Read Ruling Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 4) Online
Authors: Mallory Crowe
Elsie took the quiet moment to run her hands along the muscles of Brock’s back, enjoying the play of his muscles as he took in deep breaths. “That was...”
Brock pressed a kiss on her shoulder. “That was amazing, Elsie.”
She smiled even as she felt a blush creep up her cheeks. The compliment was nice, but she knew she was inexperienced. “Next time will be better,” she promised.
He pulled back and frowned down at her. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I, um, I’ll know more. I’ll, um, do more things.”
He chuckled as he turned onto his side, pulling her with him so they faced each other. “I’m sure you will know more, but I’ll be the one doing the teaching, okay?”
“And I’ll be a dutiful student,” she said with a playful smile. A smile that abruptly disappeared when she thought of something. “Um, with your wolf hearing, how many of your family knows what just happened?”
One corner of his mouth twisted up. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to.”
Brock rolled out of bed, careful not to disturb Elsie. He’d already kept her up half the night, but he couldn’t feel sorry for that. The way she moved against him, the way she’d tilt her head back and moan: it was all burned into his memory and there was no way he would ever regret it.
That being said, she had to be exhausted. She’d been running for a full day and she’d changed for the first time. The energy needed to change from one form to another was always taxing. In his wolf form, he wouldn’t feel it at all, but the exhaustion always crept up once he was human again.
He wouldn’t be surprised if she slept the entire day. Grabbing some sweatpants and the first t-shirt he saw, Brock slipped from the room.
The sun was already high in the sky, brightening the entire cabin. Lana and Gloria sat at the table in the kitchen, their conversation abruptly halted by his entrance.
“Brock,” said Lana. “Good morning. I trust your mate is feeling better.”
If he didn’t know better, he’d think Lana was actually concerned about Elsie. “She’s doing okay. I’m going to let her sleep as much as possible. It’s been a stressful few days.”
Lana nodded. “She should rest. Has she been sleeping okay?”
The question seemed innocent enough, but Brock knew the deeper meaning behind it.
“Elsie isn’t one of us. She’s not dreaming about the queen.”
Lana raised one brow but didn’t say anything. Gloria stepped in before Brock could get defensive. “Drop it, Grandma.”
Brock gave Gloria a look of appreciation and his heart dropped. Her normally perfectly done black hair was a mess. Her bright blue eyes were red rimmed, with dark circles masking their normal shine.
“Have you heard from Dani?” he asked as gently as possible.
Gloria gave a quick jerk of her head as a no. He wanted to say something to make her feel better, but there was nothing to say.
When Dani confessed what she’d done, he exploded. He screamed and cursed. He might have thrown something in rage, but he couldn’t remember what. Lana or Gloria must have cleaned up the debris while he was searching for Elsie because the cabin was now in perfect condition.
Dani had cried and begged for forgiveness before screaming right back at him. She said the monarchy was stupid and no one should have ever put him in power. Eventually she grabbed the keys to Russell’s pickup and drove off.
Brock and Russell had been too busy coordinating the search for Elsie to give much concern to the teen who almost got her killed. But that was two nights ago.
Now they had no idea where Dani was or who she was with. She hadn’t even called her mother to let her know she was okay.
“She’ll call,” he said weakly. In all honesty, he’d been hard on her. She’d deserved his rage and knew better than to deal with Derek. Father or not, she’d been warned her entire life about his character. Dani deserved to be screamed at.
That didn’t make Brock feel better now that the family was fracturing apart.
Gloria nodded in acknowledgment, but she didn’t look too hopeful.
Russell’s loud footsteps sounded on the stairs and Brock was grateful for his brother’s presence. Russell understood him. He didn’t have a mate of his own, but he understood the urges and possessiveness that went along with the claiming. He might not be Elsie’s biggest fan, but at least he would have Brock’s back.
“How is our newest wolf?” Russell grabbed a cinnamon roll off the counter.
“Sleeping it off.”
Russell nodded good morning to Gloria and gave Lana a quick and respectful kiss on the forehead before he turned back to Brock. “How long has she been able to turn?”
“She said last night was the first time. She wasn’t expecting it. I get the idea her mother left a lot out when telling her about her ancestors.”
“Sounds like a wonderful family you have mated into.” Lana smiled.
Brock shook his head at his grandmother. “I have known Elsie for years. She is one of the smartest and most capable people I’ve ever worked with, not to mention the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Believe me when I tell you that mating her was the best decision of my life.”
