Page 6 of Bear It All
My kind were rare, and not many knew about us. Unlike shifters or vampires, there were too few of usto ever join together and defend ourselves. Elements didn’t live in communities or travel in packs. We kept to ourselves, moving often and trying to leave no trace behind. Our beginning had left us alone, vulnerable, and hunted. Not to mention that shifters tended to dislike us because we could boost the power of their number one enemy—vampires.
The blood of an Element was like steroids for vampires. It boosted all their innate abilities, and if they were old enough, they could adapt their connection to the Element while the blood was still in their system. If Mikhail realized the magic was comingfromme, notatme, things could change in a second.
I couldn’t deny the fact that there was something about Mikhail that drew me to him. I was hypersensitive, acutely aware of where he was whenever we were in the same room. When he looked at me, it felt like he could read my mind. With just his ice-blue gaze, it felt like he was sucking me out of the shadows and into the light. It was exhilarating and terrifying. There couldn’t be anything between us. I couldn’t have anything distract me from my purpose for being there.
As good as he looked, as delicious as he smelled, as much as I relived the few moments I had spent in his arms, we weren’t meant to be. The fact that I had to avoid both him and Bianca should have been enough to shut down the response I was having to him. I wasn’t a sexual being. I wasn’t someone ruled by their desires, so I didn’t know why I turned into ahedonistic fiend as soon as I was around Misha.
Mikhail!I had to stop calling him Misha. The nickname implied a closeness that didn’t exist—couldn’texist—between us. Class ended, and I was still zoned out, desperately trying not to think about Mikhail. In reality, it was all I had been doing. I hung back, packing my bag slowly to try to avoid another run-in with Bianca. I paused.Is this what I am reduced to? Lurking in the shadows, constantly having to hold myself back and let people run over me in the process?
All through dinner, my thoughts kept circling.Is this what my parents would have wanted? Is this what my mother meant when she told me to hide?I stuck to my corner table and kept my head down as I picked at the meal on my plate. A shiver ran down my spine, alerting me to Mikhail’s presence. I was proud of the control I had when I didn’t so much as give a blink of acknowledgment when he tried to make his presence known.
Keeping my hand steady grew harder after that, and I gave up on dinner. Dumping the remnants into the trash, I headed for my room. Once inside, I looked around the small space, debating what to do with myself. It felt too tight in there—stifling. I needed open space and fresh air. Looking out the window, I saw the moon making its way across the sky, and the irresistible urge to get out of the building overtook any rational thought I could have had at that moment.
Quickly dressing and slipping my phone into my pocket, I snuck out of my room as quietly as Icould and made my way to one of the back exits. Technically, students weren’t allowed outside the stone walls after 8 p.m., but I knew that was a rule frequently broken. Between parties and hookups, there were plenty of grounds for students to slip off to. Then there were the shifters, who went for runs in their animal forms at least once a month—that I knew of.
Once immersed among the tree cover, I finally felt like I could take a full breath. I tilted my head back and smiled at the full moon hanging high above me. Walking slowly through the forest, I spread my hands out so I could feel all the trees and plants as I was passing. They siphoned energy from me as soon as we touched, and it was exhilarating. For once, it felt like I was in control, and I made my way through the forest both healing myself and the nature around me.
There was a break in the foliage ahead, and I realized it was the furthest I had ever gone on the university grounds. As I stepped through the last few trees, I found myself at the shore of a beautiful, calm lake. It was so still that it looked like glass, with a giant moon reflected on the surface. Before I could talk myself out of it, I stripped out of my shirt and pants, took off my socks and sneakers, and dove into the lake.
I was expecting the temperature to be shockingly cold, but it was delightfully temperate, like a warm spring. As soon as I was deep enough, I dunked under the water, letting it surround me. The watermoved with my body, my powers manipulating the drops as I swam and dove. I played in a way I hadn’t since childhood. Happy and sated, I rolled onto my back so I could float in the water under the moonlight. It felt like I was right underneath it, close enough to touch if I reached far enough.
Unsure of how much time had passed, I felt settled for the first time since I had gotten to the school. The time outdoors, the freedom to use my powers unrestricted for a bit, gave me renewed vigor. I felt lighter, freer. My skin glowed under the moonlight, and for a moment, I was taken aback by how strong the light was. I felt connected to everything around me, the water holding me up, the sky looking down on me, the earth that met the lake, where the water gently swelled onto the shore.
