Ruling Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 4) (8 page)

CHAPTER EIGHT

Elsie was in the same hallway. Big windows, long curtains, old portraits, and marble floors stretched in front of her. She wasn’t as lost this time.

She turned around and saw the locked door, same as last time. For kicks, she tried the knob, but it didn’t budge.

It’s just a dream. All you have to do is wake up.
Yeah, right. That’s probably what Brock’s mother said before she died in her sleep.

The hallway seemed to grow and elongate in front of her eyes. Elsie backed herself into the locked door and crouched down. With her arms wrapped around her knees, she ducked her head and closed her eyes.

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.

Elsie was immediately wide awake. Her eyes snapped open, but her body remained still. The sight of intricately designed wooden furniture greeted her and it took her a moment to remember where she was.

Then she felt the warm and well-muscled arm around her waist.

Brock. She was in bed with Brock and he was holding her.

Every rule she’d pounded into her mind for the last ten years demanded she jump out of the bed and run screaming, but she forced herself to remain calm.

She’d run last night and that got her nowhere. Even if she ran, Brock would chase her down. She ensured he would always come after her the second she forced him to claim her.

From now on, she was the only woman Brock could be with. She at least owed him the courtesy of trying to work this out.

She tried to relax, but it wasn’t easy. She felt as if she was in bed with a complete stranger. She had known Brock for over two years, but it was all too clear now that she hadn’t known him at all.

The arm around her tightened and pulled her back against his hard chest.

That wasn’t the only thing hard about him.

Everywhere he touched sent warm tingles through her entire body. A few key areas felt this sensation much more than others.

Elsie bit her bottom lip and tried to turn to face him, but he didn’t release his grip to allow her to turn.

“Let’s just lay like this,” he whispered against her neck. His lips tickled the sensitive skin.

She wasn’t ready for this. For him.
How can I tell him to let me go when he has every right to lay with me any damn way he wants?
“Um, I didn’t hear you come back last night.”
Fail
.

His thumb moved in lazy circles at the top of her ribcage, just inches beneath her breasts. At the sudden surge of warmth between her thighs, she clenched her legs together, accidentally pushing her rear against his erection.

He groaned against her ear as his arm lowered and pulled her hips fully against him. “God, Elsie. I couldn’t sleep at all with your hot body up against mine all night.”

Elsie’s mouth went dry at his words. Well, at this point, other parts were probably sucking up all the moisture. “I didn’t mean to keep you up.”

He laughed; his warm breath against her neck sent shivers down her back. “You really would be sorry, wouldn’t you? Don’t be. It might be the best night of my life.”

One corner of her mouth raised in a smirk. “You’re such a liar.”

She couldn’t see him, but felt him shake his head. “Nope. Best night ever. Only one thing would’ve made it better.”

Before she could ask what, he punctuated his point by rubbing his erection against her. Elsie’s head fell back and she moaned at the feel of him so close to her entrance. She was so ready for him. All he would have to do was push aside her shorts and panties and he could slide in so easily.

He growled and his lips found her neck, softly kissing and nipping. One of her hands came up and fisted in his hair. She wasn’t pushing him away, though. She pulled him closer, begging for more.

He ripped his mouth away and pushed himself from the bed, landing in a graceless heap on the floor. Elsie shot up on the bed, about to yell at him for stopping, when she saw his eyes.

They looked like golden amber on fire and stared at her with an intensity she’d never seen before.

He stood up, wearing only loose, gray sleeping pants; his erection strained to break free of the cotton prison. “Breakfast is downstairs whenever you’re ready.” He turned and walked out.

Elsie stared wordlessly. Half of her was grateful he left, but the other half wanted to run to the door and call him back.

What was happening to her? She’d maintained fierce control over herself for her entire life, but now she was moaning and groaning in her boss’s arms. The boss who’d been tricked into claiming her as a mate.

This was exactly the person she never wanted to be.