He didn’t give Lana a chance to insult Elsie anymore before he walked out into the warm spring air.
He took a second to remind himself he loved his grandmother and regain his composure. The screen door banged shut and he looked over his shoulder to see Russell. “Don’t let her get to you, man.”
Brock shook his head. “It’s not just her. It’s everyone. You aren’t exactly her biggest fan. Lana hated her on sight. Gloria will never be able to look at her the same after what Dani did. Hell, besides me, Dani was the only one of us who liked her.
“Why? Elsie’s amazing. What is it about her that drives everyone crazy?”
Russell thought about it for a moment before he answered. “I think it’s just too sudden. Mom and Dad were together fifteen years before they mated. Not until he was sure she would survive the queen’s curse. Not that she did, but he was convinced she would survive. We didn’t even know you were seeing anyone before you brought us your half-dead mate last week. You can’t blame us for being skeptical.”
Brock shook his head at the explanation. He knew Elsie’s introduction had been sudden, but she didn’t deserve the cold reception.
“None of you gave her a chance,” he said, knowing it was too late to ease Elsie into his family.
“She’s smart. She’s strong. She got away from Cullen in less than a day and managed on her own and fought through the exhaustion to make it back here. That says a lot about her character. It’s only a matter of time before Lana sees that.”
Before Brock could thank Russell for his support, the crunching of a car moving up the driveway had Brock and Russell both turn to the noise.
Without a word, they both sprinted to the approaching vehicle. Before it stopped, Brock’s stomach dropped. It wasn’t Dani.
The sporty red Mustang braked within inches of Russell’s prized Porsche and Brock heard Russell growl at the threat to his baby. The driver’s door opened; a high heel and well-shaped calf emerged.
Russell wasn’t swayed by the image as he aggressively took a step forward. Brock grabbed Russell’s arm, halting his progress. “Stay back,” he whispered.
“Give me one good reason.”
“That’s Elsie’s mother.”
Rebecca emerged fully from the Mustang and looked to Brock with a big smile on her face. “Brock! Welcome to the family, son!”
Elsie sat across from her mother in the rustic-looking cabin and couldn’t help the feeling of wrongness that filled her. Her mother’s big and wide-brimmed black hat sat between them on the table as her recently manicured nails drummed on the wood. Her white silk blouse accentuated her thin figure, and her black pencil skirt and heels belonged nowhere near the Connecticut woods.
Elsie tried to look reasonably styled. Her jeans were perfectly fitted and made her legs appear a mile long. Her shirt might not be silk, but it was a good cut and the pink and brown pattern was feminine and flattering at the same time.
Even so, she couldn’t help but feel inadequate next to Rebecca’s polished poise.
Elsie didn’t waste time with small talk or greetings. “Why didn’t you tell me I’d turn into a wolf?”
Rebecca cocked her head at that. “A wolf? You turned already?”
Elsie took in a calming breath and clenched her fists. “You knew and you didn’t tell me. Didn’t I deserve to know what I was getting into? Are you some type of vampire now?”
Rebecca looked away from Elsie and to the window that overlooked the lake. “Would you believe me if I said I was protecting you?”
Elsie scoffed at that. “I would believe you if you said you were protecting yourself.”
Rebecca looked back at Elsie, the hurt obvious in her eyes. “Go ahead and think whatever you want. Everything I’ve ever done was to protect you.”
Elsie just stared and waited for Rebecca’s explanation.
“It’s true that a siren can take on her mate’s traits and abilities after bonding, but it doesn’t always happen. From what I’ve seen, the stronger the bond, the more the siren will change.”
Rebecca fingered the hat in front of her. “I can barely go out into the sunlight anymore and can influence mortals in ways I never imagined possible.”
“I thought you only bonded with Roman because of his power.”
Rebecca narrowed her eyes. “I had multiple reasons. But I always liked him. I have always respected his intelligence and power.” Rebecca averted her eyes back down to the table. “Etta hasn’t shown any signs of sensitivity to sunlight. She can’t even open a jar without Max’s help.”
Elsie mulled that piece of information over. “You’re saying she and Max aren’t a good match?”
“I’m saying it doesn’t look promising,” she admitted. “Maybe I should have told you what to expect, but I didn’t want to burden you with the added pressure. It’s hard enough to know you’ll die unless you get an immortal to fall in love with you. At least Etta believes she and Max will be in love forever.”
