Men like the ones here don’t go for girls like me; they can pick anyone they want. Groaning, I turn in bed and kick off the thin sheet I had covering me. I get up and move towards the bathroom. Before I walk in, I look at myself in the full-length mirror, seeing my dishevelled shoulder-length hair and my sleepy light-green eyes. Sighing, I shake my head. Most women look sexy when they wake up. I just look messy. Looking down my body, I see my breasts straining against the T-shirt I’m wearing, my nipples poking the material like two cherries. Moving my eyes further down, I lift the T-shirt and see my protruding hips. I turn slightly and see my ass in the red thong that complements my olive skin.
Having had a Portuguese father, I was lucky to inherit his skin tone and the light-green colour of his eyes. The auburn hair I got from my mother. Huffing, I turn and make my way into the bathroom. No use obsessing about something I can’t change.
After my shower and getting dressed in the only other pair of jeans and T-shirt I was given when I was brought here, I make my way out of my room and then stop at the noises coming from the room in front of mine. My cheeks heat with embarrassment when I realise that someone is having sex in there. I hurriedly make my way outside; I love it here with nature at their doorstep.
That is something else I would never have guessed. When thinking of bikers, I imagined them as rough hard men who didn’t care for anyone or anything except themselves and their bikes. Now I encounter a group of bikers who, even though dangerous, have shown me respect. I have also seen the care and respect all of them have for the women, and yes, I can see their obsession with their bikes, but there is a sense of family between them that makes me want to stay.
As I walk outside, I see that Aria is in her little garden, with Jasmine and Orion sitting close by under a tree. Making my way towards them, I notice for the first time that Gunner is working on a bike by the door to the garage. He looks up and winks when I walk past. I flush at his greeting and hurry my step towards the women.
“Hi, Brielle, how did you sleep?” Jasmine calls out as she plays with the baby. Aria looks up and smiles at me but continues with her work.
“Great. I was worried I wouldn’t fall asleep with the music, but the rooms are soundproof,” I answer.
“Did you see Nova inside?” Jasmine asks with a frown. At the shake of my head, she huffs. “I wonder how she is. I saw Ceric throw her over his shoulder and carry her out of the party last night. I have never seen him as upset as he looked yesterday.”
To be honest, I didn’t notice, as I was too busy checking out Bion to see what was happening around me.
“I’m sure she’s fine. After all, that was the reason she did it. She was poking the demon. I guess she got poked back,” Aria teases with a laugh; I can’t help the smile that stretches across my face at her innuendo. “What about you? I saw Wulf was pretty pissed.”
A flush covers Jasmine’s cheek as she grins naughtily at us. “Let’s just say my man has moves no stripper can match.” And then she’s giggling as she sees our surprised looks.
“What about you, Aria? Did you get into trouble?”
At my question, a big smile crosses her face, and then she’s nodding, but her eyes are twinkling. “Sure did,” she says, “and I loved every moment of it.”
I shake my head and stick my tongue out at them both. “You two are crazy.”
“Honey, if you think we’re crazy, wait until Gabriela or Nova gets here. I swear those two are constantly dreaming of ways to anger their men,” Jasmine confesses. “You see, the fun is in the making up.”
At her words, I feel a fist clenching around my heart. I wouldn’t know what she means as I have only ever had one boyfriend, and sex with him wasn’t all that great. To be honest, I would rather see paint dry than have to go through another session of sex with Andy.
I met Andy when I was still studying to become a nurse; he was studying to become a doctor. One day at the library, we both stretched out to take the same book. At first, we just talked, and he seemed like a nice guy, but as things progressed, we started to get intimate. He was the reason I finally fell into a depression, because even though we were intimate, I was never in love with him. He kept our relationship private and never mentioned me to anyone. This started to batter at my already poor self-esteem.
One day when we met, I insisted on him telling me if he was embarrassed of our relationship. That was when I found out that he was married, and his wife was expecting their first child. That day, I kicked him out of my life and never heard from him again.
