LAILAH
THIRTEEN
Hearing Brayden’s promise flipped a switch in me, and my body exploded with a new power. It was almost like someone else was using my body as a conduit for them to funnel their essence through. Something about it made me think about the night my power first manifested and I talked to the angel.
I opened my eyes and found Brayden on his knees, his body glowing with green energy, and two daggers in his hands that glowed with the same pure white light.
As I looked at him, it was almost like I could see a shadow of another figure flickering deep within him, dressed like a medieval knight.
Power drew me in, and I was a puppet in my own body.
“Brayden, Knight blessed with Earth’s power, Warrior for the angels.
I find you true of heart and mind, upholding the agreement given to your ancestors.
Do you accept the eternal bond to protect the people of this world, and vow to cherish the vessel that holds the gift of Synergy, who has been placed in your protection?
” I heard myself ask Brayden with a voice that echoed with another.
“I, Brayden Dolton, Blessed Elementi Warrior gifted with Earth’s power, vow to cherish and protect this world, my fellow brothers, and the one bound to us as Synergy; or my life be forfeit,” Brayden whispered, bowing his head and presenting his daggers to me.
My hand reached out and touched him on the shoulder. “Rise, faithful one, and seal your Oath.”
Brayden rose to his feet, his daggers disappearing from his hands as he cupped my face between his hands. “I have been waiting for you all my life, even if I didn’t know it.”
He placed a gentle kiss on my lips, causing our power to burst forth and whip around us like a tornado as a tether snapped into place between us. I could feel a new flickering power resting in my soul, a piece of Brayden to be with me forever.
Brayden stiffened at the exchange, but only for a second.
Next thing I knew, his hand wrapped around the back of my head, holding me steady for him to kiss me more thoroughly.
I melted into his kiss, letting him lead as I felt his power flow into me and mine into him.
I couldn’t tell where I ended and he started.
He moved his other hand to my lower back, pulling my body to mold against his.
He pushed us till I bumped against the wall, but that only gave him the leverage to deepen his kiss.
His hand moved to my side, sneaking under my shirt so that his powerful grip held my waist. I could feel the calluses on his palms, rough against my skin, sending tingles up my spine.
I let out a small moan, reveling in the feeling of our power and his touch.
My approval caused his power to surge through us and around us till I felt the foundation of the building begin to rattle.
Brayden broke the kiss first, shoving himself an arm’s length away, panting, “If you keep making sounds like that, I’m going to bring this building down around us.”
Snapping out of my haze of power, I felt my cheeks flush, embarrassed at what I’d just done. Brayden's face glowed, seeming more than happy with how things had turned out.
“If I’d known that bonding with Synergy would be that amazing, I would’ve led the search party to find you sooner,” Brayden said, dropping his hands from me and running them through his hair, causing it to stand on end.
“Is it safe to look now?” Cami’s voice called out from behind me.
“Oh my God, Cami, when did you get here?” I asked, shocked, my cheeks flaming deeper with embarrassment.
“Um, Lala, I’ve been here the whole time. You called me but didn’t say anything. So I came up to find out what was going on and discovered you on a rampage to kill every bitch in this building,” Cami explained, wiping at her red eyes.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I? You’ve been crying!” I gasped, rushing over to her and squashing her head on my boobs.
“Not that I don’t appreciate your hug, but don’t you think this is a little inappropriate to do in front of your boyfriend, who you were just climbing like a tree?”
“Ugh, you're totally fine,” I let Cami go and gave her a little shove.
“I’m just looking out for you, girl. I don’t want lover boy over there to get the wrong idea about us,” Cami said, grinning from ear to ear.
But her smile faded as she looked around the room again.
“I think it might be best if you stay with the boys tonight. It’s going to take a few loads of laundry and a shit-ton of air freshener to get this place back to normal. ”
I didn’t want to look over my room again, afraid that it would trigger me into another rage.
Strong hands grasped my shoulders and pulled me back against a solid chest. “Come on. I’m sure I can lend you something to sleep in, and we’ll figure this out tomorrow.