Elsie shook her head at her mother’s logic. “You aren’t even going to tell her she made a mistake?”
“What good would it do?” hissed Rebecca. “She can’t leave him. He’s addicted to her. He might not be able to stand the sound of her voice, but he will never be able to live without her. That is our gift and our curse.”
“Etta lived with you. You knew Max. You must’ve known they weren’t a great couple.”
Rebecca shook her head. “You know I wanted both of you to marry well into the vampire council. If Aleksander weren’t married, I’d want you to be queen. But I wouldn’t want you to be stuck in an unhappy pairing.”
Elsie pushed herself from the table and walked away from her mother, unable to take her excuses any more. She stared out the window at the peaceful lake, wishing it was doing something to calm her. But she couldn’t run at the moment, so she turned back to her mother. “Stop talking about wanting the best for us. All you cared about was making a powerful match for us. Don’t pretend different.” Rebecca opened her mouth to protest, but Elsie cut her off. “I know you lied in the book. You never said a thing about a kiss starting the bonding process.”
Rebecca didn’t even have the grace to look guilty. “I might’ve omitted a few things. I won’t apologize for wanting my daughters to be immortal. You can be as angry at me as you want, but no mother deserves to watch her children die.”
“No daughter deserves to be forced into an unhappy marriage to make their mother happy,” shot back Elsie.
Rebecca stood up. “Don’t you dare judge me. You’re a strong, beautiful, and intelligent woman who is now queen of werewolves. Are you telling me I didn’t have anything to do with that?”
“I’m saying I turned out this well in spite of you. Not because of you.”
Rebecca took in a deep breath as the barest hint of tears started to creep out. Rebecca, never one to show weakness, quickly composed herself. She held her head high and carefully placed her hat on. “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way. When you are done convincing yourself I’ve ruined your life, I hope we can have a civil discussion about all this.”
With that, Rebecca turned and strode from the cabin, leaving Elsie following after her. Rebecca paused only to cheerfully wave at Brock, who waited for them on the front porch. The wide brim of her hat kept the sun from touching her face.
“It was wonderful seeing you again. I hope you both will visit Roman and me soon,” she cooed.
“You’re not staying longer?”
“Oh no. I wouldn’t want to bother the newlyweds any more than I need to.” Her voice and face showed no sign of the fight that truly chased her off the property.
“It was nice seeing you, Mrs. Entin,” he said in his business voice.
Rebecca smiled at him before she got back into her car. “When you are feeling better, you make sure to call me, Elsie,” she called from the open driver’s window.
Elsie sighed and walked over to her mother and leaned against the driver’s door. “Listen, Mother. I’m mad. I’m
rightfully
mad. It’s going to take some time.”
Rebecca reached through the open window to clasp Elsie’s hand. “Time is something we both have, sweetheart,” she said with a soft smile.
Elsie gave a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Bye, Mother.”
Brock joined her as Rebecca drove away. “How did everything go?”
Elsie turned away from him. “Don’t act like you couldn’t hear every word.”
He turned and followed her. “At least I have the decency to pretend I wasn’t.”
Elsie snorted. “That does count for something. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do with her. She blatantly manipulates me, but says it’s only because she loves me. What kind of love is that?”
“I guess it’s just family,” he muttered.
Elsie mentally kicked herself. She never should’ve put Brock in the middle of her drama. He’d been nothing but nice to her and didn’t deserve her crap at his doorstep.
They’d had such a nice night together. She should be trying to capture that happiness or enjoying the fresh air before they headed back to the city.
But the woods just weren’t as relaxing as they’d been two days earlier. These weren’t peaceful trees, and the breeze off the water wasn’t calming. Everything was a reminder of running for her life. Of legs that felt as though they couldn’t move another inch when stopping wasn’t an option.
She never should’ve gotten out of bed. When Brock woke her up that morning—well, afternoon—she thought he’d wanted to make love again. They should’ve made love again. Instead, Rebecca had to invite herself over and ruin what could’ve been a great day.
“We need to talk about what happened last night,” he said softly, reminding her that his family was everywhere and they all had superb hearing.
“About me growing a tail or about the sex?” She kept her tone as distant as possible.
Brock put a gentle hand on her elbow to stop her. “About the sex.”
Elsie turned to him and waited for him to continue, too embarrassed to say anything.
“Last night changed things.”
Her gaze went to the ground. “It’s just sex,” she muttered.
