Ceric Read online

  “Hellcat, you don’t have to be jealous. I’m all yours now,” he says with a twinkle in his eye. He has his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, his biceps bulging. The tattoo sleeves make my mouth water when I imagine passing my fingers over them. One arm has the face of a beautiful crying woman surrounded by different designs that all blend in so well. I wonder who the woman might be. The other arm has an intricate pattern that catches the eye with its beauty.

  “Well, I’m not yours!” I say angrily, but the more I fight it, the more drawn I am to him. I want to just find Sam and get out of here as soon as possible. Even though I want him with a desperation I have never felt before, I can’t be drawn to a man like him, a man surrounded by women at every turn.

  “Not yet,” he replies gruffly.

  “Okay, enough, we need to go, dude,” Bjarni growls as he starts to leave the room. Just then, there’s a squeal from outside.

  “Oh my goodness, look at this, Jasmine! I didn’t know they had them this size.” And then I hear laughter.

  “Don’t touch that crap, baby girl,” I hear Bjarni warn. “You never know what Ceric’s been doing with it.”

  “Piss off,” Ceric snaps. Huffing, I march out of the room right behind Bjarni, only stopping when I see Aria, Gabriela, and another beautiful woman whom I’m guessing is Jasmine. All three are staring down at the sheet with Ceric’s collection.

  “What is that for?” Jasmine asks curiously as she stares at an anal hook. I hear Bjarni groan next to me.

  “You use it for your ass,” Gabriela answers quietly.

  “How the fuck do you know that, baby girl?” Bjarni roars, a surprised look on his face.

  “I saw something like it once,” she answers grumpily.

  “Why would anyone want to put that horrible metal thing in their ass?” Jasmine asks, looking over my shoulder. By the hairs standing on my neck, I know Ceric’s standing right behind me.

  “Oh, fuck, let’s go. We don’t have time for this,” Ceric says. “Jas, just forget about it, okay, honey?” The tenderness I hear in his voice surprises me. Up till now, I have only seen his cocky side. Maybe there is a deeper side to him. He walks past me and places an arm around Jasmine’s shoulders, and then Aria’s. “We’re leaving now. Are you ladies coming to say goodbye to us?” He’s already guiding them away as he speaks.

  Bjarni has pulled Gabriela against his side, an arm around her waist, his hand resting on her huge stomach. Looking at the two of them, I am surprised at the love I see between them. I’m not a believer in love, as everything in my life has shown me that the love everyone speaks about is a pipe dream. There’s lust and maybe affection, but I have never seen deep love before. Maybe these two in front of me have it; looking at Bjarni, no one would ever say that such a dangerous and scary-looking guy would be so caring with anyone.

  “Shall we go, sweetheart?” I forgot about Bion. He’s standing next to me with a cocky smile on his face as he presents his arm. I laugh at his playfulness; placing my hand on his arm, I follow the others. I see Ceric look back at us and tense, but then he turns back around and continues to guide the women.

  “Where are we going?” I ask curiously.

  “To get your friend. Are you ready?” I’m surprised; I thought we were only going tomorrow. I nod in response. To be honest, I’m not. I would rather leave these guys to do it without me, but I need to find out more about what that Keres said to me.

  “You know,” Bion says quietly, slowing his pace, “give him a chance. He hides behind that air of cockiness, but you will be surprised at the person he is.” At his words, I stop. Looking up at him, I see seriousness in his expression. Is it possible that the tenderness I heard in Ceric’s voice when he spoke to Jasmine is part of that person Bion is speaking about?

  “Why?” I ask, curious to know why Bion thinks I should give Ceric a chance.

  “It’s not my place to tell you. All I can say is look deeper than what’s on the surface, and you will see. I think both of you deserve to find happiness.” With that, he continues to guide me until we reach the garage.

  I see a guy I haven’t seen before. By the way he is holding Aria, I’m guessing he is Brandr. He’s looking down at her with a tender look lighting his face as she looks up at him, smiling. The two of them look just as in love as Bjarni and Gabriela. Hearing a gurgling sound, I see Wulf holding his son with one arm, and the other is around Jasmine, a frown marring his forehead.

