as he lifts his head and looks deep into my eyes.
CAELIUS: Elementals MC (book 9) (Elemental's MC) Page 2