Ruling Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 4) (6 page)

“Was Lana nice to you?” he asked, not even sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Backing up his concerns was her smile at the question. “Lana and I aren’t best friends. Let’s just put it that way. Gloria seems sweet and Dani’s funny. How are they related to you?”

“Lana is my grandmother on my mother’s side. Russell is my brother and Gloria is my sister.”

Elsie carefully stepped around a washed up log and Brock deftly hopped over it, the motion subtly inhuman. He knew she caught it by the look she gave him.

She might as well get used to this side of him. He hid it at the office, but he couldn’t keep his wolf hidden while surrounded by woods and water.

“Is it true that you guys have big families?”

“I had five brothers and sisters, but none of them have had that many children. There’s still time, though,” he added.

“How many of them are left?”

Leave it to Elsie to pick up every detail. “Russell, Jensen, Gloria, and Kayla, Jackson’s mother. Jackson and Dani are my only nieces and nephews.”

Elsie looked out over the water and he knew she was trying to commit his family tree to memory.

“Don’t worry. I’ll draw you a chart of the whole family.”

She gave a snort of laughter. “Yeah, that might be necessary. Are all your brothers’ and sisters’ spouses werewolves too?”

“Jensen is the only one of us mated. And, yes, Stephanie is also a werewolf.” He knew it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. No one wanted to be the odd one out in a new family, and this situation was already uncomfortable enough.

Instead of dwelling on it, she changed the subject. “Where is Dani’s dad?”

Brock stopped walking at the question. “Elsie, I need to be completely honest with you. How much to you know about my family’s history?”

Her brow furrowed. “I know that the crown passes hands a lot. Usually bloody hands. Alpha wars and all.”

Well, at least she had some idea of his history. “There are a fair amount of wolves who don’t believe I should be in charge. Dani’s father is one of them. Don’t get me wrong, we all love Dani, but Gloria shouldn’t have ever been with Derek.”

“Why don’t they think you should be king? If you can handle your wolves like you handle your company, I’d think you’d be a great king.”

Her vote of confidence was unexpected. “You think I’d be a good king?” He smiled and stepped closer to her.

She grinned at his teasing tone but didn’t step back. “Finish your story.”

“There was a queen. Years ago. Marella. She had powers that no other werewolf had and everyone keeps on waiting for another queen to rise up. The king doesn’t do much besides manage money and wait for a mate who can harness the powers of Marella.”

“This is just more reason for us to find a way out of this.”

Brock raised an eyebrow at that. “Get out of this? You were in a coma all week because your life force was ‘bonding’ with mine.”

“Well, I certainly can’t be a werewolf queen!”

“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.” At her questioning glance, he continued. “Every queen since Marella has died within a month of mating the king. They start dreaming of her within days of the public claiming and die in their sleep.”

Elsie’s face paled and she took a step back. He quickly tried to reassure her. “I don’t want you to worry. Since you aren’t a wolf, you should be fine. You didn’t have any dreams while you were out, did you?”

She looked at her feet and shook her head. “Every queen?”

“My mother and my first mate included.” He’d rather not bring up such a sensitive topic, but he needed her to know what they would be up against.

“I never knew you were married,” she said.

“It was a long time ago. I’m a bit older than my company bio would suggest,” he admitted.

“Really? How old are you?”

“One hundred twenty-three.”

Elsie put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You’ve been over a hundred years old the entire time I’ve worked for you? Cradle-robber!”

“It’s not that big of a difference. I’ve met immortal couples with millennia between them.”

She cocked her head at that. “You really aren’t upset about this mating?”

He stepped closer to her again. “Why did you kiss me?”

Redness filled her cheeks. It was the cutest damn thing he’d ever seen.

“It was stupid,” she muttered. “You were supposed to realize how bad I was at it and run away screaming.”

“Why would you be a bad kisser?” Running hadn’t been on his mind during the kiss. He had been debating how big of a mess he would make if he swept everything off his desk, hiked her skirt up and took her right there and then.

The blush deepened. “I might’ve never done it before.”

He looked her over, taking in her perfect blonde hair, pert breasts, narrow waist, and legs that went on forever. “How is that possible?”

She shrugged and refused to meet his eyes. “I’m a siren,” she murmured. “I never liked the idea that my major goal in life is to find a powerful mate to attach myself to as I leech his power for the rest of my life. It just seems wrong.”

He’d heard the stories about sirens. They were generally thought of as the whores of the immortal world. As far as he knew, all sirens were women, and, without finding an immortal being to hook their claws into, they were basically mortals. Really attractive mortals with an ear-piercing scream and a singing voice that could captivate the most hostile audience.