His hand tightened on her arm. “That’s a lie. What we had was more than sex and I think you know that. I know you didn’t choose to be with me. To bond with me. I know you’ve always respected me and I hope you know I’ve always thought you’re brilliant. But last night proved that there is something stronger between us than respect.”
Elsie pulled away from him. “You don’t understand.”
Brock shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. I’m no saint. I’ve been with more than my fair share of women and nothing even comes close to what we did last night. Do you have any idea how hard it is to have a conversation with Lana or Russell when I’m sporting a hard-on
constantly
thinking about you?”
A flush of desire shot through Elsie. Had he truly been thinking about her all day? She shook her head in denial. “It’s just the curse. Because I’m a siren, your attraction is amplified. None of it’s real.”
“I would believe that if I didn’t want you before we bonded. Remember that kiss in my office? All me and you. No supernatural forces involved. And don’t even tell me you didn’t like it. I could smell your desire then and I can smell it now.”
Elsie’s mouth fell open in shock at his words. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that it’s rude to smell people?” she hissed.
Brock pulled her to him and covered her mouth with his own.
Elsie weakly pushed at him as his mouth opened over hers, but in moments her fists curled in his shirt and pulled him closer.
Did the siren’s curse affect the siren too? She never thought it did, but apparently her mother had been selective with the truth. What if she was just falling under her own spell?
Brock moved his hands over her curves and settled on her ass. His strong fingers kneaded her flesh and she moaned. The treatment was rough, but it was exactly what she wanted. He pulled her closer and she felt the hard evidence of his arousal.
She just itched to hike one leg around his waist. He was strong. One of the strongest men she’d ever met. How easy would it be for him to push her against the nearest tree and slide into her wet heat?
Would the bark hurt? Would she even care?
Elsie pushed herself away from Brock.
Seriously? Sex against a tree? Where did these thoughts even come from?
Up until last night, she’d been a virgin. Before two weeks ago, she’d never even kissed a man. This had to be some type of curse.
Brock stopped kissing her, but he didn’t release her.
Her breaths came in heavy pants as she tried to regain her composure. “None of this is real,” she insisted.
He cupped the back of her head with one of his big hands. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? This is real. What you are feeling is real. I want you and you want me.”
Every instinct in her urged her to meet his lips with her own and let him have her however he wanted her, but those urges were the same reason she pulled away.
“No,” she said as firmly as possible. “We just— We need some space. From each other. We need to figure out what is happening.”
Brock shook his head. “What we need is to kick everyone out of the cabin and spend a week in bed together. Just you and me. No clothes allowed.” His head bent to her shoulder and laid a gentle kiss on the sensitive skin there.
“We need a chance to get to know each other without our families driving us crazy,” he murmured as he moved his lips up her neck to her ear.
Without conscious thought, Elsie’s hands moved over Brock’s arms, feeling the contours of his muscles and the ripples of movement as he held her closer. He moved for her lips again and she snapped out of it, stepping out of his reach.
She was so tempted to take him up on his offer. She couldn’t even imagine all the wild things he could teach her. How many romantic movies had she turned off in the middle of the steamy scenes, thinking she would never experience passion like that?
It wasn’t as though she could leave Brock. Now that she’d bonded with him, he was stuck with her. His body would never respond to another woman like it would to her. Even if he was stuck with her, she couldn’t go from coworkers to a devoted couple in just two weeks. Maybe she’d grown up with vampires, but this sex business was just too strange for her.
“I know it’s not fair of me to ask and I know it might not make sense to you, but I need time,” she whispered.
Brock’s lips tightened in frustration and he looked to his side, avoiding meeting her eyes. “I didn’t mean to pressure you,” he said tightly. Elsie could tell the words were sincere but knew he didn’t want to let her go. “And it is fair of you to ask. I shouldn’t have expected so much so quickly.”
Elsie snorted. “I think I gave you every reason to expect more,” she muttered.
“Can I ask how much time you think you’ll need?”
Elsie shrugged. She had no idea. Before the myotis attacked, she’d planned to live on her own her whole mortal life. Now she and Brock were stuck together for an eternity.
She should feel strongly one way or another about this. She should be happy she was with someone she respected and who was able to make her scream in the bedroom. She should be furious her mother had manipulated her and she was being kidnapped and betrayed by the one family member of his she trusted the most.
She shouldn’t feel both happy and furious at the same time. The two just didn’t go together, and the longer Brock kissed and touched her, the more confused she got.