Feeling disgusted with the entire situation, Elsie pushed the covers, that weren’t already on the floor from Brock’s hasty retreat, off and stormed into the shower.

When she finally emerged from the bathroom, she felt a little better. At least she looked like herself. The short denim shorts were perfect for the warm spring weather, and the sheer beige top with bright coral embroidery brought out the blue in her eyes. The top was loose, but the sheerness allowed the nude tank beneath to clearly outline her long and thin torso and what curves she had.

Not wanting to appear too vain, she planned to do a neutral makeup, but she couldn’t keep herself from her bright coral lipstick. The color perfectly matched the detailing on her top, and she was a sucker for bright lipsticks.

Her blonde hair was up in a simple ponytail, but it worked for the casual/cute look she was going for.

She looked in the mirror and took a deep, calming breath. Off to face the family. Again.

There wasn’t a greeting party waiting for her like the last time she’d gone down the stairs. It was worse. Lana was there and no one else.

“Good morning, Elsie,” she said in a voice so pleasant it had to be fake. “Brock just left with Russell to go for a run. He seemed a little, I don’t know,
wound up
.” A knowing smile twisted her features from pretty to vindictive bitch.

“I can imagine,” she responded, with a knowing smile of her own. “Between going public with our relationship, the craziness at work, and meeting my own family last night, he’s been having a crazy week. Of course, it would’ve been better if he’d gotten some rest, but the poor guy got hardly any sleep last night.”

If looks could kill, Elsie would be six feet under in a millisecond. “Don’t be crass, dear. You’re supposed to be a queen.” With that parting shot, Lana sauntered away.

Elsie watched her go and fought the urge to stick out her tongue. Beat her in an argument and Elsie was being immature, but if she said nothing, Lana would win anyway.

Elsie moved into the kitchen. The rustic theme continued, but stainless-steel appliances and a granite island gave the touch of modern rustic. The kitchen was at the corner of the cabin, so two walls had large windows to let in the bright light of morning.

She walked over to the sink and could see the gentle waves washing up on the beach as birds searched for their breakfast.

Elsie turned back to the kitchen doorway when the silent morning was interrupted by rustling noises of someone coming down the stairs.

Dani trudged, eyes firmly on the ground in front of her and a sour expression on her face. She looked up at Elsie but didn’t even give her a nod of acknowledgment. Dani trudged to the refrigerator, where she pulled out an apple and turned to leave the kitchen.

This zombie-like creature was nothing like the sweet and funny girl Elsie met the previous morning. “Everything okay?” she called just as Dani reached the stairs.

Dani never even stopped to look back. “It will be as soon as today is over.” With that, she turned the corner and slammed the door to her bedroom.

Is this a teenager thing?

Elsie never had mood swings like that as a teen. She was in college by the time Etta was a teen, but even then, she was much too happy playing with her vampire friends to get so melodramatic.

The front screen door swung open with a loud squeak and then Brock was in the kitchen with her. Her heartbeat automatically sped up at the sight of him in his long running shorts and tight gray t-shirt.

Seriously, how did those suits hide all that muscle from her?

Riggs ran past him to circle around her legs. Elsie knelt to run her fingers through the dog’s short and thick fur, grateful for something to look at besides Brock. The last thing she needed was to start drooling. “I thought you were out running.”

“I was rude to leave you alone. You hardly know anyone here and I shouldn’t go for a run just to clear my head when you’re as stressed as I am. In some ways, at least.” He walked toward her and she quickly moved out of his way as he filled a glass with water from the sink.

“Maybe we can go for a jog together.” It would be a pain considering she just did her makeup, but it would be a good way to spend time with him.

He finished taking a deep gulp of the water. “That would be nice. I’d offer another walk on the beach, but the last time we did that, you ran away.”

“I wouldn’t call it ‘running away.’” She leaned against the counter.

He set his glass on the counter. “What would you call it then?”

She thought about it for a second. “I was taking a breather.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Well, let’s avoid you taking any breathers that involve a three-hour drive.”

