Bion places his hand under the dog’s chest just behind his front legs. I see that where he is cutting has been shaved away. My hand automatically raises to my chest when I see the blood.
“Move closer so that you can see the device,” Bion says. I take a step closer and stop. “There it is.”
Leaning forward, I can just make out a piece of metal. I instantly focus on it and bring it out. I want to get this over and done with as soon as possible. The little piece of metal juts up into the air and then falls, landing next to the animal. My breathing is laboured as I see the blood coating the dog’s fur.
“Calm down, sweetheart. The little guy is fine. Take a breath . . . Now another one.” Celmund’s voice sooths me, but I can still feel myself shaking. Brielle steps next to Bion and places her hands over the dog’s cut. I stand frozen as I see the cut slowly start to heal. A few minutes later, the blood has stopped. “Take a seat, Talia. You’re still shaking.” My head snaps around, and I can see the frown on Celmund’s face as he looks at me.
I was so preoccupied with the dog that I didn’t notice Celmund stand and move around the table to my side. He is a few steps away, but I know that if I move towards him, he will move away. The women have told me why he is keeping away, but I’m not sure if I believe them. If I was really his mate, wouldn’t he want to be close to me? But instead, he keeps away.
Instead of sitting where I was before, I pull out the chair in front of me and sit. Celmund pulls out the chair next to him that is two away from me and also sits. “Besides being nervous, how do you feel?” he asks.
“I’m fine.” Only then do I realize that I really am and the headache that I usually experience right after using my gift is missing.
“Bion tells me that you haven’t been feeling well after using your gift in the previous days. Is that true?” My head snaps around, and I look at Bion, who is now cleaning his hands on a cloth. I didn’t think any of them had noticed. I guess I was wrong.
“I get slight headaches,” I mumble.
“Do you have one now?” At his question, I frown. How would he know?
“No.” I see Celmund glance at Bion, and from the corner of my eye, I see Bion nod.
“You don’t get headaches when I’m around because our energy calms and stabilizes. I will be by you every time you use your gift.” His voice is calming, and already I can feel the anxiety that I was feeling diminishing. “Talia,” he calls, bringing my focus back to him. “As soon as we know that this will work, we can bond.” His words suddenly capture my attention fully.
“Really?” I ask. “What exactly would be my perks in this bonding, because to be honest, up to now, I haven’t seen any. I don’t even know you.” The last two weeks of stewing because of his inattentiveness catch up to me. I see the surprise on his face and then hear Brandr choke behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see a huge grin on Brandr’s face. I glare at his obvious enjoyment of my irritation, but all he does is wink at me.
“Talia”—I can hear the irritation in Celmund’s voice—“you will get to know me once we bond.”
“Who said I want to bond or mate or whatever with you? Did you even ask me?” I know I’m being unreasonable. He did explain everything to me, but to be honest, he hasn’t really been falling over himself to make an impression. “I want someone who shows me that he wants to be with me, and up till now, all I see is that you’re an ass.” I know that I’ve gone overboard. He hasn’t done anything wrong, but he also hasn’t done anything right.
Standing, I rush out of the meeting room. I hear Celmund call my name, but I don’t pay any attention, as all I want is to get away from him and hide in embarrassment. I know that with my outburst, I showed him how hurt I was at him ignoring me, but I really don’t care.
As I rush around the corner, I crash into a rock-hard chest. “Well, now, little lady,” I hear a deep voice say as strong hands hold my arms to keep me from falling back. When I’m finally steady on my feet, I look up at a set of beautiful sea-green eyes. “Are you okay?” As he starts to let go of my arms, a fist flies past my shoulder and crashes into his face.
I yelp in surprise as the guy staggers back under the onslaught, my heart racing, as Celmund is suddenly on him. What the hell is going on? I feel strong arms pulling me back from where the two are now at blows with each other. Looking up, I see that it’s Brandr who has an arm around my waist as he pulls me away.
