“Did you also have women like this at the compound? Talia was telling me that Tor has at least eight women living at the club in Cape Town.”
At my question, Caelius tenses as he looks around, but then he nods. “Yes, we had a few, but with time, they were asked to leave, as most of the brothers had mates and we didn’t really need them here.” I can see it’s a topic he would rather not be talking to me about, as he looks everywhere except at me, which I find amusing. I look around, dropping the subject, and find Draco standing to one side with a woman next to him trying to get his attention while he speaks to two other men.
I find it amusing how he doesn’t even pay attention to how the women fawn around him. I’m sure he’s aware of their interest, because I suspect that not much gets past him. “What’s Draco’s story?” I ask, and Caelius looks over at Draco.
“Well, he’s the oldest of all of us,” he says, and then shrugs. “He’s who maintains the Elementals together. His energy is unmeasured, as it has grown to unfathomable proportions throughout the centuries. He doesn’t only bend fire, which is his birth element, but he also bends earth, air, and now I suspect he has started to bend water too. There has never been any Elemental who has been able to do that.” His words are full of awe of their leader; I have noticed how close all of them are with each other, which after centuries is understandable, and also how protective they all are of each other.
“Why hasn’t he changed if other Elementals with only one century have already changed?” I ask as I look around at everyone.
“He fights it every day. Sometimes we can feel his energy vibrating with the power of his constraint. Once, I asked him, and his answer was that he couldn’t leave all of us yet. What worries me is that we all have mates now, and he might think that he can just let go.” I can hear the worry in Caelius’s voice.
“Would he turn Keres?” That would be a disaster, because with the difficulty we had with James who was only about three centuries old, I can’t imagine how it will be with Draco.
“Draco would never allow himself to turn; when he realizes he can’t hold it any longer, he will put an end to himself.” The anger I feel coming from Caelius has a knot growing in my stomach. I know that it must be heart-wrenching to see someone we love in a position like that.
“Maybe we can continue keeping him calm until he finds his mate; you did say that he knows she’s alive.”
Caelius looks down at me, a pensive look on his face, but then he shakes his head. “That would be too dangerous. He would drain you,” he says as he pulls me against his body.
“But remember, we won’t be changing him, only keeping him calm,” I say as I place my hand on his chest.
“I will talk to the others and see what they think. I will also speak to Bion and see if he finds that it won’t harm you.” I know that no matter what, he won’t bend when it comes to our safety; therefore, I don’t insist but rather make a mental note to speak to the other women and see how we can go about calming Draco.
CAELIUS 12
All the men have been called to a meeting after yesterday’s party; I know that Draco has already updated the presidents of the other chapters about what is happening regarding healing of the Keres, and today, they are simply informing all the brothers of what is happening. I don’t know yet what they have all decided, but it will be revealed in a few minutes. I see that James is standing close to the front where Draco and Wulf are.
Bjarni and Burkhart have been tasked with keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t start to turn without any warning. I was near him a few times yesterday and can vouch for his energy being as calm as any Elemental youngling.
“Everyone, calm down,” Wulf calls, which has the men quickly becoming silent.
Draco steps forward, his eyes traveling over all the men present. We, the Elemental MC, have taken the responsibility of keeping our people safe. Maybe now that we have found a way for the Elementals to not turn Keres, our task will simply be to finish off those who resist, and help those who are healed.
“We have good news,” Draco says. “As you all know, we have been fighting the Keres for centuries. We think we have now found a way of stopping the change, and if we don’t stop it, then we can reverse the process from Keres to Elemental.” At his announcement, most of the men start talking. He raises his hand for silence. It takes a minute, but everyone finally settles down.
“I know this is a surprise and unbelievable, but”—Draco points to James—“James was a Keres until two weeks ago. He has been a Keres for the last eighty-six years, but now, as you can see, he has reverted to being an Elemental.”
“How is this possible?” one of Tor’s men asks as he looks at James suspiciously.
“All I can say is that we can help any of you if you feel like your change is near, and we can also help any Keres change back to being an Elemental except for the ones who have lost their mates,” Draco explains. We had agreed at a meeting that the method used to change and help the Keres would be kept secret, as we cannot expose our women.
“We have believed for centuries that once the rage comes on us, we either have to put an end to our lives or change into Keres. Now you are telling us that we have been wrong all along and there actually is a cure,” another brother calls out.
“We didn’t know about this either until recently. We uncovered some of Vercin’s information, and that has led us to believe that this was possible. What we still don’t know is how Vercin knew about this.”
“So what are we going to do now? Are we going to help those fuckers instead of killing them?” another man asks, which causes a few mutters of revolt. We knew this might happen, as the hate for all the evil that the Keres do is deep. It is hard to help those who have been killing and maiming for sport. Those who have killed our families, killed innocents, but we need to move forward and find a way.
