Bianca Chapter 20
Chaos returned in the wee hours. He crawled into bed with me. I left Cambria to her bed a couple of hours prior. She’d been so tired, and I told her not to stay awake because of me. She and the baby needed plenty of rest, especially in the second trimester.
I woke up as soon as Chaos got into bed. I reached out and turned on my bedside lamp, then rolled over to face him. He appeared exhausted and something like haunted. I ran my hand from his temple to his jaw.
“Is it over?” I asked.
He nodded.
“You look wiped and bothered. Do you regret whatever happened? What you did?” I asked, praying that my need for justice hadn’t cracked Chaos in some way. I never wanted that.
“No, Binx, I don’t regret what I did. He deserved it all.
And make no mistake, I did most of it. I had to.
You needed it, and I needed to give it to you.
However, ending a life is never easy. And I have to sit with it and give it a bit of time to settle in.
I promise, I won’t be like this for long. ”
Chaos brought me close and hugged me. I sank onto his hard chest and absorbed his warmth and strength. I realized that I didn’t want the details. I refused to let those live in my head. But I wanted confirmation.
“Honestly, did he suffer? Did he regret what he did to Elodie and the others? Did he say why he did it?”
“Lioness, he was sick. I mean, really, truly, mentally ill. In his mind, he and Elodie were meant for each other. He saw what he did to her and the others not as rape. It was lovemaking. He wanted a baby. He said he planned a life with Elodie. When she killed herself, his fantasy took on a life of its own. He moved around, not wanting to believe she was dead.”
“Then what was she?” I snapped.
“He said she hid from him. So, he changed jobs and moved, always looking for her. And whenever he saw a woman who reminded him enough of her, he’d stalk and then find the best time to repeat what he did to Elodie. He honest to God thought they were her.”
“God. Did he say whether he was the one to drug me that night?” I asked.
“He didn’t exactly, but I got the impression that it was him.
He did say you interfered and kept him from Elodie, and he’d almost gotten you once.
Based on what he said, he had been watching her, and you were together all the time.
When you went on that ski trip, he saw it as his opportunity.
I don’t want you to blame yourself for going, Binx.
He would’ve waited and found the chance on another occasion. It was only a matter of time.”
I thought over what he said. I still felt guilty, but I saw he was right.
“And he suffered?” I verified.
“Oh, he did, but not just in a physical sense. We used his mind against him. He was caught in a nightmare he couldn’t escape.”
Noting the tiredness on his face, I wrapped my arms around him.
“Thank you, Cash. You don’t know how relieved this makes me. I’ll never forget this. But we can talk more about it later, if you want. Right now, you need sleep. Come here and put your head on my chest and close your eyes,” I said softly.
He maneuvered into position. I rubbed his head and face down to his upper arms, lulling him to sleep and making me sleepy too. My last memory was of his soft hair brushing the palm of my hand a second before feeling his whiskers.
?
After what happened two nights ago, I thought the club would remain, I don’t know, subdued.
However, I was wrong. And tonight proved it.
The club was gathered to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Instead of cooking as we did on Christmas, the guys insisted on having food catered and brought in.
We tried to tell them we’d do it again, but they refused, so we gave in.
I was kinda grateful. I knew Cambria would push herself to help, but she was too tired to do it.
We were all gathered in the common room after stuffing ourselves. Chatter, music, and laughter filled the space. One of the biggest moments of laughter came because of the Christmas decor still up.
When the clubhouse was decorated, Jalisa put up mistletoe in the doorways leading into the common room.
I’d heard her cackle about it. Whenever I’d been in the room, I watched to see if anyone got caught under them.
Of course, couples did, and it was no big thing to watch them kiss.
Chaos and I had done it more than a few times.
But the single guys were careful never to pass through a doorway with another brother or prospect. Or they had been.
There was plenty of alcohol flowing, and the guys were enjoying themselves. We were all talking when it happened. Mishap came walking up the hallway from where the rooms and bathroom were. Eagle had been headed that way. They met at the same time under the mistletoe.
Jalisa saw it and shouted. “Wait! Don’t move. You know the rules. You have to kiss under the mistletoe. It’s tradition. And you have to take a berry. There’s still some on it, so you can’t skip it.”
“Lunatic, you’re destined to be disappointed. It’s not gonna happen,” Wrath told her, chuckling.
Wanting to tease their brothers, the other guys all called out encouragement and crude suggestions. Thankfully, Dora was too young to understand them. She clapped and laughed because the adults were, which made us laugh harder.
Eagle and Mishap stared at each other. Then, so fast I thought I imagined it.
Their heads came together. For a second, I thought they were pretending to do it.
Then, I thought they were kissing each other on the cheek.
Gasps came from all around the room as their lips landed on each other’s.
And it wasn’t a peck on the lips and done.
They seriously kissed, and I think there could’ve been tongue involved. The room went quiet.
When they parted, I saw the grin on both their faces as they turned to us, bowed, and laughed.
The spell was broken when they put their arms around each other and went to the bar to get another beer.
I would’ve never in a million years thought my cousin would kiss another man.
It took me a few seconds to shake off the shock of it and get back to the party.
The kiss had been almost an hour ago. I was seated with the old ladies.
Chaos had wandered off to do something. He promised he’d be back soon.
The women sat on their old men’s laps. Dora was curled up asleep in a chair next to her parents.
She had a soft blanket under her, and her favorite stuffed toy in her arm. She never even moved at the noise.
I was involved in the discussion with Cambria about how hard it had been to keep food down.
I was telling her that I had a prenatal diet that would help with that, but I’d have to do a more in-depth assessment to find out what triggered her so that I could customize it.
It was the hush that came over the room that made me look up and around to see what caused it.
My gaze landed on Chaos walking toward me with a burning look in his eyes. I stopped mid-sentence.
When he reached me, I asked, “Why are you looking at me that way?”
“What way? Like you’re the love of my life and that I can’t live without you and I want to keep you with me always?”
“Yes, exactly like that,” I replied. My cheeks were warm with pleasure that he’d said that out loud, so everyone heard.
“It’s because it’s true, and I don’t give a damn who knows it. Promise that you’ll never leave me and will always be mine, Bianca,” Chaos said in a gruff tone.
“Chaos, I will never leave you, and I’ll always be yours. I love you,” I vowed.
His smile was radiant, and then he took the arm he had behind his back, the one I hadn’t noticed tucked there, and brought it forward.
It wasn’t empty. Hanging from it was a black leather cut.
It was like his, except smaller. And the back, which faced me, read, Property of Chaos, above the club’s emblem patch.
My breath caught. I secretly envied the property cuts the other three women wore.
“Then baby, I need you to wear this so everyone knows you’re my old lady. You belong to me, Lioness,” Chaos said a bit hoarsely.
I jumped to my feet and went to him. The club laughed and cheered as I hugged him, then raised on my toes to kiss him.
It was a deeply passionate kiss. When it ended, he gently pushed me away and then slid the cut over my arms. I hugged it close.
As I glanced down, I saw stitching over my heart.
It was in the same place as Chaos’s on his cut.
Mine read Lioness. His nickname for me was there for all to see.
I looked up at him. “I love it.”
“I’m glad,” he said.
Then any more words were prevented by the wave of people coming to hug and kiss us in congratulations. My cheeks hurt from smiling as Chaos stood with an arm securely around me.