“Here they come, and by the smiles on their faces, I think they got punished really well,” Aria teases, pulling me away from my dark thoughts. I look over my shoulder and see both women approaching. True to Aria’s words, they are both smiling happily.
“Hi, ladies,” Nova greets cheerfully. “So when are we having another stripper over?” We all burst out laughing at her words.
“It has to be before I become too big to enjoy it,” Gabriela grumbles as she strokes her extended stomach. Gabriela and Aria both got pregnant at more or less the same time, but Gabriela’s stomach is much bigger than Aria’s, not just because she’s carrying twins but also because the father is such a huge man. “I swear, sometimes I nearly give in and let Bjarni carry me around. I feel as if my feet are on fire. Look how swollen they are.” She places a hand on Nova’s arm to steady herself as she lifts one of her feet.
She’s not exaggerating—her feet are extremely swollen. Looking around, I see what I’m looking for. I haven’t told them yet what I can do, and for now, I will keep it to myself because as soon as I tell people I can heal them, they either think I’m lying or they try to bring me every sick person they know for a cure.
“Sit over there.” I point to a boulder next to Jasmine. “I will help you with your feet. You will see that in no time, the swelling will go down.” At my words, her eyes open slightly, but then she shrugs and makes her way to the boulder.
“If you can get this swelling down, I will be forever in your debt,” she grunts. I walk towards some lavender growing next to a tree and pull some out. Approaching Aria, I ask her for some mint and garlic. I can see the curiosity in her eyes at my request, but she happily hands it to me.
Moving next to Gabriela, I lean down by her feet. Laying the items down before her, I start by rubbing the garlic on the wide leaves that I collected from one of the trees. Once this is done, I place mint and then lavender on the leaves and pack them around her feet. I hold it with my hands for it not to fall and close my eyes, imagining the swelling going down and green light for healing spreading through her limbs and to her feet.
I hear her gasp a few minutes later, and she says, “It’s already feeling lighter. I don’t know what your magic products are, but whatever they are, I’m going to keep a bucketful of the stuff.” I don’t confess that just the lavender, mint, and garlic won’t bring down the swelling as quickly as it does when I have my hands on her.
When I turned fourteen, I noticed that I could help friends of mine when they were sick. I never told them what I was doing, but they always felt better after I laid my hands on them. One day when I was sixteen, I was on my way home on a deserted road when I saw a man crash his car against a tree. Rushing towards him, I initially thought he was dead, but then he gasped. His head had a gash that was bleeding profusely, and his breathing was shallow. I could smell alcohol on his breath when I approached, and I knew that must be the reason he lost control of his car.
By the time another car drove up to us, I had stopped the bleeding on his forehead and it was nearly healed, and his breathing was back to normal. The man was too drunk to realise what I did, but I knew, and since then, I’ve wanted to be a nurse, as nurses are more hands-on than doctors, therefore I would also be able to heal more people. Also, as a registered nurse I would only need to study for two years before I could start to work, as opposed to eight plus years as a doctor.
My family didn’t agree with my decision; it was a
nother black mark against me. They couldn’t understand why I would want to be around people who are sick and injured, placing myself in the way of catching something. I never told them about what I could do. Yes, they knew that I could make them feel better, but not to what extent I could heal.
After healing Gabriela’s feet, I take the leaves that are now brown and bury them in a hole that I make near the tree. “You’re a miracle worker. Look at my feet,” she says excitedly as she lifts both feet that are now looking normal into the air. I smile, feeling a little tired. That is one of the drawbacks of healing. I feel tired after healing someone, as my energy is drained. The bigger the wound or pain, the more exhausted I feel.