“I would not ask that of you. I know the hate that some have for the Keres, but we need to decide the way forward. When you all get back home, there will be a meeting to discuss the outcome of the Keres in your city. You either vote for us to help them or not. But I must reiterate that we are focusing on the brothers who are feeling a change coming and not so much on the Keres,” Draco states.
“How long does this cure last?” one asks.
“We are still investigating. As you can see, James here is as calm as a youngling, but that might change with another Keres. Therefore, we will have to take each one as it comes.”
“What happens with the ones who feel like they’re about to undergo a change?” one guy standing close to me asks, and I can tell that it’s for him, as I can sense his unrestrained energy.
“Talk to Celmund and he will schedule everyone. If you would rather speak to your president, he can also arrange everything,” Draco says with conviction, which has the man nodding in acknowledgment. “If any of you suspect another being close to changing, please also let us know, and we will intervene.” The conversation continues with men asking questions and Draco answering all of them, and then finally he reveals the last piece that I know will have all the men in a tizzy.
“There is one more thing,” he states as he looks around at everyone. “We might also be able to find some of your mates by a method that has been tested recently by some of my men.” There is complete silence at this announcement; I can see the scepticism in everyone’s faces. “We will only be trying to find the mates of those who are in danger of turning, and as you know, it’s not always possible.” After that, there is pandemonium, as some of them insist that everyone should get a chance to find their mates before they miss their opportunity.
Draco lifts his hand for attention. This time, it takes a few minutes before they all settle down. “You can discuss it at your meetings, but the method used—it’s uncertain if it can find your mates.” The men once again ask questions, and the meeting is progressing normally, until one brother decides to mention our women.
“Is this method the women here
at the compound? I’ve heard that they have specific gifts that have no comparison.” Instantly, we are all on the alert, as we don’t want anyone to know that our women are the methods being used to cure the Keres’s rage and play a part in finding our mates. Sooner or later, someone is going to try to approach them, and that we cannot allow.
“The method utilized is of no one’s concern at the moment,” Draco states with a look at the man that brooks no argument, but it’s enough to have the other men curious, and comments start floating about, which has all of us tense and ready to hammer some heads.
If any of these men even think to go speak to any of our women, they will be limping home. I do not want Alaia to overwork herself with this healing even though she claims that it gives her a purpose. Yesterday, when I saw that asshole with his arm around my woman, I was ready to pull his arm out of his body just for touching her. I never thought myself to be possessive, but with Alaia, I’m finding that I don’t like men to look at her, much less touch her.
I’m not unreasonable and understand that she’s a beautiful woman so there will always be men looking at her. I will curb my anger, as she is mine, and I know that she feels our connection just as deeply as I feel it. Today, I want to give her my stone. I know she hasn’t been with me for that long, but her being one with the earth, I know she’s ready to have it. Our stones, one for me and one for my mate, are forged when we are born. They are usually identical and protect us against other energies.
Yesterday at the party, I also realized that I haven’t gotten her a kutte yet. I need to remedy that as soon as we are done here. I want everyone to know who she belongs to; I want to see my name stretched across her back just like my tattoo is engraved in her skin for all eternity. Yesterday, when I took her back to our room after the party and I had my hands all over her body, caressing her like she deserves, kissing every inch of her scrumptious body, I realised how lucky I am to have found my mate and that she has accepted me with all my scars.
I want her to be able to help the other Elementals, but I saw how exhausted she was after helping James. I’m going to have to discuss this with Draco. We need to make sure that the women aren’t going to be overextended with trying to help everyone. I see Burkhart suddenly turn from where he’s standing, and by his expression, I know there will be trouble. He has never been one to be very patient, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to start today.
I make my way towards where he is, his muscles tense as he looks at another brother who is talking to two others. “You must try,” Burkhart says, which has Rex, the brother from our chapter in Johannesburg who was talking, snap around to look at him.
“Why would only some be privileged? If your women can help us, then they have the obligation to help us all,” Rex says angrily as he takes a step towards Burkhart. Not being one to step down, he’s about to approach Rex, when I place a hand on his shoulder.
“Let’s resolve this later; we will take Rex aside and explain to him how things work,” I mutter, hoping that Burkhart will listen to me. We don’t want to make a big thing of this or the other brothers will pick up on the fact that maybe our women are responsible for what is happening, and then we will have a fight on our hands when more of them insist on talking to them.
Burkhart looks over his shoulder at me furiously and is about to talk, when he picks up on what I’m trying to tell him. I see him take a deep breath. “Motherfucker,” he mutters before he turns and walks back towards where he was next to James. I don’t look back but take the steps required to reach Rex, glad to notice that not many brothers noticed the exchange, as they are all listening to Draco’s suggestions of the way forward.
“What?” Rex asks angrily as he looks at me. “If they can help us, then you should let them help all of us.”
“Remember, Rex, before you start insisting that they do whatever you are thinking, they are our women. As such, we protect what is ours; Draco has answered the question about the method to this treatment. Now you can both listen to him and bid your time while we work on this new system, or you can answer to us if you try anything with any of our women,” I threaten.