If they couldn’t find an immortal, they would settle for a mortal. Although the human would age, the siren would remain the same, gaining substance from her mate until the mate died. And once the unlucky bastard was mated to a siren, he never wanted to leave.

Or couldn’t. He had never known anyone who bonded with a siren. Well, except for him.

“When you kissed me, I didn’t want to run,” he whispered.

“That’s just the bond talking. It’s so stupid!” she suddenly spat out. “Everything about me is supposed to seduce you, but I swear I wasn’t trying to trap you!”

She started to back away, but his hands went out and fell on her hips. He didn’t hold her tightly, but the touch was enough to stop her. He felt her warmth through his shirt and fought the urge to move his hands up her back. To pull her closer and smell her wearing his clothes.

“You think I’m only attracted to you because of what you are?”

She looked down, stubbornly refusing to meet his eyes. “I think this is all happening too fast for there not to be something supernatural happening.”

“Did you know that there was not one time in the past two years that I didn’t stand up to watch you walk out of my office?”

That got her to look up. “What?”

“Are you kidding? You were always the best part about having to come to the Jersey plant. Between the crappy hotel and Jackson’s bullshit, I couldn’t wait to get to our morning briefings and watch you cross your legs.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s horrible!”

“Well, I couldn’t exactly tell you. The one reason I hired you, even though you looked like a model, was because you insisted you didn’t date. I spent all my time yelling at Jackson for sleeping with the office girls and I couldn’t go breaking my own rules. You were just my little secret.”

One of his hands slid farther around her, resting in the small of her back. He wanted to pull her closer but didn’t want her to realize just how excited he was. Luckily he had thrown on another pair of sweats instead of jeans, or he might be in a painful predicament.

“Like an office crush?” she asked, still trying to wrap her head around his words.

“Office obsession.” He finally leaned forward just far enough to inhale her scent. The smell of summer and sunshine filled him and he growled his appreciation.

The inhuman sound seemed to startle her and she started to back away again, but his hands tightened. “Wait.”

She stopped. “Brock, I—”

He didn’t let her finish. His mouth covered hers as he pulled her flush to him, letting her feel exactly how much he wanted her.

For a brief second she pushed against him, but then her hands fisted in his shirt. He angled his mouth over hers and gently probed with his tongue. When she opened for him, he groaned his satisfaction.

His hands pulled on the loose material of her shirt until he could hook one of his hands under the fabric to feel her skin. Her hands hesitantly went to his neck, cradling his head and giving him permission to deepen the kiss.

As his hands moved lower, one pushed a few fingers beneath the waistband of her shorts; the other moved over her clothes to feel the delectable ass that had taunted him for years.

Suddenly remembering they were in full view of the family cabin, he effortlessly picked her up to move to the cover of the trees. At the unexpected motion, her arms went around his shoulders and her legs wrapped around his waist.

“Do you have any idea how fucking good that feels?” he ground out as he pushed her back against a tree.

CHAPTER SIX

The rough bark hit Elsie’s back, but she didn’t care. She was too focused on Brock’s hands, which seemed to be everywhere.

His hard length rested boldly against her and she never imagined the feel of having him so close, but with so many layers between them, would be so electric.

The feel of his cock pressed to her sent shocks of pleasure through her entire body. She pressed closer and the friction had her throwing her head back. He took the opportunity to run his lips over her neck as a hand cupped her breast, lightly teasing the tip with his fingers. The calm dusk air was broken by the sounds of her breathy moan.

She moved her hips faster against him, chasing after something she couldn’t name. Footsteps sounded from the shore. Brock ripped his face from her neck as he listened for any sign of interruption.

Elsie closed her eyes, just waiting for one of his family members to see her pressed up against a tree with Brock between her legs.
Please don’t let it be Lana. Please don’t let it be Lana.

The footsteps came closer, and Elsie let out a sigh of relief. She would recognize Riggs’s trotting anywhere. She gently pushed Brock away as her feet touched the ground.

“We don’t have to stop,” he said.

Judging by the size of him against her, he definitely didn’t want to stop. “This is going a bit fast,” she said.

Ugh!
She wanted to bang her head against the tree. She should’ve never led him on. This was such a siren thing to do! Get ’em hot and heavy and leave them wanting more. How many times had her sister said that to her?

“I didn’t mean for that to go so far. I’m so sorry, Brock.”

His hands lightly touched her waist. It seemed to be his favorite spot. “You don’t have to apologize for anything,” he insisted. “I kissed you that time.”

Riggs pushed his cold nose against Elsie’s thigh, and Brock finally stepped away to allow her to crouch down to the big dog. The setting sun made his red fur shine brightly, and his tail wagged frantically at his victory in tracking her down.

“Thanks for taking care of him.”

