“Jason, please, I’ve told you before that I’m not doing that.”
“Why not? It’s easy for you. It’s not as if you’re going to be in trouble or anything.”
“No, Jason, I’m not going to do it,” she snaps.
“Don’t be a bitch. You have—” At his words, I take the steps needed, and before he can carry on, I have my hand around his neck and am lifting him off the floor. I hear him gurgle as his air is cut off.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” I threaten, “or you won’t be talking ever again.” His hands come up and try to pry my fingers away from his neck, but there is nothing that is going to make me open my hand until I want to. “Now I think you have outstayed your welcome, and you need to leave.” With that, I flick my wrist and send him tumbling to the ground again.
He gasps in much-needed air, the colour on his face slowly returning. I turn my back to him and look at Talia for the first time. Her eyes are wide looking at me, her lips slightly parted as she breaths. I take a step towards her, but suddenly Burkhart is before me, a scowl on his face.
“Don’t do it, Brother,” he says. “We don’t know if this is a setup.” His words bring me back, stopping me in my tracks. I was going to take her in my arms, the look on her face calling to me. If Burkhart hadn’t stopped me, I could have been the cause of the other women’s deaths at the compound. I cannot let that happen. I have to maintain my distance, because this just shows me that I have no discipline where she is concerned.
I nod, letting him know that I’m under control. “Are you okay?” I ask. I notice my voice is gruff, but the anger I felt when seeing her being attacked is still flowing through my veins. I see her nod, but my eyes have reverted to the handprint on her arm. “Motherfucker, he hurt you.”
“No, it’s okay.” She places her hand over her arm, covering the mark.
“Why don’t you want him to know where you work?” If she says he hurts her, I swear there is no place he can hide, because I will destroy him.
“It doesn’t matter,” she says, her shoulders drooping as she looks behind me.
I can hear her brother stumbling away. I don’t look back at him, because I know he won’t try speaking to her while we’re here. “Is he going to be a problem?”
She shrugs her shoulders as she looks away, but then her eyes snap back to mine. “Thank you for rescuing me,” she murmurs.
I nod as she bends into the car, her ass poking out at me. My cock instantly hardens, making me uncomfortable. I hear Burkhart snicker beside me. “Fuck off,” I grunt quietly so she won’t hear, which makes him throw back his head and roar in amusement. Talia stands with a jacket in hand and turns, dressing in the jacket. Her lips kick up slightly at the corners at Burkhart’s laugh, but I can see the sadness still lurking in her eyes.
“Burkhart here will accompany you home. Does he know where you live?”
At my question, her eyes widen slightly and a frown mars her forehead. “I don’t think so,” she says, but I can see the worry on her face. “He didn’t know where I worked, so I don’t know if somehow he also found out where I live.”
“Don’t worry, we will have someone outside your place at all times. If you have any problems, just call out.” I don’t want my woman to be afraid. I would be the one outside her home if I could, but I know if I’m anywhere near her, I won’t be able to resist. Already I’m holding myself back by the skin of my teeth.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she says hurriedly as she shakes her head. “I’m sure it will be okay.”
“There is no negotiating. I will make sure you are safe,” I grunt as I start to walk away towards the alley.
“Celmund.” Her call stops me. Looking back, I see a softness in her eyes. “Thank you.” Without another word, I make my way back towards the alley, wishing that things could be different and instead of Burkhart following her, it could be me.
“Are you okay?” Caelius asks from next to me.
“Yeah,” I mutter as I sit on my bike.
Caelius nods as he approaches his bike and straddles it. “We will be back later today. Should I get some of the brothers to come out here while we’re gone?”
“No, Brother, I doubt there will be much movement. If I need anything, I’ll contact Tor.” Caelius starts his bike, inclines his head, and then he’s off. I sit back on my bike and sigh. For someone who has found his mate, I’m not feeling all that happy. The thought that she might be in danger from her brother is messing with my shit.
