Page 13 of Bear It All
“Last year, they caught up to us. My father died so my mother and I could escape. Mother sent me here, and went into hiding to try to throw them off our tracks.” I hadn’t realized tears were running down my face until Misha’s giant hands swiped the moisture away.
“What did Bianca say to you at the party? Why did you run?” I paled at the reminder, panic running through me at the memory. Misha clutched me to him, rubbing a hand down my back.
“She won’t touch you. Tell me what she said, and I’ll take care of her. I need to know what we’re facing so I can protect you.” The strength in his voice, the vehemence behind his statement, had me calming down, and I finally opened up.
“She asked me when I had spoken to my mother last, that she knew what we were. The threat was clear.” Misha’s face hardened, and his eyes grew dark.
“We will find your mother and provide her protection with the clan. Bianca will get what she deserves.” His long arm reached over me to grab his cell phone from the night stand.
He sat upright, leaning his back against the headboard and maneuvering my body so I was resting against his chest. Satisfied I was close enough, he dialed a number on his phone. A deepmale voice answered, and I was close enough to hear both sides of the conversation.
“Son. Are you okay? How is your mate?” his father asked, causing my heart to clench.He told his parents about me?
“She is with me. She is okay, no thanks to Bianca. I’m going to need your help with a few things.”
“Of course! Whatever we can do. Tell us what’s going on. William approached us. He is willing to cut ties with Bianca in exchange for returning to business with us.”
“She needs more than disowning. She threatened not just my mate, but her mother. I need you to promise that once we find my mother-in-law, you will provide asylum and protection for her and any other of my mates’ people.”
“What do you mean, her people? I thought you said she was human?” a woman’s voice rang out. I assumed it was his mother.
“My mate is an Element, as is her mother.” There was a gasp before Misha’s father got back on the line.
“That’s magnificent. I’ve heard of them but never met one. They are rare, hunted. Our lands provide sufficient shelter for Elements. They will remain protected, surrounded by the clan, but free to experience the wilds of our region’s nature.”
“Give me the phone,” Mikhail’s mother demanded, and her voice came through the line loud and clear.
“Mikhail, you need to take care of Bianca right away. There’s a girl at the university. Annette Del le Fleur. Do you know her?” Misha looked at me, and Ifrowned before sitting up.
“You mean Nettie?!” I asked excitedly. Annette Del le Fleur and I had met shortly after I started there. She was a serious but friendly girl. I instantly liked her. We often shared a table in the back of the library where we quietly worked or read. She was one of the few people I genuinely enjoyed speaking to at that school.
“Yes! Tell her what happened. You can trust her. Request a meeting with her father to deal with Bianca.”
“Thanks, Mom, Dad. I’ll let you know when we hear from them.”
“Make sure to bring that girl home soon so we can meet her! Call us if you need anything. And make sure you let us know you’re okay!“ Misha smiled indulgently and repeated goodbyes before hanging up and tossing his phone to the side.
“It’s still early. Let me take care of my mate before we prepare to face our foes.” A wicked grin lit his face as he crawled down my body.
An hour later, my body felt like jello. We shared a quick shower, then got ready for the day. It was time to face Bianca one last time.
Chapter 14
Freya
Tracking Nettie down was easier than expected, and she was outraged at Bianca and her threats. We swapped numbers, and she sent me a text later in the day with instructions. At sundown, we were to hand Bianca over to Nettie’s father, The Fae King Eldon Del le Fleur.
Getting Bianca away from the castle was the next step of the plan. Using Mik’s phone, we crafted a text to lure her out under the pretense of reconciliation. Bianca’s bravado and entitlement would lead to her downfall. Not once did she question Misha’s intent, if he would choose her over me.
After the sun went down, Misha and I made our way into the forest. I hung back, using the heavy foliage to hide my presence. When Bianca made her way into the clearing, her posture was cocky and self-assured.
“Mikhail, I knew you would see reason. You had me there for a minute when Father called me, but clearly, something has shown you the error in your decision,” she said haughtily, closing the distancebetween them. I wanted to growl, seeing her get that close to him. Feeling my jealousy, Misha threw a cocky smile over his shoulder in my direction.
“You’re right. I did make an error. Clearly, I did not emphasize what would happen if you threatened my true mate. Now, you will face the real consequences.” Bianca furrowed her brow in confusion until I stepped out of the shadows and took my place by Misha’s side. He grabbed my hand, and I made sure to angle myself so my mating bite was in full view. Bianca gasped at the sight, and her face morphed into anger.
“What is she doing here? What is this, Mik? You can’t seriously have chosen her! You bound yourself to such a volatile creature? Do you even know what she is?” Biana spat out. Before either of us could respond, a figure stepped out of the woods and into the clearing, quickly closing the space between us and him.
As he came into view, I gasped at the sight of him. He was almost seven feet tall with long white hair and pointed ears. It was the giant golden wings he tucked into his back that caught my attention the most.