Brock nodded. “He’s a good dog. Afraid of damn near everything, but he calms down soon enough.”

A heavy silence hung between them. What was she supposed to say? She just made out with her boss, which was wrong on so many levels. But he was also her husband, sort of.

“I, um, I should go.” She turned back to the cabin.

“Elsie, wait!”

She heard him but didn’t turn back. He could’ve caught up to her easy enough, but he stayed put. Giving her plenty of space to deal with the craziness.

Dammit!
This would’ve been so much easier if Brock was like all the other guys who just wanted to get into her pants and didn’t give a crap about her feelings. She completely led him on back there and he apologized to her!

Elsie weaved through the five cars in the cabin’s driveway, all worth more than her yearly salary. After she snuck in the side door, she breathed a sigh of relief when none of Brock’s family was there to greet her.

She took the stairs two at a time, one of the benefits of being nearly six feet tall, and silently signaled Riggs to follow her. Once in her “room,” she rifled through all the drawers, looking for anything of hers.

Someone had gone to her house for Riggs. Didn’t they grab any of her clothes?

At least some moisturizer!

After she’d emptied every drawer and turned the closet inside out, Elsie sat back in frustration. Maybe he didn’t want to invade her privacy any more than necessary?

Didn’t stop him from changing my clothes though.

This was crazy. Her breaths came faster as the walls seemed to close in on her. She stood up and turned in a tight circle. Nothing was familiar. Not the people, not the clothes, not the cabin. Even her boss was completely different.

Brock, who had always been nothing but professional and courteous. He respected her ideas and got her input before any major decisions. And he’d been staring at her ass for the last two years!

And the dreams. Good God. Brock thought she was safe, but she wasn’t sure. That woman tried to kill her. His mother and first mate died in their sleep.

She couldn’t breathe. She had to get out of there.

She ran downstairs again, through the kitchen to the mudroom off the garage.

A collection of keys hung beside the door and Elsie grabbed the one for the BMW.

It wasn’t as if she were stealing the car. Just borrowing.

