Bullied Mate Of The Biker Brothers

9. UNSPOKEN TENSION

{LUMIRA}

I studied the outline of Gamma Vance's facial features while he slept soundly. An angled jawline, sharp cheekbones, lashes too thick for a man like him. His mouth was relaxed in his sleep, and his lips were parted, calm, deceptively soft for a man made of threat and power. Even asleep, he looked like a man born to command.

I had just finished wiping off the blood stains on his skin with a wet napkin and a bowl of warm water. His bruises were gone, his skin unscarred.

Suddenly, he stirred but did not wake.

Perched on the edge of the bed, I watched the man who had saved my life more than once. I wondered why he had been so protective of me, even to the point of going against his brothers.

It wasn't like he owed me anything after saving me from the Moscow. He could have just left after taking me to the hospital. Yet he still visited, brought flowers and breakfast, saved me from Conan, and brought me to his house.

How could I ever repay him?

Although I had planned to leave once he returned from work, but with Mirabel kidnapped, I knew I couldn't go anywhere.

To be fair, I had a bit of responsibility towards Mirabel. If she hadn't left the house to get more pads for me, then she wouldn't have gotten kidnapped. So maybe, I'd stay...despite the chaos, despite his brothers’ cruelty— until she was safe. And then, eventually, I’d leave.

A small sigh escaped my lips as a grotesque flash of memory made me flinch on the spot. I could still feel the burn from Kyro's grip around my neck, the hostility melting beneath his voice as he spoke.

If it wasn't for Gamma Vance, who knew what could have happened to me? Perhaps, I wouldn't even be breathing anymore.

I exhaled sharply and bent to pick up the bowl. The water had gone cold, murky, and tinted red from the blood I'd wiped away. Faint streaks clung to the side where my hands had dipped, and the metallic smell made my stomach churn.

Just as I rose to my feet to dispose of the water, a grip latched onto my wrist, restraining me.

My eyes lifted to the Gamma's face.

His blue eyes locked onto mine, and suddenly the air felt too heavy, too close. His gaze felt so sharp that it cut through me. There was something almost magnetic in them, pulling me in. And I could feel it in my chest, a strange heat blooming where fear and fascination tangled.

"How is your neck?" He asked, his raw voice sliced through the tension in the atmosphere.

My right hand traveled to my neck. "Better," I whispered hoarsely.

He finally released his grip on my wrist and nodded curtly. "I'm glad you aren't hurt more than that."

I couldn't believe he was bothered about me, when he had barely recovered from a near-death experience himself. The urge to ask him why he was so protective of me surged again, but I swallowed it and said instead,

"Gamma Vance, I don't know anything about Mirabel's kidnapping."

"I know."

"But your brothers—"

"They don't believe you, I do." He restated.

My lips parted, but no words were forthcoming. The fact that he believed me even without an explanation restored calmness to my unsettled nerves.

"Mirabel loves croissants." He added further. "She would make any excuse just to get them, so I don't believe you sent her.”

His statement lifted a burden off my chest. A heavyweight I didn't know had been weighing me down all along.

"Thank you," I muttered, fighting the emotions of finally being seen and held without an explanation.

"You've already thanked me, Lumira." A subtle smile splayed on a corner of his lips.

"That was for saving me, Gamma Vance." I endorsed, "This is for believing me."

His lips pressed into a thin, hard line. "Always. Now ask Stella for the ointment from the first aid kit and get me a glass of cold water on your way back."

"Yes, Sir." I got on my feet, carrying the bowl, and briskly left the room to do his bidding.

On my way to the kitchen, I found Ma'am Stella picking up the broken pieces of plates from the ground.

"Oh, child." She breathed, leaving her task to approach me. "Did they hurt you?" Her eyes swept over me.

"No," I managed, although hurt that she left me in the hands of those beasts. Not like she could do much either.

"Thank goodness I called Gamma Vance when I did." She said after me. "I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't come just in time to rescue you."

That was when it struck.

She didn't flee, she got help for me.

A pang of guilt slapped my face, hard for jumping to conclusions.

"Thank you, Ma'am Stella."

She shook her head. "You do not have to thank me, Child. I just hope Mirabel is okay. I hope she's brought back home safely."

"I hope so too,"

Her eyes drifted to the bowl in my hands. She gasped. "Is that blood from you?"

"No. From Gamma Vance. He got into a fight with his brothers just to save me."

"Oh goodness, this is bad,” She fidgeted. “The Storm Brothers never fight each other. Is he okay?"

I nodded. "Yes, he has fully recovered. He requested an ointment from the first aid kit and a glass of cold water."

Ma'am Stella took the bowl and a wet napkin from my hands. "Stay here. I don't want any shards pricking your feet. I will get the glass of cold water and ointment for you."

She quickly backed away to the kitchen while I watched her retreat. If it weren't for her, Kyro and Jett could have killed me even before the Gamma came to my rescue, and for that, I'm thankful.

In no time, she returned with a glass of cold water in one hand, and an ointment in the other. "Take this."

I took the items from her and mouthed a small, "thank you," then I made my way back to Gamma Vance's room.

When I got in, I found him seated, shoulder tensed as he spoke into his phone. "Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on my sister."

Dread pooled in my stomach and my hands trembled slightly.

Gamma Vance didn't notice me, his attention was fully dedicated to the call, and his fist was tightly clenched.

I had a feeling about the call's purpose. Mirabel's abductor was demanding something, threatening her safety.

"Motherfucker, stop beating around the bush and tell me how much you need!" He barked into the phone, the veins on his neck popping.

"You will get it, but first let me speak to my sister."

He jumped to his feet, grabbed a shirt, slipped it on, and buttoned it while holding his phone. Thereafter, he picked up his car keys from the bedside table and strode past me, leaving without a word.