“I think that can be avoided.”

He walked up to her and she instinctively moved back, only to remember there was nowhere to go. “Brock, I—”

His mouth covered hers, blocking any protest. She closed her eyes and savored the feel of his lips on hers. His tongue gently probed her lips and she brought her hands to his shoulders.

Before she could pull him closer, he broke the kiss. “I’m going to go upstairs and change,” he whispered.

Elsie was left standing alone in the kitchen as he turned and walked away from her.
What the hell was that?

CHAPTER NINE

The cold water felt refreshing on Elsie’s feet. With her legs hanging over the docks, she made figure eights in the water, entranced by the small ripples she made in the lake.

The dock shook with the weight of another person. Brock walked up and took a seat next to her. “You take longer than me to get ready,” she teased.

“Sorry for the wait. There was some family stuff going on.” He set down a plate overflowing with fruit and breakfast cookies.

Her eyes widened at the amount of food. “Did you bring enough?”

“I didn’t know what you liked.”

Oh yeah. They barely knew each other. She kept forgetting that. Maybe it was a good sign. “What kind of family stuff?”

“Dani has a school dance tonight. It’s this summer festival they’re throwing as a fundraiser and she isn’t happy with her dress. You know how girls are. They always hate what they’re wearing the night they have to wear it.”

Elsie narrowed her eyes. “No, I don’t know how girls are. Mother always made sure Etta and I looked fantastic for school events. Or vampire events. There were a lot of events. I might hate her at the moment, but the woman has fantastic taste.”

Brock winced, realizing the stupidity of his word choice. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

Elsie shrugged, not dwelling on it. She knew he didn’t mean anything by it. Two years of working under him made it clear he respected women. “I’ll take a look at Dani’s dress later today. Give her my
expert
opinion.”

He smiled. “You are the expert on looking great, aren’t you?”

Elsie bit her lip, unsure how to respond to the compliment. “Careful. I am susceptible to flattery.”

“I’m counting on it.” Before she could dwell on his words, he continued, “So your stepfather is a vampire and your birth father is human? How does that work?”

Elsie turned to gaze out over the peaceful lake. She rarely ever spoke about her real father. Rebecca would never mention him, and Etta was too young to remember much. “I think Rebecca really loved him. They could never bond, though. A siren pulls too much energy from the life force of their mate. He never would’ve survived if they got married.

“They bought a small house and worked odd jobs to get by. Dad worked in construction mostly and my mom could always get a position at the high-end retail stores. But he was mortal. One day his family history of heart problems caught up with him.” Elsie reversed the figure eight she was making in the water. She tried not to think about that night too much. The suddenness of it all. The confusion in the chaos.

“I didn’t mean to bring up sad memories.”

She shrugged and pushed the sadness to the dark corner of her mind where she always buried it. “It was a long time ago. A few days after, we left the house and moved to a crappy apartment in the city. A month after that, we moved in with Roman.”

“That seems really fast.”

Elsie scoffed at the understatement. “Mother is a force of nature when she wants something. She and Roman have a strange relationship. They seem to be so happy together, but I can’t imagine she hooked up with him for anything more than a long life and money. All’s well that ends well, I guess.”

Brock grabbed a sugar-covered pastry from the plate. “It sounds like he treated you and your sister good.”

Elsie stared at the pastry, mentally counting the calories and debating whether it was worth it. “Roman is amazing. He’s always treated Etta and me like we were his own. It’s hard for some vampires to be around mortals. For one, Roman and Thomas are pure breeds; they both feed off mortals. And I’m sure it gets frustrating to be around people so much slower and weaker than them.”

Brock laughed. “Trust me, the vampires don’t mind it if it involves an attractive woman.”

Elsie smiled. “That’s true. I got to see a lot. I’ve had private dinners with the king and his wife. I was at the tower when the doorway opened.”

His eyes widened. “You were there? Nothing happened to you, did it?”