  “What the fuck, angel? Why the hell do you want to know that?” I notice he keeps his voice low not to frighten the baby. I’m guessing Jasmine must have asked him about the anal hook, if his expression is anything to go by. I nearly laugh out loud when I hear Ceric groan.

  The guys all stop what they are doing when they hear Wulf. Jasmine explains the reason for her curiosity, increasing Wulf’s anger. “How the hell did you see it?” he asks.

  “Well, they were all lying outside his room wrapped in a sheet.” At her words, the guys look over at me. Brandr is the first to throw his head back and laugh, and then they’re all laughing, except for Wulf, who is now scowling at Ceric.

  “What?” Ceric calls to him. “She would have never seen it if Nova hadn’t thrown all my stuff out.”

  “Really? You going to blame this on me?” I ask, annoyed. “It’s not my fault you’re a perv.” Looking at the guys still laughing at Ceric, I say, “Do you know that he even had a male blow-up doll hanging from the ceiling?” At that, I see Draco bend over in laughter.

  “Why would he have a male blow-up doll?” I hear Aria ask. Brandr is laughing just as hard as Draco. He tries to answer but can’t.

  “Maybe because these fuckers put it there. I didn’t care, so I just left it,” Ceric says.

  “Oh, man . . . this is worth all the trouble we went through to put it up there,” Burkhart confesses happily. “It’s even better than when he saw it.”

  “You think that’s funny, you should see the fucking doll now. She threw all his Fairbairn Sykes fighting knives at it. It’s hanging there like a limp cock all torn up,” Bion teases.

  “Oh, fuck, I have to see this.” Brandr laughs, hurriedly making his way out of the garage. All the guys except for Bjarni, Wulf, and Ceric follow.

  “You do know that you have completely destroyed my reputation, don’t you?” Ceric says grumpily as he mounts his bike. His dejected look makes me laugh; he looks like a small kid who’s just lost his candy.

  “Hi, sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier, but I was kind of surprised. I’m Jasmine,” the woman beside Wulf says with a big smile on her face. “I think this is the most I have seen the guys laugh since I met them.”

  “I’m pleased to have accomplished that, then.” Before we can continue talking, the guys return with big smiles on their faces.

  “Listen up, everyone, let’s get this show on the road. Aria, Burkhart is carrying this small camera with him.” At that, Draco points to a small object pinned to the collar of Burkhart’s T-shirt. “If you want him to stop so you can listen to a specific person’s thoughts, just tell him who it is. He will be using an earpiece and will make sure to point the camera at them.” He then turns, looking directly at me. “Nova, you will be in the SUV with Bion and Caelius. When we get to where we’re going, you will stick to Ceric and do everything he says. Are we in agreement?”

  At my nod, he continues. “Okay, then, all we need now is for you to tell us where we are going.”

  CERIC 5

  The location Nova pointed out to us is about thirty minutes out of town, an abandoned factory that we had no idea the Keres had taken over. We’re about five minutes out. The bikes and the SUV have been parked, and we’re now making our way on foot. We’re trying to avoid them knowing we are coming, even though they may feel the energy spike when we get closer.

  Nova’s walking next to me, almost running, as her legs are much shorter than ours. Caelius and Draco are ahead, scouting out the area. The rest of the guys are taking up the rear.
Before we left, Celmund showed us satellite images of the factory. We know exactly where we’re going and how we’re able to enter. The only concern is trying to keep Nova safe; I swear, if she doesn’t listen to me, I will spank her ass until she knows who wears the pants in this relationship.

  Relationship! I had hoped but never really believed that I would find my mate. Her presence next to me warms my blood to a slow simmer; every time she takes a deep breath, her chest expands, tightening her black T-shirt over her luscious breasts.

  Fuck, I need to keep my head in the game or its going to get blown off, and I’m not talking about my cock, because that one’s been trying to get in the game since the minute I saw my hellcat. “Make sure you do everything I tell you, and stay by me at all times,” I insist once again.