She would be back when she figured shit out. Riggs was still there, so they shouldn’t worry too much. At least, that’s what she told herself as she started Brock’s car and sped away from the lake.

~~~~~

Sonin Tower was a sight to behold. Standing at seventy-five stories tall, the imposing building was a testament to the vampires’ growing power in the world. Built by the most powerful vampires for vampires, it was a sanctuary to all of their allies.

And Elsie needed some sanctuary.

The guards at the front desk, vampires during the day and evening thanks to the special glass that surrounded the tower, allowed Elsie in without hesitation. Her family was known to almost all vampires in New York City.

Exhausted from the two-and-a-half-hour drive, Elsie couldn’t wait to see her stepfather and mother. Unfortunately, she had no cell phone to call ahead of time.

At the guard station, Elsie called Etta first. Roman and Rebecca tended to have a busier schedule than her sister. Because Etta had only recently bonded with Max, or Maximillian Balko to the other high council members, she was not invited to council events as often as Rebecca.

No answer.

She tried her mother’s apartment, fingers crossed for someone to pick up. She got her wish, but it wasn’t who she hoped for.

“Thomas,” was all the deep, masculine voice on the other end said.

“It’s Elsie. Is Mother there?”

“Shit. Elsie? Or should I be calling you ‘Your Majesty’ now? I heard you’ve been out having fun without me.”

Elsie rolled her eyes at his laughing tone. “I’m assuming that’s a no?”

“She and Roman are at a dinner with the Europe council branch.”

Elsie sighed in frustration. “Can I come up?”

“Fine. But you owe me some serious explanations,” he warned before he hung up.

One of the guards gave her a nod as one of the resident-only elevators opened. Elsie walked in and rested against the side wall. It seemed as if it took forever for the elevator numbers to tick by, but eventually the doors opened on the fifty-third floor.

There were only two suites on this floor, both larger than Elsie’s house. Elsie took the elevator only for residents, the guards programming which suite she wanted. The elevator had doors on two sides. Only a guard’s instruction or a specific key would allow entrance into one of the lofts.

As the doors opened, Thomas waited for her. Elsie took one look at her stepbrother’s familiar slicked-back blond hair, casually dressed in a t-shirt and jeans that together cost a couple hundred dollars, and burst into tears.

Without hesitation, Thomas’s arms were around her in a comforting bear hug. For the first time that day, Elsie was grateful she wasn’t wearing any makeup so she wouldn’t ruin his shirt.

It was a strange thought to have in the middle of a breakdown, but breakdowns weren’t known for being logical.

Thomas pulled away slightly. “What’s wrong?”

Elsie tried to get a hold of herself and focused on clearing her breathing without any embarrassing sniffling. It was already painfully clear she’d embarrassed herself enough.

“Everything’s wrong. My boss is a werewolf, I accidentally married him, and I may or may not die in my sleep!”

Thomas’s comforting features turned stern. His already dark-brown eyes turned black. “Did the wolf hurt you? You know we can protect you here.”

“No!” Elsie emphasized the denial with an emphatic shake of her head. “Brock’s been nothing but nice to me, but he never asked for any of this.”

Thomas gave her a skeptical look, but at least his eyes went back to their normal brown. “Elsie, you’re a beautiful woman who’s smart and was raised among the most powerful vampires in existence. He’d be stupid to not want you as a queen.”

Although his words were flattering, Elsie knew he only had platonic feelings toward her. There was a time when she’d dreamed of Thomas turning his legendary charm on her, but those dreams vanished the second Etta hit puberty. From then on, it was clear he only had eyes for one of the Handeland sisters.

Elsie scrunched her face. “I hate that word. ‘Queen.’ It implies some sort of power and control. I’ve never felt more powerless in my life.”

“If Brock is treating you right, I’m sure you can figure this out. You wouldn’t have bonded with him if there wasn’t some connection.”

Her palm went to her forehead as she replayed the events that led up to her bonding. “That’s something else that makes no sense! There are clear rules for this. Sirens need commitment from the mate before they can bond. Different species have different mating rituals. Humans have marriage. Vampires are easy. All I’d need from you is an ‘I love you,’ and boom! Mated.”

Thomas frowned. “I thought the wolves just publicly declared the mating and it was official.”

“So did I! But nothing happened when he declared it. It was only after we…” Elsie trailed off as sick realization dawned. “Son of a bitch,” she muttered as she marched away from Thomas and toward her mother’s office.

Rebecca wouldn’t have her family encyclopedia hidden away like Elsie. Hers would be prominently displayed for everyone to see, so it didn’t take long for Elsie to find the familiar-looking shiny black paperback.

Flipping to the
W
section was easy enough considering how many times she’d read the chapter the night she found out about Brock.

Only this book was different. Right in the beginning of the chapter, where mating rituals were always covered, the passage read, “
For a werewolf to claim a mate, there must be a public declaration and an exchange of DNA. Blood and sex are normally used, but a kiss is all that is necessary.
”

Unable to look at it any longer, Elsie threw the book as hard as she could against the nearest wall. Thomas, who’d silently walked in while she was engrossed in the short passage, held his hands up in surrender. “Whoa there. What’s up?”

“She lied to me! She played me!” Her hands came up as though she were about to hit something, but she clenched her fists. Her hands shook with the need to do
something
. She settled on yelling more. “I don’t even know why I’m surprised. This is just like her to ignore everything I’ve ever wanted as long as she gets what she wants!”

Thomas took a cautious step back. “What are you talking about?”

“Mother! The book she gave me—the one that’s supposed to tell me everything I need to know about all the creatures in the world—it was fixed! It didn’t tell me that a kiss would start the bond! She must’ve recognized the name Holt when I first started working there. She’s been planning this for years! She was there when he announced that we were together. It would’ve taken her three seconds to give me a ‘Hey, by the way, don’t kiss or have sex with Brock, like, ever, unless you want to be stuck with him for the rest of your life!’”

“To be fair, that took you longer than three seconds to say,” said Thomas.

The look she gave him shot silver daggers. “Hell! She could’ve text me!”

His expression went back to serious. “She’s your mother. It only makes sense that she’d want you to live a long and prosperous life. Brock is powerful and, as long as he’s alive, you’re immortal now.”

“Did you know there’s a whole bunch of werewolves who don’t want Brock in charge? They used to have some superpowered queen—Mary Beth or something—and they keep waiting for a new uber-queen. So now that he’s stuck with me, who knows what will happen? Do you think they will let him live when they kick him off the throne because of me?

“And, because there’s more shit I have to deal with, the last two queens died in their sleep within four weeks. I already had one dream where a crazy lady tried to choke me out. What chance do I really have here?”

Unable to stand still any longer, Elsie pushed past Thomas and made her way to the balcony. The breeze was too cold for her t-shirt and shorts, another reminder that she was not dressed up to her normal standards, but the fresh air was exactly what she needed.

Thomas joined her on the balcony. Even though it was almost midnight, the city was busy as ever. The tall buildings that surrounded Sonin Tower were lit up sporadically as the cars below turned the streets into red and yellow rivers of light.

The tower was only recently built, but she’d lived in the city ever since Rebecca married Roman. This was the life she knew. Had known since she was twelve. Fifteen years might seem like nothing to an immortal werewolf or vampire, but it was over half her life.

Thomas’s voice broke the silence. “I’d be more worried about the myotis if I were you.”