LAILAH
SIXTEEN
Inever fell asleep, just laid on my bed, rehashing what just happened.
When I couldn’t take it any longer, I slipped out of bed and wandered over to the closet.
I knew Beth moved fast, and I shouldn’t have been shocked that all of my clothes were hung, folded, and placed on shelves, clean and ready for me.
I grabbed some comfy clothes and headed for the bathroom, needing a shower to rinse off the rest of this crazy day.
Turning the water as hot as it could go, I stripped down and hopped in.
It was then I noticed everything I had in my shower caddy was placed in here, ready for me to use.
Beth really doesn’t want me going back to the dorm.
Choosing to let that go further down on the list of things to deal with, I indulged in a long shower. I did not want to go back out there and face the conversation we needed to have about my meltdown.
“Trouble, you okay?” Parker called out.
I whipped around to find him standing in my bathroom.
“What the hell, Parker!” I screeched, trying to cover myself with my hands.
“Fuck, sorry,” Parker said, turning around. “I knocked a few times, and you didn’t answer me, so I was worried you lost it again.”
“As you can see, I’m fine. What are you still doing here while I’m in the shower naked?” I demanded.
“Beth wants to see us all in the library. She sent a text, but I’m guessing you didn’t get it,” Parker explained.
“Great, thanks, now get the fuck out of my bathroom.”
“Alright, I’m going, I’m going,” Parker said, but he paused at the door and turned to meet my gaze. “You should swear more, it's kind of hot.”
Before I could show him just how much I could swear, he left and shut the door behind him.
I liked Parker, and he was becoming one of my best friends, but I wasn’t in the habit of letting friends see me naked.
I wasn’t sure what pissed me off more—that he was totally comfortable waltzing into my bathroom with me in the shower, or the way my body tingled knowing he had seen me.
These are not thoughts you have about people who are your friends!
You just started something with Brayden; you slept together.
Get your head right. Parker is a flirt and likes to get under your skin.
Deal with the man you know you can count on first, then figure out how the rest of them fit in all this.
Shutting off the water, I toweled off and got dressed before I dealt with my hair.
If I had any other unwanted guests, I wanted to have clothes on.
I rushed to finish up in the bathroom and headed out to make my way to the library.
It appeared that I was the last one to get the memo since everyone else was seated, waiting for me.
Glancing around the room, looking for a seat, I hurried and slid in between Brayden and Hudson on the couch.
“Sorry, didn’t see the text,” I mumbled.
Beth just nodded to me and looked over everyone else gathered. “Alright, let’s start this off with the matter of Brayden and Lailah bonding the other night.”
I could feel my stomach sinking at her words. Please don’t tell me we’re going to talk about us having sex in front of everyone. Sensing my discomfort, Brayden grabbed my hand and held it in his lap, stroking my knuckles with his thumb.
“Lailah, there are a few aspects to being Synergy that I haven't discussed with you yet. There was so much to cover once you discovered who you are that I didn’t want to add this on until it was necessary. It seems that things have progressed faster than I anticipated,” Beth said as she glanced down at our conjoined hands.
“Remember when I told you that Aiden Reyvick, our school founder, had a vision about Synergy? He wrote in two different journals about the enlightened conversation he had with the angel that came to talk to him. One we were able to read right away and gave us the limited information we have had up to this point. The other was protected by an angel’s seal and was only able to be opened when Synergy came into power.
” Beth paused, looking at all of to see if we were following.
It struck me then that whatever she was going to tell us, the guys didn’t know about either.
“What I held back from telling you was that Synergy was meant to bond with each of the elements.
You control the ability to harness your own power, but additionally, you can take and give power to those you are bonded to.
Let me make it clear that the Oath and the Bond are two different steps.
The Oath is the first step in bonding yourself to each element.
That oath is to be taken very seriously—you are giving your word in front of the angels themselves.
From this new information, we gathered there was a warning that the Oath can be broken if the Blessed Warrior turns his back on Synergy to serve the darkness.
Once the Oath is given, then it progresses to the Bond.
The Bond is the physical part. Where the Oath is magical.
Once bonded, it is believed to be an unbreakable connection.
We are all adult enough here that I don’t think we need to go further into the details of that interaction.
I will only ask this once because it is my duty as your caretaker here.
Lailah, do we need to get you to a doctor? ”
My face flamed, and all I wanted was to sink into the couch and never be seen again. “No, I have an implant already, there’s no need.”
“Moving on then,” Beth said with a swift nod.
“Once both steps are completed, your powers are combined, and it will be that way forever. There is no changing what has been done. As each Bond is formed, we will need to work with both parties on how to control the new power levels they will both have. Any questions?”
The way that Beth was talking about the bond made me think that I was missing something in all this. It was staring me right in the face, and I just wasn’t seeing it. Seeing or feeling that I was struggling to understand, Brayden squeezed my hand, drawing my attention.
“What Beth is trying to explain is that you and I are connected to each other for life.”
My jaw fell open at the shocking reality of his words. Now that I had bonded with Brayden, he was tied to me for life. How could I have done this to him without knowing!?
“Angel, listen, you might not have known what it meant to have bonded—but I did. I went into this knowing that accepting the Oath meant that you would be the only woman for me for the rest of my life. Before finding out that you were Synergy, I struggled with keeping my distance, because I knew that at any moment I might have to leave you. Not everyone agreed with Ryevick’s assumptions that Synergy would be human.
I always suspected it would be a woman. How else could the Bond have worked between all of us? ”
I sat there, silent, as I searched his face and reached for our Bond to understand what he was feeling right now.