She shook her head. “No one was paying any attention to me.” It had been a crazy night. Sonin Tower was having its grand opening ceremony when the rebel vampires attacked. Up until that night, everyone assumed the rebels were a small faction who wanted to overthrow the king, Aleksander.

Then the doorway opened. These weren’t just a few vampires unhappy with Aleksander’s leadership. This was an invasion. Before that night, vampires never knew they were descendants of beings from another world.

“Can I just tell you how much more fun my teen years would’ve been if I knew Thomas was an alien! All those wasted jokes…” Her eyes once again traveled to the pastries on the plate.
Definitely worth it
. She snatched a cheese-filled Danish, her mouth already watering.

Brock took another bite of his own lemon pastry. “You have a sweet tooth?”

Elsie closed her eyes as she savored the sugar and corn syrup flavor, moaning her appreciation. “You have no idea.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” he said with a sideways grin.

“Why did the myotis try to kill you?” The suddenness of the question was met with Brock’s silence. “I think I deserve an explanation.” She had kind of, sort of saved his life.

“I can’t say for certain. I think Cullen hired him.” At her questioning look, he continued, “Cullen is the main competition for the throne. He recently claimed a mate and there are whispers about her being the next queen.”

Great. More complications. “What do the other wolves think of him?”

“They want a queen. If his mate has been dreaming of Marella, she might have a chance of claiming her power.”

“Wait. What?” All she knew was that the dreamers died.

“In the dreams, Marella attacks the dreamer. Legend says that whoever defeats Marella will have her power. After she was murdered, she left a note directing that the next queen must pass her test.”

Elsie looked away from Brock, not wanting him to see her thoughts. She was dreaming of Marella. Maybe it was time to explore the dream world a bit further.

No! Don’t be stupid
. How many others said the same thing before never waking up again?

If she really was in danger, she should tell Brock. “Why was she murdered?”

He shrugged. “Same reason as always. Some idiot wanted more power. My great-grandfather was able to kill the usurper, but it was too late for Marella.”

The sun peeked out from behind a white, fluffy cloud and Brock lifted a hand to shield his eyes. His golden eyes seemed twice as large in the sun and the rigid planes of his face were highlighted by the shadows.

For a moment, all Elsie could do was stare. Brock truly was the perfect specimen, and he was her mate.

“I don’t want you to worry about any of this, though. You aren’t a shifter. To be honest, I’m relieved. I don’t know what I’d do if I thought you were part of that damned curse.”

Maybe it isn’t the best time to mention the dreams
. Time to change the subject. “What does it feel like to be a wolf?”

Brock smiled. “It feels like taking a hit of ecstasy and coke at once. I feel stronger and faster. Colors are brighter and smells paint a picture of the world you couldn’t even imagine.”

“That’s intense. You can control it, though. At the plant, your fangs and claws were out, but you still looked like you. I thought only the super old and powerful shifters could do that.”

“They don’t call me king for nothing.” He quickly scarfed down the rest of his pastry and jumped up, holding a hand out to her. “Come on.”

She pulled her feet out of the water and grabbed his hand. “Where are we going?”

“Don’t you want to see?”

Her eyes widened. “No, I don’t want to see! That seems kind of private.” She thought back to all the werewolf movies she’d seen. The change varied from excruciatingly painful to a shimmer of light hiding all the details.

Would his transformation look like magic or would it look like a wolf bursting free from its human cage? Okay, maybe she did want to see.

He pulled her off the dock, abandoning the food and her shoes. “It is private. That’s why you should see.”

As they entered the foliage of the forest, he slowed down, allowing her bare feet to carefully step around sticks and stones. “You change in broad daylight?” She knew werewolves could turn anytime they wanted, regardless of the moon, but it seemed too dangerous. He might own the land, but surely people still wandered in once in a while.

“Even if someone saw, we’d take care of it,” he assured her, as though he read her thoughts.

She stopped in her tracks and stared at him.