You need to rest. It may not have hit you yet, but using that much power is going to wipe you out,” Brayden said.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I settled back against Brayden. “You’re right, this will still be here tomorrow, no reason to stress about it now.”
Brayden took my hand and led me out of my room, leaving Cami, who was on the phone. My money was on Beth—she would be the first person any of them called when there was a problem.
“How did you know what was going on?” I asked Brayden once we were in the elevator.
Brayden slipped his hand around my waist and pulled me close. Our powers hummed against each other in a comforting way, reassuring me of the Bond we now shared.
“Cami called me demanding that I come ASAP because you were about to bring down a building. Thankfully, I was home and could get here fast enough.”
“What else would you be doing on a Tuesday night?” I asked, curious but also a bit jealous.
Typically, I was never one to be jealous of others, but now that Brayden was bonded to me, the green-eyed monster reared its ugly head.
I shook myself out of it. I had no right to be jealous for any reason.
We may have made out a few times, but we’d never talked about what that meant.
He didn’t answer me right away as we stepped out into the lobby and made our way down the steps to Parker’s waiting bike.
“Lailah,” Brayden said, grabbing my hand and turning me to look at him. “Do you remember what I asked you at the Halloween party when you apologized for being a cock block to us all after your declaration to Mallory?”
I frowned, trying to think back to that night, but many of the little details had been lost to me. “There are a lot of things that I can’t remember from that night. I’m sorry, you're going to have to remind me.”
“I said ‘What if we were all yours and not interested in anyone else?’”
I was struck dumb at his words. He can’t really mean that.
There is no way that all five of these guys liked me that way, let alone them all being okay dating the same girl.
How could this ever work? Wouldn’t they get jealous and fight even more than they already do?
There is no way that Micah would ever see me as anything more than a friend he merely tolerates.
He can't even talk to me right now because he has nothing nice to say. Parker is practically my other best friend, but he wouldn’t be interested in more .
. . would he? Jay and I are close, but I don’t ever get a romantic vibe off of him, same with Hudson.
“Stop. I can see your mind running a million miles per hour,” Brayden said, taking my head in his hands as if that would slow down my panic.
“What I’m trying to say is that I, personally, am all in, whatever that looks like for us and this new bond.
As for the others, I’m not saying this is going to happen overnight, but I just wanted you to know it could be a possibility.
There are a few aspects to being Synergy that we haven't quite gone over yet.” Before I could ask what that was, he held up a hand.
“We are not going over that tonight. A lot has already happened, no need to add more to the plate that’s already full.
Come on, let's get you back to the house.”
I hopped on the bike behind Brayden and snuggled into him like I had always wanted to do to Parker.
It was definitely helping to settle my nerves.
There was something about Brayden that always seemed to ground me, keeping me calm.
I felt safe with all the guys—even Micah—but with Brayden, there just seemed to be a different level of trust. He was my rock and always stood by me.
Even after I lashed out at him last week, he’d raced over here to help me, not even knowing what really was going on.
As Brayden drove, I settled into myself and found that the new connection between the two of us glowed in the darkness.
It was a pale green light, and when I touched it, it filled my body with warmth and love.
Could I feel Brayden’s emotions? Or was I just projecting my own?
Then the warmth turned hotter, setting my skin on fire, flooding my body with need that I’d never felt before.
It reminded me of that dream I had of Brayden and Parker on the dance floor and how they made my body burn for them.
Brayden shivered as I felt the heat seep into his skin.
He parked the bike close to the door and yanked me off, cradling me to his body.
He ushered us inside and then kicked the door shut with his foot, tossing the keys on the counter of the kitchen before racing to the stairs.
Surprised at his need to rush, I looked up and saw his eyes filled with desire.
The urge to drag his face down so I could kiss him was overwhelming.
Taking the stairs two at a time, we made it to the second floor in record time.
Darkness filled the rec room, but that didn’t slow Brayden down at all.
Kicking open his door, he stalked over to the bed and placed me gently on it before he turned and shut the door, locking it with a soft click.