Ruling Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 4) (5 page)

Screw 911.
No ambulance driver would ever make it to the hospital as fast as Brock would. Not when he had this kind of motivation.

In an almost undetectable movement, Elsie shook her head, and her body shuddered. Through her clenched jaw, she mumbled, “Rebecca. Mother. Phone. Purse.”

Brock frantically scanned the room until he saw her purse under the desk. Without leaving her side, he snatched the bag closer to him and fumbled inside until he found her phone.

A moan escaped from Elsie and he could tell she was trying to hold back her cries of pain. “What happened?” he asked as he tried to find her mother’s contact information.

It had only been minutes since he last saw her, and she didn’t have any signs of outward trauma. She was shaking, but her ability to speak and follow him with her eyes told him it wasn’t a seizure. He couldn’t think of anything that could cause such a sudden and crippling onslaught.

He scrolled through her recent calls until he found the contact titled “Mom.” As he hit the Send button, Jackson was back.

“I have the Hummer out front.” He leaned down to pick up Elsie.

The sound that emerged from Brock’s throat was enough to stop Jackson mid-crouch. “Don’t. Touch. Her,” he growled, the sound completely inhuman.

Jackson’s eyes widened at the threat and he slowly backed away, hands up in a non-threatening way. “I won’t, man,” he muttered.

Brock shoved the ringing phone at Jackson. “You talk. I carry.” Elsie stared at him, but he couldn’t tell how much she comprehended. “I am picking you up now. I think it’s going to hurt, but I’ll do my best.”

Though he knew she was far from okay, she gave a quick nod of consent. Without waiting for the anticipation to get the best of him, he hooked an arm under her knees and behind her shoulders and lifted her up in one swift motion. Her responding scream cut him to the bone.

Wanting to get her to the relative comfort in the back of Jackson’s SUV as quickly as possible, he turned and strode out of her office. All the office girls were now gathered in a large crowd, but he didn’t stop to tell them where they were going.

At this point, he didn’t even know. He looked over his shoulder and saw Jackson speaking on Elsie’s phone but was too focused on her shuddering body in his arms to focus on what was being said.

He quickened his steps and held her closer, hoping that his presence would somehow lessen her discomfort.

He couldn’t think of a way to get her into the backseat without hurting her more. Hell, at this point, each breath caused even more shivers of agony. He just knew he wanted to get her into the car with as little jostling as possible.

So he climbed into the backseat, still holding her in his arms. They ended up with him sitting down, cradling her on his lap. If it weren’t for the extreme situation, it would’ve been a sexual position. Lord knew he had thought of ways to get her in his lap before, but never like this.

Jackson hopped into the driver’s seat. “Who the hell am I talking to?”

Brock reached forward and grabbed the phone out of his hand. “What the hell is wrong with her?” he shouted into the mouthpiece.

“How long ago did the cramps start?” asked Elsie’s mother, in a completely calm voice.

Brock growled in response. Hadn’t Jackson explained anything? “These aren’t cramps! Something’s killing her. She can barely even talk.” Elsie winced at his raised voice and he lowered his volume. “Five minutes ago.” Just ten minutes ago, he had her pressed up against him. She kissed him.

He closed his eyes, blocking out the sensual memories in order to focus on the situation at hand.

“What happened before this started? Did you complete the claiming ritual?” Elsie’s mother didn’t sound worried. She sounded...happy?

His eyes shot open at her question. “What would that have to do with anything?”

“That explains it. Her life force is bonding with yours. Nothing life-threatening,” she cheerfully assured him.

Brock had no idea what she was saying. “How can you say it’s not life-threatening?”

“It was always going to be hard for her. Etta was incapacitated for three days after Max agreed to bond with her. Because their father was human, it seems to be harder for their bonds to form. But don’t worry. Just give it time and you two will live a long and happy life together!”

Her cheerful tone made him want to throw the phone out the window.

Jackson turned to Brock. “Which hospital we going to?”

“You’re telling me she shouldn’t go to a hospital?” Brock asked.

“There is nothing a human doctor can do for her,” assured Rebecca. “By the end of the day, the pain will put her to sleep and she will be unconscious until the bonding is completed.”

“Why doesn’t anyone know this about sirens?” bellowed Brock, cursing himself when Elsie shuddered.

“Why doesn’t anyone know that a vocal declaration isn’t enough to claim a mate? Did you tell her that a kiss was needed too or did you let her believe it was innocent?”

