Stealing Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 5) (12 page)

Lucian’s control broke. He dragged her against him; her feet barely touched the ground as he effortlessly lifted her. The hard evidence of his arousal pushing into her hip was shocking but exhilarating. In the back of her mind, she knew they had to stop, but any reasonable thoughts were chased away when he took her bottom lip between his teeth and nipped at her.

This was her beast.
She wanted the ferocity and the roughness.

She kissed him right back, hooking a leg over his hip and pressing his length against her core.

Heat pooled low in her belly, and she let her head fall back, nothing but the electricity and pleasure rushing through her.

Lucian moved to her neck, caressing the delicate nerves with his soft lips.

Abruptly, he ripped his head away from her. He tensed beneath Ella and let her slide down his body. He might not be kissing her anymore, but the friction wasn’t cooling her down at all.

Lucian took in deep gulps of air, and Ella looked firmly at the ground.
Had she really just done that?
“Why did you stop?” she murmured.
Why hadn’t she?

One big hand cupped her face and turned her gaze back on him. “I’m guessing you didn’t want to go further. Not really.”

She stared into his crystal-blue eyes, wishing she had an answer. She’d been around a lot of pretty people in her time, but Lucian’s strong features and deep-seated confidence were unlike anything she’d ever seen.

“You need to let me go,” she whispered. He released his grip on her, but they both knew what she meant. No matter what she felt, she couldn’t act on anything. What just happened was a mistake. One that wouldn’t be repeated.

He seemed to care about her safety. She knew it bothered him to know she’d been hurt because of him. He even tried his best to make her happy in spite of the circumstances.

But he didn’t respect her. He couldn’t. He kept her locked away like a pet or possession. Even if he wasn’t the complete monster she’d once believed, he was dangerous to her.

She thought back to Dad, the disgusting memory of his terror dampening any lingering desire.

“I’m glad you liked the dog.” Lucian turned back to the house.

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L
ucian threw the papers back on his desk. He wasn’t going to get anything productive done today. All he could think of was Ella’s lips on him. Her legs pulling him tighter. It’d been stupid to kiss her, but goddammit! He never expected her to kiss him back.

Not just a quick peck. When she kissed, it was with every fiber of her being. As though nothing existed except for the two of them and their touching.

It was mind-blowing, and the idea that he might never be able to do it again was devastating.

How could she ask him to let her go after they shared a moment like that? How could he ever bear to see her leave?
In just one week, he’d become so used to her. Her laughter would fill the house even at the slightest joke. Her smile would light up even the darkest rooms of the Maine house.

And she thought he would let her go?

Lucian walked over to the window where he could see her playing with the dog. Reno, he was called. Lucian had to admit he liked the thing. He wasn’t the biggest dog, maybe only sixty pounds, but he was all muscle and energy. Best of all, judging from the way he would look up at Ella when she was about to throw a stick, he adored her.

Not that Lucian was surprised. Everyone seemed to love Ella. Cade and Dean were both wrapped around her little finger and Lucian wasn’t much better.

No. She wasn’t going anywhere.

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E
lla stared at the perfect floor. Just a day ago, the wood had been soaked with blood, both hers and Dmitri’s.
Where had it all gone?
The floors didn’t look new. It looked exactly as it had when she first arrived.

Old and weathered, but not bloodstained.

What kind of violent life caused them to be so proficient in cleaning blood off antique wood?

The blinking screensaver on the computer and the small crack in the heavy green curtains to the left of the screen were the only sources of light in the room. Ella circled the scene of her attack, looking for any sign of a struggle.

Even the bookshelf looked perfect. The books were a little disheveled, but they were, for the most part, in the same order as they’d been before Lucian broke the shelves with Dmitri’s body.

The screensaver flashed from behind her. Ella turned and bent over the desk, peeking through the sliver of open curtain. Cade threw the ball and Reno and Dean raced for it. Dean was shockingly fast. Well, not as shocking anymore. He could easily outrun the athletic dog, but he obligingly let Reno win every couple of throws.

Reno looked as if he were in heaven. His tongue lengthened to twice its normal size while his tail was just a blur of movement.

The screensaver changed again, illuminating the room with an icy landscape and casting an eerie blue glow on the dark wood floors and bookshelves. Ella bit her lip as she looked at the computer. Lucian wasn’t here, and she had at least a few minutes before Cade and Dean would come looking for her.

Taking a breath, she sat in the computer chair and moved the mouse.

The computer wasn’t password protected!

She smiled at her victory and opened the Internet browser. She typed her name into the search engine and sat back as the results came up.

To her relief, there wasn’t too much. She’d hoped there wasn’t some national manhunt out looking for her. No one would be able to find her, and Lucian made it clear there were no human means of freeing her.

There was one recent article from the
Pine Springs Journal
with her name in it.