I can’t hurt him, because I think she would object to him suddenly disappearing, and I can’t protect her, because I will give in and bond with her, and then everything will be lost. If the women die, my brothers will surely follow.
I will not be responsible for any deaths of the women at the compound. I will have to find whoever is responsible and fast, because being away from Talia is going to start affecting me.
TALIA 4
Driving home, I can still feel my hands shaking. My arm is in pain from where Jason grabbed me. Looking in my rear-view mirror, I see the bike following me. I must confess that I feel safer knowing that someone will be outside keeping an eye on me. I’m still surprised that they are willing to do this for me. Even though I would prefer Celmund to be the one following me, I can’t object to having Burkhart there.
Burkhart is just as handsome, but he doesn’t make my stomach flutter like Celmund does. The headache that had been promising this morning is back in full swing, and if I don’t get home and take one of my pills, I will be in serious pain.
The stress of knowing that Jason knows where I work is knotting my stomach. I was hoping this wouldn’t happen. He tends to make scenes, and I can’t afford that with clients in the salon. My boss is a wonderful woman, but I don’t think she will continue employing me if Jason starts to hang around and makes himself a nuisance, which I’m nearly sure he will.
Parking my car, I take my bag and step back. I see Burkhart park across the street, but he continues to sit on the bike, looking around as if he can see something I can’t. I lift my hand and wave. He inclines his head in acknowledgment. Making my way towards the entrance to my house, I unlock the door and step in. Closing the door behind me, I lean back and sigh.
Closing my eyes, I breathe in deeply, trying to calm the pounding in my head. After a moment, I drag myself to the kitchen. Opening the draw, I pull out my tablets and pop one into my mouth, washing it down with water from the tap. As I turn, I stop. The magnets on the fridge look like they are in a different position.
Frowning, I look around. Nothing besides the magnets seems to be out of place, but I have a bad feeling about this. Walking out of the kitchen, I look around but don’t find anything. Maybe somehow I moved them with my gift without realizing it.
Shrugging, I make my way to the bedroom. Leaving the lights off, I lie in bed, waiting for the pill to take effect and help with my headache. What I need is Celmund. I don’t know what that man has, but his voice does something to me. The calmness that engulfs me when he speaks is undeniable.
I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I know, I am being awoken by a crash. My heart races as I hurriedly sit up in bed, listening to see if there is any other noise. I hear footsteps from down the hall. I look around for something that I can use against whoever is in the house, but I’m a minimalist and don’t have much in the bedroom that I can use as a weapon.
I jump out of bed and rush to the window, looking out to see if I can see Burkhart, but from where he parked, I don’t have a visual. I open the window and start to lift my leg over the windowsill, when I hear a grunt.
“Doll, are you okay?” Burkhart’s voice comes from just outside the bedroom. In the next second, he is before the door to my room.
“Ye . . . Yes,” I stutter. “Who . . . who was it?”
“Don’t know, but I’ll surely ask when he wakes up.” Taking a deep breath, I walk towards Burkhart. When I reach the door, I can see a man’s feet near B
urkhart’s. Looking down, I see a pair of dirty jeans. Following up the body, I finally get to the face.
“I know him,” I grumble. “He’s one of Jason’s friends.” What the hell is Jason thinking by sending one of his friends in? As time passes, I find that he becomes worse. The things he does become more dangerous and unreasonable. At first, I used to excuse him because of the drugs and that he couldn’t help himself, but I can’t continue to protect him while he tries to hurt me by getting what he wants.
“Has this asshole been here before?” Burkhart grunts as he squats next to the guy.
“No. I saw him once with Jason, but that was at my previous place. Neither Jason nor any of his friends have ever been here or at my work before today,” I mutter as I wrap my arms around me. I will have to move again, but what am I going to do about my job? I can’t let Jason continue pushing me away from everywhere I am. Just as I start to feel comfortable and at home, he somehow finds me, and everything starts all over again.