A red haze filled his vision and a cracking noise sounded next to his head. He threw the broken phone on the floor and focused all his attention on Elsie.

“I talked to your mom. She says everything is going to be okay. I guess this is normal?”

A small smile curved Elsie’s lips, though it left as quickly as it came. “They left out a few details.” Her grip on his shirt tightened and he knew she was fighting the need to scream.

“Just hold on. She said you’d fall asleep soon enough.” His arms gently cradled her and he brought up one of his hands to gently stroke her head. “Jackson, take us to the lake house.”

“Seriously?”

“Just drive,” ordered Brock. Jackson normally knew better than to question Brock, but at the moment, Brock was too distracted to remind him who was king. Besides, he needed Jackson to drive.

Elsie’s eyes opened and for a few moments, she just stared at him. He couldn’t think of anything to say that would make her feel better, so he didn’t talk. He just continued to stroke her hair.

She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, and for a moment, he relished the feel of her in his arms. When was the last time he’d had a woman let him hold her? Better question, when was the last time he’d actually wanted to hold a woman?

Normally he was ready to move on as soon as the sex was done. Of course, he was selective enough with his partners to assure himself that they wanted nothing more than a good time from him.

Elsie was completely different from any of the women he’d been with. Hell, she was completely different from any woman he’d ever met. She took a pride and care in her appearance he’d only ever seen in the models he knew, but she also knew his company better than he did sometimes. Her breath tickled his neck and he savored the feeling, hating himself for enjoying anything about this.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered against his skin.

The feel of her lips moving against the sensitive area sent a shiver down his spine. After a second, her words absorbed. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

She shook her head and immediately grunted at the movement.

“Just sit still, okay? I know you aren’t used to it, but you’ll thank me later,” he said with a grin, trying to distract her from her misery.

“You never knew what you were getting yourself into. You should’ve had a choice,” she muttered.

“Well, while you’re apologizing, I have a confession of my own.” She tensed, waiting for him to continue. “I broke your phone. Your mother’s a lot to handle.”

A snort of laughter came from her, and something changed. She screamed as though something was clawing its way out of her chest. She threw her head back and every muscle in her body tensed and all her joints locked.

Jackson struggled to control the car after her sudden outburst caused him to swerve into another lane of traffic.

All of her previous groans had been short and over in a second. This was different. She screamed and screamed until she gasped for air. Her head thrashed from side to side and a tear escaped.

All Brock could do was stare helplessly while he ordered Jackson to drive faster, not caring about speed laws at the moment.

Ten minutes later, Elsie finally passed out.

CHAPTER FIVE

A long hallway stretched in front of Elsie. She turned around, but the only thing behind her was a closed door. Her hand went to the doorknob, but it wouldn’t turn.

She turned back to the hallway. Wherever she was, it was huge. The passage was at least three hundred yards long, with marble floors and rich columns adorning the walls. Between the columns on her left were paintings and photographs of people she didn’t know, and on her right were beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows.

Not knowing where to go, Elsie took a cautious step forward. “Is anyone there?”

She tried to remember how she’d gotten here. What was the last thing she remembered?

Her mind drew a blank. Something had happened with Brock, but she didn’t know what. Was this his house? She frowned at the thought. This place didn’t seem like Brock’s cup of tea. Too formal.

The intricate decoration was more a vampire’s style, but the windows didn’t have any sun-proofing on them. Just sheer curtains that would never block the sun.

When no one responded to her shout, she kept moving ahead.

The marble floors were cold against her bare feet and a cold breeze swept by her, pushing the white nightgown tightly against her back.

Her heartbeat kicked up a notch as she turned in a circle, looking for the source of the wind. No windows or doors were open. She told herself it was probably a vent in the ceiling, but for the life of her, she couldn’t see one.

Determined to find her way out of the strange hallway as soon as possible, she quickened her steps. “Seriously, is anyone there?” She tried to keep the rising panic from her voice.

She passed by multiple closed doors, but every one she tried was locked. Looking out the windows, she saw she was at least three stories up. Even if she could open them, she would never chance the fall.

A creaking noise sounded from behind her. Her nerves were so far on the edge by now that the sound caused her to jump a good six inches.

As she struggled to control her breathing, she eyed the door that had just swung open. “Hello?”

Her feet wanted to run away from the door, but she cursed herself for her cowardice. The silence and unfamiliar location were just playing tricks on her.