I see his muscles are tense and that he is contemplating taking a swing at me. I’m actually hoping that he does because his arrogance is starting to piss me off. “He’s just disappointed to know that there might be a chance to find our mates but we might not be able to get that chance,” one of the other brothers from the Johannesburg chapter intervenes as he slaps Rex lightly on the back.
“We are still investigating other opportunities, but as you know, not everyone has mates alive yet; therefore, this becomes a mute topic, as we have to try to help those who might be on the verge of changing first.” At my reply, the men around us nod in agreement. Even Rex huffs and lifts his hands in surrender. This situation has been handled, but how many other men out here believe the same as what Rex believes? Are we going to have problems trying to keep our women safe because of what they can do? Did we make it worse? Instead of only fearing the Keres trying to capture our women, now we might have to fear our brothers wanting to get close to them too.
The meeting ended a couple minutes later, and all the brothers prepared to leave. Draco asked that the other presidents come back with their decisions so that we can start to prepare. All the responses need to be in by the end of next week, and then the work truly begins.
ALAIA 13
It has been an intense week since the party; we have had an Elemental from the Cape Town chapter come in who has been struggling not to turn. At first, we started to heal him as we did the Keres but soon realized that with him, it was different. Instead of surrounding him with love, we had to try to calm him. Therefore, we realized that we might encounter this problem with each different person we try to heal. We changed around, and Brielle took control, as she has a unique way of calming people.
We were also able to see his mate, and this time, Gabriela was able to pinpoint a location, which helped the men find her. After James’s and the Elemental’s mates were found, we have hope that we might be able to find more mates. We have also sat down and discussed Draco, and we think we might be able to calm him from afar if the men don’t agree to us trying to help him, even though seeing as this whole process works, we are certain he will start to feel the interference with his energy as soon as we start.
Today we have decided to try. As soon as the kids are down for a nap, we are going to get together and try to see what we can do for him. I just need to see where he is so that I can direct all our energy through the earth to him. I look towards Brielle, who is twisting her hands in nervousness while we wait for Jasmine, Aria, and Gabriela to still join the rest of us.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, and see her startled look, as her thoughts seemed to be far away.
“It’s just that this is Draco,” she explains as she shrugs. “His energy is incomparable. We need to be strong to calm him. Also, he doesn’t know anything about this. What if he’s not pleased?”
“We are trying to help the man. I’m sure he will be fine as soon as he starts feeling our mojo entering his sexy body,” Nova teases with a wink. “We will just have to make sure that the calmness has him nice and chilled before he can get to us.”
“This isn’t funny, Nova. He might get upset with the guys, thinking that they asked us to do this,” Brielle states.
“You’re stressing way too much. He might get upset, but he will understand that we just want to help him. Also, we’re going to try to find his mate. What else could a guy ask for?” Nova says in a more serious tone.
“Well, let’s hope you’re right,” Brielle says just as the others join us.
“Let’s start. Draco is in the computer room, but I’m not sure how long he will stay there,” Talia says as she looks at her phone.
“We can sit right here, then. I can reach him from here,” I state as I look around at the courtyard. Brielle looks around and then sits down under the beautiful tree situated in the middle of
the courtyard. I sit next to her and place my hands on the ground. Brielle places one of hers on top of mine, and then all the others sit around us and touch us in one way or another. I close my eyes and start feeling the energy beneath my fingertips. Soon, I feel Brielle’s warmth stroke over my skin, and then its flowing through me.
I direct the healing force through the ground until it’s in the computer room, and then I feel for the strongest energy. I find it immediately. I knew Draco was powerful, but this is beyond anything I thought capable. I know that the others can feel the same that I am feeling and will know the strength of his power.
The women’s energy surrounds me with its power, growing to try to match Draco’s. I am surprised at the strength that I feel flowing through me. The calmness Brielle is sending, together with the energy of love that I am directing towards him, should have him as mellow as a baby in no time. I feel a disturbance in the flow and know that he is moving. I follow his movement but don’t break the connection. We continue with the healing until we all start to feel a draining. I stop the flow of energy and take a deep breath before I open my eyes.
I gasp when I see Draco standing a few meters away with his arms crossed over his chest. The other men are surrounding us. Their expressions vary as they patiently wait for us to open our eyes. I can’t tell if Draco is upset or not, as his expression is bland. My eyes snap around until I find Caelius. His hands are in his back pockets as he stands relaxed, looking at us.
The women retrieve their hands but sit quietly, waiting for Draco. I’m hoping he sees that we were trying to help him. It’s amazing how he is standing there as if nothing happened. The other Elemental was sleeping by the time we finished with the healing. Draco is standing there as if nothing has perturbed his energy.
CAELIUS: Elementals MC (book 9) (Elemental's MC) Page 9