“What do they want with you?” Burkhart is still squatting, but now his eyes are trained on me. He is also a handsome man with his rough appearance. Earlier, I thought he had really dark-brown eyes, as they looked black, but now that he is closer to me and with the light from the room, I can see that they are a dark blue. His stubble and his long rust-coloured hair tied in a bun above his head give him a bad-boy look. No matter how handsome Burkhart looks, I find myself comparing him to Celmund. Just the thought of Celmund makes my stomach flutter.
“Doll?” Burkhart calls, bringing me back to the present.
“Sorry,” I murmur as I feel my cheeks heat at being caught staring at him. “They want me to help them.”
“With what?” he asks with a frown.
“I would rather not say.” I start to turn, but he moves so fast that I don’t even see him stand. Suddenly, his hand is holding my upper arm as he looks down at me.
“That won’t work anymore. We will help keep you safe, not just for you but for Celmund too, but you are going to have to trust us and tell us everything so that we can protect you.” His voice is a rough growl. What does he mean not just for me but Celmund too? Why would them protecting me have anything to do with Celmund?
“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you,” I state.
“Try me,” he grunts. I sigh, as I don’t see a way out of telling him. Stroking my fingers through my hair, I look down.
“I noticed that I could do stuff when I was about eight years old, you see.” I look up at him again. “I can move things with my mind. I learnt to hide what I can do after the kids at school started to call me a freak. My parents and Jason were supportive and understanding, but when Jason started drugs, he sometimes wanted me to help him break into places.” Burkhart lets go of my arm but doesn’t move away. I take a step back and continue. “So far, I have managed to get away with not being involved in his plans, but as time passes, it seems like he’s getting worse and more persistent.”
“Don’t worry about anything. We will protect you from now on. Neither Jason nor any of his friends will get close to you again.”
“Why are you guys helping me? It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but people don’t usually go out of their way like you guys are going to help someone you don’t know.”
“We protect what is ours. You now belong to Celmund; therefore, all the brothers will make sure that nothing befalls you.”
At his words, I gasp, and I can feel myself frown. “What do you mean I belong to Celmund? I don’t even know him.”
“Doll, make no mistake. You might not be his yet, but you will be.” With those words, he turns as the man on the floor groans as he starts to awaken.
“Does Celmund know that you think I belong to him?” I ask. I’m sure he’s mistaken. Maybe because Celmund came to my rescue and then asked him to check on me, he thinks there is something more than there actually is between us. At my question, he looks over his shoulders and grins at me with a wink before he steps towards Jason’s friend, who is now trying to sit up.
“Hey, asshole,” he calls, his hands low on his waist. The guy looks up at Burkhart as he leans back against the wall. “What did you think you were doing when you broke in here?”
“Fuck off,” the guy grunts.
“Trust me, you are going to wanna tell me before Celmund gets here and goes straight for your throat. If you tell me something useful, I might stop him. If not, I will let him have his way.” Celmund is coming here? My heart races at the thought.
“I’m not scared of you,” the guy grunts as he swipes at his bleeding nose.
“Of course not. You’re too high to know what’s good for you at the moment,” Burkhart mutters just as we hear bikes outside.
“Is that Celmund?” I ask hopefully.
“Yeah, doll. When I saw the guy come inside, I texted to let him know we had trouble.” Burkhart bends down and lifts the guy by his shirt. “You’re about to meet your maker. You better start making peace with him.” The guy starts to struggle, but Burkhart soon has him subdued.
There is a loud crack from the front of the house that makes me gasp in surprise. “Sorry about that. We will get your door fixed,” Burkhart says with a lopsided smile. Celmund is suddenly there before I can answer Burkhart. The look on his face makes me tense. There is such fury surrounding him that I can feel the air around us shift.
His eyes connect with mine before he looks over my body. “Are you okay?” His voice is now charged with rage. I nod but realise that he has moved his eyes to the guy Burkhart is holding up against the wall.