Elsie squared her shoulders and approached the door that had been locked just minutes ago. She walked inside the room and saw an ornate bedroom decorated in rich purples and greens. The bed was huge with four posts on each corner, every post thicker than Elsie’s head and sitting ten feet high. Even at that height, there was plenty of space between the posts and the high ceiling.

Sitting on the bed was a petite blonde. She faced away from Elsie, feet hanging over the edge. She wore a long white nightgown similar to the one Elsie wore; her hair was long enough to just touch the comforter on the bed. She was so still, Elsie almost thought she was dead, but the subtle rise and fall of her shoulders told her otherwise.

“Hey there,” she whispered, not wanting to startle the woman.

The woman’s head whipped around at the sound and Elsie took a step back. The woman’s eyes glowed gold and two fangs protruded from her growling mouth.

Elsie took another step back, prepared to run from the room, but she was too late. The woman shot off the bed as though she was flying, and her claw-tipped fingers wrapped around Elsie’s throat.

~~~~~

Elsie’s eyes snapped open as she struggled to breathe. Her hands went to her neck, but there was nothing there. She started to focus on her surroundings and she realized she wasn’t in the same room as the one in her dream.

Judging by the rustic furnishings and pine trees outside the window, she wasn’t even in the same house.

“You’re awake!”

The booming, feminine voice caused Elsie to wince. She held her head as waves of pain let her know she wasn’t dreaming anymore.

The girl walked farther into the room. She had blonde hair, but was much younger than the woman in Elsie’s dream. Probably in her mid-teens, but it was hard for Elsie to tell ages. Growing up around immortals left her age-guessing ability lacking.

Was it a dream? Most realistic dream she’d ever had, that was for sure.

“Are you okay? I didn’t think you’d ever wake up. Are you really married to Brock? Lana can’t wait to meet you.”

Every word felt like a hammer hitting her head. “Slow down,” she murmured. “Where am I?” She remembered collapsing in her office and she remembered Brock carrying her into Jackson’s car, but everything after that was a blank.

She felt the blood rush into her face at the memory of sitting in Brock’s lap. How embarrassing! As if she were a little kid who needed comforting.

“You’re in Connecticut. Brock wanted you to recover somewhere relaxing.”

Elsie pushed herself into a sitting position to see out the window better. It certainly looked relaxing. Pine trees led down to a lake, where gentle waves lapped at the shore. She stood up and pushed open the window, suddenly needing the fresh air.

The cool spring breeze blew over her face, and the pain in her head finally subsided. Elsie moaned a sigh of relief, finally being free from the pain of bonding with Brock.

She had known immediately what was happening in her office. Ever since she was a child, her mother had told her stories of the magical bond a siren had with her mate.

No one ever told her it would feel as if she just got hit by a semi. There never should’ve been a bonding! She kissed him! In what crazy world was a kiss enough to start the bonding process?

Now that her headache was gone, she suddenly remembered her manners. “I’m sorry, I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself. I’m Elsie.” She turned to the teen.

“You’ve been kinda busy.” The girl smiled. “I’m Dani. I live here with my mom and Lana.”

Elsie stood up and pushed the heavy comforters and quilts away. She was relieved to see an oversized t-shirt and shorts instead of the nightgown from the dream. “Who changed my clothes?”

Dani’s brow furrowed at the question. “Brock. You’re his mate.”

Shit
. “Speaking of, where is he?”

“He took your dog out for a run a few minutes ago. He should be back soon, though. So how long have you and Brock been together? He never mentioned you. Has he prepared you for Lana? She isn’t happy about this. Whenever anyone mentions you, her face squinches up like she just bit into a lemon.”

Elsie really wanted to know who this “Lana” was, but knew better than to ask. She and Brock were mated now, so there was no point in letting his family know just how little they knew each other.

Elsie studied Dani. Though she was still growing into her body, it was obvious she would be stunning in a few years. Her face was still in the awkward transition between young girl and woman, but the tank top and loose shorts she wore revealed curves a lot of women would kill for.

As of right now, she and Dani were about tied in the chest department—Elsie being a solid B and sometimes even a C cup, depending on the brand—but she bet Dani wasn’t done developing.

Whoever her father was, he was going to have to make sure he kept his shotgun handy.

Suddenly, Elsie zoned in on what Dani said. “Did you say he was running with
my
dog?”

Once again, Dani looked at Elsie as though
she
was the crazy one. “Well, yeah.”

Elsie started to run for the door before she promptly fell flat on her face. Apparently her legs were not happy with her decision to suddenly move.

“Oh my God! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” grumbled Elsie as she pushed herself up. “Only thing that hurts right now is my pride.”