“Stop them,” I plead, as I see blood flowing down a cut on Celmund’s forehead.
“Don’t worry, honey, they will be fine,” Brandr states.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I hear a roar, and then Tor is pulling his man back. As Celmund charges to attack him again, Tor stands before him. “You don’t want to do that, asshole.”
“Stay out of this, Tor,” Celmund states.
“My club, my rules,” Tor roars. “And in my club, brother doesn’t fight brother.”
“He touched my woman,” Celmund snaps, a vein beating in his forehead.
“She’s not your woman yet, asshole,” the guy mutters as he swipes his hand over his mouth.
“Rolf, shut your fucking mouth,” Tor roars. It seems like the darn man doesn’t know how to talk any other way. At Rolf’s comment, Celmund tried to get to him again, but this time, Tor pushed him back and is standing with his legs braced as if ready to throw a punch.
“Stop it,” I shout angrily. “Let go of me.” I elbow Brandr in the stomach. As soon as Brandr’s arm falls away, I step forward. Celmund’s eyes are now on me, his muscles still tense. “You’re an ass. He was helping me so that I wouldn’t fall.” With those words, I hurry past all of them and towards my room.
When I finally close the door behind me, I take in a deep breath to try to calm my nerves. I may just stay here forever now. Why am I so attracted to that irritating man? First, he doesn’t want anything to do with me, and then, he’s punching men for touching me. I’m pacing the length of my room, when there’s a knock on the door. Stopping, I glare at the door. If that irritating man came to talk to me, I swear I will hit him with something. Marching towards the door, I yank it open, and just before I blast him with my anger, I stop. Before me stands Brielle instead of Celmund.
“Peace,” Brielle jokes with a smile as she lifts her arms into the air. Shrugging, I huff as I take a step back to let her in.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
“No need to apologize. I know how these men can drive us crazy,” she says as she walks in and closes the door behind her. “I saw what happened. Are you okay?”
“I’m considering murder. What does that tell you?”
Brielle laughs as she hugs me close. “Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Nova wants to kill Ceric every day.”
“Did you see what he did? The guy was just helping me so that I wouldn’t fall.”
“You will realize that these guys don’t like anyone touching their women,” Brielle states.
“That’s the thing, I’m not his. He won’t even stay in a room long enough for us to talk,” I mumble in anger.
“Oh, Talia.” Brielle laughs. “I’m sorry I’m laughing, but don’t you realize that the only reason he doesn’t stay close to you for long is because his self-control starts slipping? If he touches you, then the bonding starts, and one thing that I’ve noticed about Celmund is that he plans everything.”
“Well, whatever he’s planned, he can unplan.” I know I’m grumbling, but with her comments, I start to feel better. Is it possible that the only reason he doesn’t come looking for me or talk to me for long is because he’s worried that he will start the bonding before he should? “Do you think that’s the reason?”
“I know that’s the reason. Talia, you’re his mate. These men live for their mates and children. I know it’s difficult to understand right now, especially when you have all these feelings that you have never had before and don’t know what to do with them.” Brielle moves to sit on my bed as she continues to talk.
&nbs
p; “What I can tell you is that as soon as you bond, all those feelings make sense. I can’t explain the overwhelming love that you feel for your man the moment you mate. Yes, they are overprotective and overbearing, but I have never been happier, and if you ask any of the other women, they will tell you the same.” What she says is true. Half the time, I’m daydreaming of Celmund. The other half I’m arguing with myself about Celmund and the way I feel about him.
As I’m about to answer, there is another knock on the door. Raising my brows at Brielle, I see her shrug. Walking towards the door, I open it back and encounter a frowning Celmund on the other side.
“What the he—” Before I can finish my sentence, I’m in his arms and his lips are over mine. Instinct takes over, and I raise my arms around his neck. I can feel my heart racing and the warmth pooling between my legs. I’ve been kissed before, but never has a kiss overwhelmed all my senses like this one is doing.