She opened the page and scanned the short blurb, heart dropping out of her chest as she read the words.

Ella stood up so fast the computer chair shot across the room. Her steps pounded on the old floors and echoed through the house as she ran to the back door.
Let her make a ruckus. She was about to raise hell.

How could Cade and Dean look at her with smiles and their signature carefree attitude knowing full well her father was killing himself with worry?

She tried to remember how he’d looked when she last saw him. How foolish she’d been to allow Lucian to just cut him off from her like that. Of course he’d do everything in his power to get her back. But who would believe a crazy old scientist raving about monsters kidnapping his daughter?

She should’ve known. Dad wasn’t the type of man to abandon someone he loved, especially when he was probably imagining the myotis forcing kids on her. She shook her head at her own stupidity. She thought she was saving him from torture, but in reality she damned him to a whole different hell.

She pushed the screen door open with enough force to bang it against the exterior brick. Cade and Dean’s expressions immediately turned serious. Reno bounded over to her, but soon enough he stopped, also sensing her mood.

“Tell me you didn’t know about Dad,” she demanded.

“Didn’t know what about your dad?” asked Cade, perfectly innocent expression on his face.

“That he is a person of interest in my ‘disappearance’ and has been hospitalized for exhaustion. The entire town thinks he’s crazy for saying monsters kidnapped me.” She looked back and forth between the two.

Dean exchanged a cautious glance with Cade. “We don’t follow the news,” he said, face blank.

Ella shook her head in disgust. “You two are so full of crap. Get Lucian here. Now.” She turned and stormed back to the house, calling for Reno to follow her.

She was still furious ten minutes later when a soft knock sounded at her bedroom door. The dog, who’d made himself at home on her bed, lifted his head at the noise. Ella motioned for him to stay there as she strode over to the door.

Lucian stood on the other side. “You called?”

She narrowed her eyes and slid into the hallway.
No way in hell was she letting him into her bedroom.

She crossed her arms over her chest, ready for a fight. “My father is being investigated by the police and is in the hospital right now and you didn’t even bother to tell me?”

A muscle in Lucian’s jaw ticked. “How do you know this?”

She closed her eyes at his lack of denial. Every time she started to think Lucian was the tiniest bit human, he would slap her in the face like this. “I read it on your computer.”

He nodded. “I should be surprised, but I’m not. You probably could get those two poor-ass excuses for guards to drive you back home with a police escort the way you have them eating out of your hand.”

Ella snorted. “They didn’t
let
me look at anything. I snuck in when I said I was getting water after we were playing with Reno. Don’t worry. They’re still madly in love with you.”

“They shouldn’t have let you go inside without protection in the first place. Especially considering what happened the last time you were alone.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you want them to start coming in the bathroom with me? How about the shower? I know. You want to be the one showering with me, don’t you?”

Lucian growled low in the back of his throat. The sound was so unexpected and animalistic, Ella took a step back.

“If I wanted you, I could’ve had you,” he reminded her.

“You said you wouldn’t force me,” she shot back.

“I wasn’t forcing anything in the yard yesterday.”

Without thinking, she slapped him across the face. Hard. Lucian didn’t even flinch. He just kept those cold eyes focused on her.
Crap
. He’d promised not to hurt her, but was that out the window if she struck first?

No. Lucian would never hurt her.
At least, not his definition of hurt, which covered all the physical bases. Psychological and mental torture were concepts he clearly didn’t understand.

“You’re assaulting
me
now?” His voice was deceptively calm.

“You’re lucky I didn’t punch you.”

He stepped in closer. She tried to stand her ground but wimped out just as he finished his step, bringing her back in contact with her bedroom door. Like the predator he was, he followed and pressed his massive body against hers.

She could feel every inch of him: His strong thighs. Muscled chest. The obvious erection.

Ella stared intently at his neck as a blush crept up her cheeks. He bent his head to her throat, his nose just touching her as he took in her scent. God help her, she responded. Her breath quickened as heat pooled low in her belly.

She closed her eyes tightly and tried to block out the sensations.
You do not feel this! Not for him!

He lifted his head, mouth just inches from hers.

Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to?

No.
She most definitely did not want to feel his soft mouth on hers as he gripped the back of her thighs, lifting her against the door as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Let me give you some advice,” he whispered so quietly she almost missed it. “The next time you strike at a myotis, vampire, sorcerer, or any other beast, don’t pull your punches.”

He leaned away from her then. Not moving his body, but his face was at least out of immediate kissing range. His hands settled on the curve of her waist. He didn’t pull her closer. Just rested his hands there, as though he couldn’t resist touching her. “I’m aware of the situation with your father. It’s because of me he’s a person of interest and not a formal suspect. They have no evidence. However, without sending a vampire over to control his mind, I cannot stop him from telling everyone about the monsters in the woods.”