  “You already told me. You don’t have to keep repeating yourself. Jeez, have a little faith. What do you think I am, a kid?” she argues. Damn woman never stops, but her tense shoulders and flashing blue eyes just manage to harden my manhood even more. I swear, I’m going to bust a nut if I don’t get relief soon.

  “Stop arguing and just listen to me, okay?” I insist.

  “Okay,” she says.

  Draco lifts his hand before us, and everyone stops. “This is where we split up. Move,” he instructs into our earpieces. Nova, Burkhart, and I will go in through a side window, while Bjarni, Caelius, and Wulf take the back. Draco, Bion, and Brandr will breach the front.

  We are nearly at our destination when shots are fired. Shit. “Run,” I command. Nova doesn’t have to be told twice. She takes off, surprising me with her speed. I place myself before her, moderating my speed to match hers in case anyone has us in their sights. Reaching the windows that we are supposed to enter, I motion to Burkhart to check that the windows aren’t rigged before we open them.

  “Clear,” he calls, already making his way inside.

  “You next,” I say, looking around to make sure no one sneaks up behind us. When I look back at the window, Nova’s ass is up in the air as she makes her way through the window. Fuck me; my jeans are so tight, they are starting to cut the blood circulation to my cock. If I’m not careful, the damn thing will fall off from starvation.

  Climbing through the window, I groan in pain as my jeans tighten around my balls. “Seriously, asshole, we are in the middle of a fight. Can’t you control your dick?” Burkhart growls quietly next to me as I straighten.

  Adjusting myself, I glare at him as I walk stiffly towards where I notice Nova is peeping out of a door. “Are you ready?” Looking back at me, she nods. “Okay, then, get behind me.” I open the door quietly and start to move down a long corridor with doors on both sides. When we are nearly at the end of the corridor, I see a door open right before me, and I am staring at the end of a .35, though fortunately not down the barrel.

  Grabbing the barrel of the gun, I pull the asshole all the way out, punching him as his face comes into view. Now dazed, the asshole staggers. Pulling back my fist, I punch him again. He tries to kick, but I grab his leg and pull, unbalancing him. As he falls, Burkhart throws a blade straight to his heart before he hits the ground. He gurgles for a second before he closes his eyes and his body starts to disintegrate.

  “Well, look at that, he was an air bender,” Burkhart jokes as the guy’s body completely disintegrates before us. Looking over at Nova, I see a shocked look on her face as she looks at the area where the Keres was. Now only his gun remains. “Nova?” I call, trying to get her attention, but her eyes won’t leave the spot where the Keres was.

  “Nova!” I call forcefully, trying to get her attention. Reluctantly, as if in a trance, she looks over at me, a confused look in her eyes.

  “Where is he?” she whispers, as if the Keres might hear.

  “He’s dead,” Burkhart replies with a raised eyebrow, as if he doesn’t understand how she can’t see that.

  At Burkhart’s reply, she pales. “How did he disappear?” Her eyes are haunted as she looks at me. All I want to do is take her in my arms and assure her that it’s okay.

  “I thought you knew we were different?” How the hell could we have brought her here not knowing what we are capable of?

  “Yes, different, like me. Not disappearing different,” she stutters. “How do you do that?”

  “Hellcat, we each bend a specific element. When we die, we transform into that element. The only difference is that our body doesn’t continue here as the humans do,” I try to explain.

  “What element are you?” she asks, her hands clasped tightly before her.

  “I’m earth.”

  “So do you, like, become a tree or something?” At her question, Burkhart smothers a laugh with a cough.

  “No, I disintegrate into sand particles,” I reveal, seeing her eyes widen.

  “Fuck, Burkhart, did you have to kill that asshole in front of Aria?” I hear Brandr’s tirade on my earpiece. “She’s fucking losing her shit, worried that I’m going to disintegrate like that. Fuck.”

  I see Burkhart tense at Brandr’s angry tirade; Burkhart has taken the job of being Aria’s protector. When Brandr’s not around, we usually find Burkhart hovering around her, keeping her safe. Knowing that something he did has somehow touched her will mess with his head. Burkhart doesn’t take failure well, especially when women are involved.

  “Let’s get this fucking over with. Enough talking,” Draco growls in our earpiece.