I wish I could stay. I feel accepted, as if I belong with these people. I know if my mother finds out I’m here, she will have a fit. I know she’s my mother, but she’s very pretentious. Knowing that I have been staying with bikers for a few days will give her a heart attack. She’ll start comparing me to my sister again, and how disappointing I am compared to her. I need to start thinking of leaving and going back home, but because I have been gone for over three weeks, the hospital had to replace me.
I really don’t want to go back to my mother’s house, but if I can’t find a job, I will have to. “They’re back,” Aria says as she starts packing her gardening tools. I can hear bikes approaching and see the men riding up to the compound. My heart starts to race when I see Bion is one of the guys; he rides up on a huge matte-black Harley, his muscles straining as he turns his bike into the garage.
“They don’t seem happy,” Gabriela states as she struggles to get up. I hurriedly move towards her, helping her up. The men all ride into the garage, Brandr at the back of them driving an SUV. Jasmine has picked up Orion and is hurriedly making her way towards the men, the other women following close behind.
I take my time following them, as I don’t want to impose. I see Bion get off his bike and look at me. His eyes travel the length of my body, my skin heating at the attention, and then he’s looking deep into my eyes. I want to pull at my T-shirt to try to hide my body, but I don’t want to make it obvious. Therefore, I continue walking as if I have all the confidence in the world, and then he smiles at me, and I stumble.
Darn, just bury me now. I can feel the flush on my cheeks and neck as his smile widens at my clumsiness. Some of the guys have already moved inside. The others are looking at Ceric as he pulls Nova over his shoulder and spanks her ass, making her squeal in laughter before he lowers her again to her feet. At least the only person who saw my clumsiness was Bion. He doesn’t even glance at Ceric and Nova; his eyes are tracking my every move.
“Hi, beauty,” he greets. His voice feels like a warm spring breeze stroking my skin. “I’m Bion.”
“Hi, nice . . . nice to meet you,” I stutter, wanting to kick myself for my nervousness. Men like Bion don’t usually go out of their way to talk to me.
“How are you enjoying living here?” he asks with a smile, but before I can answer, Wulf calls out that Draco wants to meet. “Shit. We’ll chat later,” he promises before he takes off after the guys.
I sigh in relief. I feel so tongue tied around him. I can still feel my hands shaking. More than ever, I wish I didn’t have to leave. Maybe I can stay a few more days.
BION 3
It’s been a hectic few days, and I’ve hardly had time to talk to Brielle except in passing. After breaching one of the Keres’ hiding places, we got back to find the women in the bar. That was when Aria received a parcel with dead flowers and black widow spiders inside. When one of the spiders bit Aria, Brielle showed us her gift.
After seeing the evidence of her ability, I was impressed. Not only is she my mate but she is also a healer like me, and she’s modest with what she can do.” After testing the dead roses and the spiders, I found traces of a woman’s DNA. Knowing what we were looking for, Celmund analysed the feeds that the courier company had when parcels were dropped off. That was when we found out that it had been Lidia, one of our Jezebels, sending the flowers. Some of the guys went to visit her to find that she had been killed. This was all a setup, and we are still trying to find out how the Keres are getting information about us.
Draco, Wulf, and I didn’t go with the others to Lidia’s, as we had to meet the new FBI agent assigned to work with us, Special Agent Jake Mauberry. He seemed like a decent guy, and I didn’t think this one would want to jump into bed with Wulf. I smile, thinking of the comments we made after Agent Mauberry left; Draco and I were ribbing Wulf about not showing the agent his deadly thrusting moves because we didn’t want to have to find another agent.
Wulf, as usual, just grunted and flicked us off. After meeting with the agent and being sure that we could trust this one, we made our way towards the warehouse where we were informed that the Keres were keeping women they were planning on trafficking in hiding. The warehouse seemed deserted, and the three of us agreed that we would keep eyes on it.