I feel Celmund walking us both back into the room. I think I hear someone say something before I hear the bang of the door closing, but I’m not sure. Celmund lifts his head and looks deep into my eyes. “You’re mine.” I feel the thump of my heart at his words. My head is spinning, and I can feel my legs losing their strength. Before I can say anything, I feel myself losing consciousness.
CELMUND 11
I can feel Talia’s body start to fall when she closes her eyes. Picking her up, I turn and lay her down gently on the bed. When she walked away earlier after calling me out for fighting, I felt such an overwhelming feeling of loss that I couldn’t stay away from her. I know that I should have waited a bit longer before bonding with her, but there was not a chance in hell that I could hold back any longer.
Bion has confirmed that Talia will be able to extract the devices after more practice. Today, she was a little clumsy because of her nerves, and that’s something we can’t afford. I know that this mating is a bit hastened, but I couldn’t wait any longer. When I saw Rolf’s hands on her arms, I saw red. Never before have I felt such a feeling of possessiveness like I did at that moment.
When he said that she wasn’t mine yet, I knew that I would change that today. There is no way that I’m letting any other male close to my mate. Looking down at Talia, I see her start to convulse from the bonding. Bringing my wrist up to my lips, I tear at it until there is blood trickling. I place my arm under her upper back and pick her up as I place my wrist over her mouth, letting my blood trickle down her throat.
Knowing that my blood is bonding us has my heart racing in anticipation of consummating our mating. This woman is going to be mine from today onwards. Never again will I go through this life feeling empty and alone. Even though I had my brothers, they were never able to fill that hole in my soul that kept on growing. At this moment, I feel happiness, and soon, I will feel at peace. As my blood continues to trickle down her throat, her tremors diminish until she finally lies at peace in my arms.
I know it will take a while for her to awaken; therefore, I take her in my arms and sit down with her across my lap while I lean back against the headboard. Her head is leaning against my heart, and I stroke her soft dyed hair while I kiss the top of her head. My cock is straining painfully against my jeans, and I lift her slightly to move her off my erection, groaning with the movement.
Fuck, I’m so hot that I will explode at the slightest provocation. I lean my head back and close my eyes, taking in deep breaths to try to calm myself. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I know, I feel Talia moving her ass against me. I come awake with a start and groan as she rubs against my cock.
“Celmund?” I open my eyes and encounter her confused look as she stares at me. “Did I pass out?” Instead of answering her, I lower my head and take her lips in a blistering kiss. The moment I met her, I have wanted to take her in my arms and hold her tight against me. I kiss her until we’re both breathless before I lift my hand and stroke my thumb over her breast, feeling her nipple straining against her T-shirt. Suddenly, she wrenches her face away. Frowning, she lifts her hand to her lips as she squeezes her eyes shut.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Her eyes open, and I can see all the pent-up passion she’s holding at bay. “I don’t understand you. Should you even be doing this right now?”
“I can’t stay away from you any longer. The rest we will sort out.” I pull her back into my arms, but she holds her head back and her body stiff.
“You can’t just kiss me. We hardly know each other, and you seemed to be doing quite well by staying away.” I can hear the anger rising in her voice.
“Sweetheart, you know that I had to stay away from you because of the situation we’re in at the moment. If I hadn’t stayed away, we would have been bonded long before today, and then we might not have known what we know today, and the women would have been in greater danger than they already are.”
“So what changed? Because as far as I know, they are still in danger.”
“It’s just a matter of time. As soon as you’re ready, we can extract the devices, and they will be safe. I won’t be going out until this is all done, and no one will know that we’re already bonded.” I feel her stiffening at my words.
“What do you mean we’re already bonded?” Her voice comes out in a squeak, and she tries to stand, but I don’t let her.
“Sweetheart, I touched you. I explained to you that when I touched you, the bonding would begin. That’s why you passed out.” I see her eyes widen, and then she’s looking down at herself and then me. “What are you looking for?” I ask, curious, as it seems like she’s looking for something.