  “Let’s move,” I command, looking over at Nova’s tense body. “You okay to continue?” I’m going to have to sit down with her after this and explain everything to her. After a few seconds of staring at me, she nods.

  We continue down the corridor until we reach the stairs that lead below ground. As I start to descend, I hear a noise below. Stopping, I crouch, waiting for whomever it is to come into view. As two Keres start running up the stairs with guns drawn, I get ready to take aim, when Nova tells them to stop and lower their guns in that melodic voice of hers.

  To my and Burkhart’s surprise, they do what she says. “You are going to do exactly what these two tell you to do. Do you understand?” At their confirmation, she looks over at me. “All yours.” She smirks. I’m happy to see that the shock of seeing that guy disintegrate has lifted, and she seems to be back to her exasperating ways again.

  “Which one, sweetheart?” I hear Burkhart say tenderly. Looking back, I see him turn towards the guy standing before us on the left. Aria must have asked to read one of them. While she does, I make sure they don’t have any more weapons.

  Moving closer, I command, “Drop all your weapons.” I see them grimace, but they drop their weapons. “What is down here?” I ask.

  “Cells,” one of them says.

  “How many men are down here?” Burkhart asks aggressively.

  “Three.”

  “Turn around,” I command. As soon as they turn, the last thing they feel is the butt of my gun on their heads as they lose consciousness.

  “Why did you do that?” Nova asks. “They were doing everything you told them.”

  “I don’t have anything to tie them up with at the moment, and I don’t know how long your persuasion will last once we’re gone.”

  “Aria says they have cameras filming down here. They are trying to see how Nova’s persuasion works,” Burkhart says. “I suggest you don’t use it while we’re here, sweetheart.”

  “Can’t we just disable the cameras?” she asks.

  “Just listen, okay? And be good. No persuasions.” She stiffens her shoulders as she usually does when she’s about to argue, but then I hear her huff in annoyance.

  “Fine,” she grumbles.

  We continue until we’re looking down another corridor, this one with five doors. One of the doors at the end is open, and I can see a desk with a laptop on it. Raised voices come from behind another closed door to our left. Lifting my finger to my lips, I look at Nova, letting her know she needs to be quiet.

  Burkhart moves towards the closest door to us, a
nd the door swings open noiselessly. Looking in, he shakes his head, letting us know it’s empty. Moving towards the door to my left, I listen to see if there is any sound from inside. At the silence that greets me, I turn the handle, opening it. I see a woman tied to a bed. Her lip is swollen and bleeding, and I also notice bruises on her upper arms, but otherwise, she seems fine. At our entrance, her head turns towards us, her grey eyes widening in surprise. I again place my finger to my lips, showing her that she needs to keep quiet. She nods in understanding.

  Nova moves towards her and starts to untie her. I place the tip of the barrel of my gun on her hand, stopping her. “Is this Sam?” I ask only loud enough for her to hear. I see her frown before she shakes her head.

  “Who are you?” I ask. Burkhart closes the door so our conversation isn’t heard.

  “I’m Brielle. Are you here to help me?” she asks just as quietly as we are being.

  “Why are you here?” I ask without answering her question.

  “I don’t know. One minute I’m at work, and the next I’m tied up here. Where is here, anyway?”

  “Where is work?”

  “Why aren’t you answering my questions?” At my set jaw, she huffs, “The hospital in Cape Town.”

  “What’s your last name, Brielle?”

  “Soares,” she says with a slight accent.

  “Did you get that, Brother?” I hear Celmund confirm in the earpiece. I will not help this woman until Celmund has given me the go ahead. “How long have you been here, Brielle?”

  “I don’t know, but I would say over a week, maybe.”

  “There is a Brielle Soares reported missing in the Cape Town area. She’s telling the truth. She’s a nurse at the hospital there, and she’s been missing going on two weeks,” Celmund states. “Aria also confirms what she’s saying.”

  “Okay, Brielle, we’re going to untie you and take you out of here, but you are going to have to be quiet. Can you walk?” I ask. Nova is already untying her and helping her sit up in the bed. I can see her grimace slightly, but other than that, she seems fine.