When we finally make our way back to the compound, we see the brothers all leaving. We don’t stop, just turn and follow their bikes. Before we reach town, the guys stop, and they tell us that the women all decided to leave the compound and go out. I can feel my blood pumping in agitation. How the hell they can be so damn careless is beyond me. I’m sure this is Nova’s doing; Ceric has his hands full with her. If Brielle thinks she can up and do what she wants, she has a surprise coming.
I grunt in anger as we park our bikes outside Nova’s friend’s apartment building. I’m going to have to make it very clear to Brielle that she can’t go out unless one of the brothers are with her. Following the others upstairs, I find Brielle sitting on a couch, looking around at everyone. As soon as my eyes find her, I feel my muscles relax. I hadn’t even noticed how tense I was. I approach, seeing her eyes widen when I stand before her with my hands low on my waist.
“Let’s go,” I rumble. Brielle is suddenly biting her bottom lip in nervousness, her hands twisting agitatedly as she stands from the couch.
“I was actually thinking of staying a bit longer with Sam,” she confesses. I know Sam is gay, but at the moment, I feel like gutting him. Why the hell would she want to stay with Sam? There is no way in hell that is happening.
“Not happening. Let’s go,” I state forcefully. I know I’m being a dick, but the idea of her being alone with any man makes me grit my teeth. She’s watching me with a puzzled look on her face, but then she must have come to a decision, because she huffs, turns, and makes her way outside just as I see Ceric attack Sam.
Good. I hope he chokes him. I catch up to Brielle just as she steps outside the apartment building. When she senses me behind her, she swirls around and glares. “You know I’m not the club’s property just because you rescued me. You have no say if I want to stay here a bit longer. Maybe I will even move in here with Sam now that Nova is gone,” she states with her hand on her waist and her light-green eyes sparkling in anger.
“Over his dead body,” I state angrily. “You’re still in danger, and if you don’t have the foresight to keep yourself safe, then I will do it for you.”
“You can’t dictate to me what I can and can’t do. This is my life,” she huffs.
“You don’t know this yet, but I have every right. Now get on Burkhart’s bike,” I growl. I don’t want her on anyone’s bike but my own, but I can’t touch her yet without explaining things to her. I need to get it over and done with as soon as possible. She will know that she can’t just do what she wants.
She glares at me, but she mounts Burkhart’s bike, placing her hands around his waist. Fuck, I want to tear her away from him. She shouldn’t be holding on to anyone else except me. Getting onto my own bike, I glare at Burkhart when he looks at me and winks. Fucker. If he’s not careful, I won’t treat him the next time he gets wounded.
When we arrive back at the compound, I’m off my bike and following Brielle, who is hurriedly making her way to her room. “Wait.” At my words, she turns, glaring at me. “You won
’t be staying in your room anymore. You will be moving inside the compound. Get your stuff and follow me.” Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t say anything except to huff in anger when she collects the little items she has. I need to speak to the other women to get her more clothing.
After guiding her to my room, I open the door and step aside to let her in. I hear her gasp of pleasure when she enters. One side of my room has various types of plants that I use to produce healing balms when treating some of the brothers’ wounds, and my equipment. On the other side is a huge fish tank that calms my mind when I’m lying in bed. Thinking of my bed, I tense. I won’t be getting much sleep until I make her mine, especially knowing that she’ll be in my bed. My imagination is going to drive me crazy.
“This room is beautiful, and the flowers smell divine,” she murmurs as her anger dissipates. I knew she would be pleased with the room. I heard Gabriela tell Bjarni about how Brielle liked to make natural products, and how she had helped her with her swollen feet. I decided then that I was moving her into my room. Besides, I don’t want her in the bar area any longer; it’s not as safe as the back of the compound.
“I’m glad you like it. This is where I make most of my medicines,” I inform her, seeing her shocked face as she looks around.
“This is your room?” At my nod, she begins to shake her head as she starts to make her way out of the room.
“Where you going?” I ask as I place myself in front of the door.
She stops and, for the first time since entering the room, looks me straight in the eyes. “Why would you bring me into your room?”
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