“Shit,” he muttered. “I mean we’d convince them they were drunk or delusional. Not
‘take care of them’
take care of them.”

He looked around them at the moss-covered rocks and bright green foliage. “This seems private enough to me.”

“Does it hurt?” She took a few steps back, giving him room to do whatever it was he needed to do.

“Only the first few times. And if you go a long time without changing, like a year or two. It’s sort of a muscle. The more you work it out, the stronger it will be.” He pulled his shirt over his head and Elsie’s mouth went dry at the sight.

Good Lord. His stomach was so tight, his abs actually cast their own shadows.
Don’t stand here like an idiot. Stop drooling and say something!
“How do you exercise this muscle if you live in the city?”

“Lots of weekend trips. I’ve changed in Central Park a time or two.”

Elsie rolled her eyes at his confession. Who shifted in the middle of such a populated area? “So you’re a stupid king?”

His long legs quickly ate the space between them until he was just inches away. “Not many people call me stupid and get away with it,” he warned. His crooked smile told her he was joking, but she didn’t doubt his words.

She crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive position. “You going to show me your magic trick or not, Dog Boy?”

His smile disappeared and he took a step back. His eyes closed and head tilted back. Elsie opened her mouth to point out he was still wearing pants, but before she spoke, Brock was gone and a massive black wolf stood in his place.

Elsie quickly realized her mouth hung open and she tried to regain her composure. “Brock?” she whispered. The beast moved toward her, and Elsie stumbled back a few steps.

He didn’t stop. With his tail low and gently circling and ears at a relaxed position, he wasn’t necessarily giving off threatening body language. Nonetheless, just seeing the two-hundred-pound wolf walking toward her set her nerves on edge.

Elsie pushed down her fear. This wasn’t a beast. This was Brock. Her boss for the last two years. The man she would smile at over Jackson’s shoulder. Her mate.

Stopping her retreat, Elsie held her hand out toward Brock, palm down. She frowned. Normally she held her palm up for a new dog to sniff. Did the same theory work for werewolves? Or was it insulting to think of them as domesticated dogs?

Brock moved under her hand, pushing his thick and coarse fur into her palm. He walked forward, allowing her hand to stroke him from the short fur right between his huge brown eyes to the thick bunches right were his tail started.

Elsie had always considered Riggs a big dog, weighing in at seventy pounds, but he had nothing on Brock. The wolf’s head reached well above Elsie’s waist and he had long, nimble legs with a thin waist and thick chest. Brock’s pants fell off on their own due to the new proportions.

Beginning to feel more comfortable, Elsie knelt and brought her other hand to stroke Brock’s fur. It seemed almost rude to pet him like a common house pet, but he seemed to enjoy it and continued to push himself into her touch.

“This might be the strangest moment of my life,” she whispered.

He moved his head, causing his cold and wet nose to bop her on the forehead. Looking into the majestic eyes that were somehow Brock’s and somehow not, Elsie knew he did it on purpose.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Fair warning, I am at my limits. If you lick me right now, I’ll probably take off into the woods screaming.”

Rustling sounded from the direction of the house and Elsie quickly stood. Brock turned toward the noise, his fur rising in anticipation of a threat and muscles going tense.

When Russell emerged from behind the cover of trees, he relaxed a bit, but not completely. “Hi, Russell,” said Elsie in the friendliest voice she could manage.

Russell’s eyes traveled between Brock and Elsie. She shifted her weight, suddenly feeling as if she had been caught doing something wrong. Though she couldn’t see disappointment in Russell’s handsome features, she could feel it emanating from him in waves. What the hell had she done wrong?

Maybe she was just imagining it.

“Hey,” he muttered. “I was going to go for a run with Brock, but I didn’t realize you were taking him for a walk.”

Nope. Definitely not imagining anything. “I like to reward him for good behavior.”

Russell looked her over, eyeing her shorts and shirt, which were still perfectly in place. “Not the reward I would’ve chosen.”