The quiet out there was blissful and soothing. I continued to float, skipping water around my body and gently pushing at the current to make sure I wasn’t straying too far from land. From far away, an odd sound caught my attention. It wasn’t the sound of an animal, or the wind, but something more akin to abeepor aclick.
Lowering my body into the water, I looked toward the shore to try to identify the sound. There were shadowy figures I wouldn’t be able to make out even if it were daylight. I didn’t need light, though, because their auras were familiar. If I thought I had any chance of catching them, I would have tried to get to the shore faster. But I knew there was nothing I could do against a clan of shifters, especially in myrole as human. Snorts and giggles drifted toward me before the gaggle of people completely disappeared into the forest.
Slowly and with much less enthusiasm than I’d had diving in, I made my way out of the water. I was unsurprised to find my belongings missing, leaving me in nothing but the soaking wet bra and underwear I had been swimming in. The chill in the air had picked up, and it was no longer refreshing. Cursing Bianca for taking everything down to my shoes and phone, I started the long walk back to the school.
Chapter 8
Mikhail
Freya had snuck off somewhere, and I wasn’t able to follow her fast enough. When Kris and Balor asked me to go for a run, I immediately denied them. I couldn’t go traipsing through the woods when my mate was who knows where. I paced the confines of my dorm room, looking out the window every other second.
From far away, I heard the rest of my friends return to our wing. I didn’t want to spend any more time with Bianca than necessary, and I wanted to stay close to my trouble-seeking mate. Now, though, their voices caught my attention.
“Did you get the picture? Post it from her phone to the school account. Can’t believe we got to see her naked.”
“Yeah, she’s not so ugly after all. Did you see those tits? Damn.” I recognized Balor’s deep voice and rolled my eyes.
“Oh, please, she looked like a bloody whale out there. She practically glowed in the dark,” Annika replied haughtily. I cringed at the entitlement in hertone. She was a bit of a mystery to me. Her family had money and power, and when we had first met, she used that as a shield. After a run-in with a rogue shifter cost her a finger, Annika’s demeanor changed slightly. She wore gloves every day and was jumpier than before. She stuck close to Bianca’s side, which allowed some of that brash behavior back.
“Oh my god, that’s it! Let me write the caption,” I heard Bianca hiss before it went quiet.
“Perfect. Post it now.” At first, I didn’t care what schemes they were up to, but now that I had put some distance between myself and the group, I found that our friendship was very superficial. I didn’t trust any of them to have my back.
When my phone pinged, my first instinct was to ignore it, but something told me I had to look. Grabbing my phone and opening up social media, splashed across every platform was a picture of my mate, half naked, floating in the lake. The post was labeled,Meet the new mascot! The Bartholomew beluga!
The phone cracked in my hand as I snarled, bloodlust rushing through me. Then the words I had just overheard penetrated. Not only had Bianca done it, but she had allowed other males to see my mate naked. With an anger I had never felt before, I stormed out of my room and into Kris and Balor’s shared suite.
They were sprawled in different spots throughout the living room, while Bianca and Annika sat on the couch, giggling at their phones. Remembering whatBalor had said, I headed straight for him. He had seen my mate naked. Balor had dared to talk about her body. I punched him in the face before he even knew what was coming. Annika covered her mouth with a gloved hand to hold back her gasp.
“Where is she? What did you do to her?” I asked, letting my fangs extend and fur ripple over my skin. I was close to a full shift, and they needed to take me seriously. Balor and Kris looked confused, but Bianca’s expression was the one that gave me chills. Nothing but cold, calculated amusement was on her face.
“Mik, why are you so concerned with a little human girl? Does she mean something to you?” Bianca asked, boldly daring me to admit she did, to put herself in the line of fire of everyone in that room.
“I gave you a chance to end this amicably, but that’s gone now. You went after her to get at me. I will make you and your father pay for this, Bianca. Do. Not. Fuck with me. If a single strand on her head is hurt when I find her, you will feel my wrath.” Bianca paled, then looked embarrassed as everyone looked between us, confused.