“It doesn’t look like anything’s different,” she murmurs, and if I’m not mistaken, she’s disappointed.
“What did you expect to be different?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t really think about it, but seeing as a touch bonds two people for eternity, I thought that maybe something extraordinary would happen,” she mumbles, and I notice her cheeks fill with colour.
I can’t help myself. I throw back my head and roar with laughter. My woman wants something extraordinary? Well, then, I will have to give her extraordinary. “Not funny,” she mumbles, but I can see a smile starting to lift her lips.
“Come here, sweetheart. I will give you extraordinary.” I pull her closer again and don’t give her a chance to complain. Taking her lips in a rough kiss, I feel her arms lift around my neck as I pull her closer. My fingers stroke her lower back where the T-shirt is slightly raised, and the feel of her smooth skin makes me want to tear her shirt from her body. Her fingers are entwined in my hair, pulling slightly as I continue kissing her.
Placing my hand under her legs, I lift her until she’s lying on the bed next to me and I’m leaning over her. I lift my head and stare into her eyes as my hand sneaks under her shirt up to where the skin meets the material of her bra. The lace of the bra tickles my finger as I stroke gently just under her full breasts and see her eyes lower in pleasure.
“You’re so beautiful,” I murmur. As I lower my head and kiss her neck gently, I can hear her breathing speed up. Her hand moves over my back, bringing an urgency to my movements. I want to bury myself as deep as possible in her body. I want to make her scream with pleasure as she comes apart in my arms, but for our first time, I need to be patient.
Covering her breast with my hand, I squeeze and then stroke as I continue to kiss her neck and her lips. When I hear her breathless whimpers, I finally crack and lift on my haunches to rip off my T-shirt. I see her eyes widen when she sees my body, and her tongue sneaks out to moisten her lips, making me groan.
“You’re driving me crazy,” I groan. Taking hold of the bottom of her T-shirt, I pull it up and over her head. Next, I unbutton her jeans and pull them down her legs. When she’s lying before me in her dark-green lacy underwear, I stop. She’s perfection. Her body was made for my hands, her curves to be worshipped.
Stretching over her lower body, I kiss her navel, both my hands now fondli
ng her breasts. I kiss lower until my teeth are pulling at her panties. My hands move towards the clasp of her bra, and I unhook it, letting it fall open while I continue to pull her panties down with my teeth. I know that if I look up and see her perky breasts, I will lose all control, so I keep my eyes closed. Bringing my hands down, I pull down her panties the rest of the way until she’s naked.
I finally sit up and look at my woman, her body glowing a beautiful golden colour in the glow of the light from the bathroom. Her nipples are pink and pebbled, begging for attention. Her beautiful pussy is bare of all hair. I quickly divest myself of my jeans and kickers and finally stand naked before her.
“Wow, you must work out a lot,” she murmurs as her eyes run over my body. Her eyes linger on my cock, and I see them widen before they snap up to my face. I know I’m smirking, but she did say she wanted extraordinary—well, she will get it.
Bending, I take hold of her ankles and pull her towards the edge of the bed. She gasps in surprise as her ass touches the edge of the bed. I go down on my knees between her legs and bury my head, my lips over her pussy.
“Cell . . . mund,” she groans as my tongue flicks out and I lick her juices. Her essence explodes in my mouth, awakening a hunger I have never had. I still need to take her blood, but I will do that just as we bond for eternity. I will also share my blood with hers when she’s in the throws of her orgasm. From what I have heard the others say, that is the easiest way for the women to take our blood, as they still find it repulsive to drink blood.
I continue to kiss, lick, and fondle her until I feel her muscles start to tighten. Standing, I place my hands under her arms and pull her back on the bed, and then I take my cock in my hand and place it at her entrance. “Are you ready for me, sweetheart?” I know she is, but I need her consent. When she nods at me, as her tongue flicks out and licks her lips in nervousness. I know I’m lost.
CELMUND: Elemental's MC (book 7) Page 8