“I’m fine. Burkhart stopped him before he got to me.” His muscular body is tense as he stares with a deadly look at the other guy. I see a mountain of a man appear right behind Celmund. His eyes revert to me and then to the guy Burkhart is holding.
Suddenly Celmund is next to Burkhart. How did he move so fast? “Son of a bitch, what did you think you were going to do when you got inside?” His voice is a guttural sound that makes the hairs on my arms stand. I see his arms draw back, and then he punches him in the stomach, making him gasp in pain. Burkhart lets him go just as he bends over in pain. Losing his balance, he starts to fall forward, but before he can fall, Celmund kicks his legs from under him, making his knees hit the ground with a crack.
I wince at the sound, my heart racing. “Brother, let’s take him with us. You are frightening your woman,” the big guy says as he strolls towards the men. I look up at him and see a bored look on his face as he looks down at the guy on the floor. From the corner of my eye, I see Celmund’s head snap around towards me, and then he’s stepping closer, but before he can touch me, Burkhart is there standing in his way.
“Get out of my way,” Celmund states as he starts to step around, but Burkhart throws out his arm.
“You know I can’t do that. I’m sorry, but soon,” I think I hear Burkhart say, but his voice is so low that I must strain to hear. What can’t he do? I see over Burkhart’s shoulder Celmund squeeze his eyes shut. When they finally open, some of the rage that was clouding them is gone and he is looking directly at me.
“We will take you to the compound. You will be safe there,” he says as the big guy picks up the guy from the floor and drags him outside.
“What do you mean, you will take me to the compound?” Is that my voice? Why am I so breathless?
“You aren’t safe here. I want to know that you will be safe. Therefore, you can collect what you need, and we will take you to the compound.” At his statement, I tense.
“Oh, really?” I say sarcastically. “Thank you for asking.” I see his muscles tense at my quip, and Burkhart chuckles.
“I wasn’t asking,” he grunts as he turns. Really? I knew there must be something wrong with him. He looked and acted too good to be true. What a dense man. How can he think he can just command me around?
“Exactly, you didn’t ask,” I snap. “I’m not going anywhere. I doubt anyone else will come calling tonight.”
&n
bsp; He stops in his tracks and turns, a frown on his face. “What do you mean you’re not going? I’m not leaving you here. Am I mistaken, or have you been attacked twice today?” His hands are now low on his waist as he stares at me.
“That’s not the point. You just assumed that I would follow you like a good sheep. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate everything you have done for me, but I will not be commanded.” I see his surprised look before he looks over at a grinning Burkhart and raises an eyebrow, making him chuckle.
“I can’t see where the humour is,” he grunts.
“Of course you can’t,” Burkhart teases as he starts to walk towards me. “You want me to deal with this?” I see Celmund tense, a scowl on his face as he contemplates Burkhart.
“How?” he asks, his hands low on his waist, showing off his impressive muscles. The tip of some kind of tattoo peeks from the collar of his T-shirt.
“Nothing you will have an issue with.” What the hell are these two talking about? If Burkhart thinks he can change my mind, he will soon realize that isn’t going to happen, and if Celmund isn’t man enough to do it, he will find out that I’m not a pushover. I see Celmund nod before he turns and leaves.
Shaking my head, I turn towards Burkhart just as I feel him touch my neck. The pressure of his fingers on my neck surprises me, but soon, my vision blurs and I feel myself losing consciousness.
CELMUND 5
I turn around and walk away from Talia, and Burkhart has me fisting my hands, not that I don’t trust my brother, but leaving my woman alone with another man is not sitting well with me. I need to keep reminding myself not to touch her. If I touch her, the bonding process will initiate, and then everything will be lost.
When Burkhart texted, saying that someone was breaking into Talia’s place, I didn’t wait around for anything else. Knowing that my woman was in danger and I wasn’t close to protect her had me close to losing my shit.
CELMUND: Elemental's MC (book 7) Page 3