Dani smiled at her as she offered her hand. “Don’t worry. You haven’t walked for a week.”

Crap
. A week in bed at a strange house, surrounded by strangers who consider her married to Brock and, to top it all off, her dog was here.
Crap
.

“I need to see Riggs,” she mumbled as she started to walk again, this time much more cautiously. Dani held her arm to support her, but Elsie pulled away, determined to walk without help. She had already relied on these people too much.

She made it to the stairs without needing to lean on anything for balance but was grateful for the excuse to use the handrail.

The railing was the same aged wood that carried the rustic theme throughout the considerable sized house. It was nowhere close to the size of the mansion in her dream, but she passed another three bedrooms on her walk to the stairs, and there were probably a few more on the lower level.

Though the cabin was rustic themed, it was a rich rustic. There were obviously multiple generators to power all the lights and appliances, and everything seemed new and well maintained.

Trying to appear as normal as possible while walking down the stairs became more difficult as people came from all over the house to congregate right below her. Two women came out from what appeared to be a kitchen while another man walked up from the basement. They all looked expectantly at Elsie.

At a loss, all she could mumble out was, “Hi.”

It was obvious the women were related, though, like most immortals, they appeared the same age, late twenties to early thirties. The one who gave Elsie a stern look of disapproval was probably Lana.

Elsie had to give Dani credit. The woman did look as though she just bit into something extremely offensive to the taste buds. Elsie looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with the teen, who immediately burst into laughter.

Elsie managed to contain her own laughter, but her smile was unavoidable. The other woman tried her best to look stern, but her expression ended up settling on slightly amused. “What on earth is so funny, Dani?”

Dani quieted her laughter, but the smile stayed. “Nothing, Mom. Just an inside joke.”

“You’ve been awake for less than an hour and you and Dani already have inside jokes? No wonder Brock fell for you so quickly.” It was a sober reminder of the reasons she was at the cabin and surrounded by strangers. Luckily, Dani’s mom didn’t leave her clueless for long.

“I’m Gloria, and this is Lana and Russell.” She didn’t say how any of them knew Brock, but if Elsie and he really were in a serious relationship, she would’ve known all this.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, calling upon her manners perfected through years of rubbing elbows with the vampire monarchy and high council. “I wish it was under better circumstances.” She threw in a smile that warmed even the iciest politicians. Gloria smiled back.

Lana was not amused.

Russell stepped forward. He looked so much like Brock, they were almost twins. Where Brock had short and well-kept black hair, Russell had his long mane tied back in a loose ponytail. They both had golden brown eyes, but Russell’s nose and cheekbones were a tad narrower than Brock’s.

The biggest difference was Russell’s physical bulk. The man looked as if he could bench-press a truck. His muscles were so large his navy t-shirt could barely contain them.

“Brock should’ve told us about you sooner,” he said in a gruff voice.

Well, that got awkward quickly.

The front screen door opened, abruptly breaking up the silence. Elsie’s jaw almost hit the floor as Brock, sans shirt, walked in. Riggs happily trotted next to him.

She’d only ever seen him in his suits and ties. Sure, the jacket would come off at times, but how could he have hidden all those abs for so many years?

When he saw her, his face betrayed his shock. “Elsie! When did you wake up?”

She probably would’ve started drooling if Riggs hadn’t bounded halfway up the stairs to meet her and rub against her bare legs.

She forced herself to look away as a blush swept up her neck and cheeks. “Just, um, I got up a few minutes ago,” she stuttered.

Get a grip!
It wasn’t as though this was the first time she’d ever seen an attractive shirtless man. It was just the first one she was mated to.

Technically, he was hers to touch.

Brock crossed to the stairs. “Let me get cleaned up and we’ll go for a walk.”

Cleaned up. As in showering.
The uninvited image of all that beautiful muscle under a flowing stream of water popped into Elsie’s mind. “Sounds good!” she shouted, much too cheerfully, before she turned and shamelessly ran back to her room.

~~~~~

Brock tried not to stare at Elsie, but she didn’t make it easy.

They walked along the stony beach, just out of reach of the waves. The gentle breeze and bright setting sun made for the perfect first date setting. This was not a perfect first date.

He’d never seen Elsie in anything other than her perfectly pressed suits. Her face was makeup free and hair pulled away from her face. She seemed so much younger. When she held her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, she almost looked like a teenager.

She wore a pair of Gloria’s shorts and one of his old t-shirts, which hung down to the middle of her thighs.