Finding what I was looking for, he let his emotions free, drowning me in his affection and confidence that he made the right choice.
He didn’t feel trapped or upset that he was stuck with me. Quite the opposite—he was thrilled.
“Lailah, I know this is a lot to take in, and you and Brayden I’m sure will need to have a more personal talk, but there is more,” Beth hedged, breaking me out of my connection with Brayden.
“Oh good, there's more,” I muttered.
Hudson chuckled.
“Nona, Mr. Phillips, and I have all been going over the new journal the last few weeks, and there is a matter that we have to discuss with all of you.” This caused all the guys to sit up a little straighter, their attention trained on Beth.
“Synergy was brought to us as the ultimate weapon, but this weapon can be used by either side. What we have learned is that Lailah is in danger until she has bonded with each of you. This would cut off any chance that the demons could come and take her from us.”
“More Elementi propaganda bullshit,” Micah bellowed, jumping to his feet.
“Shut the fuck up, Micah, no one cares what you think,” Parker growled, flipping him the bird.
Before the room could erupt into a fight between the two of them, Hudson cut in. “It might help if you could explain that more. I’m not sure I understand. How could the demons have anything to do with a heavenly being?”
Both Micah and Parker paused, waiting to hear the answer.
“That’s the thing. Lailah isn’t a heavenly being, she’s a human.
The rule of free will still applies, even to her.
If she decided to turn away from us and leave to join the demons, then that is her choice.
By completing the Bond with all of you, it is her deciding to stay on our side.
She will bless us with the chance to fight the darkness and bring peace back to our turbulent world. ”
This information was like a slap in the face. It made all of my strange nightmares and the hallucinations I had make more sense. “Wait, why did the demon that took over Mallory want to kill me if they could use me?”
“We believe that they wanted to take you from the world before you came into power, removing the chance you would side with us. If the threat is taken out before it’s a true threat, then they are no longer in danger,” Beth answered.
“But, this second attack on you had more to it than just trying to draw you to the Dark Lord. When he poisoned you, it gave them a hook into your mind. Parker and Brayden explained what happened today, and I believe it was induced partly because some of the demon venom is still in your system.”
That made sense in a strange, twisted way.
The whole thing seemed so unlike me that it was comforting to know it wasn’t just me going crazy, but the demons using my fear against me.
What I still couldn’t wrap my brain around was that if I wanted to live without fear of turning demonic, I would need to fully bond with all five of the men in this room.
I looked at them, studying each for a moment.
Jay was someone I counted on to have my back and to always look after me.
Parker was the guy who could always make me laugh and forced me to have fun and try new experiences.
Micah—Micah’s anger, all of a sudden, became clearer.
Of course he resented me for who I was—who wanted to be forced into a lifelong relationship with someone?
If what Parker said was true, and he didn’t even want to be a Blessed Warrior, then he would hate being bonded to me.
Then there was Hudson, my nerd with a heart of gold.
He helped me take a deep breath and look at things logically.
There was always a solution if you just took the time to find it.
But I wasn’t sure any of them felt any kind of romantic feelings towards me.
Wait, when did anyone say that it had to be romantic?
Maybe what happened between Brayden and I was just that, between the two of us.
I didn’t have to sleep with all of them, did I?
Then I remembered the feeling of the Bond solidifying into something unbreakable when we’d had sex.
All hope I had to reason my way out of this was gone like a balloon being popped.
“What do we do now?” I said, more to myself than to anyone in particular.
The room was silent, as if no one really had the answer. I tried to fight against the urge to run and hide in my room, but this wasn’t just about me anymore. I had five other people who this directly affected.
“First things first, you will be living here from now on. I can’t allow you to be alone and not have one of the boys around you after what almost happened.
Besides this strange happening, it seems that your power has leveled out somewhat since you bonded with Brayden.
I think you will gain more control each time you do so.
The boys will keep a closer eye on you, much like they were doing before your powers came to light,” Beth said, breaking the tension.
“When school starts after Christmas break, I will be changing your whole schedule. We need to get you in physical defense classes as well as demonology, elemental manipulation, and the like. I know you and Mr. Phillips have been going over the history that you don’t already know, but we need to get you on the fast track. ”
“Okay, it looks like you already moved me in for the most part anyway. I’ll just need to go back and collect the last of my things,” I said, knowing that everything she was saying was wise.
“No need, we have everything here already. They are just cleaning the last of it before they bring the boxes to your room. Does anyone have any other questions? I wanted to make sure we are all on the same page.” After a beat, when no one made a move, she clapped her hands together and sent us on our way.
“Dinner will be ready shortly, so don’t go wandering off too far. Oh, Lailah, could you stay a moment?”
Staying where I was seated, Beth waited for the guys to leave the room before she turned her attention back to me.
“With everything going on, I didn’t get to tell you that if you still want the kitchen tomorrow, you are more than welcome to it.
Sarah did say that if she could be of any help to please ask. ”
I had all but forgotten that tomorrow was going to be Thanksgiving. “I have a list of ingredients that I need. Would she be able to tell me what I need to get if you don’t have it already?”
“I am sure she would be happy to. If you want to email me the list, I will make sure she gets it. Don’t worry about going to get things yourself.
We are more than happy to provide what you need.
You are feeding everyone, so it only makes sense,” Beth said with a smile.
“I, for one, am very excited to try all that comes with a Thanksgiving meal.”
I returned her smile, feeling a bubble of excitement well up. Finally, something fun to look forward to after all the crazy that’s been going on.